Distinct Theories Research Articles

Multinationality, portfolio diversification, and asymmetric MNE performance: The moderating role of real options awareness

The field of international business is fundamentally concerned with the implications of managerial actions that affect multinational risk and performance outcomes. While portfolio diversification and real options theory are often used to describe the outcomes of multinational investment, existing work often confuses the actions and predictions proposed by these theories. This is concerning, as the two theories emphasize different causal mechanisms, managerial actions, and conceptions of risk and performance. Whereas portfolio theory argues that passive management affects symmetric outcomes, such as variance in returns by attaining a well-diversified portfolio, real options theory posits that managers actively shift subsidiary resources to affect asymmetric outcomes, such as upside potential or downside risk by monitoring and responding to environmental changes affecting the portfolio. This paper disentangles these two theories by focusing on unique predictions from real options theory – that geographic dispersion of MNE activities is associated with asymmetric outcomes, that this association is contingent on management being aware of real options logic, and that these effects are moderated by the degree of market uncertainty. Our findings confirm these predictions and suggest differences in the types of managerial strategies and actions required to effectively implement these distinct theories of the MNE.

Bosonization in 2+1 dimensions via Chern-Simons bosonic particle-vortex duality

Dualities provide deep insight into physics by relating two seemingly distinct theories. Here we consider a duality between lattice fermions and bosons in (2+1) spacetime dimensions, relating free massive Dirac fermions to Abelian Chern-Simons Higgs (ACSH) bosons. To establish the duality we represent the exact partition function of the lattice fermions in terms of the writhe of fermionic worldlines. On the bosonic side the partition function is expressed in the writhe of the vortex loops of the particle-vortex dual of the ACSH Lagrangian. In the continuum and scaling limit we show these to be identical. This result can be understood from the closed fermionic worldlines being direct mappings of the ACSH vortex loops, with the writhe keeping track of particle statistics.

Theoretical, and epistemological challenges in scientific investigations of complex emotional states in animals.

This review brings to light critical epistemological and theoretical considerations when studying complex emotional states in animals. We discuss anthropomorphic and Umwelt perspectives of nonhuman animals and the ways in which distinct theories of consciousness and neural processing may restrict the potential for the development of knowledge on the topic. Within the same line of argumentation, we consider influences of the debate between monism and dualism and psychology's behaviorism and cognitive theories. Finally, we contrast the affective consciousness, higher-order emotional consciousness, and constructed emotion theories to further our understanding of complex emotional states in animals.

Assimilating and Differentiating: The Curvilinear Effect of Social Class on Green Consumption

AbstractBuilding on optimal distinctiveness theory, this research examines the effects of social class on green consumption. Across six studies, we find a curvilinear effect of social class on green consumption, with the middle class having greater propensity for green consumption compared to the lower and upper classes. This effect can be explained by tension between need for assimilation (NFA) and need for differentiation (NFD) that varies among the three social classes in establishing their optimally distinctive identities. The lower class has a dominant NFA, the upper class has a dominant NFD, and the middle class has dual motivation for assimilation and differentiation. Concomitantly, green consumption has the dual function of assimilation and differentiation. The middle class perceives green consumption as simultaneously assimilating and differentiating, which satisfies their dual motivation and enhances their propensity for green consumption. By contrast, the lower class perceives the differentiation function of green consumption as contradicting their dominant NFA, and the upper class perceives the assimilation function as contradicting their dominant NFD, which lower both their propensities for green consumption. Furthermore, these effects are moderated by consumers’ power distance belief. These novel findings have significant theoretical and practical implications on building a more sustainable society.

