Bad Apples Research Articles

Bad Apples on Rotten Tomatoes: Critics, Crowds, and Gender Bias in Product Ratings

This paper shows that movie crowd reviewers provide evaluations that are biased against movies with a stronger female presence relative to professional critics.

Proactive employees perceive coworker ostracism: The moderating effect of team envy and the behavioral outcome of production deviance.

As the workplace becomes more team based, interpersonal relationships at work are a central topic that affects both employees and the organization. Despite ample evidence showing the detrimental effects of workplace ostracism on employees' health and productivity, why someone is ostracized by others at work warrants more research. Based on social comparison theory, we predict that task proactivity could be perceived negatively and can elicit ostracism from team members; this effect is dependent upon the boundary condition of team envy. Furthermore, perceived coworker ostracism explains why task proactivity may turn into production deviance. We tested these predictions based on data from 630 employees in 131 teams collected in various industries in China. The results showed that individual-level task proactivity positively predicted coworker ostracism perceived by the proactive employee, and this relationship was moderated by team envy. Task proactivity was indirectly and positively related to production deviance via perceived coworker ostracism, especially in teams with high levels of team envy. Based on these results, we suggest that proactive employees need to be aware of possible unexpected interpersonal consequences in the workplace, given that proactive work behaviors may elicit unwanted and unintended treatment from team members. Managers should monitor team contextual factors, which may affect the extent to which good soldiers turn into bad apples. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

AOA Critical Issues Symposium: The Disruptive Physician: Bad Apple or Toxic Tree?

Disruptive physician behavior has become a common problem in medicine. Individuals who conduct themselves in a manner that could negatively affect patient care, or "disruptive physicians," frequently cause stress for patients and staff, are a headache for leadership, and can require expensive remediation. We suggest that rather than "bad apples," many disruptive physicians are the fruit of a "toxic tree." That is, many physicians only become disruptive as a response to their environment. It is important for leaders to accurately identify the root causes of disruptive behavior in order to address the problem. In general, it is important for leaders to act prospectively, to examine events from all perspectives, to promote wellness and communication, and to identify external or systemic causes. We also discuss additional considerations for when the physician who has been labeled "disruptive" is a member of an underrepresented group (in orthopaedic surgery, the underrepresented groups are women and racial minorities). As a conclusion, we offer a case example of how 1 institution established a system of physician wellness to enhance prevention efforts.

Spirit at work: a panacea for ethical problems caused by marketing managers’ love of money

PurposeLimited research has investigated how spirit at work, functioning as a “good barrel,” fosters ethical decision-making (EDM) even in the presence of unethical managerial behavior (“bad apples”). Therefore, this study aims to investigate the spirit at work, a situational variable, as a moderating variable in the relationship between the love of money (LoM), an individual-level factor, and EDM.Design/methodology/approachA time-lagged survey of the members of the Marketing Association of Pakistan was conducted. The data were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling.FindingsAdding to much of the existing research, which finds that LoM can influence ethical intention directly, this research finds that LoM influences ethical intention only through ethical judgment. Moreover, the spirit at work tempers the negative relationship between LoM and ethical judgment, thereby mitigating LoM’s detrimental effects not only on ethical judgment but also its downstream effects on ethical intention.Practical implicationsOrganizations, by planting the seeds of spirit at work, can institutionalize good barrels, which can alleviate the negative effects of the marketing managers’ LoM, the root cause of unethical behavior. This way, this study establishes a business case for spirit at work.Originality/valueThe novelty of this study is the development and investigation of a holistic conceptual framework for EDM of marketing professionals that incorporates LoM as an antecedent, ethical judgment as an underlying mechanism, ethical intention as an outcome variable and spirit at work as a boundary condition.

Do Bad Apples Inspire Good Soldiers? The Effects of Leader UPB on Followers’ Citizenship Behavior

Do Bad Apples Inspire Good Soldiers? The Effects of Leader UPB on Followers’ Citizenship Behavior

‘Mad’ transit and bad apples

‘Mad’ transit and bad apples

From Good Citizens to Bad Apples? The Effect of Boredom Proneness: A Moral Licensing Perspective.

