Social Misconduct Research Articles

A profit-drivenapproach to building a “people-responsible” supplychain

Today, an increasing number of companies have publicized policies to improve corporate social responsibility performance related to human resources in their supply chain management practices, such as safer and healthier working conditions, higher payment, better benefits, and fewer working hours. However, there are still concerns about the sincerity and effectiveness of such efforts. This could be attributed to the fact that the economic benefit of those improvements is not clearly structured as an integral part in the companies’ decision-making process. In this paper, we develop a stylized analytic framework that links a firm's supply chain social performance in people with its economic performance in profit. Specifically, we examine how consumers’ responses to the outbreak of social misconduct in supply chains affect competing firms’ market segmentation and profit and subsequently provide economic incentive for proactive social responsibility investment. Closed-form optimal solutions for proactive social responsibility strategy are found for our model setup. Numerical tests and sensitivity analyses have been conducted to study the effects of various factors on the firms’ supply chain social responsibility strategies. Factors such as consumers’ ethical disposition, the social environment, and consumers’ perception of a product's functional versus social value are a few among them. The results of our analysis demonstrate that proactive investment in supply chain social responsibility can enhance a firm's competitive advantage and economic performance, thereby suggesting a profit-driven approach to achieving supply chain social responsibility and sustainability.

Choosy Moral Punishers

The punishment of social misconduct is a powerful mechanism for stabilizing high levels of cooperation among unrelated individuals. It is regularly assumed that humans have a universal disposition to punish social norm violators, which is sometimes labelled “universal structure of human morality” or “pure aversion to social betrayal”. Here we present evidence that, contrary to this hypothesis, the propensity to punish a moral norm violator varies among participants with different career trajectories. In anonymous real-life conditions, future teachers punished a talented but immoral young violinist: they voted against her in an important music competition when they had been informed of her previous blatant misconduct toward fellow violin students. In contrast, future police officers and high school students did not punish. This variation among socio-professional categories indicates that the punishment of norm violators is not entirely explained by an aversion to social betrayal. We suggest that context specificity plays an important role in normative behaviour; people seem inclined to enforce social norms only in situations that are familiar, relevant for their social category, and possibly strategically advantageous.

Participation in Rukun Tetangga in PKNS Flats as Human Responses to Community Safety

Human responses to issues of crime and safety are to band together and take control of their environment. A majority of residents in the PKNS flats in Taman Dato’ Harun, Petaling Jaya, Selangor had participated in the Rukun Tetangga (RT) community programme. Findings from this study showed that 100 percent of the respondents know their neighbours, 99 percent cooperate in community activities, 85 percent of the respondent felt safe living in their flats, 72 percent felt that RT helped prevent crime and social misconduct. Findings also showed that the community are very satisfied with RT and felt that the activities have helped to foster positive community relations.

SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT: THE ROLE OF DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES IN ACHIEVING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Organizations face increased pressure from stakeholders to incorporate a plethora of corporate responsibility (CR) and sustainability aspects in their business practices. Legal and extra-legal demands are dynamically changing; almost no organizational function is unaffected. Owing to the outsourcing wave of the last decade, in particular purchasing and supply management (PSM) plays an ever more important role in assuring sustainable production of the firm's products offered in the marketplace. The supply base of many Western firms has become increasingly global and spend volumes have shifted towards emerging countries. In order to avoid the risk of reputational damage to the buying company, the PSM department must ensure that their international suppliers comply with their corporate codes of conduct and that environmental and social misconduct at supplier premises does not occur. In this paper, “sustainability” refers to the pursuit of the tripartite of economic, environmental, and social performance. We contribute to prior research in the fields of sustainability and CR by extending insights of the dynamic capabilities view to analyze how the PSM function integrates sustainability aspects in its global supplier management processes. Based on four case studies in the chemical industry, we propose that profound sustainable global supplier management (SGSM) capabilities are a source of competitive advantage. These capabilities are path dependent and particularly valuable when organizations are receptive to external stakeholder pressure. Early movers in the field of SGSM reap competitive benefits to a notable extent as a result of resource accumulation and learning processes over time.

Violent conflict and social transformation: An institutionalist approach to the role of informal economic networks

This article seeks to add to the debate on the role of informal economic networks in violent conflict. It argues that social transformations arising from conflict can be either productive or destructive, depending on the particular institutions embedded in social networks. It also emphasizes how the historical relationship of informal networks to the state shapes the institutional content of informal networks. Two case studies are used to exemplify these contrasting cases. In Somalia, customary institutions of trust and reciprocity were preserved during conflict, and contributed to economic coordination and conflict mediation. In Sierra Leone, the intrusion of patrimonial networks into community life contributed to the development of youth networks based on social misconduct and opportunism, causing social collapse.

