Attribution Of Responsibility Research Articles

Stakeholder Responsibilities in Reverse Supply Chains: a Literature Review with an EPR Orientation

Objective: The objective of this study was to contextualize the literature on stakeholder responsibilities in the reverse supply chain (RSC) of waste, in the context of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Method: This comprises a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) based on the method of Tranfield et al. (2003). The articles were collected from the Science Direct, Web of Science and Scopus databases, using search strings previously defined in the research protocol. Results and Discussion: The research identified 65 relevant articles, highlighting the importance of EPR in assigning responsibility for CSR. Approximately 37% of the articles did not mention specific waste, while almost 40% focused on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), highlighting the relevance of this topic Research Implications: Offered insights into the attribution of responsibilities in CSR and the application of EPR. In waste management, the results may influence how stakeholders share responsibilities, especially for WEEE. Theoretically, the research revealed gaps on EPR, especially in emerging economies. These findings can guide more effective public policies and strategies for waste management and sustainable practices. Originality/Value: Contributes to the literature by refining the extraction parameters in the context of CSR responsibility, highlighting an academic gap on the complexity of EPR. The originality lies in the critical analysis of terminology, highlighting the growing relevance of EPR in WEEE management, reflecting global interest, especially in emerging economies such as Brazil, China and India.

Are discrete dimensions of corporate social responsibility disclosures global, regional or hybrid?

PurposeWe test whether six individual components of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures in the form of environmental, employee, anticorruption, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), health and human rights are converging (global), diverging (regional) or crossverging (hybrid) on a sample of 335 multinational enterprises (MNEs) from 31 countries from three regions of the world: Europe, Anglo-Saxon cluster and Asia and the emerging markets.Design/methodology/approach We use an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) analysis to test for differences between the six components of CSR on a sample of 335 MNEs from 310 countries for three regions of the world.Findings The effect of one-way ANOVA was significant for each of the six dependent variables separately on the differences between MNEs from the three regions. Taken together clearly the MANCOVA analysis indicates that there are signs of crossvergence between MNEs from Asia and the emerging markets and those from the Anglo-Saxon and European subsamples due to the hybrid nature of the findings.Research limitations/implications The results of the present study support the regional nature of CSR practices and disclosures and on many of the individual components CSR disclosures are a reflection of their home environments.Originality/valueThe study sheds light on the ongoing debate on whether CSR practices are converging, diverging or crossverging on a sample of 335 MNEs from the three regions of the world. Clear evidence of divergence was seen in that in all six dimensions of CSR, there were differences between MNEs from Europe and those from the Anglo-Saxon region reinforcing the implicit and explicit nature of the phenomena. There were significant differences between MNEs from Asia and emerging markets and Europe on four out of the six dimensions of CSR indicating mostly divergence. There were also significant differences between MNEs from Asia and emerging markets and those from the Anglo-Saxon region on three out of the six dimensions of CSR indicating the presence of divergence.

How grammatical constructions contribute to responsibility attribution in GBV coverage: a corpus-assisted study

Abstract The portrayal of key participants in gender-based violence (GBV) by the media has been analyzed as ideologically driven by critical discourse analysis (CDA) scholars. Nevertheless, previous studies of media coverage of GBV cases with a CDA approach were confined to qualitative analysis while quantitative evidence was lacking and were perpetrator-oriented without the victim’s perspectives. Addressing these gaps, this study conducted a case analysis of four British newspapers, each representing different political inclinations. Results revealed that the political inclinations did not influence media’s preference for certain constructions. However, the perpetrator was ascribed with a much greater degree of agency in high frequency active constructions. Even in passive and nominal constructions, he was specified more frequently than deleted, contradicting most previous research indicating that the perpetrators were often deleted to conjure away responsibility. We also verified the significance of the context particularly in interpreting the agentless passive and nominal constructions. Further research from diachronic and reader-oriented perspectives should bring more converging evidence.

