Relational Norms Research Articles

Inequality through digitalization: investigation of mediating and moderating mechanisms

ABSTRACT This paper investigates how digitalization contributes to inclusive development by analyzing global panel data using fixed-effect models. The main finding is the reverse U-shaped relationship between digitalization and inequality reduction. By testing the moderation and mediation effects, we further illustrate the intricate dynamics of digitalization on inequality. The findings suggest that while digitalization fosters inclusive institutions, it may also foster polarized relationships. Furthermore, we demonstrate that reverse U-shaped effects are particularly pronounced in countries in the global south, indicating a diffusion of relational norms.

Dr Associate Professor

Background: Most women do not desire pregnancy immediately after delivery and are highly motivated to accept family planning methods. The post partum intrauterine device is one of the family planning methods that can address this need. According to prior reports intrauterine device use has been very low from the contraceptive method mix. Objective: To assess barriers to postpartum intra uterine device uptake among mothers who delivered at two public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Method: It is an institution based cross-sectional study. Simple random sampling method was used to select study participants. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to determine the presence and strength of association between uptake of post partum intrauterine device and independent variables. Result: In this study the uptake of postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device was 11% (95%CI=8.0, 14). The stated barriers for the none uptake of post partum intrauterine device were fear and concern (61.6%), religions value for family planning (16.9%), husband and relative opinion (7%), culture norm (5%) and health provider related factor (5% (17/367)). Parity and mode of delivery were significantly associated post partum intrauterine device uptake. The odds of intrauterine contraceptive device utilization for mothers with previous number of deliveries of ?3 and 1-2 were 35 (AOR=34.8, 95%CI=7.33, 165.4) and 4 (AOR=4.2, 95%CI=1.47, 12.07) times higher than those with no previous delivery. In addition, assisted vaginal delivery had 11 (AOR=11.06, 95%CI=3.26, 37.5) times increased odds of intrauterine contraceptive device uptake than SVD. Conclusion and recommendations: The uptake of post partum intrauterine device was low (11%). The main barriers identified for the low uptake were fear and concern to myth and misconceptions, religions value for family planning, husband and relative opinion, culture norm and health provider related factors. To identify and address reasons for gaps in knowledge and to clear public misconceptions and fears further large scale studies are recommended. Key-words: PPIUD, Contraception, post partum, Ethiopia.

Language Teacher Agency and Identity in Internationalized Higher Education: An Ecological Perspective

ABSTRACTSubstantial literature has focused on language teacher agency and identity in relation to learners in classrooms. Relatively little research exists regarding the nature of language teacher identity shaped by contextual factors brought on by the internationalization of education. To address the gap in the literature, this study explored how student teachers in a TESOL program negotiate their language teacher agency and identity in the ecosystems of an internationalized institution of higher education while contributing to different ESL programs. While pursuing an MA degree in TESOL with a teaching opportunity at an Intensive English program for non‐matriculating students or an ESL service program for pathway program students at a US university, seven student teachers participated in semi‐structured interviews, which were triangulated with the student teachers’ portfolios of lesson plans and reflection papers. The analysis demonstrated the student teachers’ agentic beliefs, choices, and practices in relation to contextual factors in the nested ecosystems of internationalized higher education, such as international students’ needs in the microsystem, training opportunities in the mesosystem, institutional policy and practice in the exosystem, and broad cultural norms in relation to language education in the macrosystem.

Феномен права и дегуманизационные факторы современности

integrity formed over a long period of time under the influence of ethical and humanistic attitudes, as well as political, economic and general cultural processes. In assessing the most important substantive foundations of law, the authors focus on the necessity to analyze the transformational processes of legal norms in relation to the human being. Comparing the ontological, socio-cultural foundations of the phenomena of “law” and “dehumanization”, a number of common and distinctive features are identified. Both of these phenomena have a “meaningful focus” on man and are simultaneously the result of his activity. However, if law is a way of constitutionalizing public relations in order to regulate them, then dehumanization is characterized as an element of destructiveness, destabilization of the world. It is assumed that the topics of law, humanism and dehumanization are relevant, as they are the most important worldview guidelines for both the individual and society as a whole.

