Understanding and Reducing Inconsistency in Seatbelt‐Use Decisions: Findings from a Cardinal Decision Issue Perspective

This article has two aims. The first is to present results that partly explain why some automobile drivers choose to use their seatbelts only part time, thereby exposing themselves to unnecessary risk. The second is to offer and illustrate the “cardinal decision issue perspective”⁽¹⁾ as a tool for guiding research and development efforts that focus on complex real‐life decision behaviors that can entail wide varieties of risk, including but not limited to inconsistent seatbelt use. Each of 24 young male participants drove an instrumented vehicle equipped to record continuously seatbelt use as well as other driving data. After all trips were finished, each participant completed an interview designed to reconstruct how he made randomly selected seatbelt‐use decisions under specified conditions. The interview also examined whether and how drivers established “decision policies” regarding seatbelt use. Such policies were good predictors of inconsistent seatbelt use. Drivers who had previously adopted policies calling for consistent seatbelt use were significantly more likely than others to actually drive belted. Meta‐decisions about seatbelt policy adoption appeared to rest on factors such as whether the driver had ever been asked to consider selecting a policy. Whether a driver made an ad hoc, on‐the‐spot seatbelt‐use decision was associated with a perceived need to make such a decision. Finally, participants with full‐time policies were especially likely to deploy their seatbelts by default, without recognizing the need to decide about belt use on a trip‐by‐trip basis. We end with recommendations for reducing inconsistencies in seatbelt use in actual practice.     

Science for Policy: A Case Study of Scientific Polarization,Values, and the Framing of Risk and Uncertainty

It is well documented that more research can lead to hardened positions, particularly when dealing with complex, controversial, and value‐laden issues. This study is an attempt to unveil underlying values in a contemporary debate, where both sides use scientific evidence to support their argument. We analyze the problem framing, vocabulary, interpretation of evidence, and policy recommendations, with particular attention to the framing of nature and technology. We find clear differences between the two arguments. One side stress that there is no evidence that the present approach is causing harm to humans or the environment, does not ruminate on uncertainties to that end, references nature's ability to handle the problem, and indicates distrust in technological solutions. In contrast, the other side focuses on uncertainties, particularly the lack of knowledge about potential environmental effects and signals trust in technological development and human intervention as the solution. Our study suggests that the two sides’ diverging interpretations are tied to their perception of nature: vulnerable to human activities versus robust and able to handle human impacts. The two sides also seem to hold diverging views of technology, but there are indications that this might be rooted in their perception of governance and economy rather than about technology per se. We conclude that there is a need to further investigate how scientific arguments are related to worldviews, to see how (if at all) worldview typologies can help us to understand how value‐based judgments are embedded in science advice, and the impact these have on policy preferences.     

Use of risk assessment and life cycle assessment in decision making: a common policy research agenda.

Quantitative risk assessment (RA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) are both analytical tools used to support decision making in environmental management. They have been developed and used by largely separate groups of specialists, and it is worth considering whether there is a common research agenda that may increase the relevance of these tools in decision-making processes. The validity of drawing comparisons between use of the tools is established through examining key aspects of the two approaches for their similarities and differences, including the nature of each approach and contextual and methodological aspects. Six case studies involving use of each approach in public decision making are described and used to draw out concerns about using RA and LCA in this context. The following categories of concern can be distinguished: philosophical approach of the tools; quantitative versus qualitative assessment; stakeholder participation; the nature of the results; and the usefulness of the results in relation to time and financial resource requirements. These can be distilled into a common policy research agenda focusing on: the legitimacy of using tools built on a particular perspective in decision making; recognition and role of value judgments in RA and LCA; treatment of uncertainty and variability; the influence of analytical tools in focusing attention on particular aspects of a decision-making situation; and understandability of the results for nonspecialists. It is concluded that it is time to bring together the experiences of RA and LCA specialists and benefit from cross-fertilization of ideas.     

