Dark Side Research Articles

The dark side of applying Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology: behavioral intentions toward food addiction and food waste among food delivery applications’ users in China

The “Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology” (UTAUT) has been extensively employed to discover the factors driving positive adoption of new technologies. However, there is a lack of research on the potential adverse effects of UTAUT driving factors on user behavior. This study aims to fill this research gap by investigating the negative behavioral intentions of food delivery application (FDA) users based on a questionnaire administered in China (n = 428). Using structural-equation-modeling analysis, this study confirms the direct or indirect effects of various UTAUT driving factors, including “performance expectancy”, “effort expectancy”, “social influence”, “facilitating conditions”, “price value”, “hedonic motivation”, and “habit”, on FDA users’ food addiction and waste behavioral intentions. Furthermore, it also highlights the effect of food addiction on food waste. This research reveals more comprehensive driving factors of FDA users’ adverse behavioral intentions that have not been adequately explored in the existing literature, illustrating that elements commonly linked with technology adoption can profoundly strengthen the rewarding effects associated with food addiction and food waste. These findings suggest the potential value of applying UTAUT in predicting users’ adverse behaviors, presenting new avenues for more comprehensive studies and practices in responsible user management within IT-enabled hospitality and tourism businesses.

The “Dark Side” of General Health and Fitness-Related Self-Service Technologies: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Directions for Future Research

While general health and fitness-related self-service technologies, such as health and fitness apps and wearable activity trackers, are steadily increasing in popularity, there are increasing reports of the potential harm they can cause to consumer well-being. An overview and analysis of the “dark side” of general health and fitness-related self-service technologies is therefore timely and appropriate. In the present work, the authors systematically identify and review the existing literature on this topic across various disciplinary backgrounds. They summarize available knowledge concerning the potential adverse consequences for consumer well-being resulting from the use of health and fitness apps and wearable devices and propose a conceptual framework to explain the relationship between using such technologies and these negative outcomes. Based on these insights, the authors identify current research gaps concerning the dark side of general health and fitness-related self-service technologies and propose corresponding directions for future research. They also discuss the implications of these findings for marketers and public policy makers.

The dark side of arrhythmia treatment: iatrogenic tricuspid regurgitation and drug toxicity.

The dark side of arrhythmia treatment: iatrogenic tricuspid regurgitation and drug toxicity.

‘Friends are those who can help you out’: unpacking the understanding and experiences of friendship among young migrant workers in China

Based on lengthy ethnographic fieldwork in Southwest China, this article unpacks how precarity and migration have deeply shaped young migrant workers’ understanding and experiences of friendship. The precarious work and living conditions compel young migrants to put more emphasis on the instrumental aspects of friendship, in which they deeply value friends’ help and practical support, which also intertwine closely with the emotional aspects of friendship. High mobility does not mean that migrants are not able to form and maintain ‘meaningful’ social relationships; rather, it is friends’ support and help which sustain migrants’ precarious and highly mobile ways of living. This article also discusses the burdens and risks that are associated with such friendship practices, and how, despite these ‘dark sides of friendship’, young migrant workers still largely rely on their friends to survive and keep going in the city.

The dark side of Earth observation

The dark side of Earth observation

Illuminating the Dark Side of Cosmic Star Formation. III. Building the Largest Homogeneous Sample of Radio-selected Dusty Star-forming Galaxies in COSMOS with PhoEBO

In the last decades, an increasing scientific interest has been growing in the elusive population of dark (i.e., lacking an optical/near-IR, hereafter NIR, counterpart) dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs). Although extremely promising for their likely contribution to the cosmic star formation rate density (SFRD) and for their possible role in the evolution of the first massive and passive galaxies around z ∼ 3, the difficulty in selecting statistically significant samples of dark DSFGs is limiting their scientific potentialities. This work presents the first panchromatic study of a sample of 263 radio-selected NIR-dark (RS-NIRdark) galaxies discovered in the COSMOS field following the procedure by Talia et al. These sources are selected as radio-bright galaxies (S 3 GHz > 12.65 μJy) with no counterpart in the NIR-selected COSMOS2020 catalog (Ks ≳ 25.5 mag). For these sources, we build a new photometric catalog including accurate photometry from the optical to the radio obtained with a new deblending pipeline (Photometry Extractor for Blended Objects, or PhoEBO). We employ this catalog to estimate the photo-zs and the physical properties of the galaxies through an spectral energy distribution-fitting procedure performed with two different codes (Magphys and Cigale). Finally, we estimate the active galactic nucleus contamination in our sample by performing a series of complementary tests. The high values of the median extinction (A v ∼ 4) and star formation rate (SFR ∼ 500 M ⊙ yr−1) confirm the likely DSFG nature of the RS-NIRdark galaxies. The median photo-z (z ∼ 3) and the presence of a significant tail of high-z candidates (z > 4.5) suggest that these sources are important contributors to the cosmic SFRD and the evolutionary path of galaxies at high redshifts.

