Community Outbreak Moderates the Association Between COVID-19-Related Behaviors and COVID-19 Fear Among Older People: A One-Year Longitudinal Study in Taiwan

Although health behavior theories indicate that fear is effective in activating preventive behaviors, the question of whether COVID-19 severity moderates the association between fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors remains unclear. The present study investigated the association between the fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 community outbreak of two severity levels in Taiwan. Data were obtained regarding the fear of COVID-19 and practice of preventive behaviors from 139 older people (mean age = 71.73 years; 30.2% men) through in-person interviews during a mild COVID-19 outbreak period (baseline assessment). Data from 126 of the 139 participants were obtained again through a telephone interview during a severe COVID-19 outbreak period (follow-up assessment). A significant increase in the fear of COVID-19 (d = 0.39, p < 0.001) and a decrease in preventive behaviors (d = 0.63, p < 0.001) were found in the follow-up assessment. The association between fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors was not significant at baseline (r = −0.07, p > 0.05) but became significant at the follow-up assessment (r = 0.32, p < 0.001). The severity of a COVID-19 outbreak may alter older people's psychological status and related behaviors.

Does workplace fun affect employees' voice behavior? Leader–member exchange as a mediator

Although the relationship between workplace fun and employee performance is well-documented, research on the link between workplace fun and voice behavior is still in a nascent stage. Integrating workplace fun, leader–member exchange (LMX), and voice behavior theories, in the current research we examined LMX as a mediator of the link between workplace fun and voice behavior. We conducted a crosssectional survey with a sample of 307 subordinates and 82 supervisors employed by eight Chinese companies, and used structural equation modeling to analyze the data. Results show that workplace fun was related both directly and indirectly (via LMX) to employees' voice behavior. Our findings offer insight into the mechanistic processes through which workplace fun affects employees' voice behavior, and suggest that to promote employees' voice behavior, a fun work environment and high-quality LMX relationship should be established in organizations.

Industrial Buyer Innovation Adoption Model: A Focus on a Smartphone-Based Electrochemical Analytical Device for Toxic Heavy Metal Detection

Smartphone-Based Electrochemical Analytical Devices (SEAD) enable sophisticated toxic heavy metal quantification experiments to be conducted anywhere with high precision, selectivity, and sensitivity. However, a very limited number of such technologies are able to make the transition from the lab to the competitive B2B marketplace. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors influencing SEAD adoption in the manufacturing industry using the Industrial Buyer Innovation Adoption (IBIA) model, which integrates B2B consumer behavior theories and technology acceptance models from the past 50 years. Analysis of data collected from 400 corporations in Thailand revealed that sellers, buyers, internal organization and invented technology advantage variables predicted industrial innovation adoption based on binary logistic regression. This research contributes to the understanding of SEAD transition from scientific knowledge to sustainable technology and diffusible innovation. The ambitious IBIA framework is potentially an alternative managerial tool for holistically assessing and creating adoptable innovative business models for new technologies.

Do Policy Makers Listen to Experts? Evidence from a National Survey of Local and State Policy Makers

Do elected officials update their policy positions in response to expert evidence? A large literature in political behavior demonstrates a range of biases that individuals may manifest in evaluating information. However, elected officials may be motivated to accurately incorporate information when it could affect the welfare of their constituents. I investigate these competing predictions through a national survey of local and state policy makers in which I present respondents with established expert findings concerning three subnational policy debates, debates that vary as to whether Republicans or Democrats are more likely to see the findings as confirmatory or challenging. Using both cross-subject and within-subject designs, I find policy makers update their beliefs and preferences in the direction of the evidence irrespective of the valence of the information. These findings have implications for the application of mass political behavior theories to politicians as well as the prospects for evidence-based policy making.

