Risky Side Research Articles

The effect of late-life environmental enrichment on stress and anxiety: The role of sex and age-related differences in coping with aversive stimuli

Anxiety significantly diminishes the quality of life in older adults, and the drugs used for its treatment often come with risky side effects. Non-pharmacological protocols could be valuable, but more research is needed in this area. Environmental enrichment induces positive effects on anxiety-like behavior in young and adult animals; whether the same happens in aged animals is still elusive. The aged brain undergoes changes that contribute to make it “fragile” and consequently even mild, potentially positive stimuli can trigger dyshomeostasis, worsening rather than ameliorating functioning. Here, by combining behavioral analysis and measurement of serum and brain corticosterone levels, we show that late-life environmental enrichment can induce eustress or distress, depending on sex and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function. These findings pave the way for optimizing outcomes and minimizing undesired effects in the clinical setting, underscoring the need to overcome the limits of gender medicine and emphasizing the crucial role of individually tailored therapies.

Sexual Violence in Virtual World: The Unaddressed Legal Protection Issue for Victims

Technology, the internet and social media are essential parts of our daily life. Society has become an important actor and witness to the surge in digital interactions, creating new platforms for communicating, playing games and social networking. Cyberspace's offer of creativity, connection, and entertainment turns out to have a risky side—the spread of sexual violence in digital spaces. This research argues the complex interactions between social media, adolescence, and sextortion. The study of the risks posed by online platforms and their impact on teenagers found in this research seeks to address the need for intervention in education and legal protection of the youth and vulnerable generation in the digital era. Furthermore, this paper would contribute to a safer online environment for teens and responsibility in using social media while fostering a culture of respect, consent, and awareness regarding sexual violence.

The driving forces of green bond market volatility and the response of the market to the COVID-19 pandemic

The extant literature on green finance is mainly about its contribution to financing the transition to a low-carbon economy and the benefits it has brought to financial market participants’ portfolio diversification. As one of the most profound and important segments of green financial and fixed-income markets, the green bond market is at the centre of recent studies on green finance. This current research analysed the risky side of the green financial market by examining the response of the green bond market to extreme negative shocks, followed by a deep and comprehensive examination of the driving forces of the market’s volatility dynamics. This research contributes to the literature as follows: (1) by illustrating an event study that investigated the response of the green bond market to the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) by extending the volatility forecasting to the green bond market and (3) by revealing the driving forces of the green financial market’s volatility. The findings showed that (1) huge fluctuations and significant, negative abnormal returns appeared under the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) a green property or non-pecuniary property of a financial instrument does not help reduce the risk levels of a financial market under an extreme condition, (3) green bond volatility is largely driven by the uncertainty of the traditional fixed-income market, followed by the currency and stock markets and green infrastructure activities, (4) shocks coming from the energy market, including the renewable and non-renewable energy markets, green production and financial uncertainty, cannot spill into the green bond market and (5) markets with higher spillover effects generally produce more accurate volatility forecasts. However, forecasting accuracy decreases when a dynamic correlation becomes volatile.

The Risky Side of Leadership: Conceptualizing Risk Perceptions in Informal Leadership and Investigating the Effects of Their Over-Time Changes in Teams

Despite the common portrait of leadership as a worthy, needed, and frequently rewarded endeavor, individuals do not always step up to lead as informal leaders in their teams. In the present research, we introduce the idea of leadership risk perceptions, arguing that individuals sometimes see risks for themselves if they step up to lead. We conceptualize three types of leadership risk perceptions (interpersonal, image, and instrumental) and investigate how changes in these risk perceptions over time impact the overall level of informal leadership that individuals contribute in their teams, as well as how these risk perceptions’ change trajectories are shaped by the level of conflict in a team. To address these issues, we conducted a series of studies, exploring the relevance of the three risk perceptions qualitatively, developing measures for them, and then testing our hypotheses in a field study following 454 individuals working in 89 master of business administration (MBA) consulting teams. We found that a decrease in an individual’s leadership risk perceptions over time was related to the individual’s overall informal leadership contributions in the team, though the pattern of relationship was not the same for all three risk perceptions. Furthermore, in teams with higher levels of relationship conflict, interpersonal and image risk perceptions decreased less over time, suggesting the importance of the social context in shaping perceived risks. Overall, this research calls attention to the much under-investigated risky side of leadership and highlights a temporal approach to understanding the impact of leadership risk perceptions.

