Relational Norms Research Articles

Precise eigenvalues in the solutions of generalized Sturm–Liouville problems

In the paper, we determine the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the generalized Sturm–Liouville problems, whose potentials may be nonlinear functions of eigen-parameter, by developing new iterative algorithms based on the fictitious time integration method (FTIM) and half-interval method (HIM). We derive two eigen-parameter dependent linear shape functions, from which we can transform the generalized Sturm–Liouville problem to an initial value problem for a new variable, and automatically preserve the prescribed eigen-parameter dependent Sturm–Liouville boundary conditions. A nonlinear equation in terms of the relative norm of two consecutive right-end values of the new variable is derived for iteratively determining the eigenvalue by using the FTIM. The resultant sequence of the iterated eigenvalues are monotonically convergent to the desired eigenvalue, and meanwhile the unknown initial values of the eigenfunction can be determined for computing the eigenfunction by integrating the Sturm–Liouville equation. We propose a high precision point target method by using the HIM to determine the eigenvalue and eigenfunction of the generalized Sturm–Liouville problem, which is transformed to a definite initial value problem with a simpler Dirichlet or Neumann boundary condition on the right-end as a point target equation. Several new theoretical results are proved such that more simple generalized Sturm–Liouville problem can be derived with a single point target on the right-end. Depending on different transformation techniques and the derived target equations, seven types FTIM and four types HIM are developed. Numerical examples confirm that the present FTIM and HIM are effective and accurate.

Who Do We Call “Creepy?”: Sex Workers’ Relationships as Targets of Intimate Intervention

Like other forms of problem-solving justice, prostitution diversion programs (PDPs) are designed to (re)shape thinking and behaviors. The authority to surveil and punish stems from criminalization of sex work, itself an act of control over women and their bodies. The court cues normative behaviors through rewards and punishments based on information gleaned through ongoing surveillance in and out of court. Using a critical feminist lens, we draw on ethnographic and interview data from studies of two court-affiliated PDPs to examine the regulation of women's bodies and intimate relationships. We found that criminal justice professionals explicitly viewed constant discussion and surveillance of all facets of PDP participants’ lives as a tool to cause participants to internalize particular understandings of normative relationships. Such normative understandings involve assumptions about which men are “creepy” that do not always reflect women's lived experiences and decontextualize relationships in ways that are incompatible with women's own assessments of these relationships. This analysis contributes to feminist social work by revealing the social control functions of such programs, which employ “creepy” intrusion to police the boundaries between unacceptable and normative behavior while simultaneously disregarding the systemic forces that shape women's choices and constructions of normativity.

Legal framework of sustainable construction procurement to prevent land degradation: comparison between Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze regulation regarding sustainable construction procurement in Southeast Asia and provide a reconstruction of regulation regarding the sustainable construction procurement to prevent land degradation.Design/methodology/approachThis was done through legal research methods, mainly historical and systematical interpretation. The approaches used in this paper are the conceptual approach, statute approach and comparative approach.FindingsBy analyzing the related legal norms, it can be understood that many nations in Southeast Asia do not have regulation regarding sustainable construction procurement. Between Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, only Indonesia has a ministrial regulation that provides general norms regarding sustainable construction procurement. Regarding the reconstruction of regulation, the bare minimum standards consist of principle, indicators, pillar, the phases of the procurement, law enforcement, both preventive and repressive, and sustainable procurement committee.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is limited to regulation in Southeast Asian region. By analyzing the regulation, this paper will provide a reconstruction of regulations regarding sustainable construction procurement that will act as an ground rules. Having the same ground rules will create synergies between countries in Southeast Asia to apply the principles of sustainable procurement and move together toward to prevent land degradation.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first systematic legal research that compares regulations from three nations in Southeast Asia regarding sustainable construction procurement and also the first paper to provide reconstruction of regulation regarding sustainable construction procurement to prevent land degradation.