Devine Dissents on COVID-19 Shutdowns in Texas

On July 17, 2020 the Texas Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to Governor Greg Abbott’s executive orders issued pursuant to the TEXAS DISASTER ACT in efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. In re Hotze, No. 20-0430 (Tex. Jul. 17, 2020) (orig. proceeding) This legal action challenging the use of emergency powers during the pandemic—one of several--was brought by Steven Hotze, MD, a conservative political activist, joined by an assortment of affiliated co-petitioners. All were represented by the same Texas attorney, Jared Woodfill, himself a prominent Republican. The fact that the Texas Supreme Court dismissed the case was no surprise because it was initiated directly in the court of last resort, with no constitutional or statutory authorization for it. The statute that provides for mandamus relief expressly excludes the Governor as a target. What is more noteworthy, however, is the issuance of a dissenting opinion in the guise of a concurrence sympathetic to Hotze's challenge to Governor Greg Abbott's handling of the pandemic. The all-Republican SCOTX disposed of Case No. 20-0430 by ordering dismissal for want of jurisdiction without any additional explanation; one justice however, John P. Devine, nevertheless issued a five-page opinion, which none of the other justices joined. This stands in contrast to an earlier challenge of similar nature, which was likewise rejected but managed to attract four justices for a concurring opinion that was not essential to the disposition of the case. In re Salon a La Mode, No. 20-0340, ___ S.W.3d ___ (Tex. 2020) (Blacklock, J., concurring in the denial of the petition for writ of mandamus). Justice Devine cited the earlier opinion by Justice Blacklock, but did not garner the support of any of his colleagues in the Hotze case. Justice Devine also parted ways with his colleagues on the dismissed of a mandamus petition relating the GOP’s state planned in-person convention in Houston for lack of jurisdiction. In that case, he wrote a ten-page dissent. See In re Republican Party of Texas, No. 20-0525 (Tex. July 13, 2020). In a companion mandamus case, Hotze complained of the denial of a temporary restraining order relating to the convention in a Houston trial court, which as docketed as No. 20-0524 in the supreme court. The SCOTX denied mandamus relief in that case at the same time it dismissed the GOP’s petition, but Justice Devine dissented, albeit without a separate opinion. Clearly, Justice Devine stands apart from the rest – at least on COVID-related issues -- even though the other eight members of the Court are fellow Republicans and resolve the majority of cases unanimously. Which raises the question: How and why? I conclude that the answer can be found in judicial politics, with no need to delve into the matter of distinctive jurisprudential theories or doctrine-driven explanations. Seven members of the Texas Supreme Court were initially chosen and appointed by a Republican Governor. John Devine is one of two who was not, and is the only associate justice on the SCOTX who won election after having defeated a Republican incumbent in a Republican primary. He did so with Tea Party support. While the Court has a long-standing statist bias and has sided with the Governor and the Attorney General in COVID-19-related cases, Justice John P. Devine caters to a different constituency: the far right of the Texas GOP. His actions on the Court reflects that. In multiple cases involving different legal issues, Devine has demonstrated his willingness to go out of his way to lend legitimacy to conservative activist Steven Hotze, who is a prolific cause-driven litigant, and widely viewed as a right-wing extremist. In the Texas Republicans' fight over the 2020 State Convention, Justice Devine would have used the High Court's mandamus power to force the City of Houston to host the GOP Convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in the midst of the current pandemic after the event was cancelled by local officials pursuant to a force majeure clause in the contract to avert the occurrence of a super-spreader event. See In re Republican Party of Texas, No. 20-0525 (Tex. July 13, 2020) (per curiam dismissal; dissent to dismissal by Justice Devine).

The Effects of Behavioral Distinctiveness Versus Verbal Distinctiveness on Firm Performance

How distinctiveness impacts firm performance, the central question related to optimal distinctiveness theory, has been discussed by many scholars. However, there is a lack of uniform empirical evidence. In this study, we synchronize the multiple distinctiveness employed in optimal distinctiveness (OD) theory introducing the notion of verbal distinctiveness and behavioral distinctiveness, and explore their underlying different mechanisms on conflicting pressure of legitimacy and competition. Consistent with our theoretical framework, results combining a text analysis of 29011 annual reports with the financial data from 3303 listed companies in China show an inverted U-shaped effect of verbal distinctiveness on firm performance but a U-shaped effect of behavioral distinctiveness. Form the orchestrating perspective of OD theory, we further examine the effects of decoupling distinctiveness—the deviation between verbal distinctiveness and behavioral distinctiveness, and find a negative impact on firm performance.

Institutionalizing Distinctiveness: Halal Food Business Evolution and Muslim Integration in Canada

The halal food industry is growing exponentially all over the world and it is therefore receiving increasing interest from researchers. In a migratory context, it offers diversification to the host societies, including changing the food industry. Halal food businesses and products are becoming very common within non-Muslim societies, and they are also gaining an important share of markets in the mainstream food industry. To better understand how the halal food business has developed, and what are its particularities and impacts on Muslim communities and their host societies, we studied halal food businesses in Canada. We conducted more than 30 interviews with immigrant entrepreneurs from different countries of origin who started and manage halal food businesses. By employing optimal distinctiveness theory (Brewer, 1991; Zhao et al., 2017), we discovered that the halal food industry in Canada has followed a non-conventional growth process. By examining our data, we developed a model that explains how the halal-food business model evolved over time and how it impacted the integration process of newcomers.