Preferential involvement of the basolateral limbic circuit in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient

Sirs, In this report, we describe a patient of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with dementia (ALSD) unusually presenting with personality changes or social misconduct which led to an initial diagnosis of Pick’s disease (PiD) 5 years prior to the appearance of motor neuron signs. Accentuated degeneration in the basolateral limbic circuit plausibly explains these initial manifestations [1]. A 46-year-old woman presented with progressive social misconduct, auditory and persecutory hallucination and abnormal sexual behaviors, which led to an initial clinical diagnosis of PiD or schizophrenia by a group of psychiatrists several years later. After progressive worsening of these symptoms, she became mute. She then gradually exhibited weakness and atrophy of the upper limbs after age 51. Needle electromyography showed lower motor neuron involvement and she was diagnosed as suspected ALS. Computed tomography of the brain demonstrated moderate atrophy in the fronto-temporal lobes. Single photon emission computed tomography showed a decreased uptake of the tracer not only in these atrophic areas but also in the bilateral basalganglia and thalami. She died of respiratory failure at age 53. The brain weighed 1160 g and macroscopically showed moderate atrophy of the fronto-temporal cortices, hypopigmentation of the substantia nigra and mild atrophy of the spinal cord and anterior roots. Microscopic investigation demonstrated degeneration of lower motor neurons with Bunina bodies. Upper motor neurons were mostly preserved. Spongiotic changes in layers II-III of the fronto-temporal cortices was accentuated in the orbital gyrus, mediodorsal-ventral temporal tip, and entorhinal region (Fig. 1a and b). Neuronal loss and gliosis were mild to moderate in the medio-dorsal (MD) nucleus of the thalamus (Fig. 1c), caudate nucleus and accumbens. Involvement of the amygdala was moderate to severe. Cytoplasmic inclusions (CI) in neurons immunopositive for ubiquitin and TDP-43 were present in the dentate granular cells, superficial small neurons in the fronto-temporal cortices, striatum, amygdala, and MD nucleus of the thalamus (Fig. 1d). The ubiquitin-positive CI in the striatum exhibited eosinophilia with H&E staining which had been thought to be invisible by H&E. There were few neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid senile plaques. Pick bodies were absent. Presence of Bunina bodies and cortical lesions with the CI confirmed ALSD. Although extramotor involvement in ALSD could be variable, this case is characterized by a unique distribution of the lesions, found in the orbital gyrus, temporal pole, amygdala, and MD nucleus of the thalamus. These structures are collectively grouped as basolateral limbic circuit [1] based on their anatomical

A Model for Management of Behavioral Symptoms in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration is a neurologic condition that manifests profound behavioral, personality, and language symptoms. These changes, often unique to each person, may include social misconduct, eating disturbances, apathy, emotional blunting, childlike behavior, habits and rituals, executive dysfunction, and marked difficulty with speech and language. These symptoms occur as the result of cell loss in discrete areas of the brain, the frontal and/or anterior temporal lobes. Little is known about effective management of the behavioral symptoms that result from this disease. The purpose of this paper is to describe a model that could be used in the assessment and potential management of frontotemporal lobar degeneration behavioral symptoms. Suggestions for interventions are given for some of the more common FTD behaviors. The impact of behavioral symptoms on the family caregiver is discussed along with strategies for supportive services and recommendations for future study.

Client Advocacy in Action: Professional and Environmental Factors Affecting Israeli Occupational Therapists' Behaviour

Client advocacy refers to various expressions of taking a stand such as representing and supporting the interests of clients and of populations with special needs, informing them of their rights in particular situations, making sure they have all the necessary information to make an informed decision, safeguarding their rights, and promoting legislation, policy and social awareness that may affect care and quality of life through education and public activism. The purpose of the present study is to examine situations in which occupational therapists identify the need for their involvement on behalf of clients, and identify factors that affect their behaviour when they protect, represent or inform clients about their rights. In-depth ethnographic interviews were conducted with 12 Israeli registered occupational therapists representing a variety of professional specializations and work settings. From the analysis of the results three main themes were identified as follows: a) the interviewees view themselves as “guardians of morals” in relation to personal, professional and social misconduct, b) occupational therapists become advocates when mediation is needed to represent clients' functional abilities, and c) the role of client advocacy is affected and shaped by occupational therapists' perceptions and experiences of the interdisciplinary team.

An attributional analysis of the development of excuse giving in aggressive and nonaggressive African American boys.