Enhanced independent component analysis and fuzzy C-mean clustering based on novel bat algorithm for noisy image segmentation

Fuzzy c-means clustering is widely recognized as one of the most effective methods for image segmentation and achieving accurate classification. However, this method has two significant drawbacks: its sensitivity to noise and its convergence to local minimum clusters’ centroids. In this paper, we proposed a novel model called EIFCMNB, which incorporates enhanced independent component analysis (EICA), fuzzy c-means clustering (FCMC) and novel bat algorithm (NBA) for noise image segmentation. The suggested model consists of two main phases: image denoising and extraction of the regions of interest (ROIs). In the first phase, the enhanced independent component analysis (EICA) algorithm is used for recovering a good quality image, from a noisy image of poor quality. Several noisy images, with noise variances ranging from 5 to 20, were filtered. The resulting images were then evaluated based on several criteria viz: Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), Relative Norm Error (RE), Normalized Cross-Correlation (NCC), and Structural Similarity index measure (SSIM). In the second phase, the fuzzy c-means clustering based on a novel bat algorithm is adopted to calculate optimal clusters’ centroids and extract the ROIs. By incorporating the new bat algorithm, we aim to overcome the problem of converging to local minimums and achieve improved segmentation accuracy. Promising experimental results have been obtained by applying the proposed model to MRI brain images and x-ray welding images. Two criteria viz: VPE end VPC have been employed to evaluate the suggested approach. The experiments clearly demonstrate that our suggested model effectively addresses the sensitivity to noise problem and provides optimal clusters’ centroids. Moreover, it outperforms several FCMC-based algorithms, exhibiting superior performance in terms of image segmentation and classification.

Sentiment and Accruals Earnings Management: Does Governance and Regulatory Environment Matter?

This paper examines the implications of firm-level governance mechanisms and the regulatory environment on the relationship between investor sentiment and accrual-based earnings management. Our findings confirm the positive impact of sentiment on earnings management through accruals. Our results confirm that in the presence of a stringent regulatory environment, the likelihood of abnormal accruals following a positive sentiment environment is low. We document that a stringent regulatory environment reduces the likelihood of abnormal accruals following a positive sentiment environment. Results further confirm that improved governance characteristics like larger board, increased board independence, and stringent related party transaction norms help to monitor corporate behaviour and mitigates opportunistic earnings management activity of managers with an exogeneous effect of market sentiment. Thus, our results have important implications for regulators and policymakers for strengthening the regulatory and monitoring environment. Investors may also use earnings announcement news during an optimistic market sentiment scenario in a more informative way.

Exploring challenges in later-life relationships: a qualitative study of the queries posted on counselling websites.

Divorce rates among individuals aged 50 and above are on the rise. Given the greater life expectancy compared to previous generations, this is an issue that is affecting an increasing number of people. Therefore, it warrants an inquiry into the challenges these individuals encounter in their intimate relationships. This study analyzed 225 relationship-related queries posted on Czech counselling websites to identify the strains and stressor patterns that older adults face in their relationships. The queries were limited to those that concerned themes and problems related to partnerships, were posted by one of the partners aged 60 or over, and were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Four main relationship issues were identified: infidelity and jealousy; relationship estrangement and cooling; undesirable changes in personality; and illness and somatic issues. Additionally, three recurring themes were identified that made the problems more demanding and that were specific to older age: lack of norms for relationships in that age group, absence of resources to tackle the issues, and personal calculation for Time Spent and Time Remaining. The research found that the types of problems encountered by older adults were similar to those experienced by younger individuals. However, the way these problems were perceived and processed was influenced by specific aspects of aging, such as societal expectations, available coping resources, and the perception of time. The findings also highlighted the challenges faced by older adults in terms of relationship norms, sexual functioning, and personality changes.

Emergent Trends in Nigeria’s Popular Entertainment: Cross-Dressing and Blurred Identity in Social Media Skits

This paper explores the relationship between mass media and its audience, specifically in Nigeria where this field is under-studied. Since its debut in 1959 as a medium of domestic entertainment, television in Nigeria has been a wonderland for new vistas and foreign and strange concepts that became trendsetters for viewers’ astonishment and enthusiastic lifestyle emulation. This study uses qualitative methods, including Key Informant Interviews and secondary analysis, to explore cross-dressing as a cultural phenomenon. The theoretical framework is based on the gratification and technological determinism theories. The study examines how technological advancements have enabled the normalization of "sophisticated, imported" options in entertainment culture. The paper explores gender fluidity and identity blurring in the artist's perception. The findings showed that the incursion of technology, especially television and its more sophisticated variant, social media, are the purveyors of democratized ideas of individual identity and blurred sexuality profiling that disrupted existentialist binary notions. The study results also showed that cross-dressing, as employed in skit-making, has earned respect on the employment index of the creative sector and art community. Tech shapes youth culture, paving the way for new norms in human relationships and personal expression

Re-examining the link between relational governance and project management performance: an integrated framework

ABSTRACT Relational governance has showed great potential in addressing many of the construction industry’s problems, such as opportunism and agency problems. While multiple research efforts have been directed at examining different roles of relational governance elements, few studies paid attention to show the link between different relational governance elements and project management performance. So, this study aims to address such gap by fully considering relational governance elements affecting project management performance. To this end, this paper (1) divided relational governance elements into relational situation, relational norm, and relational behavior for the first time, deepening our understanding of relational governance elements in the construction industry; (2) determined the impact of these relational governance elements on project management performance. The findings contribute to the understanding of relational governance elements in the construction industry, how relational governance and project management performance are really linked, and what the fundamental paths are in the chain by specifying the elements of relational governance in a more detailed way. These findings also give owners and contractors insight into improving project management performance.

