Irresponsible Behavior Research Articles

Stigmatization in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey experiment using attribution theory and the familiarity hypothesis

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has created a global health crisis, leading to stigmatization and discriminatory behaviors against people who have contracted or are suspected of having contracted the virus. Yet the causes of stigmatization in the context of COVID-19 remain only partially understood. Using attribution theory, we examine to what extent attributes of a fictitious person affect the formation of stigmatizing attitudes towards this person, and whether suspected COVID-19 infection (vs. flu) intensifies such attitudes. We also use the familiarity hypothesis to explore whether familiarity with COVID-19 reduces stigma and whether it moderates the effect of a COVID-19 infection on stigmatization.MethodsWe conducted a multifactorial vignette survey experiment (28-design, i.e., NVignettes = 256) in Germany (NRespondents = 4,059) in which we experimentally varied signals and signaling events (i.e., information that may trigger stigma) concerning a fictitious person in the context of COVID-19. We assessed respondents’ cognitive (e.g., blameworthiness) and affective (e.g., anger) responses as well as their discriminatory inclinations (e.g., avoidance) towards the character. Furthermore, we measured different indicators of respondents’ familiarity with COVID-19.ResultsResults revealed higher levels of stigma towards people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 versus a regular flu. In addition, stigma was higher towards those who were considered responsible for their infection due to irresponsible behavior. Knowing someone who died from a COVID infection increased stigma. While higher self-reported knowledge about COVID-19 was associated with more stigma, higher factual knowledge was associated with less.ConclusionAttribution theory and to a lesser extent the familiarity hypothesis can help better understand stigma in the context of COVID-19. This study provides insights about who is at risk of stigmatization and stigmatizing others in this context. It thereby allows identifying the groups that require more support in accessing healthcare services and suggests that basic, factually oriented public health interventions would be promising for reducing stigma.

Betting against pandemics: Ethical implications of the "COVID Claimania" in Taiwan, 2020-2022.

Among measures tackling the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the selling of private insurance policies covering individual infection is overlooked by the ethics literature. To record the "COVID Claimania" in Taiwan and to assess its ethical implications, we collected 38 policies from 10 insurers sold between January 2020 and May 2022 and found that their risk calculation of the COVID-19 prevalence ranged from 0.5% to 11.08%. In reality, the prevalence by the end of 2022 was 37% in Taiwan. Selling private insurance policies is ethically problematic in three ways. First, it represents the insurance industry's irresponsible risk-taking profit-seeking behaviors. Second, it would jeopardize the effectiveness of the disease-prevention measures by inducing uncontrollable moral hazards. Third, it would expose the insurance companies to unbearable financial risks and cause substantial negative external impacts. The government should intervene in the private insurance market in preparation for future public health emergencies.

Financing Higher Education and Moral Hazard: A Systematic Literature Review

This study differentiates and determines the problem as well as the determinants of moral hazard in financing higher education. Moral hazard is a phenomenon that occurs when financial costs of risks undertaken are being transferred onto a third person. It occurs when a person – individual or institution – acts differently because they are detached from the risks; hence, they consciously enter a risk knowing that someone else has to bear the costs of such behavior. Research on moral hazard has arisen from the fields of finance and insurance; it is related to asymmetric information, the relationship between agent and principal in finance, as well as to irresponsible risk behavior. With this study the authors aim to identify problems that arise in the moral hazard process in higher education financing. The Kitchenham Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach has been applied in this study, as published in the Clarivate Web of Science Core Collection. The research findings identify scarce theoretical foundation, on the basis of which the authors have carried a couple of research variations. A table of occurrence of moral hazard in higher education financing is presented in this paper, as well as a number of recommendations for further research on this topic.
 Keywords: moral hazard, higher education, financing, Kitchenham Systematic Review

Public Opinions on Stray Cats in China, Evidence from Social Media Data.