Features of Criminal Liability of Persons Involved in a Special Military Operation

The conduct of a special military operation has led to changes in many spheres of life of Russian society. A natural consequence of these processes was the reform of certain branches and institutions of legislation, including the provisions of criminal law. The separate law providing for the specifics of criminal liability of participants in a special military operation has been replaced by relevant legal norms. Currently, special grounds for exemption from criminal liability and punishment are provided for this category of persons who have committed crimes. Due to the novelty of such legislative prescriptions, there is a need to conduct a legal analysis of the norms provided for in Articles 781 and 802 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. These novelties of the Russian criminal legislation are subject to theoretical understanding, on the basis of which ways to increase the effectiveness of criminal law regulations on exemption from criminal liability and punishment of participants in a special military operation are to be developed. As a result of the conducted criminal law study of the norms establishing the grounds and conditions for exemption from criminal liability and punishment of participants in a special military operation, their socio-legal essence was determined, their relationship with related norms and institutions was revealed, recommendations and explanations on the application of these norms were formulated, as well as potential directions for improving criminal legislation were outlined in this area. In particular, the reasonableness of clarifying the analyzed norms among the persons to whom the application of the relevant provisions is permissible is justified.

Our Exploration of Countermeasures against the Abuse of Unilateral Sanctions by the United States

Currently, the international landscape is undergoing changes, with unilateralism on the rise. Of which, economic sanctions are the most common form. Due to the lack of effective specialized international rules in the current international rule system, unilateral sanctions are increasingly frequently used by individual countries. The abuse of unilateral sanctions has impacted the normal operation of international mechanisms. Unilateral sanctions were originally used in a country’s domestic law, but now some countries, such as the United States, expand their own laws’ extraterritorial application through the continuous expansion of connection points, thereby giving their sanctions against foreign entities a cloak of legitimacy, which goes against the principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations (Bai, 2018). From a legal perspective, the implementation of illegal unilateral sanctions is achieved through the improper interpretation and application of international treaty exception clauses. From international custom, unilateral sanctions beyond countermeasures refer to those imposed by states other than the injured state, who deliberately legalize countermeasures related to sanctions, which greatly contributes to the abuse of unilateral sanctions. In this context, China should accelerate the construction of its anti-sanctions legal system to effectively counter the threats and damages caused by unilateral sanctions and firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Is there a danger of making customers feel too empowered? Exploring the double-edged sword of customer orientation and creative benefits

Purpose This study aims to explore the extent to which customer orientation and creative benefits offered by a firm may weaken rather than strengthen customer engagement. In doing so, it sheds new light on how customer orientation and creative benefits may facilitate rather than hinder engagement by customers. Design/methodology/approach A field study provides a test of the proposed effects in a hedonic consumption setting with 1,703 customers of an online dating service. Furthermore, an experimental study with 277 executives in a functional consumption setting (new mobile app) helps affirm the robustness of the field study findings. Findings This research theorizes and examines how communal relationship norms between customers and a firm, along with customers’ psychological empowerment, mediate the effect of customer orientation and creative benefits on customer engagement. A provocative finding of the study is that communal relationship norms help boost, whereas psychological empowerment reduces, the effects of both customer orientation and creative benefits on customer engagement. Research limitations/implications The research examines different relationship norms and how they can become integral to customer–company relationships; this perspective helps reveal the underlying dynamics. It contributes to the literature on customer engagement by theorizing and demonstrating the link between customer orientation and customer engagement, two central constructs in the marketing literature. It theorizes and demonstrates that providing creative benefits brings about a direct competitive advantage for the product itself, and acts as a significant variable that explains the company−customer relationship. Practical implications The findings highlight the advantages and challenges associated with encouraging customer engagement. First, they suggest that companies emphasize their customer orientation and creative benefits. Second, managers should try to minimize the possible process of raising customers’ psychological empowerment while maximizing the impact of communal relationship norms. Originality/value This study identifies psychological empowerment as a key reason customer-oriented companies that provide creative benefits still struggle to engage their customers. It also suggests viable tactics to overcome barriers to enhanced customer engagement, such as by minimizing the effects of customers’ psychological empowerment while maximizing the impact of their perceived communal relationship norms.