Comprehensive perspective towards the management of proteinopathies by elucidating protein misfolding and aggregation.

Protein misfolding and aggregation is the phenomenon of the generic propensity of proteins, considered as a dark side of the protein world, and its exact mechanism is still not deciphered. Understanding the complexity of protein aggregation is currently the primary apprehension and challenge in biology and medicine due to their association with various debilitating human proteinopathies and neurodegenerative diseases. The mechanism of protein aggregation, associated diseases, and the development of efficient therapeutic strategies against these diseases are very challenging. These diseases are caused by different proteins, each protein with different mechanisms and consisting of various microscopic phases or events. These microscopic steps are functioning on different timescales during aggregation. Here, we highlighted the different features and current trends in protein aggregation. The study thoroughly recapitulates the various factors influencing, possible causes, types of aggregates and aggregation, their different proposed mechanisms, and the methods used to study the aggregation. Additionally, the formation and elimination of misfolded or aggregated proteins in the cell, the role of the ruggedness of the protein folding landscape in protein aggregation, proteinopathies, and the challenges for their prevention are comprehensively elucidated. A holistic understanding of different aspects of aggregation, molecular steps governing the various features of protein quality control, and crucial queries about the modulation of these processes and their interactions with other systems in cellular protein quality control can be considered conducive to comprehending the mechanism, designing effective approaches towards prevention of protein aggregation, rationalizing the etiology and development of novel strategies against therapy and management of the proteinopathies.

Healthcare network governance and accountability shaped by social capital

ABSTRACT Drawing on concepts from social capital theory, we examine how governance of a mandated public sector hospital network is implemented and the challenges the implementation poses for accountability and governance. Adopting a whole network perspective, we conduct a case study of one mandated hospital network in Ireland. Based on fifty-five semi-structured interviews, we demonstrate the co-existence of two different governance models: (1) the espoused officially sanctioned Network Administrative Organisation governance model, and (2) the actual governance model in operation which was more similar to a lead-organisation model. We provide theoretical insight into how complex governance arrangements emerge through the management of network tensions to prioritise particular poles of the tensions. Further, we analyse why the espoused NAO model was unable to respond to the accountability and governance challenges that arose. We identify how pre-existing bonding social capital between the “centralised network broker” (the Network Administrative Organisation) and the hub hospital limited the potential for social capital to expand from a private to a public good that could benefit the network as a whole. Our findings illustrate accountability and governance challenges in a mandated network and provide important insights for hospital managers and policy-makers by bringing to the fore the “dark side” of social capital and its ability to fragment broader collectivities, such as networks, in the name of local, particularistic identities. We draw attention to the importance of monitoring social capital development during network governance implementation and to how opposing poles of network tensions are managed. HIGHLIGHTS Different governance models can co-exist within mandated networks. These complex governance arrangements emerge through the management of network tensions to prioritise particular poles of the tensions. Pre-existing bonding social capital limits the expansion of social capital from a private to a public good within the network.

The dark side of artificial intelligence in services

ABSTRACT Artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives, including Generative AI, are being increasingly implemented in service industries, and are having a great impact on service operations and on customers’ reactions and behaviors. Previous literature is overoptimistic about AI implementation, and there is still a need to explore the dark side of this technology; that is, its potential negative impacts on consumers, businesses, and society, as well as the moral concerns associated with AI use in services. To establish some fundamental insights related to this research domain, this paper contributes to previous AI based-services literature by proposing a three-part conceptual model inspired by Belanche et al. (2020a), comprised of AI design, customers, and the service encounter. Specifically, we identify key factors and research gaps within each category that need to be addressed. The final research questions provide a research agenda to guide scholars and help practitioners implement AI-based services while avoiding their potential negative outcomes.