MNE Approaches to CSR in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Multi-Theoretic Study

This study provides a comparative test of three distinct theories of MNE behavior in host nations using data on the CSR activities of foreign and domestic firms in the sub-Saharan nation of Ghana. Studying the philanthropic spending and expressed CSR commitments of MNEs and domestic firms in SSA provides a direct comparison between a locally normative form of CSR (philanthropy) with one that is normative in the global context (expressed social commitments). Compared to domestic firms, MNEs express more social commitments but invest significantly less on philanthropy. Results also show a significant positive interaction between foreignness and visibility in predicting expressed social commitments, but not philanthropic spending. Taken together, these results show that TNF theory provides the clearest insight into MNEs’ CSR engagement in sub-Saharan Africa.

Art as praxis: Danko Grlić’s conception of art beyond technological determinism

The article explores the specific conception of art developed by Danko Grlić, a prominent member of the Yugoslav Praxis School. Grlić conceptualised art beyond both aesthetic norms and technological determinism. Within the context of praxis philosophy, a distinct theory of the subject and a Marxist humanist approach, he reconceptualised art as a distinct type of praxis, a revolutionary and creative practice of changing existing living conditions. The article explains how his unique understanding of art leads Grlić to analyse, criticise and refute various Marxist approaches to art: art as an ideology, art as a reflection of the objective world, art as sociological analysis. Moreover, while sharing many ideas and conceptions with Walter Benjamin’s materialist conception of art, Grlić reached the point where he became critical due to Benjamin’s belief in technology concerning processes of emancipation, which Grlić viewed with scepticism.

Case linkage in Australian serial stranger rape

PurposeCase linkage theory and practice have received growing empirical support; however, they have yet to be examined fully within Australia. For sexual assault case linkage to be successful, it is assumed that a serial rapist will behave relatively consistently across offences yet distinctively compared to other offenders. The purpose of this paper is to test the underlying principles of case linkage, behavioural consistency and distinctiveness, as well as distinguishing accuracy.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 250 solved stranger rapes by 171 offenders (46 serial rapists, 125 one-off rapists) were taken from Queensland Police Service (QPS) crime records. All possible crime pairings were created and cross-crime similarity was assessed using Jaccard’s coefficient. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to examine the ability to distinguish between linked and unlinked offence pairs.FindingsSerial linked pairs had the highest Jaccard’s coefficient (0.456), followed by non-serial unlinked (0.253) and finally, serial unlinked pairs (0.247). Within the ROC analysis, an area under the curve value was found of 0.913, indicating excellent distinguishing accuracy. Both the underlying principles of behavioural consistency and distinctiveness were supported through theoretical and practical methods. This paper provides the first analysis of serial rape case linkage in Australia, adding validity to this practice.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors wish to acknowledge the support and assistance from the QPS in undertaking this research. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the QPS and any errors of omission or commission are the responsibility of the authors.Practical implicationsThis paper provides validity to the practice of case linkage using a database within Australia. The results of this paper can be used to inform investigators of serial offender behaviours. The theories of offender consistency and distinctiveness are supported, highlighting the importance of behavioural evidence for practitioners. This paper provided a practical increase of the quantity and quality of offences uploaded on the Australian violent and sexual crimes database, which will assist further linkage efforts.Originality/valueThis paper is the first in Australia to examine consistency, distinctiveness and case linkage of serial stranger rape. Thus is contributes significantly not only to an increased understanding of serial rape and case linkage in Australia but also brings Australia closer to modern research practices in this field.

“I” seek differentiation and “we” seek assimilation: the impact of self-expressive customization on consumers’ willingness to pay a premium

PurposeCustomization, as a crucial way to meet the heterogeneous demand of individuals, exists two fundamental and competing motivations, namely, assimilation and uniqueness. Based on optimal distinctiveness theory, this paper aims to validate the interactive effect of self-expressive customization types (i.e. customization to express individual identity and customization to express a shared identity) and self-construal on consumers’ willingness to pay a premium (WPP).Design/methodology/approachTwo studies were conducted to provide empirical support for all proposed hypotheses. The first study (n= 151) uses a hypothetical scenario of a basketball game to test the interaction effect of self-expressive customization and self-construal. The second study (n= 184) assumes a scenario of designing a t-shirt or a uniform to examined the moderated mediating role of consumer-product identification.FindingsThe results reveal that independent (vs interdependent) self-construal will have stronger consumer-product identification for customization to express an individual identity (vs customization to express a shared identity), thus generating a higher WPP. Also, perceived task difficulty is the boundary condition of the research model.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper makes insightful contributions to the customization literature by strengthening the identity signals of customization and exploring the psychological mechanism and the boundary conditions.Originality/valueThis research is one of the first few empirical studies to examine the impact of self-expressive customization on consumers’ WPP via the identification with the focal object. This paper not only expands the literature of self-expressive customization but also provides a new research direction for the research of person-object interaction in marketing.