Framing of Flood News in The Borneo Post, a Regional Malaysian Newspaper

In recent years, climate change and unpredictable weather are causing more frequent severe floods in various areas, but little is understood about how regional newspapers shape public reactions to and preparations for natural disasters. This study investigated the framing of flood news by The Borneo Post, an English-language newspaper circulated in Sarawak, Malaysia. The specific aspects examined were: (a) frequency of thematic and episodic framing of flood events and (b) frame dimensions used in articles. Altogether 76 articles (25,676 words) on floods published by The Borneo Post from 1 January to 31 December 2023 were analysed. All articles were in the episodic frame. The main frame dimension was attribution of responsibility (79%), where authorities act as disseminators and narrators of disaster facts. However, the absence of thematic framing of floods lowers attribution of responsibility to authorities to plan long-term solutions to flooding. The economic consequences frame ranked second (14.5%), emphasising losses suffered. Little attention was given to human interest (3.9%) or conflict (1.3%). There was no morality frame, and 1.3% of articles were fact-filled and did not have an obvious frame dimension. The findings suggest that fact-focused flood reporting lacking the humanity element may not move readers to action.

Bystanders’ support for online customer complaints: an integrated perspective of deontic justice theory and attribution theory

Purpose Online complaints have emerged as a pivotal avenue for customers to voice their dissatisfaction. In this context, bystanders, as third-party observers, actively engage in evaluating and judging these complaints. However, studies pertaining to bystanders in online customer complaints remain limited. Therefore, this study aims to integrate deontic justice theory and attribution theory to construct a research model of bystanders’ support for online customer complaints. Design/methodology/approach Leveraging a questionnaire and two scenario experiments, SPSS 24.0 and AMOS 24.0 were used to examine the relationship between bystanders’ moral outrage and their support for online customer complaints, the mediating role of responsibility attribution and the moderating role of experience similarity and online anonymity. Findings Based on the statistical analysis, the results show that bystanders’ moral outrage significantly enhances their support for online customer complaints; responsibility attribution plays a mediating role between moral outrage and bystanders’ support for online customer complaints; experience similarity and online anonymity can moderate the relationship between moral outrage and bystanders’ support for online customer complaints. Originality/value The findings of this study not only enrich the literature on online customer complaints but also provide valuable insights for companies to understand the diffusion of online complaints and effective strategies with which to address them.

Understanding and Influencing Responsibility Attribution when Experiencing Technical Issues in Video Conferencing

During video conferencing, technical issues such as network impairments can unexpectedly hinder remote collaboration for distributed teams. However, it remains unclear how such issues affect the impression formation process between unacquainted interlocutors in situations like job interviews or kick-off meetings. Having first encounters online without prior in-person interaction has become prevalent nowadays. Therefore, examining the impact of technical issues on remote unacquainted interlocutors and exploring design solutions to reduce the negative impact of technical issues on the impression is essential in informing the design of future communication systems. With three controlled experiments simulating an online job interview, we discovered that technical issues made people give low credibility ratings to remote job applicants (Study 1). We further examined two intervention approaches to reduce the negative impact of technical issues in video conferencing, including a virtual agent represented in a human-like avatar to actively take responsibility for the technical issues (Study 2), and forewarning messages to inform people about the technical issues in video conferencing (Study 3). Results demonstrated that introducing an agent that represents a communication system to take responsibility for technical issues actively could reduce the responsibility people assign to remote job applicants, but without increasing their positive credibility rating for remote job applicants. Furthermore, showing forewarning messages, which explicitly made people aware the cause of technical issues was unidentifiable and its potential negative impacts on impression formation, enabled people to rate the credibility of the remote counterpart without being influenced by technical issues. We discussed how interventions can be designed to mitigate negative attribution outcomes when encountering uncontrollable technical issues in computer-mediated communication.