The Synergy and Substance of Organizational and Community Change in the Response to Crime and Conflict: The Emergence and Potential of Restorative Justice

The story of the one-hundredth monkey has generated new ways of thinking about cultural transformation. Different experiences and new understandings of justice have emerged in a variety of cultural contexts and led to a rather sudden multi-national shift in thinking about the collective response to crime, harm and conflict that raises broader theoretical questions about restorative justice as a social movement or innovation. This article will describe the restorative justice movement in an historical context and its emergence into a worldwide phenomenon. The authors also examine the role of communities, or “instrumental communities” in public organizations.     

Complementarities and Substitutabilities in Franchise Contracting: Some Results from the German Franchise Sector

According to the property rights approach,decision rights have to be allocated accordingto the distribution of intangible knowledge assetsbetween the franchisor and franchisee andownership rights have to be assigned according to theresidual rights of control (residual decisionrights). Since residual income rights are diluted infranchising relationships, ownership rightsinclude not only residual income rights (initial fees androyalties) but also complementary ownershipsurrogates to simulate the motivation effect of undilutedownership rights. Therefore, under a propertyrights perspective, an efficient contract structure infranchise relationships implies co-locationbetween knowledge assets and decision rights andcomplementarity between residual decision andownership rights. The more important the franchisor's(franchisee's) system-specific assets (localmarket knowhow) for the generation of residual surplus, themore decision and complementary ownership rightsshould be transferred to the franchisor(franchisee). Three hypotheses were derivedfrom the property rights approach and tested in the Germanfranchise sector. The empirical results arepartly supportive of the hypotheses.     

$s for Lives: Ethical Considerations in the Use of Cost/Benefit Analysis by For-Profit Firms

Cost/benefit analysis is often an imprecise tool because of assumptions that must be made about matters that are difficult to quantify. The problems become especially acute when lives or serious bodily injuries are at stake because of the serious nature of that which is being risked. Furthermore, the literature on cost/benefit analysis focuses on public decision-making situations and decisions by individuals. This paper examines the distinctiveness of the use of cost/benefit analysis involving putting dollar values on human life by for-profit firms. The argument developed in the paper is that the lack of participation by the affected party (or government representative) in balancing costs and benefits raises special ethical concerns. A formula that was developed by the Ford Motor Company concerning accidents involving fuel leakage and fire with resultant loss of life and serious burn injuries is used as an example of both the imprecision of the method and the distinctive factors of the decision process that raise special ethical considerations. The paper examines why the for-profit-decision is distinct, what the special ethical considerations are, and concludes with a discussion of several alternative procedures to monitor the use of cost/benefit analysis so that it would be an effective business tool while at the same time the individual is provided maximum protection.     

CEO self-discipline in power use: A key moderator for the effect of CEO power

The effect of CEO power depends ultimately on how it is used (i.e., a CEO’s approach to power use), which may vary from one CEO to another. Notwithstanding extensive research on the effect of CEO power on organizational outcomes, researchers have thus far paid very limited attention to how the effect depends on individual differences. In this study I propose a new construct of CEO self-discipline in power use—defined as a CEO’s appeared conformance to the prescribed leadership norms (in particular, norms regarding how leaders should use their power)—and examine how it moderates the effect of CEO power. With a longitudinal dataset from the U.S. computer hardware and software industries, I found that CEO self-discipline in power use weakened the positive effect of CEO power on performance extremeness and improved the effect of CEO power on firm performance.     

Concerns,Challenges, and Directions of Development for the Issue of Representing Uncertainty in Risk Assessment

In the analysis of the risk associated to rare events that may lead to catastrophic consequences with large uncertainty, it is questionable that the knowledge and information available for the analysis can be reflected properly by probabilities. Approaches other than purely probabilistic have been suggested, for example, using interval probabilities, possibilistic measures, or qualitative methods. In this article, we look into the problem and identify a number of issues that are foundational for its treatment. The foundational issues addressed reflect on the position that “probability is perfect” and take into open consideration the need for an extended framework for risk assessment that reflects the separation that practically exists between analyst and decisionmaker.     

