Ascription Of Responsibility Research Articles

Duty of care in companion dog owners: Preliminary scale development and empirical exploration.

Owner behaviour change may be the most promising avenue to improve dog welfare. As such, understanding potential drivers of owner behaviour is critical to developing effective intervention programs. Here we examine in depth the concept of "duty of care" as a motivator of owner behaviour. Using a mixed methods approach, this study aimed to better understand the potential dimensions of duty of care, their interrelationships, and develop psychometrically valid tools to measure them in companion dog owners. This was achieved through a multi-stage process including a critical literature review, qualitative interviews (n = 13), and an online survey (n = 538). Using Schwartz's Norm Activation Model as a framework, we have developed a 30 item scale with 5 subscales; duty beliefs, problem awareness, awareness of impact, efficacy, and ascription of responsibility. These unique subscales demonstrate good internal consistency and construct validity. In addition to developing a measurement tool, this process has provided important insights into the nature of duty of care in companion dog owners, creating several avenues for future inquiry. One such finding was that many dog welfare problems may not be the result of lacking duty beliefs, but rather weaknesses in other "activation" factors such as problem awareness or ascription of responsibility. Further work is now required to understand the predictive validity of the scale and the relative influence of its different dimensions on owner behaviour and dog welfare outcomes. This will facilitate the identification of appropriate targets for intervention programs aimed at improving owner behaviour and consequently, dog welfare.

Does Environmental Values, Beliefs and Norms Effect Social Entrepreneurial Intention? A Study Based on an Emerging Country Context

Despite the potentiality of youths as future social entrepreneurs, research on the key determinants of their social entrepreneurial intentions in developing countries (Malaysia) remains lacking. This study aims to evaluate the effects of altruistic and traditional values on normative beliefs, awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility, which further effect personal, descriptive and injunctive social norms; and finally effect of norms on social entrepreneurial intentions. Empirical data were elicited from 517 university students of Malaysian higher education institutions with a web-based survey. Statistical analysis was subsequently performed through structural equation modelling to examine the hypotheses and relationships between the variables. The altruistic and traditional values shows a significant positive effect on normative beliefs, which together with awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility descriptive and injunctive social norms effect personal norms. Finally, findings also revealed a positive and significant effect of personal norms on social entrepreneurial intentions among Malaysian university student. The holistic social entrepreneurship model outlined in this study could facilitate socioeconomic development through sustainable and cost-effective practices. The study outcomes offer relevant knowledge and insights for researchers, current social entrepreneurs and organisations, educational institutions, government agencies, and potential entrepreneurs to develop successful strategies in pursuing social endeavours.

Integrating OCBE Literature and Norm Activation Theory: A Moderated Mediation on Proenvironmental Behavior of Employees

Research lacks a solid understanding of the relational patterns between intrapersonal and organizational determinants to promote proenvironmental behavior. In this study, I investigated the effects of employees’ intrapersonal and perceived organizational determinants on voluntary proenvironmental behavior of employees (VPBE) from an integrative moral perspective. While primarily building on insights from norm activation theory and research on organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE), I developed a framework and empirically analyzed how interactions between ascriptions of environmental responsibility, perceptions of proenvironmental work climates, and affective organizational commitment influence VPBE. The findings show that even employees (in this study: student workforce) with little sense of responsibility towards nature can be subtly encouraged to practice VPBE. I discuss the findings against the backdrop of integrated and introjected norms and provide managerial advice. The study contributes to a theoretical broadening of the norm activation theory in workplace contexts and advances our knowledge of conditional effects and normative mechanisms underlying VPBE.

규범활성화모델을 적용한 식물성 대체육 구매의도에 관한 연구

This study applied a norm activation model to explore consumers’ personal norms and attitudes towards plant-based meat alternatives and their purchase intentions. This study found that the awareness of consequence of meat consumption didn't have a significant effect on personal norms and attitudes toward plant-based meat alternatives consumption, whereas the ascription of responsibility for the environmental damage had a significant effect on both personal norms and attitudes, which in turn improved purchase intentions. In addition, this verified relationship was found to be affected by switching costs to plant-based meat alternates. More specifically, the positive effect of personal norms on purchase intentions was significantly stronger in the consumer group who perceived lower switching costs. Our findings can be employed to provide useful information to develop effective strategies for promoting plant-based meat alternatives consumption.