The management of stray cats is often contentious because public perceptions about these animals are different. Using user-generated content from Weibo, this study investigated Chinese citizens' opinions on stray cats on a large scale. Through the techniques of natural language processing, we obtained each Weibo post's topics and sentiment propensity. The results showed that: (1) there were some irresponsible feeding behaviors among citizens; (2) public perceptions of the ecological impacts caused by stray cats were unlike; (3) the trap-neuter-return (TNR) method served high support in public discussion; (4) knowledge about stray cats' ecological impacts was positively correlated with support for the lethal control methods in management. Based on these findings, we suggested that management policies should be dedicated to (1) communicating to the (potential) cat feeders about the negative aspects of irresponsible feeding behaviors; (2) raising "ecological awareness" campaigns for the public as well as highlighting the environmental impacts caused by stray cats; (3) understanding citizens' perceptions toward different management scenarios and making decisions accordingly. In addition, this study also suggested that social media data can provide useful information about people's opinions on wild animals and their management. Policies would benefit by taking this source of information into the decision-making process.

Corporate Power and Accountability in International Economic Law

ABSTRACT Over the past twenty-five years, States, international institutions, and private entities have attempted to rein in corruption and promote corporate social responsibility. Such efforts have produced mixed results but have led to greater international cooperation and the establishment of clear norms. Increasing the accountability of multinational corporate actors remains a challenge but depends upon cooperation among boards of directors, national governments, nongovernmental organizations, and international institutions. This paper analyzes the relationship among municipal statutes, nonbinding ‘soft law’, and private standards. None on their own can effectively solve the problem of irresponsible corporate behavior but together have made meaningful steps in creating a more fair and accountable business environment.

Theory of planned behavior to understand pro-environmental behavior among Universiti Malaya students

<abstract> <p>Due to industrialization and urbanization, the world is experiencing environmental degradation at an alarming rate. Irresponsible human behaviors have caused environmental concerns that are drastically affecting the natural ecosystem. To ensure a sustainable future for all, pro-environmental behavior should be practiced among university students to protect and conserve the environment. The objective of the study is to determine the key factors affecting pro-environmental behavior among Universiti Malaya (UM) students. A theoretical framework, theory of planned behavior (TPB), was introduced to examine whether environmental attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control have significant effects on intention and on pro-environmental behavior. Data collected from 394 respondents via online questionnaire was then examined using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results show that environmental attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control have significant impact on the intention to adopt pro-environmental behavior among UM students. The results indicate that perceived behavioral control did not significantly influence pro-environmental behavior among UM students. The study also revealed that no significant difference was shown in gender and study background towards pro-environmental behavior. These findings assist higher education institutions in formulating polices, strategies and planning to enhance environmental behavior among the students. They also offer new insights and comprehensive information for researchers in conducting research related to environment behavior.</p> </abstract>

The Experience of ER Nurses in Lebanese Hospitals, During the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Qualitative Study.

The increasing number of COVID-19 cases, as well as the overwhelming workload, constitutes a serious occupational health threat to Emergency Room (ER) nurses working on the frontlines. In Lebanon, where unstable socio-economic conditions reign, the Covid-19 outbreak was added to the plethora of daily challenges faced by healthcare workers. The study's objective is to explore how Lebanese ER nurses perceived their duty on the frontlines amid the Covid-19 pandemic. This study employed a descriptive exploratory qualitative design. 15 Lebanese ER nurses working directly with Covid-19 patients were recruited from 3 university hospitals in Beirut. Interviews were held for data collection until data saturation. Subsequent analysis was done via coding of the transcribed verbatim. The findings showed significant gaps related to preparedness, support, and governmental action. Similarly, the frontliners faced serious challenges that increased their stress levels both physically and mentally. Furthermore, some participants were subject to stigma and had to face irresponsible behaviors during triage. Participants emphasized the need to guarantee a safe environment at work, to provide Covid-19 patients with the needed care. ER nurses struggled during this pandemic while working on the frontlines. They described their experience as not satisfying, with high levels of stress, danger, and challenges.