Demographics, perceptions, and socioeconomic factors affecting influenza vaccination among adults in the UnitedStates.

ObjectiveThe study objective is to analyze influenza vaccination status by demographic factors, perceived vaccine efficacy, social influence, herd immunity, vaccine cost, health insurance status, and barriers to influenza vaccination among adults 18 years and older in the United States.BackgroundInfluenza vaccination coverage among adults 18 years and older was 41% during 2010–2011 and has increased and plateaued at 43% during 2016–2017. This is below the target of 70% influenza vaccination coverage among adults, which is an objective of the Healthy People 2020 initiative.MethodsWe conducted a survey of a nationally representative sample of adults 18 years and older in the United States on factors affecting influenza vaccination. We conducted bivariate analysis using Rao-Scott chi-square test and multivariate analysis using weighted multinomial logistic regression of this survey data to determine the effect of demographics, perceived vaccine efficacy, social influence, herd immunity, vaccine cost, health insurance, and barriers associated with influenza vaccination uptake among adults in the United States.ResultsInfluenza vaccination rates are relatively high among adults in older age groups (73.3% among 75 + year old), adults with education levels of bachelor’s degree or higher (45.1%), non-Hispanic Whites (41.8%), adults with higher incomes (52.8% among adults with income of over $150,000), partnered adults (43.2%), non-working adults (46.2%), and adults with internet access (39.9%). Influenza vaccine is taken every year by 76% of adults who perceive that the vaccine is very effective, 64.2% of adults who are socially influenced by others, and 41.8% of adults with health insurance, while 72.3% of adults without health insurance never get vaccinated. Facilitators for adults getting vaccinated every year in comparison to only some years include older age, perception of high vaccine effectiveness, higher income and no out-of-pocket payments. Barriers for adults never getting vaccinated in comparison to only some years include lack of health insurance, disliking of shots, perception of low vaccine effectiveness, low perception of risk for influenza infection, and perception of risky side effects.ConclusionInfluenza vaccination rates among adults in the United States can be improved towards the Healthy People 2020 target of 70% by increasing awareness of the safety, efficacy and need for influenza vaccination, leveraging the practices and principles of commercial and social marketing to improve vaccine trust, confidence and acceptance, and lowering out-of-pocket expenses and covering influenza vaccination costs through health insurance.

The risky side of inspirational appeals in personal selling: when do customers infer ulterior salesperson motives?

In personal selling, the inspirational appeal (IA) is a widely promoted tactic that aims at stimulating customers' values and ideals, thereby evoking emotions and arousing their enthusiasm for a product. However, whether IAs in fact improve or undermine salespeople's success in sales talks remains controversial. Therefore, this study examines consequences and key contingencies of IAs in customer–salesperson interactions in a retailing context, using multisource data from several retailing industries for three quantitative studies, comprising a total sample of 590 customer and 174 salesperson responses. Drawing on the Multiple Inferences Model (MIM), the authors show that an IA is likely to drive the customer's inference that the salesperson holds ulterior motives. IAs seem to be particularly detrimental for salespeople with a lack of customer orientation. Beyond expanding research on influence tactics and the ambivalent role of IAs in retailing interactions, these findings can guide practitioners about when to refrain from using an IA.

The Risky Side of Creativity: Domain Specific Risk Taking in Creative Individuals.