Management Students’ Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability: The University Context of Each Country as an Explanatory Variable

Many scientific articles have been written about management students’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility. Most of these investigations were carried out on small samples, made up of students from a single university. Very few investigations have compared students from different universities and countries. The main objective of this paper is to investigate whether students’ countries operate as an explanatory variable for their perceptions of this concept. Fifty-four previous articles were reviewed, identifying some important conceptual problems and a high amount of methodological diversity. The second objective of this paper is to describe and analyze these problems and methodologies, with the aim of contributing to the development of this field of research. A sample of 1992 undergraduate students in management courses who were studying at 18 universities located in three countries (Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) was selected. A definition of corporate social responsibility was adopted. This concept was operationalized through a set of 18 indicators. An exploratory factor analysis showed that these indicators operationalize the main dimensions of social responsibility. It was found that there are statistically significant differences between the perceptions of the students from the 18 universities, but when comparing universities from the same country, these differences disappear. In addition, it was found that the relationship between perception and country is independent of gender, age, work experience and the degree that students are pursuing. This work contributes to our current knowledge in this field of study, because it shows that the university environment of each country operates as an explanatory variable for students’ perceptions of social responsibility. Also, this work contributes to the design of appropriate methodological strategies for carrying out comparative studies on the perceptions of social responsibility, both locally and internationally.

Ethical Reflections on the Application of Medical Robots in Healthcare

With the development and utilization of medical robots, more and more members of the public have begun to pay attention to the risks of practicing medical robots and have expressed concerns about their application. In order to deeply study the ethical risks of medical robots applied in health care, this study chooses the literature research method to reflect on the moral and ethical issues involved in medical robots. The study found that current medical robots have many application scenarios, such as: surgery, rehabilitation care, assisted work and telemedicine. These application scenarios of medical robots may bring ethical risks such as attribution of medical responsibility, doctor-patient relationship, and data algorithms. Intensively, the study points out that inadequate laws, immature values, and technological deficiencies are the most significant factors leading to the aforementioned risks. Thus, adequate attention should be paid to the medical career, the intelligent technology of robots should be improved, and the relevant laws and regulations should be actively improved. This study realistically reflects the current situation and risks of medical robot application, and through in-depth reflection, provides inspiration for robots to better serve the medical cause.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF FREEDOM AND ITS LIMITS: UKRAINIAN EXPERIENCE OF DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT

The purpose of this research is a philosophical reflection on the category of freedom in the context of Ukraine’s democratic development, with a focus on its limits in light of current political and social challenges, particularly war and crises. The study analyzes the historical stages of the concept of freedom in Ukraine, the legal and ethical constraints placed on it, and the existential dimension of responsibility tied to individual choice. The research methods include critical analysis of philosophical and political works, synthesis of approaches from different philosophical schools (particularly liberalism and existentialism), comparative analysis of freedom and responsibility concepts, and systematic analysis of the legal and ethical challenges facing modern Ukrainian society. The results of the study reveal that the concept of freedom in Ukraine has specific historical features, related to the ongoing struggle for national independence, and dynamically changes under the influence of external threats and internal political processes. It is determined that the limits of freedom are shaped not only by legal norms but also by ethical and societal factors that actively shape Ukrainian public discourse. Special attention is given to the existential dimension of freedom as responsibility, which manifests in complex moral choices in the context of war. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the combination of historical, legal, and existentialist approaches to understanding freedom in the context of Ukrainian democratic development, providing deeper insights into the relationship between freedom and responsibility during periods of social crises. The theoretical significance of the work lies in expanding the philosophical understanding of the category of freedom within the Ukrainian context, its interaction with legal and ethical norms, which is essential for further research in political philosophy and law.

