Ownership Theory Research Articles

RESEARCH ON TOURISM ATTRACTION, TOURISM EXPERIENCE VALUE PERCEPTION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TENDENCY OF TRADITIONAL RURAL TOURISM DESTINATIONS

RESEARCH ON TOURISM ATTRACTION, TOURISM EXPERIENCE VALUE PERCEPTION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TENDENCY OF TRADITIONAL RURAL TOURISM DESTINATIONS

Investment Strategies and Corporate Behaviour with Socially Responsible Investors: A Theory of Active Ownership

Socially responsible investors constitute an important force in today's global financial markets. This paper examines conditions under which socially responsible investors induce companies to behave responsibly. We develop an asset pricing model in which some shareholders are active owners, that is, they engage companies by voting on strategic decisions. Differences of objective among shareholders arise because socially responsible investors value corporate externalities. In our baseline model, we show that a firm may choose a responsible strategy even if the majority of investors are not responsible. We also demonstrate that such a choice of a responsible strategy might be fragile because it might depend on investors' self‐fulfilling beliefs. We then extend our baseline model to analyse the link between divestment and engagement strategies, the case with multiple firms, the role of benefit corporation charters, and the impact of a large investor.

Increasing COVID-19 vaccination intentions: a field experiment on psychological ownership

Abstract With the increasing availability of life-saving vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, government agencies face the challenge of promoting vaccine uptake. Thus, encouraging vaccine uptake marks an urgent policy challenge in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. This study builds on the theory of psychological ownership to design a behaviorally inspired local government vaccination campaign. We conducted a large-scale, cluster-randomized field experiment (N = 27,298 residents nested in 6,442 addresses) delivered to all registered residents of a German municipality via an official mailing campaign. The campaign included a psychological ownership intervention designed to boost residents’ intentions to get vaccinated – measured through unique link clicks on a municipal website where people can schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment. Findings suggest that adding possessive pronouns (i.e., ‘YOUR vaccination’) increases vaccination intentions by 39%, or 2.5 percentage points (p < 0.0001 [95% CI = 1.8%, 3.3%], control letter: 6.4%, treatment letter: 8.9%). The discussion outlines the value of using psychological ownership-based nudge interventions to increase vaccine uptake and other desirable behaviors.

Battle between psychological ownership and consumer animosity to influence consumers' buying behavior: a moderated mediation model

PurposeThis study aims to understand the effect of consumers' national identity (NI) on their willingness to buy (WTB) domestic (Indian) products vis-à-vis foreign (Chinese) products. Secondly, it explores the role of psychological ownership (PO) and consumers' animosity in explaining their WTB domestic products.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper data were collected online from Indian consumers (N = 408) through the survey method, using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS AMOS Version 24 and the PROCESS SPSS macro, using mediations and moderated mediation models.FindingsThis study establishes the positive effect of consumers' NI on their WTB domestic products over Chinese ones. With a long history of hostility between India and China in the backdrop, the authors find a significant mediating role of PO and consumer animosity (CA) in the relationship between NI and WTB . The results also demonstrate that while consumer ethnocentrism (CET) positively moderates the mediating path via PO at all levels from low to high, it moderates the path via CA only at the mean and high levels.Originality/valueThis study applies the Psychological Ownership Theory, Social Identity Theory (SIT) and the Attribution Theory to explore the interplay between consumers' NI, PO , CA and ethnocentrism in the Indian context. The study asserts the distinction between these constructs by analyzing the interaction and inter-relationships between these variables. Further, it provides a comprehensive understanding of Indian consumers' preference for domestic products over Chinese ones.

Socially mediated issue ownership

Abstract Given the growing importance of issue competition and the growing use of social media during elections, this study seeks to create a better understanding of how issue dynamics relating to political parties play out on social media. It tests whether issue ownership theory can explain how parties and issues are being discussed on Twitter and to what extent a mediated form of issue ownership aligns with citizens’ perceptions of issue ownership. The results indicate that perceptions of issue ownership as measured in representative surveys correlate with variations of what issues parties are linked with on Twitter. Some deviations also emerged, which possibly reflect short-term changes in parties’ issue competition. Understanding how issue ownership mediates through social media platforms is important in order to evaluate the role of social media in contemporary opinion forming processes and sheds light on the issue competition among political parties in online fora.