Food choice, embodied knowledge and circumscribed agency: factors influencing adolescent girls' and boys' dietary practices in three states in northern Nigeria.

The objective of this study was to explore adolescent dietary practices, related norms and acceptable communication platforms in northern Nigeria to inform future nutrition project design. This was a qualitative formative research study. We used purposive sampling and conducted thirty focus group discussions with male and female adolescents aged 10-14 and 15-19 years (n 180) and six with adult influencers (n 36). We also administered a 24-h dietary recall with the adolescents using the Diet Quality Questionnaire. The study was conducted in urban and rural areas in three states in northern Nigeria. Adolescents reported consuming six nutritious food groups the previous day on average. However, there was a wide disparity and only half consumed all five recommended food groups. Adolescents' food choices were influenced by perceptions of the functional and physical benefits of nutritious foods and preferences for satisfying foods. Diverse foods were available in the food environment, but affordability constrained access to nutritious foods. Limited access to income and gender norms constrained adolescent agency over food choice. Girls, particularly those who were pregnant, had less agency related to food than boys. Adolescents thought that peers should be reached through group discussions, radio and phones, among other communication platforms. Adolescents consumed relatively diverse diets. Adolescent food choice was influenced by their embodied experience and knowledge related to nutrition and taste, home food environment and circumscribed agency. Opportunities exist to support healthy diets for adolescents by strengthening adolescents' embodied knowledge, food environments and social support.

Prediction of Turbulent Boundary Layer Flow Dynamics with Transformers

Time-marching of turbulent flow fields is computationally expensive using traditional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solvers. Machine Learning (ML) techniques can be used as an acceleration strategy to offload a few time-marching steps of a CFD solver. In this study, the Transformer (TR) architecture, which has been widely used in the Natural Language Processing (NLP) community for prediction and generative tasks, is utilized to predict future velocity flow fields in an actuated Turbulent Boundary Layer (TBL) flow. A unique data pre-processing step is proposed to reduce the dimensionality of the velocity fields, allowing the processing of full velocity fields of the actuated TBL flow while taking advantage of distributed training in a High Performance Computing (HPC) environment. The trained model is tested at various prediction times using the Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) method. It is found that under five future prediction time steps with the TR, the model is able to achieve a relative Frobenius norm error of less than 5%, compared to fields predicted with a Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Finally, a computational study shows that the TR achieves a significant speed-up, offering computational savings approximately 53 times greater than those of the baseline LES solver. This study demonstrates one of the first applications of TRs on actuated TBL flow intended towards reducing the computational effort of time-marching. The application of this model is envisioned in a coupled manner with the LES solver to provide few time-marching steps, which will accelerate the overall computational process.

‘Between the Devil and Deep-Blue Sea’: Comparing the Extraterritorial Application of the ECHR and the ICCPR in the Protection of Migrants at Sea

The concept of jurisdiction is often said to encapsulate the very essence of human rights “qua normative relationship between rights holders and institutions as dutybearers” (Besson, 2012; 860). Twenty-first century human rights jurisprudence has highlighted one of the most contentious issues in relation to jurisdiction: the limits that human rights place on State behaviour outside national territory. In the context of migration, the extraterritorial application of human rights is a particularly critical concern. Loss of life on the high seas, refoulement at sea, and the striking systematic ineptitude of search and rescue operations by European countries have placed the debate on extraterritoriality at the heart of the human rights discourse on migrants and refugees. This Paper will compare and contrast extraterritoriality at the European Court of Human Rights and the Human Rights Committee (HRCttee), in order to put their jurisprudence into perspective and assess the current state of the law. A functional account of jurisdiction will be supported, whereby the State should protect human rights wherever in the world it operates, and whenever it can reasonably do so. Through a comparative analysis, I will argue that the principles of universality and effectiveness render extraterritorial applicability a necessary doctrine in human rights law. By juxtaposing the ECtHR with the HRCttee, I will illustrate the wide acceptance of extraterritoriality in the migration context, highlight the needs for improvement in future jurisprudence, and justify the functional approach to human rights protection that this Paper advocates.