이사 후보에 대한 의결권 반대 사유와 이사회 효율성 및 기업가치와의 관계

We examine the relationship between dissent in director elections and board effectiveness. In our analysis, we categorize reasons for dissenting in board votes into prior irresponsible behavior, lack of independence, lack of past attendance, and serving on multiple board seats. We find that having a director who faced dissent on a board of directors reduces board effectiveness, especially in cases involving inside directors who have prior irresponsible behavior on their records, inside directors who serve on multiple boards, and outside directors who lack independence. Moreover, having a director who faced dissent on a board is negatively associated with corporate value. We also find that having a nominating committee that is composed only of outside directors has a moderating effect on this negative association between dissent in director elections and board effectiveness(firm value). We find similar results in an analysis of proxyvoting advice offered by an advisory firm. Our results suggest the importance of incorporating a wider range of board-member characteristics beyond such commonly used measures as outside director ratios and gender diversity.

The Role of Trust and Distrust in the Relationship between Corporate Social Irresponsibility and Boycott Intentions: A Parallel Mediation Analysis

Several boycotts have demonstrated that stakeholders can effectively force even large companies to abandon harmful activities. However, people do not always join boycotts, even in the case of severely egregious corporate behaviour. Thus, our understanding of this substantive form of ethical consumption is limited. To extend the knowledge about the process that leads to boycotting, this study examines the role of trust and distrust in the corporate culprits as two distinct mediators between an irresponsibility appraisal of corporate action and boycotting intentions. The conceptual model is tested on data from a survey conducted on a non-student sample. The research findings show that distrust in the transgressing firm fully mediates the relationship between perceived irresponsibility of corporate behaviour and consumer propensity to boycott such organisations. In other words, this research suggests that predictions about future irresponsible corporate behaviour (i.e. distrust) are key to convincing consumers to punish the corporate culprit

Perceptions and attitudes regarding HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among dermatology clinicians and trainees.

In 2020, over 1.2 million people were at risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), though only 25% were prescribed pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Given the multitude of dermatologic manifestations of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, dermatologic care can serve as the entry point to the HIV care continuum. Currently, there is limited data on specialists' perspectives on HIV PrEP prescribing. We aimed to survey clinicians and trainees in an academic dermatology department about HIV PrEP-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Survey questions were adapted from existing literature on HIV stigma and PrEP-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Composite scores for each domain were averaged and compared between clinicians and trainees using Wilcoxon's signed rank test or Fisher's exact test. Of 135 providers invited, 31 (23%) completed the survey (11 clinicians and 20 trainees). Of the 31 participants, 16 (52%) had specialized HIV experience and training. When asked about discriminatory beliefs, nine participants (29%) agreed that HIV infection is a "consequence of irresponsible behavior." PrEP knowledge was low, with 13 (42%) participants answering zero out of 3 PrEP knowledge questions correctly. Additionally, 10 (91%) clinicians reported poor knowledge of PrEP side effects, and eight clinicians (73%) indicated they were "not comfortable at all" in prescribing PrEP. No participant had prescribed PrEP, and 22 (70%) participants had never discussed PrEP with patients. Dermatology clinicians and trainees reported some levels of HIV stigma. Substantial gaps in PrEP knowledge and discussion were reported despite prior HIV discrimination training and HIV-related practice experience. Study limitations include a small sample size and a modest response rate. Addressing stigma among dermatologists and improving HIV PrEP education is vital to enhancing the healthcare outcomes of people living with HIV.