Social cognition of humanoid robots on customer tolerance of service failure

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effects of the perceived warmth and competence of humanoid robots on customer tolerance of service failure through the affective response and the boundary condition of relationship norms.Design/methodology/approachTwo experimental studies were conducted to investigate the effects of perceived warmth and competence of humanoid robots’ physical appearances on tolerance of service failure and the mediating role of anger. The boundary influence of relationship norms is also explored.FindingsThe results reveal that the perception of warmth (vs. competence) robot leads to less (more) anger, which significantly results in tolerance of service failure. However, customer tolerance is insignificant under exchange norms, as the undelivered service violates the expectations of both warm and competent robots.Practical implicationsThis study provides practical guidance for hospitality managers to implement humanoid robots in a way that minimizes the negative outcomes of service failure. Managers should also think about the appropriate match of different types of humanoid robots and relationship norms in which robots will be deployed.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the tolerance literature by taking a social cognition perspective to investigate the effect of humanoid robots’ physical appearances on customers’ reactions to service failure. The findings also reveal that its affective mechanism lies in the effect of expectancy violations of service failure on tolerance. Furthermore, this study extends the literature on relationship norms to the influence of company factors on effective humanoid robot implementation.

Arrangement and Implementation of Pancasila Industrial Relations in Company Regulations and Collective Labor Agreements

The affirmation of the constitution means that to take all actions in the realm of industrial relations must be based on the law or the provisions of the applicable labor legislation to provide protection for workers/laborers as also regulated in the Human Rights Act. Therefore, it is interesting to examine how the Pancasila Industrial Relations Norms in Indonesian Labor Legislation and How the Implementation of Pancasila Industrial Relations in Making Company Regulations and Collective Labor Agreements in a Company. To answer these problems, normative legal research methods are used (juridical normative) with a statutory approach, conceptual approach, and comparative approach, using secondary data obtained from primary, secondary and tertiary legal sources. The research found that Pancasila industrial relations norms originated from Pancasila which is a tangle of main basic values is a crystallization of various values that live in society as the soul of the nation (volskgeist) and guiding star (leidstar) in social life, because the main basic value is still very abstract and cannot be legally enforced, or cannot be sanctioned if violated, then as a concretization of these basic values must be outlined in legislation so that it can be enforced and sanctioned if violated and the Implementation of Pancasila Industrial Relations in Making Company Regulations and Collective Labor Agreements in a Company, should involve and accommodate the aspirations of workers through trade unions / workers' representatives in making Company Regulation policies (PP) and Collective Labor Agreements (PKB). Pancasila Industrial Relations is part of contractual relations as a mutual agreement between employers and workers, the achievements and implementation of the agreement should not conflict with Pancasila Industrial Relations and justice.

Exploring relational norms in exporter-importer product innovation co-development: A qualitative study

This research investigates the role of relational norms in facilitating importers' engagement in product innovation co-development with exporters. Through a qualitative approach, we conducted interviews with top managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) involved in exporting activities in France. Guided by the theoretical framework of Relational Exchange Theory (Macneil, 1980; Dwyer et al., 1987), our study uncovers the significant potential for successful product innovation co-development when importers actively contribute as knowledge sources and co-developers. Additionally, we highlight the importance of cooperation, continuity expectations, and equity norms as external factors that shape the co-development process of new products between exporters and importers. By comprehending and embracing these relational norms, exporters can strengthen their collaborative endeavors with importers and effectively drive the co-development of innovative products.

Multiple social identities cloud norm perception: responses to COVID-19 among university aged Republicans and Democrats

IntroductionMost work on social identity, defined as one's sense of self derived from membership to social groups, focuses on a single identity and its behavioral consequences. But a central insight of social identity theory is that people belong to multiple social groups, derive self-esteem from multiple identities and care to conform to the norms for those identities. However, very little work has turned its attention to understanding when and how multiple social identities interact. We motivate hypotheses with a framework that extends a social identity model to include multiple identities.MethodsUsing a longitudinal sample (N > 600) of university students located primarily in Texas and throughout the US, we use university social identity, and the associated university norms, to characterize COVID related social distancing norms between April and October of 2020 and then unpack how another identity, the student's political identity, impacts perception of those norms.ResultsDespite incentives to do otherwise, we find that beliefs about university norms differ depending on the respondent's political identity. We interpret this as a spillover effect of attitudes from one identity to another.DiscussionWe relate our results back to a model of social identity, to the literature on spillovers where such psychological spillovers are hard to empirically identify, and to methods for future work on identity and spillovers.