Brand extension or co-branding: The consumer's attribution of responsibility to the crossover strategies of heritage brands

Cross-over brand extension and co-branding are effective innovation strategies for heritage brands to expand into new markets. This research compares consumers' responses to these two strategies, with the aim to address the gap in the literature and provide actionable insights for heritage brand managers. Based on the conceptual link between responsibility attribution and authenticity, and across four experimental studies, this research uncovers the advantage of brand extension over co-branding and its underlying mechanism: the serial mediation of responsibility attribution and new product authenticity. Meanwhile, the consumer's mindsets (fixed vs. growth) are identified as a boundary condition. Specifically, compared to brand extension, consumers attribute less responsibility to the heritage brand in co-branding; this in turn weakens the perception of new product authenticity, and leads to lower purchase intention for the new product. However, the disadvantage of co-branding will be neutralized when the consumer's growth mindset (vs. fixed mindset) is activated.

Climate Change and Entrepreneurship: A Review and Research Agenda

ABSTRACTAs climate change risks intensify, the role of entrepreneurial activities in addressing these challenges and promoting sustainable development becomes increasingly vital. Through a systematic literature review using a bibliometric analysis of 387 studies from Scopus up to December 31, 2023, this study focuses on the intersection of entrepreneurship and climate change. It contributes to academic understanding by offering insights into current trends for entrepreneurs, researchers, and policymakers. Our analysis examines publication trends, leading authors, countries/regions, and common themes to elucidate research efforts on entrepreneurial activities in the context of climate change. Contrary to typical trends in the geographical distribution, the study identifies a significant increase in contributions from developing countries such as China, India, and the Russian Federation. Furthermore, when evaluating entrepreneurship in the context of climate change, we observe a prominence of innovation and sustainability‐focused approaches. The primary finding of the study is the literature's attribution of significant responsibility to entrepreneurship in combating climate change and its consideration of entrepreneurship as a prerequisite for sustainable approaches. By demonstrating a sustainable attitude, entrepreneurs can contribute to the fight against climate change across various domains, ranging from policy to social life, and from collective efforts in the economy to individual endeavors.

Diversion of public criticism and the politics of blame avoidance in China

This article looks at how the Chinese government utilizes information control strategies to avoid taking responsibility for social problems. The authors argue that Beijing diverts public criticism by placing more responsibility for social problems on private enterprises, thereby benefiting itself and the public sector in the blame game. This approach differs from the tactics addressed in the existing literature, such as inciting nationalism to deflect criticism, diverting public attention to unrelated matters, or placing the blame on local-level governments. Through a comparative study of the criticisms on Weibo, censored posts accessible via Weiboscope, and opinions expressed on Twitter during the 2016 Wei Zexi Incident, this article demonstrates that the process of attributing blame to the private sector took some time to develop, but it was nonetheless successful in diverting public criticism away from state actors. The skewed attribution of responsibility to private enterprises served to reduce public criticism of the government and the public sector.

Trust and accountability in times of crisis

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic took place against the backdrop of growing political polarization and distrust in institutions. Did deficiencies in government performance further erode trust? Did citizens' ideology interfere with how they processed information on government performance? To investigate, we conducted a pre‐registered online experiment in Spain in November 2020. The treatment group was provided with information on the number of contact tracers in their region, a policy under the control of regional governments. We find that individuals greatly overestimate the number of contact tracers. When we provide the actual number, we find declines in trust in governments, willingness to fund public institutions, and COVID‐19 vaccine acceptance. We also find that individuals endogenously change their attribution of responsibilities when receiving the treatment. In regions where the regional and central governments are ruled by different parties, sympathizers of the regional incumbent react to the negative news on performance by attributing greater responsibility to the central government. We call this the ‘blame‐shifting effect’. In these regions, the negative information does not reduce voting intention for the regional incumbent government. These results suggest that political accountability may be particularly difficult in settings with high polarization and where areas of responsibility are not clearly delineated.

Are Short-Term Study Abroad Experiences Effective in Developing Global Citizenship in University Students Studying Health Degrees?