This study examined the effects of age and aggressive status on children's undefstanding and use of excuses. Younger (3rd-5th grade) and older (6th-8th grade) aggressive and nonaggressive African American boys were first instructed to imagine that they failed to fulfill a social obligation. The cause of the transgression was presented as controllable (e.g., choosing to do something else), and children indicated whether they would reveal that cause or make up an excuse. Next, 4 causes of the same transgression were manipulated to be either controllable or uncontrollable. Children inferred that they would be held more responsible for controllable causes of social misconduct, that these causes would elicit more anger, and that they would be more likely to withhold these causes (i.e., make up an excuse). The linkages between perceived responsibility, anticipated anger, and excuse giving were stronger among older than younger boys and among nonaggressive than aggressive boys

Parents' Expectations for Preadolescent Sons' Behavioral Autonomy: A Longitudinal Study of Correlates and Outcomes

In a longitudinal study, we examined the nature and correlates of parents' expectations about sore' behavioral autonomy in adolescence. When their sons were in 6th and 10th grades, parents completed a teen timetable, indicating when they expected to grant privileges to and require responsibilities of their sons. Although mothers and fathers of 6th graders had timetables, these age expectations were not consistently associated with either sons' or parents' characteristics. Nonetheless, fathers' timetables for privileges at preadolescence predicted sons' midadolescent academic and social outcomes 4 years later. Fathers who expected to grant early privileges had midadolescent sons who were less motivated and performed less well in school and engaged in more social misconduct. Mothers' timetables were unrelated to their sons' midadolescent behavior. These results implicate father' timetables prior to adolescence as important influences on boys' academic and social behaviors during adolescence.

Dementia in the elderly: the role of the general practitioner.

Advanced dementia is found in 15-20% of people above 80 years of age. Some of these cases are due to diseases which can be treated, but in the majority the aetiology is still unknown and consequently there is no cure. Alzheimer’s disease or dementia of Alzheimer’s type is the most common cause of dementia, and multiinfarct dementia is another common type. Risk factors for the former are heredity, female sex, and age, age being the most powerful one (1). The number of demented will therefore increase. Atrial fibrillation and hypertension are related to multiinfarct dementia. However, moderate hypotension is likely to impair cerebral blood flow in hypertensive individuals, and therefore antihypertensive drug treatment may also be harmful (2). Recently, the rationale of the division between Alzheimer’s disease and multiinfarct dementia has been questioned, since the pathological changes in the brains of demented old persons are of mixed senile and vascular aetiology in at least 40 YO (2). Senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles often accompany dementia of Alzheimer’s type. However, in some cases of dementia such pathological changes are missing, and in some normal elderly persons the pathological changes are found. Therefore the senile plaques, the neurofibrillary tangles, and the amyloid depositions formed in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients are probably accompanying features only, and not the cause of the disease (3,4). The clinical picture of dementia has been divided into various forms. Cortical and subcortical forms have been described. Recently, single photon emission tomography has indicated that, based on the localization of the lesion in the brains, one can distinguish three clinical forms of dementia. One is Alzheimer’s disease, in which progressive amnesia, spatial disorientation, and aphasia are typical findings. The second is dementia of frontal type, giving change in personality with personal and social misconduct. The third form is progressive supranuclear palsy, in which physical and mental symptoms develop together and in general consist of slowness and lack of efficiency in physical and mental function ( 5 ) . The diagnosis of dementia will have to be made by the general practitioner in most cases. Only a small portion of the patients can be referred to the psychogeriatrician or to an assessment unit. A number of studies have shown considerable disagreement between the clinical diagnosis of dementia and the pathological one. The discrepancies occur when the clinical diagnosis has been performed in hospital (6). However, the general practitioner has several advantages over the hospital-based doctor in the evaluation of these patients. H e will often have a longterm knowledge of the patients, he can employ the primary health-care team in the investigation of the patient, and he has the opportunity to visit the patient in hidher home. The general practitioner should have a standardized procedure for his examination. First of all, acute confusion or mental depression must be detected. These conditions may or may not be superimposed on dementia. As a rule, acute confusion is secondary to a medical or surgical condition, or it may be a reaction to mental stress. Treatment of the

Book Reviews : Controlling Unlawful Organizational Behavior: Social Structure And Corporate Misconduct. Diane Vaughan, University of Chicago Press, 1983. 178 pp. paper

Book Reviews : Controlling Unlawful Organizational Behavior: Social Structure And Corporate Misconduct. Diane Vaughan, University of Chicago Press, 1983. 178 pp. paper

Controlling Unlawful Organizational Behavior: Social Structure and Corporate Misconduct.

Controlling Unlawful Organizational Behavior: Social Structure and Corporate Misconduct.

Controlling Unlawful Organizational Behavior: Social Structure and Corporate Misconduct. By Diane Vaughan. University of Chicago Press, 1983. 174 pp. $18.00

Controlling Unlawful Organizational Behavior: Social Structure and Corporate Misconduct. By Diane Vaughan. University of Chicago Press, 1983. 174 pp. $18.00

Controlling Unlawful Organizational Behavior: Social Structure and Corporate Misconduct

Controlling Unlawful Organizational Behavior: Social Structure and Corporate Misconduct

Book Review: Controlling Unlawful Organizational Behavior: Social Structure and Corporate Misconduct

Book Review: Controlling Unlawful Organizational Behavior: Social Structure and Corporate Misconduct