Impact of relational norms on performance: interaction between solidarity, power and flexibility in buyer-supplier relationships

Buyer-supplier relationships are characterised by relational norms. These norms are bilateral expectations that can reduce opportunistic behaviour, improve value creation and develop cooperation among exchange parties. Drawing on relational exchange theory, this study explores how three relational norms, solidarity, power and flexibility are interrelated in supply chain relationships. We test a mediated model where solidarity and power directly impact relational performance and flexibility mediates these relationships. The mediated model was tested with matched pairs of data on 93 supply chain arrangements between buyer and supplier organisations. Results show that solidarity improves relational performance both directly and in the presence of flexibility. Power, on the other hand, does not impact relational performance, both directly and through flexibility. The results obtained, especially the importance of flexibility and solidarity for both buyers’ and suppliers’ managers in maintaining long-term benefits in supply chain exchanges, are discussed for theory, practice and research.

Economic crimes as a threat to Russia's socio-economic security

The security of the State, society and the individual is a fundamental task in ensuring the stability and prosperity of the country. This task implies the definition of rules and norms in relation to various social groups that correspond to the current institutional environment in Russia. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of economic crimes on the social security of citizens of the Russian Federation and ensuring economic growth in the country.To reveal the research topic, the paper considers the main basic indicators of Russia's socio-economic security. The methodological basis is general scientific methods: analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization, ranking, etc. The main causes of the emergence and spread of economic crimes are presented in a systematic way. A retrospective analysis of economic crimes was carried out, and a trend line was drawn up. Using the ranking method, a rating of the leading regions in terms of socio-economic development was formed. It has been revealed that the scale of the spread of economic crimes has a fairly strong correlation with the institutional characteristics of the regions. The methods of combating economic offenses through the use of information technology are proposed.

Avatar effect of AI‐enabled virtual streamers on consumer purchase intention in e‐commerce livestreaming

AbstractIn recent years, digital avatars employed as virtual streamers are experiencing a surge in popularity in e‐commerce livestreaming. However, the influence of the avatars' anthropomorphic features on their effectiveness as virtual streamers remains unclear. This study investigates the avatar effect of artificial intelligence‐enabled virtual streamers, wherein their form and behavioral realism interactively affect consumer purchase intention. Three lab experiments with 604 participants were conducted to test this effect and its underlying mechanism and boundary conditions. Based on the findings, behavioral realism positively affects consumer purchase intention only when the virtual streamers' form realism is low. Parasocial interactions underpin this avatar effect, which only holds when consumers exhibit a communal relationship norm orientation. When consumers possess an exchange relationship norm orientation, the effect of behavioral realism becomes positive regardless of the level of form realism. Overall, our study proposes an avatar effect in livestreaming, and extends the literature by offering insights on the interactive effect of the anthropomorphic features of human‐like avatars (as virtual streamers) on the effectiveness of e‐commerce livestreaming. By revealing the mechanisms and boundary conditions of this effect, our conclusions offer guidance for companies in developing appropriate combinations of form and behavioral realism for the avatars of virtual streams while considering consumer characteristics.