Exploring SMEs' behavioral intentions of participating in platform-based innovation ecosystems

PurposeSmall- and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) significantly contribute to the success of platform-based innovation ecosystems (PIEs). However, less is known about their behaviors and behavioral intentions (BIs) toward participating in PIEs. Considering that SMEs' BIs directly influence their behaviors and reveal the underlying logic of their behaviors, this study, therefore, focuses on SMEs' BIs and explores the antecedents to reveal the rational effects on BIs of the participation.Design/methodology/approachAn extended framework is proposed to understand SMEs' BIs toward the participation and empirically tested with data from a sample of 189 Chinese SMEs based on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe results show that (1) the framework has a good fit in the context of PIEs and a large predictability of SMEs' BIs toward the participation; (2) as expected, SMEs' BIs are directly positively affected by their attitudes (ATTs), subjective norms (SNs) and platform leaders (PLs), while indirectly positively influenced by perceived usefulness (PU) and ease and negatively influenced by perceived risks (PRs) via mediation effects and (3) surprisingly, BIs are directly negatively affected by platforms probably because of the potential collaborative risks based on platforms.Originality/valueThis study enriches PIE literature by focusing on complementors and proposing a framework of SMEs' BI toward joining PIEs, and it also expands the application of BI–behavior theories in the context of PIEs by offering a BI–behavior perspective to analyze the rational logic of SMEs' behaviors of participating to PIEs. Practically, the main findings not only benefit SMEs to better understand their BIs and to make a wise choice toward the participation, but provide implications for PLs to proactively design interventions for attracting SMEs’ complementors.

Evidence against risk as a motivating driver of COVID-19 preventive behaviors in the United States

Does an individual’s risk profile predict their social distancing and mask wearing in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic? Common sense and some health behavior theories suggest that as a perceived threat increases, an individual should be more likely to take preventive measures. We explore this hypothesis using survey responses collected from 1114 U.S. adults during April and October 2020, and find that neither perceived nor actual risk predicted these preventive behaviors. Instead, being an essential worker, partisanship, and believing compliance was important were more reliable predictors. These results provide guidance for better pandemic response policies and challenge models of health behavior.

Economic Stressors, COVID-19 Attitudes, Worry, and Behaviors among U.S. Working Adults: A Mixture Analysis

Since the unfolding of the novel coronavirus global pandemic, public health research has increasingly suggested that certain groups of individuals may be more exposed to the virus. The aim of this contribution was to investigate whether workers grouped into several latent classes, based on two perceived economic stressors, would report different levels of enactment of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended behaviors to prevent the spread of such virus. We also tested propositions regarding the potential differential predictors of compliance behavior, differentiating between cognitive (i.e., attitudes toward the CDC guidelines) and affective (i.e., COVID-specific worry) predictors. Using a longitudinal dataset of 419 U.S. workers, we did not find significant differences among the levels of CDC guidelines enactment across three latent classes, representing a range of economic vulnerability. We found that cognitive attitudes were a significantly stronger predictor of compliance with CDC guidelines for workers in the most economically secure class, whereas worry was a significantly stronger predictor of compliance for the most vulnerable counterpart. We discuss these findings in light of the Conservation of Resources theory and other health behavior theories, being mindful of the need to further understand the differential impact of this health and economic crisis on employees facing economic stressors.

Integrating health behavior theories to predict COVID-19 vaccines uptake intent among the American public

Wide uptake of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines is key to containing the ongoing pandemic. Integrating constructs from three prominent health behavior theories (HBT) including the extended parallel process model (EPPM), the health belief model (HBM) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the current study seeks to identify sociopsychological factors that influence American public’s COVID-19 vaccines uptake intent. An online survey was delivered to a national sample (N = 934) with demographic composition similar to the U.S. population. This study assessed the influences of risk perception and fear associated with COVID-19, beliefs about and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines, self-efficacy, social and psychological contexts, and demographic characteristics on people’s intention to get COVID-19 vaccines. Most respondents intended to get a COVID-19 vaccine once it is available. However, participants tended to underestimate their risks of contracting COVID-19, which may prevent them from getting vaccinated. Exposure to COVID-19 infections and deaths led to higher uptake intent via the mediation of fear. Concerns about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines negatively influenced vaccination intention, while perceived community benefits of the vaccines were positively associated with vaccination intention. Positive attitudes toward vaccines in general and recent vaccine history were also positively linked to COVID-19 vaccines uptake intent. This study attests the effectiveness of HBT constructs in predicting COVID-19 vaccines uptake intent. The results point to the importance of fostering confidence in vaccine safety in interventions seeking to promote COVID-19 vaccines uptake.