Ideological Mate-guarding: Sexual Jealousy and Mating Strategy Predict Support for Female Honor.

Feminine honor dictates that women should cultivate a reputation for sexual purity via behaviors such as dressing modestly and maintaining virginity before marriage. The dominant explanation for people's support for feminine honor is that female infidelity threatens male partners' honor. Beyond this, the literature affords little understanding of the evolutionary and psychological origins of feminine honor. We propose that feminine honor functions as an ideological form of mate guarding that is shaped by sexual jealousy and mating strategy. Two correlational studies (N = 892) revealed support for predictions derived from this ideological mate-guarding account. In Study 1, dispositional jealousy and mating strategy (more monogamous orientation) predicted male participants' support for a mate's (especially a long-term mate's) feminine honor. Moving beyond mate preferences, in Study 2 male and female participants' dispositional jealousy and mating strategy predicted support for feminine honor of women in general. Results applied beyond masculine honor norms, religiosity, political conservativism, and age. These findings enhance the understanding of the origins and maintenance of feminine honor and related norms and ideologies that enable control over women's socio-sexual behavior.

The negative effect of service robots’ affective human-likeness on consumer satisfaction in frontline service encounters

Although companies have widely deployed service robots with affective human-likeness, scant attention has been paid to their negative effects on consumer satisfaction. We adopt a consumer–robot relationship perspective to investigate the mechanism and boundary conditions of the negative influence of affective human-likeness on consumer satisfaction. We suggest that service robots with affective human-likeness may violate consumer–robot relationship norms, making consumers feel social discomfort, thereby negatively affecting their satisfaction. Study 1 shows that a high degree of affective human-likeness negatively affects consumer satisfaction by causing social discomfort. Study 2 finds that consumer power which affects the perception of social distance, can be the boundary condition for previous negative effects. This research makes contributes to the literature on service robot anthropomorphism, consumer–robot relationships, and consumer power in artificial intelligence marketing and can guide service robots’ anthropomorphic use.

Contingent reward versus punishment and compliance behavior: the mediating role of affective attitude and the moderating role of operational capabilities of artificial intelligence

Previous research has long focused on the positive effect of contingent reward on employees’ psychological states and outcomes. Recent studies show that contingent punishment can also positively impact employees’ outcomes. Whether contingent reward can improve employees’ compliance behavior more than punishment can, has not been adequately studied. Exploring this issue can help researchers understand contingent reward and punishment from the perspective of the relationship norms between leaders and employees. Drawing on the planned behavior theory and cognitive appraisal theory, we developed and tested a model specifying why and how contingent reward (relative to contingent punishment) increase employees’ compliance behavior. Using a scenario-based experiment across two-stage surveys of 309 participants, we found that contingent reward (relative to contingent punishment) could influence compliance behavior by increasing and decreasing distinct types of affective attitudes (i.e., self-esteem and anxiety). Moreover, the perceived operational capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) moderated the effect of contingent reward on self-esteem and anxiety. High perceived operational capabilities of AI enhanced the positive effect of contingent reward (relative to contingent punishment) on self-esteem and its negative effect on anxiety as well. This research yields innovative insights for the improvement of compliance behavior.

“Rather than Ruin the Fun:” Elaborating on Faking Orgasms as Goal-Oriented Deceptive Communication

This study investigates the goal-oriented nature of deceptive communication enacted through faking orgasms for people in diverse relationships that they perceived as less common or less accepted than more normative relationships (n = 501) using Multiple Goals Theory as a lens. Findings revealed that just over half the sample (52.4%) reported having faked an orgasm at some point in their lives, and approximately one third (32.3%) of the sample reported having faked an orgasm with their current partner. Results from qualitative analyses reveal that instrumental, identity, and personal goals characterized the reported motivations for faking orgasms, which primarily included faking an orgasm to end the activity or to benefit the partner. Implications for sexuality educators and future research are discussed.