Prioritising indicators in improving supply chain performance using fuzzy AHP: insights from the case example of four Indian manufacturing companies

Abstract

In this contribution, we aim to prioritise the indicators to enhance the organisational supply chain’s (SC) effectiveness from an industrial perspective. It will help industries to develop strategies for managing the SC effectively and ensuring improvement in performance continuously. To achieve this, this work proposes to use a two-phase research methodology. First, 36 SC performance improvement indicators are recognised from a literature survey and from field and industrial expert’s inputs. Secondly, a structural model is proposed using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritise the indicators strategically to improve the SC performance. The fuzzy AHP method helps determine the priority of concerns of the identified indicators under fuzzy surroundings. Inputs in this research are taken from four ancillary Indian plastic manufacturing firms. Research findings indicate that collaborations and information exchange dimension indicators obtained the highest priority in improving SC performance. The model proposed is considered very useful for the SC managers/practitioners/decision-makers to understand better and distinguish the essential SC performance improvement indicators and to take systematic decisions specifically to improve the performance of business in a SC context. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to examine the priority ranking of the indicators.     

Building Blocks for a Precautionary Approach to the Use of Nanomaterials: Positions Taken by Trade Unions and Environmental NGOs in the European Nanotechnologies Debate

As partners in the European capacity‐building project NanoCap, trade unions and environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have established positions on the development of nanotechnologies. Key in their positioning is their view that the use of nanomaterials with currently unknown occupational and environmental hazards must have consequences for the risk management and use of nanoproducts. They have made proposals for responsible manufacturing and for applying the precautionary principle to the use of nanoproducts and they urgently call for the acceptance and the operationalization of a precautionary approach by the industry and governments. The trade unions and NGOs are calling for transparency and openness regarding processes and products that contain nanomaterials and have proposed specific tools for nanomaterial use that put the precautionary principle into practice, including the principles no data → no exposure and no data → no emission. The proposed tools also include compulsory reporting of the type and content of nanoparticles applied in products, a register of workers possibly exposed to nanoparticles, and the use of nano reference values as guides to assess workplace exposure to nanoparticles.     

Variability in Physical Constant Parameter Values from Standard Data Sources and the Implication of this Variability for Risk Analysis

Physical property values are used in environmental risk assessments to estimate media and risk-based concentrations. Recently, however, considerable variability has been reported with such values. To evaluate potential variability in physical parameter values supporting a variety of regulatory programs, eight data sources were chosen for evaluation, and chemicals appearing in at least four sources were selected. There were 755 chemicals chosen. In addition, chemicals in seven environmentally important subgroups were also identified for evaluation. Nine parameters were selected for analysis--molecular weight (MolWt), melting point (MeltPt), boiling point (BoilPt), vapor pressure (VP), water solubility (AqSOL), Henry's law constant (HLC), octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow), and diffusion coefficients in air (Dair) and water (Dwater). Results show that while 71% of constituents had equal MolWts across data sources, <3% of the constituents had equivalent parameter values across data sources for AqSOL, VP, or HLC. Considerable dissimilarity between certain sources was also observed. Furthermore, measures of dispersion showed considerable variation in data sets for Kow, VP, AqSOL, and HLC compared to measures for MolWt, MeltPt, BoilPt, or Dwater. The magnitude of the observed variability was also noteworthy. For example, the 95th percentile ratio of maximum/minimum parameter values ranged from 1.0 for MolWt to well over 1.0 x 10(6) for VP and HLC. Risk and exposure metrics also varied by similar magnitudes. Results with environmentally important subgroups were similar. These results show that there is considerable variability in physical parameter values from standard sources, and that the observed variability could affect potential risk estimates and perhaps risk management decisions.     

