Taxonomic Analysis of Perceived Risk: Modeling Individual and Group Perceptions Within Homogeneous Hazard Domains

Previous studies of risk perception have typically focused on the mean judgments of a group of people regarding the riskiness (or safety) of a diverse set of hazardous activities, substances, and technologies. This paper reports the results of two studies that take a different path. Study 1 investigated whether models within a single technological domain were similar to previous models based on group means and diverse hazards. Study 2 created a group taxonomy of perceived risk for only one technological domain, railroads, and examined whether the structure of that taxonomy corresponded with taxonomies derived from prior studies of diverse hazards. Results from Study 1 indicated that the importance of various risk characteristics in determining perceived risk differed across individuals and across hazards, but not so much as to invalidate the results of earlier studies based on group means and diverse hazards. In Study 2, the detailed analysis of railroad hazards produced a structure that had both important similarities to, and dissimilarities from, the structure obtained in prior research with diverse hazard domains. The data also indicated that railroad hazards are really quite diverse, with some approaching nuclear reactors in their perceived seriousness. These results suggest that information about the diversity of perceptions within a single domain of hazards could provide valuable input to risk-management decisions.     

The role of corporate social responsibility in strong sustainability

The aim of this paper is to analyze to what extent corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributes to strong sustainability, i.e. to what extent the use of natural resources and the environment is possible, given the current level of economic activity. We therefore examine responsibilities that corporations should take in order to fulfil the requirements of strong sustainability. Based on current CSR practices and theory as well as on businesses motivations regarding environmental and social investments, we will introduce the role of corporations in influencing consumption patterns. Furthermore, we will attempt to answer to what extent responsible corporate behaviour is determined by the current economic system.     

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION: AN INTERACTIONAL VIEW

This article posits postpartum depression as an evolving interpersonal system and provides treatment recommendations derived from an interactional/problem resolution viewpoint. Postpartum depression is conceptualized as a predictable developmental, family crisis, which occurs when the natural difficulties of childbirth are benignly mishandled. Seven tactics are illustrated for interdicting maladaptive interpersonal spirals: accepting and normalizing conflicting complaints; accessing significant others as customers for change; reframing depression as positive but costly; deriving adaptive behavior from maladaptive premises; regulating involvement of others in childrearing; restraining new mother from overly rapid resumption of roles; and predicting and prescribing relapse.     

The small sample performance of estimators of the standard errors of structural equation models

In this paper, we compare five asymptotically, under a correctly specified likelihood, equivalent estimators of the standard errors for parameters in structural equation models. The estimators are evaluated under different conditions regarding (i) sample size, varying between N=50 and 3200, (ii) distributional assumption of the latent variables and the disturbance terms, namely normal, and heavy tailed (t), and (iii) the complexity of the model. For the assessment of the five estimators we use overall performance, relative bias, MSE and coverage of confidence intervals. The analysis reveals substantial differences in the performance of the five asymptotically equal estimators. Most diversity was found for t distributed, i.e. heavy tailed, data.     

Internationalization of family firms: the effect of ownership and governance

Despite family firm’s dominant role in economies worldwide, there is little empirical knowledge on their internationalization. Drawing on a sample of Austrian firms, this paper investigates the impact of family influence and various governance factors on internationalization. The findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between family influence and internationalization. Family firms with medium family influence are the most internationally active companies. This indicates that concerning internationalization the advantages of being a family firm are highest when the family’s ownership share and involvement in management and governance boards is not too extensive. Additionally, neither the incumbent generation, nor the level of non-family executives in the management board, nor the existence of a supervisory board has a significant influence on going international. Since advisory boards seem to foster internationalization, they might be an adjuvant means of equipping family firms with the necessary capabilities, know-how and contacts to operate internationally.     