Do Consumers Intend to Use Indoor Smart Farm Restaurants for a Sustainable Future? The Influence of Cognitive Drivers on Behavioral Intentions

Smart farms are eco-friendly and sustainable agriculture practices that also play a crucial role in the foodservice industry. This study investigated cognitive drivers, which included biospheric value, environmental concern, problem awareness, and ascription of responsibility, in order to form consumers’ behavioral intentions in the context of indoor smart farm restaurants. The current study also investigated the differences among the four sub-dimensions of cognitive drivers, which are based on the respondents’ demographic factors. This study was performed using data from 310 participants. The study conducted multiple linear regression to test the causal relationships and t-test and one-way ANOVA to test the demographic differences. The results of the data analysis revealed that all four sub-dimensions of the cognitive drivers aid in regard to increasing behavioral intentions. Furthermore, the data analysis results showed that age and marital status were associated with differences in biospheric value, and gender was associated with differences in environmental concern and problem awareness. This study empirically identified the direct effect of cognitive drivers on consumers’ pro-environmental behavior and their demographic differences, and it also presents practical suggestions from the perspective of green marketing.

The Power of Personal Norms and Green Message Framing Persuade Consumers’ Willingness to Pay Premium Prices at Eco-friendly Restaurants

Although environmental issues are driving many consumers toward pro-environmental consumption, many more consumers may yet not engage in environmentally sound actions. Thus, this study aimed to understand factors influencing consumers’ willingness to consume eco-friendly products by exploring both internal and external factors that trigger consumers’ willingness to pay premium prices (WTP) at green restaurants. To the end, two studies were conducted to satisfy the research objectives. The results of the structural equation modeling from the study 1 showed that perceived seriousness of environmental problems (PSEP), ascription of responsibility (AR), and community attachment (CA) influenced personal norms resulting in customers’ WTP. Study 2 examined whether different green message formats influenced consumers’ internal drivers. The results showed that PSEP increased when the present-focused message was paired with narrative format, and the future-focused message paired with non-narrative format. Customers’ WTP was greater when the present-focused message was paired with narrative format.

“What goes around comes around”: Activating sustainable consumption with curvilinear effects of karma determinants

The role of karma in sustainable consumption remains unknown. This study thus offers a karmic perspective of pro-environmental consumption, wherein consumers' personal (moral) norms regarding being more pro-environment are activated by three karma dimensions: duty orientation, indifference to rewards, and equanimity. Drawing on the norm activation model, a sample of 552 participants recruited in the five largest cities in Vietnam using the mall-intercept survey approach, and an emerging analysis technique – polynomial regression with response surface analysis, the findings show that three karma dimensions individually and jointly activate consumers' personal moral norms, which in turn stimulate consumers to consume in a more environmentally friendly manner. Moreover, the ascription of responsibility is significantly related to consumers’ pro-environmental intentions and behaviors, while awareness of consequences is only significantly correlated with intentions to behave in a pro-environmental manner. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed in the context of sustainable consumption.

Consumers' (ir)responsible shopping during emergencies: drivers and concerns

PurposeDuring emergencies and times of widespread social fear, such as wars and epidemics, society witnesses many instances of consumer misbehaviour (e.g. panic buying). Therefore, this study aims to understand what drives consumers to enact socially irresponsible while shopping during emergencies.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a quantitative approach with 400 responses from consumers who shopped during the pandemic.FindingsResults show a positive relationship between consumers' awareness of the negative social consequences of shopping misbehaviour and their ascription of responsibility, which is positively moderated by death-by-emergency-related anxiety. Ascription of responsibility, in turn, has a positive impact on socially responsible behaviour.Originality/valueThis research is the first to examine new applications of norm activation theory in retailing. Furthermore, this research is the first to extend the theory by examining psychological factors that may regulate socially irresponsible behaviour. The research demonstrates the significant role of anxiety and attachment in facilitating the impact of awareness of negative consequences and aspirations of responsibility in the retailing during emergencies.