Variability in Physical Constant Parameter Values from Standard Data Sources and the Implication of This Variability for Risk Analysis

Physical property values are used in environmental risk assessments to estimate media and risk-based concentrations. However, considerable variability has recently been reported with such values. To evaluate potential variability in physical parameter values supporting a variety of regulatory programs, eight data sources were chosen for evaluation, and chemicals appearing in at least four sources were selected. There were 755 chemicals chosen. In addition, chemicals in seven environmentally important subgroups were also identified for evaluation. Nine parameters were selected for analysis-molecular weight (MolWt), melting point (MeltPt), boiling point (BoilPt), vapor pressure (VP), water solubility (AqSOL), Henry's law constant (HLC), octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow), and diffusion coefficients in air (Dair) and water (Dwater). Results show that while 71% of constituents had equal MolWts across data sources, <3% of the constituents had equivalent parameter values across data sources for AqSOL, VP, or HLC. Considerable dissimilarity between certain sources was also observed. Furthermore, measures of dispersion showed considerable variation in data sets for Kow, VP, AqSOL, and HLC compared to measures for MolWt, MeltPt, BoilPt, or Dwater. The magnitude of the observed variability was also noteworthy. For example, the 95th percentile ratio of maximum/minimum parameter values ranged from 1.0 for MolWt to well over 1.0E + 06 for VP, and HLC. Risk and exposure metrics also varied by similar magnitudes. Results with environmentally important subgroups were similar. These results show that there is considerable variability in physical parameter values from standard sources, and that the observed variability could affect potential risk estimates and perhaps risk management decisions.     

Implementing Dementia-Friendly Land Use Planning: An Evaluation of Current Literature and Financial Implications for Greenfield Development in Suburban Canada

The number of people with dementia worldwide will reach 115.4 million by 2050. This accelerating crisis has sparked research on how to design neighbourhoods for those with early dementia, and how to empower them through built environment changes to remain in their community for as long as possible. There are numerous benefits for persons with dementia who continue access to their neighbourhood: physical activity, sense of dignity, social interaction, autonomy and psychological wellbeing. In this paper, I examine 17 recommendations (urban design and land use strategies) identified as ‘dementia-friendly’, within dementia design and planning literature. Each is then examined against the planning frameworks for a mid-size suburban municipality in Ontario and assessed for its financial impact on a base case subdivision using pro forma analysis. The effect on the financial return for a developer was minimal, demonstrating that establishing these recommendations as policy is viable, through regulation and incentives.     

A “Pracademic’s” Perspective of Ethics and Honor: Imperatives for Public Service in the 21st Century!

Public Organization Review - This essay addresses ethics and honor, and the role they play in the actions of the public servant for the 21st century. Today’s public servant operates in an age...     

Business Characteristics of Male and Female Small and Medium Enterprises in the UK: Implications for Gender-based Entrepreneurialism and Business Competence Development

The aim of this paper is to identify differences, if any, between the characteristics of male and female businesses and to establish whether female businesses do constitute a distinct entrepreneurial group. The paper presents the results of an ongoing study based on a national survey of nearly 6000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK. Given that existing research tends to focus, in the main, on the pre-start up and start-up differences, this study aims to identify gender-based differences between male and female owned/managed businesses in their post-formation stage. A gender-based business competence development model is developed and a case is made for what is termed 'gender-based entrepreneurialism'. It is argued given that established male and female businesses exhibit different characteristics, gender-based entrepreneurialism should be acknowledged and considered by policy makers within the SME sector. Female owned/managed businesses may require differentiated policies beyond the pre-start up and start-up stages for developing business competencies and to nurture their growth and development.     

The key role of the event in combining business and community-based logics for managing an ecosystem: Empirical evidence from Lyon e-Sport

The spatiotemporal management of ecosystems remains a topical issue in the strategic management literature. This research proposes an original approach by examining the key role played by events in ecosystem management. Drawing on the single case of a major French e-sport event (Lyon e-Sport), we study how an event allows the combination of both business and community logics to provide a simultaneous but discontinuous ecosystem management. Our findings contribute to recent research and show that (1) the event provides a space for structuring and combining business and community-based logics, (2) the community logic has to be hierarchically managed to allow the business logic to emerge and develop the ecosystem, and (3) various spatial and digital mechanisms related to the event support the combination of both business and community-related logics.