Targeting the Cerebrospinal Fluid Compartment in Glaucoma: Still the Dark Side of the Moon? Comment on Passaro et al. Glaucoma as a Tauopathy—Is It the Missing Piece in the Glaucoma Puzzle? J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12, 6900

I read with great interest the article by Passaro et al [...]

Open up! An appeal for dialog between scholars of corporate political activity and open strategy

We cross-fertilize insights from corporate political activity and open-strategy literature to propose a research agenda on open political strategy—or greater participation and visibility in firms’ actions aimed at shaping public policy. Incorporating ideas from open-strategy research, corporate political activity scholars can upgrade knowledge about firms’ political actions, and ensure their theorizing keeps pace with contemporary practice. Considering the specificities of corporate political activity, open-strategy scholars can extend the boundaries of their field, and generate fresh insights into how firms open up strategy in contexts previously unexplored. Through a more critical reading of open political strategy, we also raise broader questions—addressing its repercussions for broader society—that should chime more generally with scholars of strategy and organization, especially those interested in firms’ strategic responses to institutional pressures, and the “dark sides” of strategizing and organizing.

The dark side of social relationships – the context of the video game industry

Abstract Paper’s objectives The paper aims to explore the negative impacts of social relationships (SR) on business activity. As a research context, the video game industry (VGI) and the video game developers’ (VGDs) relationships are analyzed. Design/methods 17 semistructured in-depth interviews and 1 focus group interview with Polish VGDs were conducted. Findings (1) support for five negatives of SR previously discussed in the literature (2) recognition of the four original negatives (i.e., employee turnover, buying up employees, inefficiency/termination of interorganizational cooperation, and confidential information leakage); and (3) recognition of the harmful results of SR as an industry-dependent issue. Originality/value (1) Analyzing the negative consequences of SR for business, which is less frequently considered compared to the positive consequences of these relationships for business; (2) identifying dark sides previously unidentified in the literature; and (3) using the VGI as the research context.

Shedding light on the dark side – A systematic literature review of the issues in agile software development methodology use

ContextAgile software development (ASD) methodologies address problems of traditional approaches, but can also cause various issues. A systematization of the spectrum of negative facets and how they arise has not been developed, leaving the dark side of ASD opaque. ObjectiveThe paper systematizes findings on various negative facets to define what specific issues constitute the dark side of ASD. It also examines how relationships among these issues define the complexity of the downside. MethodA literature review of 70 articles was conducted following Kitchenham & Charters (2007). The content analysis employed the coding procedure by Gioia et al. (2013) to systematize the negative aspects of ASD methodologies. ResultsThe paper reveals 90 issues, grouped into 18 coherent themes. Six levels of manifestation point to the primarily affected constituents in ASD projects. In addition, 65 relationships among issues are explored, providing explanations for the complexity of the dark side of ASD. ConclusionThe systematization shows what aspects constitute the dark side of ASD, emphasizing its multidimensional nature along issues such as reduced developer well-being, product quality and development productivity. The analysis of how its complexity is defined reveals that customer misbehavior and delivery pressure are significant origins of other issues.

Resolution to Ethnic Conflict: Anti-Chinese Riots in Garut, Indonesia, in the middle of the Twentieth Century

The Anti-Chinese riots in Indonesia are a dark side of history that must be uncovered. The riots caused by ethnicity and racism worldwide, such as the recent Anti-Chinese issue in the United States, also occurred even in Indonesia after World War II. The racial riots in Garut destroyed Chinese-owned houses, factories, and shops on two consecutive days. The research uses historical methods, namely heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography, that reveal the memories of victims, perpetrators, witnesses, and rare primary personal archives. Through a social history approach, the research indicates that not only ethnicity causes violence but also social, political, and religious sentiments initiated by youth organizations, local religious leaders, and former followers of the revolutionary movement. This study provides benefits so that the public and stakeholders can manage ethnic, religious, racial, and inter-group issues to avoid ethnic conflicts that end in violence.

How can tracking and tracing systems give us a look at the dark side of the tobacco market?