NATURAL RENT AND OWNERSHIP OF EXTRACTED NATURAL RESOURCES (OIL, GAS, WOOD...)

In the systemic, even civilizational aspect of the legal regulation of environmental relations with respect to extracted natural resources withdrawn from nature, the article in this part examines the prospects for the development of the doctrine of environmental and natural resource legislation and law, the formation and implementation of this legislation and law itself; improvement of the theory of ownership of natural resources, including ensuring the function of natural justice of property rights in this area. The study is based on the methodological basis that land and other natural resources are a national treasure. Extracted oil, gas, wood are preserved, and should retain this quality to be a national treasure. Unlike the civil law thing, the ownership of which has the labor nature of ownership, natural resources as part of nature, as well as extracted oil, gas, wood are not created by human labor. Nature gives everything to man, to society for free. Everything that nature gives for free expresses the essence of natural rent. The profit of a private entrepreneur obtained as a result of the exploitation of land, subsoil, water, forests, and other natural resources should, to an appropriate extent, exclude natural rents. Natural rent should belong to the people, the nation.

Follow Your Nose: Extended Arm Reach After Pinocchio Illusion in Virtual Reality

In this study, we recreate the Pinocchio Illusion—a bodily illusion whereby the perceived length of one’s nose is extended—in Virtual Reality. Participants (n = 38) self-administered tapping on the tip of the nose of a virtual avatar seen from the first-person perspective (using a hand-held controller) while the nose of the avatar slowly grew with each tap. The stimulating virtual arm and the virtual nose were linked such that while the nose grew the arm extended, and then also grew up to 50%. This produced an extension of the perceived reach of the stimulating arm, and an outward drift in the participants’ real arm. A positive correlation between the extent of the outward drift of the participants’ arm and the perceived reachability of distal objects was observed. These results were found both with synchronous tactile stimulation on the participants’ real nose, and without, but not for control conditions in which the visuomotor synchrony or body schema were violated. These findings open new avenues for hand grasp interactions with virtual objects out of arm’s-reach in immersive setups and are discussed in the context of theories of body ownership, body schema, and touch perception.

Psychological ownership towards online brand communities driving brand engagement: a visitors’ perspective

ABSTRACT This study investigates how visitors’ sense of psychological ownership towards online brand communities (OBCs) can influence their engagement with the focal brand. The approach is anchored in the postulates of psychological ownership theory and a theoretical model is proposed. Data collected from 387 visitors to firm-created OBCs is used for empirical model validation. Data analysis reveals that a sense of self-efficacy, accountability, belongingness, and self-identity experienced by the visitors towards the community can influence their engagement with the focal brand. Visitors’ engagement with the brand further influences their intentions towards brand purchase. Perceived diversity among the visitors moderates the effect of four dimensions of psychological ownership on brand engagement.Current study pioneers the application of psychological ownership theory in understanding visitors’ brand engagement through OBCs and depicts different moderating mechanisms. The findings offer unique theoretical and managerial implications for brand building.

Study on the Effect of Employees' Perceived Organizational Support, Psychological Ownership, and Turnover Intention: A Case of China's Employee.

In the context of severe turnover, taking measures to enhance core employee management, prevent the turnover of talents, and improve employees’ sense of belonging and responsibility to the firm can become a non-negligible problem in human resource management. Considering Chinese enterprises as the research background, this study starts with the related theories of organizational support, psychological ownership, and turnover intention to explore the impact of organizational support on psychological ownership and its dimensions (self-efficacy, taking responsibility, a sense of belonging, and self-identification), the effect of each dimension of psychological ownership on turnover intention, and the relationship between organizational support and turnover intention, as well as verifies the mediating role of psychological ownership. The main findings show that (1) perceived organizational support positively affects psychological ownership; (2) psychological ownership negatively affects turnover intention; (3) perceived organizational support negatively influences turnover intention; and (4) psychological ownership mediates the relationship between perceived organizational support and turnover intention. The study results contribute to the relevant literature and guide human resource practice.