Perceived norms of public transport use as the determinants of older adults' social exclusion: Evidence from Pakistan

Perceived norms attached to public transport travel significantly reinforce mobility inequalities. Such mobility inequalities contribute to social exclusion, particularly among vulnerable groups such as older adults. Thus, understanding the antecedents of older adults' social exclusion behaviour is vital in advancing knowledge and promoting social sustainability. We proposed an integrated model and included 384 older adults from diverse socio-demographic backgrounds in Pakistan, examining the impact of social and personal norms of public transport use on social exclusion. Results revealed that social norms of public transport use played an essential role in shaping older adults' social exclusion directly and indirectly via personal norms. Perceived accessibility further moderated the effect of social and personal norms on social exclusion. The antecedents of personal norms (i.e., awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility) were analyzed based on the Norm Activation Model. This study suggests that the prevalent norms supporting public transport use can act as a complementary policy for promoting independent mobility and, thus, social inclusion among older adults. Transport policymakers and social researchers can consider the findings to develop healthy ageing societies.

Households' food waste behavior prediction from a moral perspective: a case of China.

The increasing rate of food waste is becoming a threat to realizing Sustainable Development goal 2 by 2030. A significant portion of food is wasted along the entire food supply chain, resulting in adverse economic, ecological and social consequences. Inferring from the norm activation model (NAM), the study investigates the influence of benefits awareness, lack of concern and personal norm on households' food waste reduction intention. Gathering research data via an online survey in Jiangsu province in China, a total sample of 408 responses were analyzed using structural equation model. It was found that the extended NAM model developed is more appropriate for assessing food waste reduction intention with a significant improved explanatory potential from 32.0 to 52.0%. Households' awareness of consequences was established to have a positive effect on ascription of responsibility, and they both impact personal norm positively. Personal norm influences food waste reduction intention positively. Again, the awareness of the benefits for reducing food waste affects households' intention to reduce food waste positively. Lack of concern for food waste negatively affects their personal norm and food waste reduction intentions. These findings furnish valuable insights for future campaigns to educate people and influence their moral norms toward the importance and involvement in achieving Sustainable Development Goals related to food waste.

Are citizens culpable for state action?

International law holds that states are holistically responsible for their acts. Yet what does the ascription of responsibility to the state imply about the responsibility of its citizens? This article argues that most citizens in a representative democracy bear culpability in association with their state's wrongful acts. Most democratic citizens can be blamed for empowering representatives to act on their behalf, and then failing to adequately oversee and dissent from the specific wrongful decisions their representatives made. This gives culpable citizens duties that go beyond compensation, especially duties to foster a reparative social ethos towards state victims.

Linking Cultural Tightness, Components of Norm Activation and COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors among University Students: Evidence from Beijing, China.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has imposed greater challenges and more stringent requirements on higher education institutions (HEIs). However, limited empirical research has been devoted to identifying external and internal factors that may promote individual preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic within the higher education context. This study proposed and examined an extended norm activation model (NAM) concerning the relationships among cultural tightness, original NAM components, and COVID-19 preventive behaviors. An online survey was conducted with a sample of 3693 university students from 18 universities in Beijing, China. The results showed that cultural tightness was positively associated with respondents' COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Three original NAM variables, namely, awareness of consequences, the ascription of responsibility, and personal norms, played a chain mediating role in the relationship between cultural tightness and COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications regarding the findings of this study and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Pro-environmental or pro-social: Which motivation is stronger in the case of charity retailing engagement?

The aim of the study is to examine the intention to engage in charity retailing using the norm activation model which has been widely used to predict people’s altruistic and pro-social behavior (De Groot and Steg, 2009, 425–449). Pro-social behavior refers to a person’s action that is intended to help other people and consists of a broad range of helping, sharing, and cooperating behaviors. Three forms of engagement in charity retailing were taken into account: buying at a charity shop, volunteering in a charity store, and donating. The current study was conducted in 2019 using the CAWI method on 766 Polish students coming from 16 universities; for data analysis, SEM was applied. We tested two variants of the model. In the first one we connected personal norm, awareness of consequences, and ascription of responsibility with the context of the natural environment protection, whereas in the second the same variables were connected with helping people in general. The findings show that the norm activation model may be applied as a mediator model for explaining intention to engage in shop charity. Both tested models were positively verified — all relations but one were proven to be statistically significant. The only relation which turned out to be statistically insignificant was the relation between awareness of consequences and personal norm. The results show that environmental context increased the strength of the relations between the analyzed variables.