Although boredom proneness has been well-studied, there is still an ongoing scholarly debate about whether boredom can move individuals to act counterproductively or productively. Drawing from a moral licensing perspective, this study empirically investigates how boredom proneness influences interpersonal citizenship behavior (ICB), moral meaningfulness, and interpersonal deviance over time. Utilizing a total of 328 three-wave panel data obtained via Amazon Mechanical Turk during a three-month period, we find the following results. First, individuals with a higher initial level of boredom proneness demonstrate a higher initial level of ICB. Second, as boredom proneness increases at a faster rate, ICB increases at a faster rate over time. Third, individuals with a higher initial level of ICB report a higher initial level of moral meaningfulness. Finally, individuals with a higher initial level of moral meaningfulness exhibit a higher initial level of interpersonal deviance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

One bad apple spoils the barrel? Public good provision under threshold uncertainty

We report laboratory evidence on the voluntary provision of threshold public goods when the exact location of the threshold is not known. Our experimental treatments explicitly compare two prominent technologies, summation, and weakest link. Uncertainty in threshold location is particularly detrimental to threshold attainment under weakest link, where low contributions by one subject cannot be compensated by others. In contrast, threshold uncertainty does not affect contributions under summation. We demonstrate that non-binding pledges improve the chances of threshold attainment under both technologies, particularly under weakest link.

Good Apples / Bad Apples: Detection and classification of damage

Good Apples / Bad Apples: Detection and classification of damage

Bad apples and sour grapes: How fruit and vegetable wholesalers’ fantasy mediates experienced stigma

How do organisations that belong to a stigmatised industry manage negative perceptions? We contribute to answering this question by highlighting how organisational members turn external negative evaluations into positive self-idealisations. Our research offers a unique perspective on how stigmatised actors navigate their tarnished image, as well as how they remain attached to a group and its attributes despite its stigmatisation. The study reports findings from two French fruit and vegetable wholesalers, who are commonly perceived as thieves, bandits and unwanted intermediaries. We explain how organisational members were able to neutralise negative perceptions by mobilising and maintaining an idealised perception of their centrality. This structuring fantasy formed a powerful defence against stigmatised perceptions, transforming the stigma into self-idealisation that supported organisational stability. The organisations studied developed idealisation strategies based on members’ attachment to or distancing from nostalgic fantasies of the past. We suggest that awareness of the idealised construct that underpins a particular attachment to a stigmatised attribute may help organisations and their members free themselves from stigma.

‘One bad apple won’t spoil the bunch’ – Representations of the “sharing economy”

This research examines the public’s common understanding of the sharing economy, specifically its dark sides. If the sharing economy is represented as problematic, managers should reconsider if they want to promote their businesses as part of it or set actions in case it is associated with it. Thus, we examine (i) the public’s representations of the sharing economy, (ii) which industries are associated with it, and (iii) the development of understanding the sharing economy via three different sources: Representative surveys in Germany (N = 604) and the UK (N = 614), 206 articles in German and British newspapers and 150 images posted on Instagram. Participants’ overall evaluation of the sharing economy in the survey and social media was mainly positive, whereas newspapers extensively discuss its downsides. Ecological, social, economic, financial, as well as legal and security issues are associated with the sharing economy with a strong focus on shared accommodation and shared mobility.

Trust and the Procedural Requirements of Article 7(2) TEU: When More than One Bad Apple Spoils the Barrel

AbstractThis article discusses a currently hypothetical, but increasingly more likely, situation where Article 7(2) TEU is activated against more than one backsliding Member State at the same time. To prevent the offending Member States from teaming up to block the sanction mechanism, an extension of the exclusion from voting in Article 354 TFEU beyond “the Member State in question” is likely to be considered by the CJEU. However, such a use of this mechanism is contrary to the effet utile of Article 7 TEU, if interpreted in the context of trust. This interdisciplinary study uses insights from trust theory to demonstrate that the outcome will inevitably be further distrust and fragmentation between the EU and its Member States. This is why Article 7(2) TEU is not meant to be (and ought not to be) used against more than one Member State at the same time in this manner. This impression is reinforced considering that the existing legal solutions for implementing the extension of the exclusion from voting under Article 354 TFEU violate general principles of EU law and will therefore cause further distrust and fragmentation.