From general AI to custom AI: the effects of generative conversational AI’s cognitive and emotional conversational skills on user's guidance

PurposeGenerative conversational artificial intelligence (AI) demonstrates powerful conversational skills for general tasks but requires customization for specific tasks. The quality of a custom generative conversational AI highly depends on users’ guidance, which has not been studied by previous research. This study uses social exchange theory to examine how generative conversational AI’s cognitive and emotional conversational skills affect users’ guidance through different types of user engagement, and how these effects are moderated by users’ relationship norm orientation.Design/methodology/approachBased on data collected from 589 actual users using a two-wave survey, this study employed partial least squares structural equation modeling to analyze the proposed hypotheses. Additional analyses were performed to test the robustness of our research model and results.FindingsThe results reveal that cognitive conversational skills (i.e. tailored and creative responses) positively affected cognitive and emotional engagement. However, understanding emotion influenced cognitive engagement but not emotional engagement, and empathic concern influenced emotional engagement but not cognitive engagement. In addition, cognitive and emotional engagement positively affected users’ guidance. Further, relationship norm orientation moderated some of these effects such that the impact of user engagement on user guidance was stronger for communal-oriented users than for exchange-oriented users.Originality/valueFirst, drawing on social exchange theory, this study empirically examined the drivers of users’ guidance in the context of generative conversational AI, which may enrich the user guidance literature. Second, this study revealed the moderating role of relationship norm orientation in influencing the effect of user engagement on users’ guidance. The findings will deepen our understanding of users’ guidance. Third, the findings provide practical guidelines for designing generative conversational AI from a general AI to a custom AI.

How social learning drives customer engagement in short video commerce: An attitude transfer perspective

Short video commerce has become increasingly prevalent; however, the factors affecting customer engagement have not been adequately examined. Drawing on social learning theory, attitude transfer theory and relationship norms theory, we explored how social learning behavior from three dimensions of atmospheric cues is associated with customers’ attitudes, how such attitudes mediate these engagement relationships, and also how the relationship norms moderate the mediating effect of attitude. The empirical findings obtained through the PLS-SEM largely support the hypotheses. The fsQCA results illustrate how combinations of antecedents can lead to high customer engagement. This study contributes to the literature on short video commerce, customer attitudes, and relationship norms, and provides influencers and managers with practical strategies to improve customer engagement.

Digitalization of Law and formation of Digital Law

Digital law is a new form of implementation of legal relations in the field of cyber regulation in various areas: digital rights in digital circulation, cyber security, protection of personal data, regulation of cross-border digital transactions, implementation of social rights based on technological platforms, formation of electronic government, electronic state. Currently, the process of digitalization of law is taking place, that is, the use of new digital technologies to optimize legal relations, as well as procedures for creating a new digital reality, which also requires legal regulation. Digital reality shapes human behavior, norms of social relations, creates digital law and digital legal awareness. In the conditions of the digital economy and virtual space, the need for a new look at legal institutions in the era of information society and digital technologies, consistent adaptation of traditional legal mechanisms to new realities is obvious. Further development of legal regulation of digital rights and digital civil turnover is possible according to the conceptual model of “digitalization” of traditional law. The new paradigm of the development of law consists in the “digitalization” of law, that is, the use of digital technologies to optimize legal regulation, as well as the formation of civil digital turnover. Therefore, digital law is a system of legal norms regarding the use of digital technologies, which regulates legal relations that arise in connection with the use of digital data and the use of digital technologies. Digital law is a complex interdisciplinary institution of law that unites legal norms that regulate legal relations arising in connection with the acquisition, exercise, alienation and protection of digital rights, as well as with the use of digital technologies by subjects of digital law. The mechanism of legal regulation of relations in the digital environment is based on the fact that they have an informational nature, since they arise in connection with the implementation of certain actions with information in digital form (digital data).