Risk taking is often associated with creativity, yet little evidence exists to support this association. The present article aimed to systematically explore this association. In two studies, we investigated the relationship between five different domains of risk taking (financial, health and safety, recreational, ethical and social) and five different measures of creativity. Results from the first (laboratory-based) offline study suggested that creativity is associated with high risk taking tendencies in the social domain but not the other domains. Indeed, in the second study conducted online with a larger and diverse sample, the likelihood of social risk taking was the strongest predictor of creative personality and ideation scores. These findings illustrate the necessity to treat creativity and risk taking as multi-dimensional traits and the need to have a more nuanced framework of creativity and other related cognitive functions.

The Risky Side of Transfer Pricing: The OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Reports Sharpen the Rules on Risk Allocation under the Arm’s Length Standard

The OECD developed a detailed framework for risk (re-)allocation under the BEPS Action 9 report. This article provides an overview of risk identification, delineation and allocation under this framework and comments on certain issues pertaining to the interpretation thereof.

Warnings of Adverse Side Effects Can Backfire Over Time

Warnings that a promoted product can have adverse side effects (e.g., smoking cigarettes can cause cancer) should dampen the product’s allure. We predicted that with temporal distance (e.g., when an ad relates to future consumption or was viewed some time earlier), this common type of warning can have a worrisome alternative consequence: It can ironically boost the product’s appeal. Building on construal-level theory, we argue that this is because temporal distance evokes high-level construal, which deemphasizes side effects and emphasizes message trustworthiness. In four studies, we demonstrated this phenomenon. For example, participants could buy cigarettes or artificial sweeteners after viewing an ad promoting the product. Immediately afterward, the quantity that participants bought predictably decreased if the ad they saw included a warning about adverse side effects. With temporal distance (product to be delivered 3 months later, or 2 weeks after the ad was viewed), however, participants who had seen an ad noting the benefits of the product but warning of risky side effects bought more than those who had seen an ad noting only benefits.

Warnings of Adverse Side-Effects Can Backfire Over Time

Warnings that a promoted product can have adverse side effects (e.g., smoking cigarettes can cause cancer) should dampen the product’s allure. We predicted that with temporal distance (e.g., when an ad relates to future consumption or was viewed some time earlier), this common type of warning can have a worrisome alternative consequence: It can ironically boost the product’s appeal. Building on construal-level theory, we argue that this is because temporal distance evokes high-level construal, which deemphasizes side effects and emphasizes message trustworthiness. In four studies, we demonstrated this phenomenon. For example, participants could buy cigarettes or artificial sweeteners after viewing an ad promoting the product. Immediately afterward, the quantity participants bought predictably decreased if the ad they saw included a warning about adverse side effects. With temporal distance (product to be delivered 3 months later, or ad viewed 2 weeks after the ad was viewed), however, participants who had seen an ad noting the benefits of the product but warning of risky side effects bought more than those who had seen an ad noting only benefits.

An exploratory study of intangibles risk disclosure in annual reports of banking companies from the UK, US, Germany and Italy - Some descriptive insights

Intangibles are viewed as the key drivers in most industries, and current research shows that firms voluntarily disclose information about their investments in intangibles and their potential benefits. Yet little is known of the risks relating to such resources and the disclosures firms make about such risks. In order to obtain a more balanced and complete picture of firms' activities, information about the risky side of their intangibles is also needed. This exploratory study provides some descriptive insights into intangibles-related risk disclosure in a sample of 16 large banks from the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Germany and Italy. Annual report data is analyzed using the three Intellectual Capital dimensions. Study findings illustrate the variety of intangibles-related risk disclosure as demonstrated by the banks involved.

Fuzzy multiattribute evaluation of R&D projects using a real options valuation model

R&D project selection decision is very important in two ways. First, in many organizations, R&D budget represents huge investment. Project selection decisions could be thought with the strategic objectives and plans of the firm. Second, R&D projects' organizational returns are multidimensional in nature and risky in terms of projected outcome. Real options approach helps to calculate this risky side of the selection process. This paper considers that multidimensional side of the R&D project selection process. Another consideration is the vagueness in the evaluation process. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, which takes monetary (fuzzy real option value) and nonmonetary (capability, success probability, trends, etc.) criteria into account, is used to make this selection among alternative R&D projects. A real case study is given to illustrate the application of the proposed approach. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Disentangling risk dilution and collective detection in the antipredator vigilance of semipalmated sandpipers in flocks