Can participation promote psychological ownership of a shared resource? An intervention study of community-based safe water infrastructure

Previous research suggests that community-based participation, a process through which beneficiaries can actively influence and define the direction and execution of development programs, can promote long-term uptake, use, and management of shared resources, such as community-based safe water infrastructure. However, results are heterogeneous. Psychological ownership theory and initial evidence suggests that participation promotes positive outcomes for shared resources by fostering sense of ownership through three routes: having control, intimate knowledge, and investing the self. This study used community-based safe water infrastructure as an example to investigate how various forms of participation affect acceptance, use, and functionality of a shared resource and whether this effect is mediated by psychological ownership. We conducted a nonrandomized cluster-based controlled trial with pre–post intervention assessment (N = 369) in 33 villages in rural Nepal, where safe water infrastructure is shared. Participatory intervention activities (e.g., influence in decision-making, contributing materials and labour) favourably affected self-reported outcomes and use of the water supply infrastructure but not observed functionality or drinking water quality. In conclusion, this study supports the assumption that participation can foster psychological ownership, which in turn can support successful management of a shared resource.

Cultivating Sustainability Thinkers: Analyzing the Routes to Psychological Ownership in Local Business Units of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs)

Although present research shows that ambitious corporate sustainability objectives improve employee engagement in business organizations, there is scarcity of research showing how employees engage in corporate sustainability objectives and become autonomous sustainability thinkers. We suggest that a strong, individual level of psychological ownership of corporate sustainability is a precondition for the development of sustainability thinking, and examine the factors that influence the emergence of such feelings of ownership. Our qualitative study, based on 29 interviews conducted in seven Finnish local business units from three different technology-oriented multinational enterprises (MNEs), shows that several key factors can have contradictory effects, both strengthening and hindering the routes to psychological ownership of corporate sustainability. While these contradictory effects may potentially lead to confusion among employees, our findings may help managers to avoid pitfalls in developing a more sustainability-oriented organizational culture. Moreover, by applying the theory of psychological ownership, our study contributes to the business sustainability research by providing new theoretical opportunities to understand the process of how individuals may become engaged in enhancing business sustainability.

Phenomenological Origins of Psychological Ownership

Motivated by a set of converging empirical findings and theoretical suggestions pertaining to the construct of ownership, we survey literature from multiple disciplines and present an extensive theoretical account linking the inception of a foundational naïve theory of ownership to principles governing the sense of (body) ownership. The first part of the account examines the emergence of the non-conceptual sense of ownership in terms of the minimal self and the body schema—a dynamic mental model of the body that functions as an instrument of directed action. A remarkable feature of the body schema is that it expands to incorporate objects that are objectively controlled by the person. Moreover, this embodiment of extracorporeal objects is accompanied by the phenomenological feeling of ownership towards the embodied objects. In fact, we argue that the sense of agency and ownership are inextricably linked, and that predictable control over an object can engender the sense of ownership. This relation between objective agency and the sense of ownership is moderated by gestalt-like principles. In the second part, we posit that these early emerging principles and experiences lead to the formation of a naïve theory of ownership rooted in notions of agential involvement.

The Accessibility and Electoral Consequences of Issue Competence Perceptions: Evidence from the Swiss 2019 Election

AbstractAccording to the issue ownership theory of voting, voters cast their ballot for the party that they consider to be most competent and most committed to handle an issue of importance to them. This article offers a theoretical expansion of this model, arguing that the effect of issue ownership on vote choice is conditioned by the accessibility of voters' ownership perceptions, as measured by response latencies. Through individual‐level analyses of voting in the 2019 Swiss federal election, we demonstrate that the effect of voters' issue ownership perceptions on their voting decisions is strongest when their ownership attributions are highly accessible and when the issue at stake is considered important. Our results also reveal that the effects of accessibility are largely driven by voting decisions for parties that own the issue in the eyes of a large part of the electorate, such as the Greens in the case of the environment.