Short-term study abroad (STSA) experiences are an increasingly popular strategy used by universities to develop global citizenship in students. Global citizenship is particularly important for emerging health professionals with many health challenges of the 21st century being of global importance. Yet, evidence on the effectiveness of STSA is inconclusive, predominantly due to methodological issues limiting research to date. This quasi-experimental study draws on a recognized global citizenship framework encompassing dimensions of social responsibility, global competence, and global civic engagement to examine the changes in global citizenship pre- and post-STSA experience in health students. The sample consisted of health students (n = 75) who participated in an STSA experience (study tour or practicum) from 16 to 22 days in a less industrialized country and a control group (n = 66) who did not partake in any intervention. The data analysis found that students in the intervention group had significant improvements in their overall global citizenship score and its dimensions separately, except for social responsibility, while no significant changes were seen in the control group. The findings provide evidence to support STSA experiences as an accessible option for universities to promote global citizenship development among health students.

Effectiveness of a digital single-session cognitive behavioral psychoeducational intervention in reducing public stigma associated with psychosis: A randomized controlled trial

Psychosis is a severe mental health condition that is highly stigmatized, significantly increasing the costs of mental healthcare and reducing the productivity of those affected. Due to public stigma, individuals with psychosis often delay seeking professional help, exacerbating the socioeconomic burden of their ill-health. Psychoeducation, delivered in a structured and systematic manner, has been a key part of evidence-based psychological treatments and has been gradually adopted in stigma reduction efforts. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a digital single-session cognitive behavioral psychoeducation intervention in reducing public stigma toward people with psychosis in a collectivist society through a randomized controlled trial. Stigma was assessed using standardized self-report tools at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up. A significant reduction was observed in stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination on seven out of 10 public stigma components post-intervention. However, the desired effects were maintained for only two components at the 1-month follow-up. No significant changes were found in negative emotions, tolerance, and support from pre-intervention to post-intervention. Attribution of responsibility significantly increased after the intervention, contrary to predictions. The findings of this study provide empirical support for the short-term effectiveness of a brief cognitive behavioral psychoeducation intervention in reducing public stigma toward individuals with psychosis while highlighting the potential benefits of delivering this intervention digitally. At the same time, the limitations of individual-level interventions in sustaining long-term effects are discussed from a sociocultural perspective. This study also examined the relevance of these findings in the context of health economics.

The Role of Audiovisuals in Counter-Framing Dynamics: A Longitudinal Experiment on Causal Responsibility Attribution

ABSTRACT Opposing the interpretation of a societal problem with a countering framing is a common characteristic of the democratic discourse. While studies on the dynamics of such counter-framing situations point largely toward recency effects, it remains mostly unclear which characteristics of the initial frame influence these recency effects. Taking current developments in news reporting into account—the trend toward audio and audiovisual news—this study suggests that news framed and presented in textual and audio and audiovisual modalities can attenuate recency effects in counter-framing environments. Building upon the long-standing research strand of responsibility framing and theories of multimodal learning, the findings of this longitudinal probability-sample experiment indicate that the recency effects of frames largely endure even if the initial frame is presented in a multi-modality mode.

Forecasting the evolution of urban mobility: The influence of anthropomorphism and social responsiveness in the transition from human to automated driving

The transition to automated driving has prompted efforts to anthropomorphize urban transportation, aiming to replicate traditional driver-pedestrian interactions and enhance safety when human drivers are absent. However, prior research on anthropomorphism has shown inconsistency, potentially hindering its practical implementation in pedestrian-vehicle interactions. This study addressed these inconsistencies by examining the contingent role of social responsiveness. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design, this study investigated the crossover interaction effects of anthropomorphism and social responsiveness on pedestrian-vehicle interactions at urban crossings. Two sequential studies were conducted: Study 1 examined the crossover interaction effects on cognitive factors and behavioral consequences (responsibility attribution and behavioral intention). Study 2 delved into the underlying mechanisms and contingencies of these interactions. Results reveal: (1) combining anthropomorphism and social responsiveness is crucial for effective pedestrian crossing and communication in the absence of human drivers; (2) the positive effects of this combination on responsibility attribution and behavioral intention are mediated by cognitive factors; and (3) non-responsive humanoid vehicles may not measure up to non-responsive, non-humanoid vehicles, yet responsive humanoid vehicles can outperform responsive, non-humanoid vehicles. These findings support the theory and guide the development of secure, interactive designs for the next generation of urban mobility in the transition to automated driving.