Determinants of Preschool Teachers' Knowledge-Sharing Behavior from a Thinking Style Perspective.

Knowledge sharing not only promotes communication among teachers to achieve self-professional growth but also facilitates knowledge innovation. Thus, knowledge sharing among preschool teachers deserves attention. This study explored the factors influencing preschool teachers' knowledge-sharing behaviors. A questionnaire was administered to 297 preschool teachers using a Norm Activation Model from a thinking style perspective. Data analysis was performed using partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that executive thinking style preschool teachers showed a significant positive influence of awareness of consequences; legislative thinking style preschool teachers showed a significant positive influence of awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility; awareness of consequences had a significant positive influence on ascription of responsibility; awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility had a significant positive influence on personal norms; and personal norms had a significant positive influence on knowledge-sharing behavior. Meanwhile, the influence of executive thinking style on ascription of responsibility, legislative thinking style on ascription of responsibility, and awareness of consequences on personal norms emerged as significantly different among preschool teachers in two different contexts: interpersonal sharing and Internet sharing. This study confirmed the factors influencing preschool teachers' knowledge-sharing behaviors from a thinking style perspective and provides suggestions for improving preschool teachers' knowledge-sharing behaviors.

A Study of the Integrated Model with Norm Activation Model and Theory of Planned Behavior: Applying the Green Hotel’s Corporate Social Responsibilities

This study investigated the structural relationship between the green behavior of green hotel users by integrating and applying green corporate social responsibility (GCSR), the norm activation model (NAM), and theory of planned behavior (TPB). The survey targets were customers who have visited green hotels at least 1–2 times in the past two years and completed an online (mobile) self-written Google survey. In addition, to increase the validity of the research hypothesis of this study, the definition of green hotel CSR was simply explained for understanding before the survey began. Four hundred and fifty surveys were distributed for a month from 15 October 2022, and 386 samples were used for final analysis, excluding non-response, and SPSS and Amos programs were used for the analysis. The analysis results of the research hypothesis are as follows. In the process of GCSR on the green behavior of hotel users, the relationships between awareness of consequence (AC), ascription of responsibility (AR), and personal norm (PN) of NAM were all found to have a significant effect. Therefore, H1a–d are supported. Additionally, in the context of another theory, TPB, in the process of GCSR on the green behavior of hotel users, the study verified the relationship between attitude (AT), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) of TPB. However, GCSR has no significant effect on PBC, so H2c was rejected, and PBC has no significant effect on green behavioral intention (GBI), so H4c was rejected. Finally, subjective norm (SN) as a variable of TPB was found to have a significant positive effect on PN as a variable of NAM. Thus, H3 was supported. This study intends to present useful basic evidence by providing academic and practical implications for establishing the management strategy of hotel companies.

Integrating the valence theory and the norm activation theory to understand consumers’ e-waste recycling intention

Electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) is a growing challenge, matching the widespread boom in the use of information and communication technology. Opposite to an alarming increasing amount of e-waste, a low rate of consumer engagement in ensuring the proper disposal of such materials intensifies the pressure on the existing e-waste crisis. To deal with this thorny problem, it is of great interest to grasp consumers’ disposal and recycling behavioral intentions. Therefore, this study attempts to understand complementary perspectives around consumers’ e-waste recycling intention based on the integration of the valence theory and the norm activation theory. Four data mining models using classification and prediction-based algorithms, namely Chi-squared automatic interaction detector (CHAID), Neural network, Discriminant analysis, and Quick, unbiased, efficient statistical tree (QUEST), were employed to analyze a set of the 398 data collected in Vietnam. The results revealed that the social support value is by far the most critical predictor, followed by the utilitarian value, task difficulty, and monetary risk. It is also noteworthy that the awareness of consequences, education background, the ascription of responsibility, and age were also ranked as critical affecting factors. The lowest influential predictors found in this study were income and gender. In addition, a comparison was made in terms of the classification performance of the four utilized data mining techniques. Based on several evaluation measurements (confusion matrix, accuracy, precision, recall, specificity, F-measure, ROC curve, and AUC), the aggregated results suggested that CHAID and Neural network performed the best. The findings of this research are expected to assist policymakers and future researchers in updating all information surrounding consumer behavioral intention-related topics focusing on e-waste. Furthermore, the adoption of data mining algorithms for prediction is another insight of this study, which may shed the light on data mining applications in such environmental studies in the future.