Lights,camera, condoms! Assessing college men's attitudes toward condom use in pornography

ABSTRACT

Objective: Investigate male college students' attitudes toward actors' use of condoms in pornography. Participants: Two hundred thirteen undergraduate males attending a large, state-supported midwestern university in the fall semester, 2012. Methods: Using a Web-based procedure, participants completed questionnaires assessing their pornography use, sexual history characteristics, and their attitudes toward condom use by adult performers. Results: Factor analysis of the 11-item condom use attitudes questionnaire supported 2 distinct subscales: Condom Supportive Attitudes and Condom Critical Attitudes. Although participants typically agreed with statements supportive of condom use and generally disagreed with statements critical of condom use in pornography, gay men had significantly higher condom supportive subscale scores than did heterosexual men. Neither subscale was correlated with weekly viewing of pornography. Conclusions: Although some producers of adult films argue that actors wearing condoms will displease many viewers, current findings suggest that young men express support for use of condoms by pornographic film actors.     

Design for the Environment: Life‐Cycle Approach Using a Newsvendor Model

Introducing environmental innovations in product and process design can affect the product's cost and demand, as well as the environmental impact in different stages of its life cycle (such as manufacturing and use stages). In this article, we advance understanding on where such design changes can be most effective economically to the firm and examine their corresponding environmental consequences. We consider a profit maximizing firm (newsvendor) deciding on the production quantity as well as its environmentally focused design efforts. We focus our results along the two dimensions of demand characteristics and life‐cycle environmental impact levels, specifically functional vs. innovative products, and higher manufacturing stage environmental impact vs. higher use stage environmental impact. We also discuss the environmental impact of overproduction and how it relates to the different types of products and their salvage options. We find that although the environmental impact per unit always improves when firms use eco‐efficient or demand‐enhancing innovations, the total environmental impact can either increase or decrease due to increased production quantities. We identify the conditions for such cases by looking at the environmentally focused design efforts needed to compensate for the increase in production. We also show that the environmental impact of overproduction plays an important role in the overall environmental impact of the firm. We conclude by applying our model to different product categories.     

Ist Marktorientierung ansteckend? Der Transfer der Marktorientierung über Hierarchieebenen – Eine empirische Mehrebenenuntersuchung

It is generally accepted that market orientation as a well-established marketing phenomenon influences the performance of companies. However, work investigating how market oriented behaviours of customer-contact employees can be influenced is conspicuous by its absence. This article is the first empirical multilevel study in this area, which simultaneously examines intralevel-effects (effects within the level of customer-contact employees, e.g. length of work experience, job satisfaction) as well as crosslevel-effects (effects which come from superordinate managers). Based on a large-scale three-level study, the results show that the transfer of top-managers’ market orientation via sales managers down to customer-contact employees is definitely not an automatism. In fact this market orientation cascade particularly succeeds, if the market orientation of superordinate managers comes along with intense charismatic leadership. All in all, the entire impact of crosslevel-variables on the market orientation of customer-contact employees is at least as comprehensive as the influence of intralevel variables.     

Implementing a smoking ban in an acute psychiatric admissions unit

In contrast to general medical hospitals, psychiatric hospitals often allow patients to smoke cigarettes. In addition to obvious health concerns, smoking can also interfere with clinical assessments and therapeutic activities, Implementation of a smoking ban on an acute male admissions unit did not result in any increase in aggressive behaviors. In addition, staff attitudes following the ban improved, and most staff members believed the ban was both ethical and beneficial to patients. Our research indicates that banning smoking on an acute admissions unit is feasible and well tolerated by patients and staff, although it may require extra vigilance for smoking-related contraband.     

On the Consistency of Court Dispositions in the Child Welfare System: A Research Note

An analysis of 4,706 cases of ‘complaints’ under the Child Welfare Act, dealt with by the Children's Court during a two year period, indicated significant differences between the dispositions made in respect of the same complaints by special children's courts in urban areas, by ‘declared’ children's courts in country areas, and by such ‘declared’ courts in areas of Aboriginal concentration. Some of the differences were thought to be attributable to pragmatic and circumstantial considerations associated with the courts' locations. However, significant dispositional differences not attributable to circumstantial factors, that were found between special urban courts, suggested that the observed disparity in dispositions has also a substantive relationship to the courts' differing conceptions of what constitutes the best interest of the child. The findings are discussed in the light of the literature, and some measures that could reduce the existing disparity are suggested.