Prompting Children's Belief Revision About Balance Through Primary and Secondary Sources of Evidence.

Prior evidence has shown that children’s understanding of balance proceeds through stages. Children go from a stage where they lack a consistent theory (No Theory), to becoming Center Theorists at around age 6 (believing that all objects balance in their geometric center), to Mass Theorists at around age 8, when they begin to consider the distribution of objects’ mass. In this study we adapted prior testing paradigms to examine 5-year-olds’ understanding of balance and compared children’s learning about balance from evidence presented through primary sources (a guided activity) or secondary sources (picture books). Most of the research on young children’s understanding of balance has been conducted using a single object, weighted either proportionally (symmetrical object) or disproportionally (asymmetrical object). In this study, instead of using a single object, 5-year-olds (N = 102) were shown 4 pairs of objects, two with the same weight and two with different weight. Children were told to place the objects on a beam where they thought they would balance. We found evidence for an intermediate level of understanding. Transition Theorists represent children who have two distinct theories, one for balancing same weight objects, and one for balancing different weight objects, but one of these theories is incorrect. Following the assessment of children’s understanding, we compared their learning about balance from evidence that was either presented through primary sources (a guided activity) or secondary sources (picture books). Children learn equally well from both sources of evidence. Findings are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications.

Establishing distinctive theories and methods of design science rooted in Chinese traditional culture

The human social development saw the formation of five unique civilizations, with the latter forming their own distinctive cultures. China’s traditional culture is its most fundamental ideological weapon for solving problems. The Chinese are good at comprehensive thinking, dialectical thinking, and systematic analysis. These ideological weapons can solve the problems of formal science and technology and create scientific and technological achievements on par with global advanced scale. Ancient China is filled with original scientific and technological achievements, which strongly prove ancient China’s possession of its own science and technology different from that of Western Renaissance. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of science, technology, experience, and intuition is necessary. The long-held superstition regarding the West, the lack of confidence, self-denial, blind imitation of ideas, and shackles must be thrown away. Only then can we take the road toward an authentic Chinese creative design as we learn from others.

Light dark sectors through the Fermion portal

Pairs of Standard Model fermions form dimension-3 singlet operators that can couple to new dark sector states. This “fermion portal” is to be contrasted with the lower-dimensional Higgs, vector and neutrino singlet portals. We characterise its distinct phenomenology and place effective field theory bounds on this framework, focusing on the case of fermion portals to a pair of light dark sector fermions. We obtain current and projected limits on the dimension-6 effective operator scale from a variety of meson decay experiments, missing energy and long-lived particle searches at colliders, as well as astrophysical and cosmological bounds. The DarkEFT public code is made available for recasting these limits, which we illustrate with various examples including an integrated- out heavy dark photon.

FROM ONCE READ TO TWICE PERFORMED: EXPLORING THE QUESTIONS OF ERFORMATIVITY AND RASA IN MODERN INDIAN DRAMA

Recognising, analysing, and theorising the convergence and collapse of clearly demarcated realities, hierarchies, and categories is at the heart of postmodernism: this premise is at the core of this article when mediating two distinctive theories of criticism. The paper is drawn on the dualitatem of the critical theories of Performativity and Rasa with the objective of initiating deliberations and debates on Indian Aesthetics. Performance studies as an interdisciplinary discourse uses performance as a lens to engage with social, political, religious questions. The Rasa Theory in Indian dramaturgy and aesthetics have been critically analysed and applied on quite a few western and Indian literary works but seldom has a literary work been critically studied through the dual critical lenses of performativity in relation to the Rasa experience. Rasa is a manifestation of emotions translated to the audience in the form of shared experience. The proposed research is a humble attempt to engage with the questions: How performance of a drama and its affective experience can be attributed to the Rasa experience? This interdisciplinary research is contextualised in modern drama where in the complex matrix of performance, its affect becomes a shared Rasa experience that resonates in the form of a narrative with binaries of universality and subjectivity.