The criminal law's person By C.Lernestedt, M.Matravers (Eds.), Oxford: Hart. 2022. pp. 216. £85.00 (hbk). ISBN: 9781509923748

The criminal law's person By C.Lernestedt, M.Matravers (Eds.), Oxford: Hart. 2022. pp. 216. £85.00 (hbk). ISBN: 9781509923748

Normative Basis for Climate-Related Civic Engagement by Residents of Lake Superior’s North Shore region

This study examines the determinants of resident engagement in climate change using a survey of a sample of residents in Lake Superior’s North Shore region in Minnesota. We examine the influence of climate concern, responsibility, subjective norms and personal norms on civic engagement. Study findings indicate that climate concern, ascription of local responsibility, and subjective norms influence residents’ personal norms, or sense of personal obligation, which in turn positively predicts civic engagement. Study findings highlight the importance of norms as a motivator of climate-related engagement. Results point to the potential for engaging community members in climate-related activities by tapping feelings of personal obligation for climate change adaptation or mitigation.

Freedom & Responsibility in Context, by Ann Whittle

When there is seemingly irresolvable and faultless disagreement in philosophy, it is often natural to resort to contextualism: perhaps we are all speaking the truth, but talking past each other in some way. We might get, as Ann Whittle puts it, ‘the sense that both sides were right, at least some of the time, but neither position managed to capture it all’ (p.ix). In epistemology, this is by now a well-rehearsed and popular move: to accommodate both the philosophically persuasive arguments for scepticism and the immense plausibility of ordinary knowledge ascriptions, it is argued that we speak in different contexts, and the sceptical conclusion is true in some philosophical, but false in all or most ordinary, contexts. In the literature on free will, this kind of move seems to suggest itself with equal plausibility: to accommodate both the philosophically persuasive arguments for incompatibilism and the immense plausibility, irrespective of the question of determinism, of our ordinary ascriptions of freedom and responsibility, we might argue that we speak in different contexts, and the incompatibilist conclusion is true in some philosophical, but false in all or most ordinary, contexts. However, in the literature on free will and responsibility, this line of argument has been conspicuously near-absent. In her rich and tightly argued book, Ann Whittle fills this gap and proposes a contextualist account of freedom, control, and responsibility.

Using a Unified Model of TPB, NAM, and SOBC to Investigate the Energy-Saving Behaviour of Urban Residents in Vietnam: Moderation Role of Cultural Values

This study integrated the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the norm activation model (NAM), and the stimulus–organism–behaviour–consequences theory (SOBC) to determine how external (subjective injunctive norm, subjective descriptive norm, and perceived behavioural control) and internal stimuli (ascription of responsibility, awareness of consequences) stimulate organisms (attitude towards energy saving and personal norms), which in turn drives behavioural responses (energy-saving intentions and behaviours) and their consequences (energy-saving habits). A sample of 1514 residents of five large cities in Vietnam and a multiple linear regression analysis were used to test the hypothesised model. The results show that external stimuli positively shaped a favourable energy-saving attitude, while internal stimuli aroused individuals’ personal norms. In addition, energy-saving intention, behaviours, and habits were serial mediators impacted by both internal and external stimuli. The results also indicate that a long-term orientation positively moderated the relationship between energy-saving intention, behaviours, and habits, but collectivism only moderated the nexus between energy-saving behaviours and habits. These findings imply that policymakers should focus on conveying information related to energy conservation among surrounding people, increasing citizens’ awareness of the consequences, personal responsibilities, moral obligations regarding saving energy, and should not neglect the informative role of cultural values in energy conservation practices.