The aim of this work is to present possible applications of the systems of tobacco traceability for guiding local enforcement against illicit trade. The proposed three-step strategy relies on a robust regression technique and Local Moran's I, a local indicator of spatial association, and aims at identifying retail outlets with significantly low sales compared to normal market conditions, which can indicate illegal sales activities. The ability of the method to produce alerts pointing to areas subject to illicit trade is tested on synthetic data in terms of precision and accuracy in different scenarios. Other metrics are also provided. Our approach performs well under different metrics and across various levels of illicit trade prevalence, achieving a precision of 94% under the main scenario and method parametrisation. The proposed strategy provides high-quality leads for investigations into geographical areas disproportionately susceptible to illicit trade, potentially unveiling any form of illegal sales, including those involving products that have never entered the legal supply chain. Therefore, it can be a valuable tool for law enforcement agencies to tackle illegal sales activities. The findings of this study support also the argument in favour of expanding tobacco traceability systems downstream to the full length of the supply chain.

Exploring the dark side effects of visionary leadership – A dual-path perspective of cognition and affect

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to test the mechanism of visionary leadership on subordinates' work withdrawal behavior through cognitive strain and psychological contract violation, and also to reveal the possible dark side of visionary leadership. The moderation effects of subordinates' facades of conformity and leader behavioral integrity in the cognition–affect dual-path process are also discussed.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted a three-wave longitudinal survey. The data were collected from 574 employees and their superiors in several Chinese enterprises. The authors used Mplus 7.4 and adopted a bootstrapping technique in the data analysis.FindingsVisionary leadership has positive effects on cognitive strain and psychological contract violation; cognitive strain and psychological contract violation mediate the relationship between visionary leadership and work withdrawal behavior, respectively. Subordinates' facades of conformity and leader behavioral integrity moderate the positive effects of visionary leadership on cognitive strain and psychological contract violation, as well as the indirect effect of visionary leadership on subordinates' work withdrawal behavior through cognitive strain and psychological contract violation.Originality/valueThis study reveals the underlying mechanism of visionary leadership's negative impact on job outcome through the cognition and affective reaction of subordinates to visionary leadership, and broadens the scope of visionary leadership research. It also provides some practical suggestions on how to transmit the organizational vision effectively and reduce subordinates' work withdrawal behavior.

Guest editorial: The dark side of FinTech: unintended consequences and ethical consideration of FinTech adoption

Guest editorial: The dark side of FinTech: unintended consequences and ethical consideration of FinTech adoption

The Silver Lining of Posttraumatic Growth around the Dark Side of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A School-Based Intervention with Mindfulness and Character Strengths Practices among Children.

The theory of posttraumatic growth (PTG) proposes that from life difficulties positive changes can happen, such as deepened personal relationships and an awareness of new possibilities in life. PTG can occur naturally or can be facilitated. This study aimed to promote PTG through a school-based intervention of eight sessions of 45 min each with mindfulness and character strengths practices (the so-called "The exploration of happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic"). The study conducted assessments at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up (i.e., one month after the intervention). The post-intervention results showed that the participants in the intervention group experienced an improvement in PTG, well-being, mindfulness, strengths use, and PTS symptoms compared to the children in the control group. Furthermore, these positive changes were sustained at follow-up. The findings of this study highlight that mindfulness-based strengths practices can increase positive outcomes (i.e., well-being, posttraumatic growth) and reduce negative psychological symptoms (PTS) among children. The implications for theory and practice are discussed, and detailed appendices for practitioners are provided.

Overcoming the dark side of subnational start-up support policies: a pilot project for facilitating cross-border cooperation in Europe

ABSTRACT Business start-up support policies have gained significant attention from policymakers, largely due to their immediate impacts and the positive media coverage they receive. However, the widespread adoption of these policies has often led to a fragmented landscape characterised by limited coordination, especially in countries with multi-tiered governmental structures. As a result, the full potential of public investments is hindered. This study aims to identify and address the key challenges associated with these policies, offering valuable insights drawn from a collaborative initiative within the Galicia–Northern Portugal Euroregion. The findings provide practical and scalable guidance for research institutions, businesses, and policymakers seeking to establish effective partnerships, prioritise objectives and achieve substantial impact in cross-border regions.

The dark side of corporate digital transformation: Evidence from excess perk consumption of executives

We investigate the effect of corporate digital transformation on the excess perk consumption of executives (henceforth, excess perk consumption) using a sample of Chinese listed companies from 2010 to 2021. The results show that corporate digital transformation increases excess perk consumption by aggravating information asymmetry between insiders and outsiders, and by increasing business complexity. Cross-sectional analyses show that the effect of corporate digital transformation on excess perk consumption is stronger in firms with higher managerial power, state-owned enterprises, and high-tech firms. Our study provides new insights into the digital transformation paradox and has policy implications for regulators and enterprises.