Profit Orientation and Altruism in Economic Life. The Presence of Profit orientated- and Altruistic Goals in the Business Strategies of Small-Scale Salmon Farmers

Abstract

This paper will discuss the presence of profit and altruism in the preferences and strategies of small- scale economic actors. Small-scale economic actors often differ from larger companies in their embeddedness in a specific place, social network, and culture. From interviews with small scale salmon farmers, I have chosen three firms as subjects for this discussion. These firms have been chosen because they represent 1) one of the most profit orientated firms in my material, 2) one of the least profit orientated, and 3) a firm with generational (father- son) differences related to this issue. They will be labeled Firm 1, Firm 2, and Firm 3.