Whose war is it anyway? Proportionate reparations in wars of aggression

Abstract This article proposes a hybrid legal framework combining jus ad bellum and jus in bello to govern the attribution of State responsibility for reparations at the end of a war of aggression. To this end, the article considers former international mass claims processes and proposes a complementary approach that, on the one hand, acknowledges the role of the aggressor State in waging the war, and on the other, takes a cautionary approach to prevent a disproportionate burden of compensation being imposed on the aggressor State as a form of collective punishment. The consequences of respective violations of the prohibition of the use of force and the law of war are blurred in a war of aggression, resulting in complexities around liability for aggressor States. In response, this article concludes with a nuanced proposal to calculate compensation based on (1) the aggressor party's capacity to comply with jus in bello; (2) the extent of damage caused by the war of aggression, factoring in jus ad bellum considerations if a party is found to be intentionally maximizing destruction; and (3) the incorporation of tort law principles for equitable attribution of responsibility.

Revisiting the Person-relative-to-Event (PrE) model of coping with threat: a study in the Azores (Portugal)

BackgroundApproximately 20 years have passed since the Person-relative-to-Event (PrE) Model of Coping with Threat was conceptualized. Despite its familiar name, this model has been under-researched. This study investigates the main assumptions of the PrE, identifies predictors of actual household earthquake adjustments in the absence of fear appeals using a non-experimental design, and proposes an alternative model: the Sequential Person-relative-to-Event Model of Coping with Threat (SPrE).MethodsA survey methodology was employed with self-completed questionnaires from 822 residents of the Azores, an earthquake-vulnerable location. The associations between variables were examined. Structural Equation Modeling was applied to test the PrE and SPrE models.ResultsActual household earthquake adjustment was associated with person, event, and person-relative-to-event appraisals, responsibility attributions, age, and educational level. There was a non-significant association with gender. Person-relative-to-event appraisal was a non-significant predictor of actual household earthquake adjustments and responsibility attributions did not moderate this relationship. We found that event appraisal predicted person appraisal and that its relationship with actual household earthquake adjustments was moderated by the responsibility attributions. Thus, a new hypothesis is proposed regarding the relationship between risk perception (equivalent to event appraisal) and actual household earthquake adjustments.ConclusionsThese results contribute to the literature, practice and cumulative scientific knowledge.

Attributing responsibility to farmers for environmental protection and climate action: insights from the European Union

AbstractThe attribution of responsibility is an important aspect of democratic government and governance. This study is interested in explaining variation in the responsibility that the public attributes to farmers for tackling climate change and environmental degradation. It analyzes data for respondents based in the 27 member states of the European Union as offered by a special issue of the Eurobarometer. Theoretically, the study postulates that if individuals perceive agriculture as a cause of climate change and environmental degradation, then they are more likely to indicate that it is a responsibility of farmers to take environmental and climate action. It also hypothesizes that individuals with a left-leaning ideology are more likely to attribute responsibility to farmers than right-leaning ones. Empirically, we find that the attribution of responsibility to farmers for mitigating climate change and environmental degradation is highest among Danes and lowest among Estonians. In 19 out of the 27 member states, our hypothesis holds true that individuals who perceive agriculture as a cause of climate change and environmental degradation are also more likely to attribute farmers’ responsibility for taking climate and environmental action. And in 11 member states, left-leaning individuals have a significantly higher likelihood of attributing farmers’ responsibility for tackling climate change and environmental degradation.