Collective detection and predation risk dilution are two nonexclusive mechanisms that can allow a reduction in antipredator vigilance in large animal groups. The two mechanisms make remarkably similar predictions in many contexts, and disentangling their relative contribution has proven empirically difficult thus far. We examined a situation where predators are more likely to attack from one side of the group. Provided that all foragers in the group can detect the predator equally well, the collective detection hypothesis predicts that all individuals will adopt the same vigilance level if this mechanism acted alone. In terms of risk dilution, individuals that are on the riskier side of the group, namely those on the attack side, are unlikely to benefit to the same extent as other groupmates from the presence of companions, and should have a higher level of vigilance than more buffered foragers further inside the group. We show that semipalmated sandpipers on the riskier side of flocks were more vigilant and thus pecked at a lower rate than those in the centre of the flocks and those on the less risky side. The proportion of successful pecks did not vary with spatial position within the flocks, suggesting that differences in food availability did not confound the above findings. We conclude that it is unlikely that collective detection acted alone and that risk dilution, acting alone or in combination with collective detection, shaped antipredator vigilance in an avian prey under predation risk.

The Risky Side of Response: Increasing fatalities underscore the need for reconciled safety practices of ground & air ambulances

The Risky Side of Response: Increasing fatalities underscore the need for reconciled safety practices of ground & air ambulances

Paternal Genetic Effects on Foraging Decision‐Making Under the Risk of Predation

AbstractForaging behavior under the risk of predation has interested biologists for decades. Here, we examine paternal genetic effects on foraging decisions of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) larvae sired by males adopting alternative life histories. We use split in vitro fertilization to generate maternal half‐siblings sired by either a ‘parental’ male or a ‘cuckolder’ male. Immediately, upon the switch to exogenous feeding, we fed the larvae ad libitum for 2 d. We then starved the larvae for between 12 and 17 h, following which we subjected them to a dichotomous choice foraging trial, where one side of a test tank posed a risky foraging habitat and the other posed a safe foraging habitat. Equal amounts of food were simultaneously introduced to both sides of the tank and the proportion of individuals on either side was recorded. There were significantly fewer cuckolder offspring foraging on the risky side of the tank when compared with their parental half‐siblings indicating that cuckolder offspring took fewer risks than parental offspring. These results demonstrate a paternal genetic effect (sire life history) on foraging behavior. We ruled out energetic state as a possible explanation for this difference because the half‐siblings did not differ in body length or mass. Instead, previous research suggests that cuckolder offspring have higher conversion efficiency (efficiency of converting food into soma) than parental offspring and therefore the differences in foraging behavior observed here may, in part, be attributed to genetic differences in conversion efficiency.

An experimental study on the influence of feeding versus predation risk in the habitat choice of juvenile and adult two-spotted goby Gobiusculus flavescens (Fabricius)

The foraging behaviour of juvenile and adult male and female gobies Gobiusculus flavescens (Fabricius) were compared. The three groups (juveniles, adult males and females) were tested separately and together for their distribution between two different habitats in an aquarium: One safe habitat with a shelter, and one more risky habitat without a shelter. In half of the trials a predator (cod, Gadus morhua L.) was present. Food was added to the two habitats at four different ratios: 1:1, 1:2, 1:5 and 1:8 with the highest food levels on the risky side. When each group was tested separately in the absence of the predator, the distribution between the two habitats was close to that predicted by the Ideal Free Distribution. When juveniles and adults were together without a predator, however, the habitat with the highest food level was under-utilised because the adults showed a strong preference for the shelter-habitat with the lowest food supply. When juveniles and adult males were together in the presence of predator, the juveniles exposed themselves more at the risky side with most food. We conclude that the juveniles give more weight to feeding opportunities than adult males (who give more weight to safety) in their decision where to stay. This interpretation, however, is not straightforward and is discussed in relation to several experimental constraints.