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The purpose of this paper is to provide a human ecology economics (HEE) framework for understanding and addressing homelessness, especially as it exists in California and the San Francisco Bay Area. The role of business and private “stakeholders of the homeless” is emphasized.

The HEE approach relies on evolutionary and complex systems processes, and it incorporates interdisciplinary material from the humanities. Within HEE, an early-stage exploratory research method is used. In-depth interviews with 16 long-term residents who are also managers in various organizations help to identify private-sector perceptions including how businesses can engage with and support the homeless.

In the current balance between needed supplies of “production capital,” which includes affordable housing, shelter beds, food, clothing, medical supplies and so on and “transaction capital,” which is an interacting mix of social capital, informational capital and financial capital, the authors find that the business community needs to pay greater attention to deficits in “transaction capital.”

It is beyond the scope of this paper, and beyond the current ability of complex system modeling, to prioritize the best interventions across various types of homeless communities. However, for early-stage research, the authors have provided a useful ontology of the human ecology of homelessness that might inform further research and policy initiatives. Follow-on research might then investigate, with more rigorous methods, the narrower causalities between subcomponents of one’s ontology.

Scholars, policymakers and business community activists might appreciate the more comprehensive and accessible interdisciplinary framework for understanding the causes and possible responses to homelessness.

Products that have a short selling season face high uncertainty in demand. Retailers who sell such products therefore find the task of pricing and inventory challenging. Many retailers consider making these decisions as an art form and do not use quantitative models that are developed by researchers. Describes how retailers typically make pricing and inventory decisions and also reviews quantitative models that have been developed by researchers to improve on one or more of these decisions. A classification of these models is developed and how they can assist the retailer is explained. A simple explanation of two mathematical tools, Bayesian updating of information and dynamic programming, which are commonly mentioned in the literature are also given.

It is estimated that the poorest of the world, termed as being economically at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP), have a purchasing power of $5 trillion. This paper aims to study what and why they consume, and how firms can best address those needs, an area that is relatively new.

The authors categorize the products and services people at the bottom of the pyramid consume with specific examples of both products and companies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and look at the theoretical frameworks that could explain those consumption patterns.

The authors find that despite income and resource constraints, BoP consumers are sophisticated and creative. They are motivated not just by survival and physiological needs but seek to fulfill higher order needs either to build social capital, for cultural reasons or as a compensatory mechanism. They also find that when firms offer products that also fulfill these higher order needs, especially through linkages to education and job offerings, there is a greater chance of their success.

The evidence is based on inference from examples in literature and related research on developmental economics. Empirical research to uncover motivations and their linkages to product success in different BoP markets would help to better understand sustainable approaches to BoP marketing.

BoP markets offer profitable opportunities. A lot can be learnt from both local and multinational companies successfully operating there. Firms should go beyond the mentality of merely removing features or services to make them cheaper. The lesson here is relevance, adaptability and tailoring products to suit specific BOP needs in an efficient manner. Also, enabling BoP education and providing marketplace services make for more sustainable approaches.

The study adds to BoP literature by examining consumption of this segment in an integrated manner: across various categories and linking it to motivation theories. This broad perspective would be useful not only for potential BoP marketers, but also for government and aid agencies.

This exploratory study investigates whether product type, utilitarian versus hedonic, affects consumers' likelihood of choosing a brand linked to a cause. The sample consists of 128 young Chinese Singaporeans. Unlike prior research done in Western countries, the respondents in this study were more likely to buy cause‐linked brands for practical than for hedonic products. They were also more likely to pay a price premium for cause‐linked practical products. This difference is attributed to the Confucian values that are espoused by the Chinese. Additionally, finds that specifying the amount donated to the cause increases the likelihood of purchasing cause‐linked brands that are priced at 10 to 25 percent premiums over comparable alternatives. Discusses implications for marketers and future research directions.