Резултати от изследване на агресивните нагласи и емоционално състоя- ние на студентите

This article summarizes the results of a study of the aggressive attitudes and emotional state of the students of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and Medical College “Y. Filaretova”. The current environment and conditions of crisis – social, energy, economic, political, cultural, spiritual, value, etc. instills the feeling of fear – fear of disease, fear of war, etc. The lack of morals and stable values, as well as the lack of statehood, unquestionably unlocks in man his worst qualities. Aggression is one of those qualities. The studied students answered two questionnaires, one containing 75 questions and the other 28. The analysis of the data shows that most of the students do not feel respected enough and consider that their rights are violated, but they tend not to respect and/or circumvent the rules, to “maneuver” and tolerate irresponsible behavior. A large number of students have aggressive attitudes and tend to hide them, but in general they are tense, unbalanced.

Influencing factors and mechanism of tourists' pro-environmental behavior - Empirical analysis of the CAC-MOA integration model.

Tourism has been perceived as an environmentally friendly industry for a long term, but the negative impact of tourist irresponsible behavior on the environment cannot be ignored. Tourists' pro-environmental behavior is crucial to the destination's sustainable development. Taking stimulus-organism-response theory as a framework, this study explores the factors and mechanisms influencing tourists' pro-environmental behaviors by integrating cognitive-affective-conative (CAC) theory and motivation-opportunity-ability (MOA) theory. Through the PLS-SEM analysis with 548 questionnaires, the driving mechanism of tourists' pro-environmental behavior was deeply explored. The results indicate that tourists' environmental knowledge, participation motivation, and opportunity have significant positive effects on pro-environmental behavior, but the role of participation ability on tourists' pro-environmental behavior is not confirmed. Tourists have significant environmental self-identity and environmental commitment, and these affections actively promote tourists' pro-environmental behavior. Except for the participation ability, the other three factors, respectively, influence tourists' environmental behavior through the mediating effects of environmental self-identity and environmental commitment. Given the limited literature integrating CAC and MOA theories within research on tourists' pro-environmental behavior, these findings provide new perspectives for future research. This research enriches the literature on the factors influencing tourist pro-environmental behavior and also provides practical guidance for promoting tourists' pro-environmental behavior.

Corporate social irresponsibility and stakeholders’ support: evidence from a case study

Stakeholders’ decisions regarding whether to continue to support a firm after it has been perceived as culpable for socially irresponsible behaviour is “coin of the realm” in selecting which firms (or which parts of a firm) will be able to survive a corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) scandal. Our empirical setting is an embedded polar case of audience support, the Parmalat case, following a severe CSI scandal. The scandal represented a “trigger event” that ignited an active reevaluation of the firm on behalf of its stakeholders. We show that, while the firm’s cognitive legitimacy was not harmed by the CSI scandal, two dimensions of legitimacy played a key role in stakeholder evaluations: moral and pragmatic legitimacy. The capacity to manage the interplay between these two dimensions emerged as a key factor underlying stakeholders' support. Finally, we argue that if pragmatic legitimacy is feeble it is unlikely that the firm is able to maintain stakeholders' support. Our study suggests that possessing a sound source of competitive advantage in one (or more) of the businesses in which the firm operates is decisive to maintain the support of independent stakeholders following CSI scandal.

The relationship between parenting and sexual behavior in adolescents

Adolescence is a period where sexual development begins, therefore adolescent experience unstable emotions with sexual behavior. This causes adolescents to tend to engage in irresponsible sexual behavior. Therefore, parents have a very important role, in this case applying the right parenting style to the development of adolescents. The 2017 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey reported that around 4% of young men had experience of having sexual relations before marriage, namely young men aged 15-19 years. This study aims to analyze the relationship between parenting and sexual behavior in adolescents by using a cross sectional design and the number of samples is 116 adolescents. Data were collected using a questionnaire distributed through the google form. The conclusion in this study is that there is a relationship between parenting and sexual behavior in adolescents with value = 0.005, value = 0.05 (ρ < α). In this research, the researcher would like to recommend to the next researcher to continue the research by using multivariate analysis to process the data.