Relational Organizational Development

Eric Berne’s distinct theory about the structure and dynamics of organizations and groups is developed further. Illustrated by examples, the potential consequences of weak cohesion or lack of leadership are conceptualized. The concepts of imago alignment and collective imago are introduced, and their importance for leadership and organizational development are considered. Organizational development is understood as the development of the abilities of an organization’s members to relate, cocreate, and cooperate toward a shared purpose. As such, and based on relational thinking, leadership is no longer seen as the property of the leader but rather as a function of the whole group or organization. This leads to a reverse understanding of organizational development: Instead of changing structure in the hope that individual behavior will adapt to it, relational organizational development suggests working on the way people relate and assuming a supportive structure will emerge.

Em busca de uma alternativa para o utilitarismo: recursos ou capacidades?

O presente artigo tem por objetivo, por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica, comparar três teorias de justiça: o utilitarismo, o igualitarismo de recursos de Ronald Dworkin e a abordagem das capacidades de Amartya Sen. Constatou-se a insuficiência da perspectiva utilitarista em virtude de obscurecer a pluralidade ínsita aos complexos valores humanos, de negligenciar o papel da agência na moral e na ética e por apostar em uma metodologia cegamente calculista. O igualitarismo de recursos de Dworkin, por sua vez, propõe um teste para aferir a equidade de distribuição de recursos entre os membros de uma sociedade.Já Sen elabora uma teoria focada nas capacidades das pessoas para viverem a vida que valorizam, transferindo o enfoque dos meios para os fins. Conclui-se que as dimensões dos recursos e das capacidades devem ser reciprocamente exploradas em cada um desses autores, de modo a evitar a negligência aos fatores que influenciam a conversão de renda em qualidade de vida e afastar os riscos da consolidação de um Estado paternalista.

Outdoor environmental education programme leaders’ theories of experiential learning

ABSTRACT Teachers’ practice is based on their beliefs about how student learning should be developed. In the practice of programme leaders in outdoor environmental education centres, experiential learning is considered to be one of the prominent learning theories. This study analyses the ways in which experiential learning is interpreted and transferred into the practice of programme leaders in five outdoor environmental education centres in the Czech Republic. The authors collected qualitative data from interviews with the programme leaders (N = 17) and from observations of five different outdoor environmental education programmes. They identified three distinctive experiential learning theories representing the leaders’ beliefs and practices. Further, the implications for future practice are discussed.

Utilization of green organic solvents in solvent extraction and liquid membrane for sustainable wastewater treatment and resource recovery-a review.

Water pollution and depletion of natural resources have motivated the utilization of green organic solvents in solvent extraction (SX) and liquid membrane (LM) for sustainable wastewater treatment and resource recovery. SX is an old and established separation method, while LM, which combines both the solute removal and recovery processes of SX in a single unit, is a revolutionary separation technology. The organic solvents used for solute removal in SX and LM can be categorized into sole conventional, mixed conventional-green, and sole green organic solvents, whereas the stripping agents used for solute recovery include acids, bases, metal salts, and water. This review revealed that the performance of greener organic solvents (mixed conventional-green and sole green organic solvents) was on par with the sole conventional organic solvents. However, some green organic solvents may threaten food security, while others could be pricey. The distinctive extraction theories of various sole green organic solvents (free fatty acid-rich oils, triglyceride-rich oils, and deep eutectic solvents) affect their application suitability for a specific type of wastewater. Organic liquid wastes are among the optimal green organic solvents for SX and LM in consideration of their triple environmental, economic, and performance benefits.

Elder Barn Owl Nestlings Flexibly Redistribute Parental Food according to Siblings' Need or in Return for Allopreening.

Kin selection and reciprocation of biological services are distinct theories invoked to explain the origin and evolutionary maintenance of altruistic and cooperative behaviors. Although these behaviors are not considered to be mutually exclusive, the cost-benefit balance of behaving altruistically or cooperating reciprocally and the conditions promoting a switch between such different strategies have rarely been tested. Here, we examine the association between allofeeding, allopreening, and vocal solicitations in wild barn owl (Tyto alba) broods under different food abundance conditions: natural food provisioning and after an experimental food supplementation. Allofeeding was performed mainly by elder nestlings (hatching is asynchronous) in prime condition, especially when the cost of forgoing a prey was small (when parents allocated more prey to the food donor and after food supplementation). Nestlings preferentially shared food with the siblings that emitted very intense calls, thus potentially increasing indirect fitness benefits, or with the siblings that provided extensive allopreening to the donor, thus possibly promoting direct benefits from reciprocation. Finally, allopreening was mainly directed toward older siblings, perhaps to maximize the probability of being fed in return. Helping behavior among relatives can therefore be driven by both kin selection and direct cooperation, although it is dependent on the contingent environmental conditions.