Network Embeddedness, Relationship Norms, and Cooperative Behavior: Analysis Based on Evolution of Construction Project Network

The development of cooperative relationships among project participants makes relationship norms an important governance mechanism to promote cooperative behavior. However, the research on relationship norms mostly ignored the project network environment established by project participants. A static project network cannot accurately reflect the actual project network state from the perspective of network embeddedness, but the research on the mechanism of cooperative behavior from the perspective of dynamic network embeddedness is limited. Therefore, this study overcame the limitation of static analysis. This paper divided the implementation process of construction projects into early, middle, and late phases. The theoretical model of network embeddedness, relationship norms, and cooperative behavior was tested using sample data from 716 surveys regarding the three phases from China to determine the mechanism of the effect of network embeddedness on cooperative behavior. The research results show that network embeddedness (including structural embeddedness and relational embeddedness) has a direct impact on cooperative behavior. The results also indicate that network embeddedness has an indirect impact on cooperative behavior through relationship norms. Additionally, the results further indicate that the direct and indirect effects of network embeddedness on cooperative behavior are different in different phases of construction projects. With the advance of construction projects, the influence of relational embeddedness increases, whereas the effect of structural embeddedness decreases. The research results deepen the understanding of relationship norms in construction projects and make up for the lack of research on cooperative behavior in construction projects from the perspective of dynamic networks. The research results also provide enlightenment for project participants to fully utilize the network relationships in different phases of construction projects, stimulate the establishment of relationship norms, and promote cooperation. This is helpful to improve the cooperative construction management mode.

Critical masculine and feminine norms in sustainable municipal transport policies and planning

ABSTRACT Transport planning has historically been dominated by masculinity norms with minimal attention to sustainability, but these norms are challenged. Our analytical framework explores municipal solutions to sustainable transport that go beyond traditional norms and advances knowledge on how gendered sustainability norms are articulated in municipal transport policies and planning documents. The article investigates whether masculine and feminine norms on sustainability affect transport planning and if they are concretely expressed in transport solutions in planning and policy documents in Swedish municipalities, considered high achievers in sustainable transport. The article also observes gender representation and political affiliation related to gender sustainability norms. Our results show that all municipal committees that handle transport planning adhere to masculine and feminine sustainability norms but that there are significant differences in the content of the policies. Our results do not verify a relation between norms and the representation of men and women in the transport committees, we find evidence of divergences between masculine and feminine norms in relation to political ideas.

“Water and all My Relations”: Reimagining Indigenous Water Justice for Seven Generations

The Ojibwe Gichigami (Lake Superior) bioregion is the ancestral and contemporary homeland of the Anishinaabe Ojibwa. Harvesting and consuming fish has sustained people for millennia, but today, toxic risks due to fish contamination contribute to many burdens for both human and more-than-human worlds. For the Ojibwa, nibi gaye nii’kinaaganaa (“water and all my relations”) are the lived experiences of fish-reliant communities and emphasize sustaining good relations with water and relatives. Toxicity disrupts traditional harvest lifeways, violates treaty rights, and problematizes Ojibwa water relations. In this article, I describe diverging values attributed to water and conflicting norms of water quality relations between Ojibwa people and scientific practices of toxicology. Drawn from a study of institutional water decision making, I examine practices associated with water, fish, and risk and how these practices clarify ethics in water policy. The study of toxic substances, albeit invisible in water policy and fish advisories, raises broader issues of Indigenous water justice, particularly for sensitive populations (e.g., developing children, women of childbearing age, and fish-reliant communities). In proposing a broader justice framework for reimagining water lives and livelihoods, I argue for foregrounding Indigenous water justice ethics based on long-term wellbeing, a time period inclusive of seven generations.

Exiting the periphery: Possible pathways towards a socio‐economic and institutional de‐marginalization of places

AbstractWhat are the economic, social and institutional mechanisms that make it possible for peripheral areas to regain centrality? To address this issue, this paper takes stock of the current scientific debate on peripheries. Our reasoning is based on a general assumption according to which simple geographic features do not determine per se socio–spatial divisions. Peripheral areas are not natural. By contrast, they are the outcomes of more or less intentional processes that imply hierarchical and power relationships, unequal allocation of economic resources, and reliance upon relational patterns and social norms. Therefore, it is essential to observe how and whether multidimensional socio‐economic changes occur within peripheral areas, deconstructing their marginality. In this regard, this paper highlights four main endogenous mechanisms upon which a de‐marginalization process may rely: (1) transformation in the features of the local institutional make‐up; (2) emergence of collective actions and ‘self‐governance’ processes at the local level; (3) renovation of elite groups; and (4) establishing economic renewal and innovation.