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A time for moral actions: moral identity, morality-as-cooperation and moral circles predict support of collective action to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in an international sample
No full textUnderstanding what factors are linked to public health behavior in a global pandemic is critical to mobilizing an effective public health response. Although public policy and health messages are often framed through the lens of individual benefit, many of the behavioral strategies needed to combat a pandemic require individual sacrifices to benefit the collective welfare. Therefore, we examined the relationship between individuals’ morality and their support for public health measures. In a large-scale study with samples from 68 countries worldwide (Study 1; N = 46,576), we found robust evidence that moral identity, morality-as-cooperation, and moral circles are each positively related to people’s willingness to engage in public health behaviors and policy support. Together, these moral dispositions accounted for 9.8%, 10.2%, and 6.2% of support for limiting contact, improving hygiene, and supporting policy change, respectively. These morality variables (Study 2) and Schwartz’s values dimensions (Study 3) were also associated with behavioral responses across 42 countries in the form of reduced physical mobility during the pandemic. These results suggest that morality may help mobilize citizens to support public health policy
International Council for Standardization in Haematology field study evaluating optimal interpretation methods for activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time mixing studies
No full textContext.—
The prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) are screening tests used to detect congenital or acquired bleeding disorders. An unexpected PT and/or APTT prolongation is often evaluated using a mixing test with normal plasma. Failure to correct (“noncorrection”) prolongation upon mixing is attributed to an inhibitor, whereas “correction” points to factor deficiency(ies).
Objective.—
To define an optimal method for determining correction or noncorrection of plasma mixing tests through an international, multisite study that used multiple PT and APTT reagents and well-characterized plasma samples.
Design.—
Each testing site was provided 22 abnormal and 25 normal donor plasma samples, and mixing studies were performed using local PT and APTT reagents. Mixing study results were evaluated using 11 different calculation methods to assess the optimal method based on the expected interpretation for factor deficiencies (correction) and noncorrection (inhibitor effect). Misprediction, which represents the failure of a mixing study interpretation method, was assessed.
Results.—
Percentage correction was the most suitable calculation method for interpreting PT mixing test results for nearly all reagents evaluated. Incubated PT mixing tests should not be performed. For APTT mixing tests, percentage correction should be performed, and if the result indicates a factor deficiency, this should be confirmed with the subtraction III calculation where the normal pooled plasma result (run concurrently) is subtracted from the mixing test result with correction indicated by a result of 0 or less. In general, other calculation methods evaluated that performed well in the identification of factor deficiency tended to have high misprediction rates for inhibitors and vice versa.
Conclusions.—
No single method of mixing test result calculation was consistently successful in accurately distinguishing factor deficiencies from inhibitors, with between-reagent and between-site variability also identified
'There is no alternative'? The role of the media in shaping public understanding about the economy
No full textIn the context of the ‘cost of living crisis’, building a more inclusive economy in the UK is more important than ever. The news media plays an important agenda-setting role in
any effort to reshape the economy, especially during crises, by deciding which experts will frame debates, and shaping views on economic policies (Knowles 2020a; Schifferes and
Knowles 2022). However, low economic literacy is a significant barrier to a better informed and engaged public in the UK, as elsewhere. This chapter responds to a central
paradox: as the global economic system is becoming more complex, the public is consuming more mainstream news, but, at the same time, journalism is increasingly under-resourced and the public trusts journalists less (Schifferes and Knowles 2022). This paper evaluates a range of (academic and industry-based) surveys of the public and journalists to evaluate how their views overlap and what strategies might improve the engagement and quality of economic news
Building belonging a year on – how has higher education changed?
No full textA year since Wonkhe and Pearson launched research on student belonging, David Gilani takes stock of the impact it has had across the sector
Impact of self-construal, individualism-collectivism, and subjective social status on attitude towards luxury a cross-cultural study
Get PDFThis thesis empirically investigates the impact of an individual’s independent and interdependent self-construal, individualism versus collectivism, and subjective social status on consumer attitude towards luxury. Past studies have recognised the important role culture plays in the luxury consumption behaviour across cultures, especially via attitude toward luxury. Cross-cultural differences based on macro-level cultural dimensions of individualism and collectivism have been widely used among academics and practitioners in examining cultural influences on consumer behavioural outcomes. However, there is a lack of consensus on the generalisability of individualism and collectivism based on cultural factors within a given culture. Evidence of within-country variation and between-country similarities of cultural issues that affect luxury consumption tend to weaken the explanatory role of individualism and collectivism cultural dimension.
Some researchers posit that studies of cultural phenomena at the macro level may not adequately account for the variations within cultures. Instead, the self-construal (individual-level) cultural orientation may provide a better explanation by accounting for the psychological dimensions of the observed cross-cultural differences in behaviour. Other researchers have emphasized the importance of examining the influence of culture at both the individual level and macro-level culture on consumer behaviour. Despite the different views, research on cultural influences continue to be limited to individualism and collectivism framework. More specifically, when the research interest is on the impact of independent and interdependent self-construal on consumer behaviour, research studies often focus primarily on singular cultures or nationalities.
Therefore, the present thesis aims to contribute to knowledge by examining the influence of self-construal in a cross-cultural context, and, simultaneously, examine the mediating role of individualism, and collectivism on self-construal effects on consumer attitudes toward luxury. A quantitative research method was applied. Survey data were collected from a non-student sample collected from three country samples of the relevant nationality who identify as and have always lived in the United Kingdom, India, and Nigeria. After performing data cleaning procedures, 935 usable responses from the three countries were analysed using a multi-group structural equation model to examine the conceptual model and proposed hypotheses.