Deficient epistemic virtues and prevalence of epistemic vices as precursors to transgressions in research misconduct

Scientific research is supposed to acquire or generate knowledge, but such a purpose would be severely undermined by instances of research misconduct (RM) and questionable research practices (QRP). RM and QRP are often framed in terms of moral transgressions by individuals (bad apples) whose aberrant acts could be made conducive by shortcomings in regulatory measures of organizations or institutions (bad barrels). This notion presupposes, to an extent, that the erring parties know exactly what they are doing is wrong and morally culpable, but had nonetheless proceeded to commit wrongful acts. However, a confession of intent to deceived is often not readily admitted by perpetrators of RM. I posit that beyond the simplistic notion of conscious moral transgression, deficits in epistemic virtues and/or the prevalence of epistemic vices have important roles to play in initiating and driving RM/QRP. For the individual perpetrator, deficits in epistemic virtues could lead to or amplify errors in one’s desperate attempt to be accomplished or to excel, and pushes one across the ethical line or down the slippery slope of misconduct. Likewise, a lack of epistemic virtue within perpetrators’ institution or organization could make it conducive for deceitful acts and suppress indications and warning signs for the former. Furthermore, epistemic vices exhibited by reviewers, editors and journals could also promote RM/QRP. In this view, epistemic failings, rather than widespread moral deficiencies of individuals within the research ecosystem, may underlie the prevalence of RM/QRP.

Few Bad Apples? Criminal Charges, Political Careers, and Policy Outcomes

Few Bad Apples? Criminal Charges, Political Careers, and Policy Outcomes

A Few Bad Apples? Criminal Charges, Political Careers, and Policy Outcomes

A Few Bad Apples? Criminal Charges, Political Careers, and Policy Outcomes

A Few Bad Apples? Criminal Charges, Political Careers, and Policy Outcomes

A Few Bad Apples? Criminal Charges, Political Careers, and Policy Outcomes

One Bad Apple Spoils the Barrel: Understanding the Security Risks Introduced by Third-Party Components in IoT Firmware

Currently, the development of IoT firmware heavily depends on third-party components (TPCs) to improve development efficiency. Nevertheless, TPCs are not secure, and the vulnerabilities in TPCs will influence the security of IoT firmware. Existing works pay less attention to the vulnerabilities caused by TPCs, and we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the security impact of TPC vulnerability against firmware. To fill in the knowledge gap, we design and implement <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">FirmSec</small> , which leverages syntactical features and control-flow graph features to detect the TPCs in firmware, and then recognizes the corresponding vulnerabilities. Based on <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">FirmSec</small> , we present the first large-scale analysis of the security risks raised by TPCs on 34,136 firmware images. We successfully detect 584 TPCs and identify 128,757 vulnerabilities caused by 429 CVEs. Our in-depth analysis reveals the diversity of security risks in firmware and discovers some well-known vulnerabilities are still rooted in firmware. Besides, we explore the geographical distribution of vulnerable devices and confirm that the security situation of devices in different regions varies. Our analysis also indicates that vulnerabilities caused by TPCs in firmware keep growing with the boom of the IoT ecosystem. Further analysis shows 2,478 commercial firmware images have potentially violated GPL/AGPL licensing terms.

Bullying in the NHS is more than just ‘a few bad apples’

Bullying in the NHS is more than just ‘a few bad apples’

From Good Soldier to Bad Apple: The Dark Side of Corporation Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility has been broadly accepted as an effective way to maintain corporations’ sustainability. Many corporations have institutionalized CSR involvement and mobilized their employees to engage in CSR-related activities. However, little research has been done to examine the negative consequences when employees are mandated to engage in CSR activities, not to mention the mechanism connecting CSR mandate and negative consequences. In this research, I found that employees’ CSR engagement under organizational pressure will lead to psychological entitlement, subsequently leading to counterproductive work behaviors. Further, socially responsible human resource management policies and employees’ narcissism influence the effects of interest.

Good soldiers or bad apples? Exploring the impact of employee narcissism on constructive and destructive voice

Narcissists have always been thought to have both positive and negative characteristics. However, the existing research regarding the ways that narcissistic employees express such positive and negative traits in organizations is still limited. The results of a longitudinal field study based on 450 participants of one Chinese firm to investigate the hypothesized model. The results show that employee narcissism has a positive effect on destructive voice via perceived overqualification. Moreover, organizational identification weakens the relation between employee narcissism and destructive voice via perceived overqualification. The results casts light on the mechanism between employee narcissism and voice. These findings provide significant insights for organizations in regard to the managing of narcissistic employees and overqualified employees. These findings also have important practical implications for organizations, enabling them to develop more appropriate human resource management strategies for narcissistic employees.