Attributing ownership to hold others accountable

Ownership is often viewed as demarcating who can use resources and who is restricted from using them. This paper explores another side of ownership—ownership may be attributed to mark individuals as accountable and responsible for causing harm. Across eight experiments, participants (total N = 2517) read vignettes where an agent's actions led resources to be deposited on others' land (Experiments 1–5) or on unowned land (Experiments 6–8). The resources benefitted, harmed, or had no effect on the landowners, or on plants and animals on the land. This manipulation caused an asymmetry between harms and benefits in ownership judgments. Participants more strongly endorsed the agent as owner for harmful resources than beneficial ones, and they also judged it more acceptable for the agent to retrieve harmful resources from others' land. In contrast, participants more strongly endorsed resources as belonging to landowners or to no one when they were beneficial rather than harmful. We also found that participants endorsed the agent as owning harmful resources even when other means were available for conveying the agent was accountable. Together, our findings show that ownership serves functions besides rewarding individuals with rights over property and besides ensuring individuals are responsible for harm caused by their property—people also attribute ownership to ensure that wrongdoers remain connected and accountable for harm they cause. We discuss implications for theories of ownership, and how our findings relate to other asymmetries between harms and benefits.

Development of a Japanese version of the Psychological Ownership Scale.

The present study addresses the need for a valid instrument for measuring dimensions of psychological ownership, including that of owned and non-owned objects, for use in the language and culture of Japan. Although the theory of psychological ownership has expanded self-extension theory, the most widely used scale of psychological ownership does not measure the extent to which one feels that it (the owned object) is a part of them. Thus, the present study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the Psychological Ownership Scale (POS-J) and examine its reliability and validity. Study 1 measured the POS-J of an owned object, finding the POS-J to have a two-factor structure (possession-self link and feeling of ownership) and its internal consistency and reliability to be adequate. Moreover, POS-J scores were positively correlated with perceived control and self-extension tendency, but not monetary value, indicating that conceptual validity was generally supported. To confirm whether the POS-J could be used for a non-owned object, Study 2 rephrased the expressions of item descriptions and examined the effect of imagining touching a non-owned object on the POS-J scores, showing that doing so increased the POS-J scores for the object. Our findings suggest that the POS-J is a reliable and valid measure of the psychological ownership of owned and non-owned objects for use in Japan.

Property, ownership and employee ownership: employee control in ESOPs

PurposeMost people associate ownership with the ability to control something. In the USA, employee share (or stock) ownership plans (ESOPs) are one of the principal forms of employee ownership. However, most ESOPs give employees very limited rights of control over the company they own. This paper explore this conflict by examining theories of property and ownership to determine whether the right to participate in decision-making is inherent in the idea of ownership as it is generally understood. Ultimately, the author argues that the law governing ESOPs should be revised to give employees a larger role in the governance of their companies.Design/methodology/approachThis paper considers the concept of ownership both historically and analytically. The author examines the roots of property theory in the work of John Locke and contemporary theorists, as well as contemporary theorizing about ownership.FindingsThere are two kinds of ownership: legal ownership and psychological ownership. In legal ownership, the right to participation is inherent but alienable, so one can legally be an owner of something but have no right of participation. Psychological ownership primarily arises from a sense of control. Legal ownership confers some part of the bundle of rights associated with property. Psychological ownership conveys a feeling of efficacy, responsibility and control, but no formal rights. The author argues that, for employee ownership to be more than mere property-holding, it must include meaningful participation in decision-making, including governance.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is only concerned with ESOPs in the USA. Although the findings may be applicable, it does not address other forms of employee ownership or employee ownership outside of the USA.Practical implicationsPeople associate ownership with the ability to control something, so when workers are told they own their company but then find they have few control rights, it may undermine their sense of ownership. This then has negative implications for the company's success. To ensure meaningful levels of governance rights, policy-makers should revise the laws governing ESOPs to require greater involvement by employees.Social implicationsClarifying ambiguities around ownership will help support arguments for affording employee-owners greater control rights in their companies, which will have various spill-over effects.Originality/valuePractitioners and scholars alike deploy the term, “ownership” but ascribe different meanings to it. The distinction between legal and psychological ownership is largely lacking in the ESOP literature. Clarifying this distinction will help to move the discussion forward regarding employee participation in ESOPs. In addition, the paper provides an original analysis of property that demonstrates the importance of the right to control, showing that the traditional ESOP structure may violate important aspects of that right.