The findings suggest that the individual-level and macro-level cultural orientation significantly impacts consumer attitudes toward luxury. Interdependent self-construal had a positive influence on attitudes toward luxury across cultures. The results reveal an indirect effect of interdependent and independent self-construal on attitudes toward luxury in India, but not in the United Kingdom and Nigeria. These findings extend knowledge from previous research by providing a better understanding of potential cultural differences and consumer motives and attitudes toward luxury consumption from a cross-cultural perspective. Whereas past studies have largely focused on the influence of subjective social status on health and well-being with very little attention to its effect on consumption, the present study contributes to the literature by focusing on the effect of subjective social status on consumer behaviour. The findings indicate that interdependent self-construal effects on attitude towards luxury are moderated by subjective social status in Nigeria, but not in the United Kingdom and India. This thesis offers luxury marketers increased insight into how they can influence consumers’ luxury attitude formation process and decisions in a cross-cultural context focusing on the consumer segments they should target and match with their brand communications. The limitations of the study, as well as the suggestions for future research, are presented
An existential exploration of the experience of British-Iraqi mothers during the first 40 days of motherhood
Get PDFThough there has been numerous literature over the past decades around the topic of ‘motherhood’, there remains little written about the experience for mothers from a bi-cultural background living in the UK. This research aimed to investigate the experiences of eleven British-Iraqi first-time mothers during the first 40 days of motherhood and to explore these experiences from the perspectives of the Four Worlds of Existence (Deurzen, 1997). All the women interviewed were married to and living with the father of their child and had the presence of family support. Ten main themes were uncovered within each of the Four World Dimensions, each with a few sub-themes. These themes were: the physical experience of becoming a mother, breastfeeding, the experience of support, the impact of culture, the importance of ‘mama’, emotional response, thrownness of motherhood, interwoven identities, religious and cultural beliefs and establishing values. The themes portray each mother’s unique experiences and they also found numerous common themes from the narratives of each of the eleven mothers’. Many of the themes were overlapping, particularly those between the Physical and Personal Dimensions, with numerous interconnections. The research findings highlighted a different and unique account of first-time motherhood for this specific cohort. The presence of the middle eastern/Arab culture within a new mother’s identity has been shown to impact the level of support she and her newborn receives
Inclusive multilingualism (CERS Podcast S.2 Ep.3)
No full textDr Gillian Lazar & Dr Agi Ryder discuss their research into inclusive multilingualism in Middlesex University. Their work celebrates linguistic diversity and aims to support HE lecturers to support students and understand the power of their linguistic capital
The paradoxical consequences of leader feedback seeking for subordinates: a theoretical framework
No full textPurpose
Scholars in the feedback seeking domain have predominantly focused on subordinate feedback seeking. The authors still know very little about feedback seeking when the leader is the “seeker” and subordinates are the “targets” of such seeking. This paper aims to develop a theoretical framework that explores the potential benefits and costs of leader feedback seeking, specifically, leader feedback inquiry for subordinates.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors draw upon the transactional theory of stress to propose a framework in which leader feedback inquiry influences two subordinate behaviors (in-role and proactive skill development behaviors) via appraisal processes (challenge and threat appraisals). With insights from regulatory focus theory, the authors propose that individual characteristics, namely, the regulatory focus of subordinates (promotion and prevention focus), determine the appraisals of leader feedback inquiry, subsequently influencing subordinate behavioral outcomes.
Findings
The authors contend that leader feedback inquiry can be appraised as a challenge which then produces beneficial subordinate behaviors (i.e. higher in-role and proactive skill development behaviors). However, leader feedback inquiry can also be appraised as a threat which then elicits detrimental subordinate behaviors (i.e. lower in-role and proactive skill development behaviors). The authors then argue that subordinates with a high promotion focus appraise leader feedback inquiry as challenging, thereby enabling beneficial behaviors. Subordinates with a high prevention focus, by contrast, appraise leader feedback inquiry as threatening, thereby prompting detrimental behaviors.
Originality/value
The authors shed light on the benefits and costs of leader feedback seeking for subordinates. The resulting framework underlines the importance of including individual characteristics and cognitive appraisal processes in research investigating the effects of leader feedback inquiry on subordinate outcomes
From virtual to actual destinations: do interactions with others, emotional solidarity, and destination image in online games influence willingness to travel?
Get PDFThe line between fantasy and reality has become blurred in online gaming, whereby tourists are willing to visit associated real-world destinations they have experienced within virtual worlds (e.g. online games). This study investigates the impact of gamers’ interactions with non-player characters (NPCs) and other gamers on their in-game emotional solidarity, destination image and willingness to visit associated real-world destinations. Data were collected from 538 Grand Theft Auto 5 gamers and analysed using covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM). Results reveal that both gamer-NPCs and gamer-gamer interactions were positively associated with emotional solidarity with NPCs and gamers, respectively. Also, emotional solidarity with NPCs and emotional solidarity with gamers were positively associated with in-game cognitive image. The in-game cognitive image was further confirmed to be positively associated with affective image and conative image. The in-game conative image was confirmed to be positively associated with the willingness to visit associated real-world destinations. These findings make a novel contribution to the literature on online gaming and tourism. Game developers need to develop activities that promote interactions between gamers while also designing NPCs that resemble locals and their customs to facilitate increased visitation to real-world destinations
eFluorination using cheap and readily available tetrafluoroborate salts
No full textA practical electrochemical method for the rapid, safer, and mild synthesis of tertiary hindered alkyl fluorides from carboxylic acids has been developed without the need for hydrofluoric acid salts or non-glass reactors. In this anodic fluorination, collidinium tetrafluoroborate acts as both the supporting electrolyte and fluoride donor. A wide range of functional groups has been shown to be compatible, and the possibility of scale-up using flow electrochemistry has also been demonstrated