Studying What Influences the Effects of Environmental Education on Visitors of Fuzhou National Park in China—The Mediating Role of Place Attachment

With the rapid and vigorous growth of forest tourism, the irresponsible environmental behavior of tourists has caused enormous strain on forests’ ecological systems. Carrying out environmental education in forest parks is conducive to promoting the sustainable development of forest tourism. To explore the impact of human–place emotion on environmental education effects, this study took Fuzhou National Forest Park as an example to construct a structural equation model composed of landscape perception, environment interpretation, place attachment, and the effects of environmental education (EEE). The relationship between the four elements and the mechanism of action was clarified. A questionnaire was used with 480 visitors. Statistical analysis showed that: (1) The value of scientific research and education (0.774) influences landscape perception. Reliability (0.770) and tangibility (0.718) contribute to environmental interpretation. Place identification and dependence are represented by environmental identity (0.771) and are activity-dependent (0.792), respectively. Knowledge (0.860) and behavior (0.869) are essential factors in driving the EEE. (2) Place attachment and environment interpretation had a significant positive impact on the environmental education effect (p < 0.001), and there was no direct effect between landscape perception and EEE. (3) Landscape perception and environmental interpretation indirectly influence EEE with place attachment as full and partial mediators, respectively. This paper aims to provide theoretical support for better synergistic growth of forest park ecology, economy, and environment.

Analyzing the determinants of financial management behavior of administrators in Nigerian state-owned enterprises

This study assessed the factors that determine the financial management behavior of administrators in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Nigeria. The rising cases of financial mismanagement, which was associated with the financial management behavior of top administrators in these SOEs, prompted this study. It is believed that identifying the factors that determine the financial management behavior of these administrators would help to find solutions to the problem. Based on the multistage sampling technique, 385 top administrators from the SOEs at the federal level in Nigeria participated in the survey. Quantitative analysis was used to analyze the data and the results show that income, family size, and financial literacy are the most important factors affecting the financial management behavior of the administrators. It is recommended that there should be an improvement in income and other working conditions of the administrators in the SOEs since income has been confirmed to be an important shift factor of financial management behavior. In the same vein, given the role of family size, it is recommended that efforts on population reduction should be intensified. Finally, financial literacy should be given priority in checkmating irresponsible financial management behavior.

TINJAUAN YURIDIS TERHADAP HAK ASUH ANAK AKIBAT PERCERAIAN DIKARENAKAN PESELINGKUHAN (Studi Kasus Putusan No.601/Pdt.G/2020/PN.Mdn)

ABSTRACTIn the event of a divorce both father and mother can be given the same right to care for and educate their children after divorce especially the divorce referred to in Decision No. 601/Pdt.G/2020/PN.Mdn. So that the problem arises, namely how is the legal review related with post-divorce child custody, what are the underlying factors behind the custody of the child falls to the father in the verdict No.601/Pdt.G/2020/PN.Mdn, how are the judges' considerations in doing this decision No.601/Pdt.G/2020/PN.Mdn in deciding child custody rights to the father as a result of divorce.The type of research used in writing this thesis is juridical normative descriptive analysis. Data collection techniques that used is a literature study (Library Research).Legal reviews related to post-divorce child custody are available on the Marriage Law, namely Article 41, Article 45, Article 47, Article 48 and Article 49. Furthermore, it is also found in the Compilation of Islamic Law, through Article 105. What are the factors behind child custody falling to the father in Decision No.601/Pdt.G/2020/PN.Mdn, firstly, the Defendant/Wife committed an affair and was known to have booked a hotel 2 (two) times with his mistress. Second, the Defendant has admitted his actions before the Plaintiff, his family and traditional leaders had an affair. Third, the affair committed by the Defendant shows that: betrayal and irresponsible behavior of the Defendant as the wife and at the same time the mother in marriage, which makes the Plaintiff and Defendant finally agreed to divorce and was judged by the judge to be unworthy custody of their children, caused by the actions of the Defendant who It is feared that it will have a negative impact on their children.Keywords : Juridical Review, Child Custody, Divorce