Ecological consciousness and sustainable purchase behavior: the mediating role of psychological ownership

PurposeThis research focuses on the consumption behavior of young consumers by examining their ecological consciousness and several self-oriented and psychological variables (fashion-orientation, frugality and psychological ownership toward the environment) that may trigger their sustainable purchase behavior. The research used “Psychological Ownership Theory” to examine sustainable purchase behavior in the context of apparel consumption.Design/methodology/approachTo gather data, a multi-method approach is used, including a scenario-based choice experiment (n = 62) and a structured survey (n = 338) using an online self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis was done using SPSS AMOS version 25 and PROCESS SPSS macro.FindingsThe results of the two studies revealed the mediation effect of “psychological ownership toward the environment” between ecological consciousness and sustainable purchasing behavior. Furthermore, fashion-orientation was found to be a significant moderating variable influencing sustainable purchase behavior; however, the impact of frugality was insignificant.Originality/valueThis research is one of the first that examined the mediation impact of psychological ownership of the environment in sustainable purchasing behavior using multi-method. The research focuses on the ecological consciousness of young consumers that develop psychological ownership.

Building an Inclusive Workforce Through Ownership in Crises

This study develops a process of how organizations can build an inclusive workforce by addressing fundamental challenges of the society, which were made even more apparent by the COVID-19 pandemic. Societal challenges are examined through the lens of psychological ownership theory. This theory is also used to derive organizational practices to confront the societal challenges through managerial support for employee ownership. Job and work design, communication, training and development, and compensation and benefit practices can be implemented to create leadership opportunities for minorities and women, and inclusive and equitable workplace conditions beyond a crisis. Eventually, the entire organization can benefit.

Consumption to compensate for the feeling of “loss of ownership of self” Women’s journeys through the liminal transitions of marriage

AbstractThis interpretive study derives a conceptual framework explaining how Indian women experience a loss of self through the transformational event of marriage. The self‐discrepancy of losing one’s self motivates these women to renegotiate their sense of self through consumption. Data were collected through 76 in‐depth interviews analyzed by a constant comparative method and grounded theory. Our research question is to what degree and in what ways do women in India experience a loss of self upon marriage and, if they do, through what consumer practices (if any) do they attempt to compensate for this feeling of loss? Analysis revealed three common stages in Indian women’s married life (1) marriage as a life transitional event inducing liminality (2) loss of Self: dissonance (3) compensatory consumption as a response to dissonance. Our research contributes to life cycle theory by focusing on liminal transitions. We find that self is a possession that women can lose after marriage in India. Based on these findings we argue that understandings of identity and life cycle must be amended to consider self‐discrepancy and coping processes. We develop a model of consumption that results from a perceived loss of self. This is all part of a process of self‐identity reconstruction. We also expand psychological ownership theory to include ownership of self.

Influencing Mechanism of Justice Sensitivity on Knowledge Hiding in the Chinese Context.

Good knowledge management is important for enterprises to maintain competitive advantage; however, the knowledge hiding behavior may hinder this process. Based on the conservation of resources and psychological ownership theories, using a chain intermediary model, this study investigates the effect of justice sensitivity on knowledge hiding through perceived time pressure and territoriality, and further tests the moderating role of territoriality. For the study, we collected 436 questionnaires from China through the Wenjuanxing Sample Service, of which 391 were valid. We then conducted multiple regression analysis and employed the bootstrap method for our tests. The results show that victim sensitivity has a significant effect on perceived time pressure, territoriality, and knowledge hiding, and that a chain mediating effect of perceived time pressure and territoriality is established between justice sensitivity and knowledge hiding. Further, territoriality has a positive moderating effect on perceived time pressure and knowledge hiding, while the mediating effect of perceived time pressure on justice sensitivity and knowledge hiding is also moderated by territoriality. Further, the study offers important practical implications in that enterprises should not blindly pursue results by making employees work excessively overtime. And there should have rationalized regulations in organization to ensure justice. The management should pay close attention to the psychological problems of victim and perpetrator. Instead, enterprises should have a certain degree of control, offer rationales for overtime work, and give high wages to the employees to compensate for their time, thus making the employees feel the worthiness of their overtime work and reducing the probability of engaging in knowledge hiding behaviors.