The dynamics of intercultural clinical encounters in times of pandemic crisis. Swedish healthcare providers’ reflections on social norms in relation to sexual and reproductive healthcare

BackgroundExperiences from the COVID-19 pandemic may help to better understand resilience, competences and skills for healthcare providers and the healthcare system. Within sexual and reproductive health inequalities for migrants exist and it is an area where promoting both cultural competency and healthcare equity in the clinical encounter is expected of healthcare providers yet can create tension. The aim is to explore healthcare providers experiences of encounters with migrants in the context of the pandemic and the subsequent changes in routines and norms. MethodsA qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with 31 healthcare providers working in sexual and reproductive healthcare in southern Sweden. Interviews were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic influencing how healthcare providers reflected on their experiences. Analysis was done using reflexive thematic data analysis. FindingsHealthcare providers reflected on how changes in routines increased the understanding of challenges and enablers in the intercultural encounter including the impact on communication and role of relatives and male partners. They emphasized the dynamics of culture in the clinical encounter and healthcare system through highlighting the importance of structural awareness, self-reflection and the flexibility of conducts and norms, often given a cultural connotation. ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in changes of previously established routines directly affecting clinical encounters, which provided a unique opportunity for healthcare providers to reflect, with communication and self-reflection being discussed as central in complex encounters. It highlighted the dynamics of presumed deeply rooted cultural norms and the interplay with social factors affecting healthcare providers and patients alike.

Numerical Solution of Third-Order Rosenau–Hyman and Fornberg–Whitham Equations via B-Spline Interpolation Approach

This study aims to find the numerical solution of the Rosenau–Hyman and Fornberg–Whitham equations via the quintic B-spline collocation method. Quintic B-spline, along with finite difference and theta-weighted schemes, is used for the discretization and approximation purposes. The effectiveness and robustness of the procedure is assessed by comparing the computed results with the exact and available results in the literature using absolute and relative error norms. The stability of the proposed scheme is studied using von Neumann stability analysis. Graphical representations are drawn to analyze the behavior of the solution.

Customer experience orientation: Conceptual model, propositions, and research directions

AbstractMany firms are adopting customer experience management as a route to differentiation, but experience management in practice has only begun to be explored. Using a strategic orientation lens and a theories-in-use approach, a multiple-case study reveals the presence of a “customer experience orientation” (CXO) exhibiting six values and related behavioral norms. Three of these values—journey motivation, continual experience optimization, and experience empowerment—shape experience-based organizational learning through the collection, dissemination, and actioning of experience insight. Substantially extending prior work, a further three values—journey organization, experience mandating, and experience-purpose alignment—institutionalize this learning. Contextual moderators of the impact of CXO on customer experience appraisal and hence firm performance are proposed. Ambivalent effects on performance via increased or decreased costs are also identified, which may counteract or amplify the positive effects of CXO via enhanced experience appraisal. CXO emerges as a distinct, learning-based philosophy for organizational effectiveness, albeit one that draws on ideas from service, human resource management, agile design, and marketing.

In risk we trust? Making decisions about knee replacement

Risk communication is a key legal and ethical component of shared decision-making. Decisions about total knee replacement, a common surgery, must contend with the fact that a minority of cases result in unintended outcomes, some of which have devastating effects. To understand how risks are communicated during decision-making, we audio-recorded and analysed 62 consultations between surgeons and patients. Various communication methods were evident, including listing risks without elaboration, discussing them in a conversational manner, abrogating discussion of risk, or using decision-tools. Discussion of risks was often brief in nature, and risk communication was sometimes curtailed or deferred by both patients and surgeons. Risks could also be observed to play a part in reinforcing policy norms of the doctor-patient relationship that highlighted patient responsibility. Nevertheless, patients and surgeons in the observed consultations appeared more interested in developing trusting relationships than in discussing risks. Because patients had sometimes experienced considerable deterioration in their knee function before their consultation, were in pain and struggled with mobility, the realities of clinical practice clashed with the policy norms of choice and patient responsibility. Rather, decisions could appear coerced by the disease process rather than being clear-cut examples of self-determination. While policy norms putatively use risk disclosure to frame communication between patients and clinicians as a transaction between customer and technician, the lack of conformity to these norms in the consultations may indicate resistance to this framing. A greater emphasis on determining positive roles for trust and care would help policy to present a nuanced understanding of decision-making. Risk communication could be seen as a factor in the formation of trusting relationships, improving its role in decision-making processes while recognising its inherent tensions with practice.