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of the Greek Population Regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic during the National Lockdown (March 23–May 03, 2020): A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: The study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions toward the COVID-19 pandemic during the total lockdown of spring 2020 in Greece. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 13 to May 5, 2020 using snowball sampling method. Adult residents of Greece anonymously completed an online survey that was distributed through email and social media. Demographic questions, questions regarding the knowledge about the disease etiology, diagnosis and prevention, and questions related to the respondents’ attitude and perception toward the restriction measures and the confidence in different kinds of institutions were included in the survey items. The appropriate statistical analyses were conducted according to the type of variable and the research question. Results: A total of 1396 fully complete questionnaires were collected. A moderate-high knowledge about COVID-19 was found in the study population (median 74.8%). The highest knowledge scores were found in females (74.8%, p = 0.015), individuals over 60 years old (77.3%, p < 0.001) and individuals having completed post-secondary or tertiary education (76.5%, p < 0.001). Five attitude patterns toward the pandemic were identified: “trust in institutions”, “trust in the restriction measures”, “trust in media and the internet”, “trust in traditional institutions”, and “measures deniers”. Age, education, and knowledge score were the factors defining the attitudinal patterns revealed. Conclusion: Education and public awareness seem to be the factors defining the successful management of the pandemic’s first wave in Greece. Repeated observations of attitudinal patterns are important for eliminating irresponsible behaviors in periods of health crises.

TMT experience and corporate social (ir)responsibility: the moderating effects of faultlines

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine how the experience of the top management team (TMT), such as industrial experience and functional experience heterogeneity, affect corporate social performance (CSP) and whether TMT faultlines act as a moderator.Design/methodology/approachTo examine the effect of TMT experience on CSP, this study uses upper echelons theory as theoretical background, and data are selected from 212 Chinese high-polluting companies with A-shares from 2012 to 2016. The dependent variable is lagged by one year from 2013 to 2017.FindingsIndustrial experience both positively influenced CSR and negatively influenced corporate social irresponsibility. Functional experience heterogeneity had an inverted U-shaped effect on responsible behaviors and a U-shaped effect on irresponsible behaviors. Meanwhile, TMT faultlines played a moderating roles in the relationship between TMT experience and CSP, in which faultlines reinforces the non-linear relationship between functional experience heterogeneity and CSP.Research limitations/implicationsThe existence of impact paths between TMT experience and corporate social performances must still be examined. Other moderators need to be verified.Practical implicationsThe important ways to promote more corporate responsible behavior and reduce irresponsible corporate behavior is to choose the right team members. During team formation, it is important to have experience in related industries and select team members with different functional experiences. Companies can consider hiring executives who tend to work together and have relevant experience, which can reduce the time cost of unnecessary conflicts.Originality/valueThis study combined the upper echelons theory with some attention perspectives to study the impacts of TMT experience on CSP.

Regulating ethics in financial services: Engaging industry to achieve regulatory objectives

AbstractThis article addresses the issue of renewing a sense of vocation in finance. Drawing on experiences in the UK, Australia, and Ireland, three common law jurisdictions at various phases of developing “an ethical esprit de corps” to professionalize the banking industry, it argues that adopting some aspects of a profession, a “trajectory towards professionalization” of the banking industry, could serve, at least to some extent, to improve the industry‐wide norms that influence firms' cultures and individual behaviors. It contends that professionalization could help to develop bankers with a professional, pro‐social identity, in which there is a recognition of broader obligations to society, that exists independently of the profit‐driven nature of banking and the hierarchy of their own firms. This analysis is informed by an integration of regulatory theory, which casts doubt on the utility of sanctions except as a last resort, behavioral science, which offers insights into how ethics and culture, not just law and markets, can constrain irresponsible behavior in the financial services sector, and criminological theory, which emphasizes that particular types of controls, including individual attachments to groups, build “stakes in conformity” which encourage law abiding and responsible behaviors.