Addressing customer misbehavior contagion in access-based services

Purpose Access-based services (ABSs) provide short-term access to goods, physical facilities, space or labor in exchange for access fees without transferring legal ownership (e.g. bike-sharing). This study aims to investigate what service providers can do to minimize financial losses when customers misbehave with the service providers’ assets in ABSs. The study also examines the effects of product misuse on subsequent customers and what factors may mitigate it. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a scenario-based experiment to test the conceptual model. Findings Injunctive norms reduce the mediating effect of descriptive norms on misbehavior contagion. As generally accepted and approved (injunctive) norms become salient, they override the impact of prevailing (descriptive) norms, thereby breaking the vicious cycle of misbehavior contagion. Customer-company identification (CCI) and reduced interpersonal anonymity mitigate the effects of previous misbehavior on misbehavior contagion. Practical implications ABS firms should strive to mitigate the financial and reputational losses they suffer from customer misbehavior. Such mitigation would be a win-win for the ABS firm (reduced misbehavior) and the customers (improved user experience). Originality/value The research complements prior research highlighting the role of social norms in misbehavior contagion. The study demonstrates the role of boundary conditions by investigating the interactive effects of descriptive and injunctive norms. In addition, it shows the positive impact of CCI and reduced interpersonal anonymity on containing misbehavior contagion.

Predicting intentions to practice COVID-19 preventative behaviors in the United States: A test of the risk perception attitude framework and the theory of normative social behavior

This study examined risk perceptions, efficacy beliefs, social norms, and their interactions as predictors of people’s intention to practice four COVID-19 preventative behaviors among a U.S. sample with quotas on age, sex, ethnicity, and region ( N = 336). This online survey found that perceived injunctive norms predicted intentions to clean and disinfect (β = 0.20), practice social distancing (β = 0.14), and wear a face mask (β = 0.24). Additionally, efficacy beliefs were found to attenuate the association between descriptive norm perceptions and intention to wash hands ( B = −0.15) and wear a face mask( B = −0.12). The results revealed the importance of considering both psychological and social factors to promote COVID-19 preventative behaviors.

Preventing sexual violence in sport: the determinants of positive coach-bystanding behavior

Coaches are instrumental in creating safe sport environments, especially in preventing sexual violence, but little is known about helpful bystander behaviors, hampering effective prevention programs. To identify determining characteristics of positive bystander behavior, 1442 Belgian youth-sport coaches completed a dedicated online questionnaire on bystander-related attitudes, descriptive and injunctive norms, autonomy beliefs, and self-efficacy using two hypothetical sport-associated sexual-violence scenarios. Potential for change was analyzed using confidence interval-based estimation of relevance (CIBER). 127 coaches (9.6%) had witnessed sexual violence over the past year. Most had intervened (single incident: 3.7%; multiple incidents: 2.4%). Experiential attitude expectation, instrumental attitude evaluation, perceived referent behavior and approval, and subskill presence were positively associated with coaches’ intentions to intervene. Of the determinants of positive coach-bystander behavior, attitude and perceived norms proved key constituents for programs addressing sexual violence in youth sport. To promote (pro-)active coach-bystander behaviors, the results are discussed from a theoretical and practice-oriented perspective.

Preventing sexual violence in sport. The determinants of positive coach-bystander behavior.

Coaches are instrumental in creating safe sport environments, especially in preventing sexual violence, but little is known about helpful bystander behaviors, hampering effective prevention programs. To identify determining characteristics of positive bystander behavior, 1442 Belgian youth-sport coaches completed a dedicated online questionnaire on bystander-related attitudes, descriptive and injunctive norms, autonomy beliefs, and self-efficacy using two hypothetical sport-associated sexual-violence scenarios. Potential for change was analyzed using confidence interval-based estimation of relevance (CIBER). 127 coaches (9.6%) had witnessed sexual violence over the past year. Most had intervened (single incident: 3.7%; multiple incidents: 2.4%). Experiential attitude expectation, instrumental attitude evaluation, perceived referent behavior and approval, and subskill presence were positively associated with coaches’ intentions to intervene. Of the determinants of positive coach-bystander behavior, attitude and perceived norms proved key constituents for programs addressing sexual violence in youth sport. To promote (pro-)active coach-bystander behaviors, the results are discussed from a theoretical and practice-oriented perspective.

Playing by the Rules? An Investigation of the Relationship Between Social Norms and Adolescents’ Hate Speech Perpetration in Schools

Hate speech is often discussed and investigated as an online phenomenon, while hate speech among adolescents in the real world (e.g., in schools) has rarely been researched. Consequently, not much is known about potential interpersonal correlates and theoretical frameworks that might help us better understand why adolescents engage in hate speech in offline environments. To add to the literature, this study investigates hate speech perpetration among young people by utilizing the Social Cognitive Theory; more specifically, the association between witnessing and perpetrating hate speech in schools, and whether this relation is weakened or strengthened by anti-hate speech injunctive norms and deviant peer pressure. The sample consists of 1719 young people (45.1% boys, 53.6% girls, 1.3% gender diverse) between 11 and 18 years old ( Mage = 13.96; SD = .98) from 22 schools in Switzerland. Self-report questionnaires were administered to measure hate speech involvement and adolescents’ perception of social norms (i.e., anti-hate speech injunctive norms and deviant peer pressure). Multilevel regression analyses revealed that witnessing and perpetrating hate speech were positively associated. Moreover, injunctive anti-hate speech norms were negatively related and deviant peer pressure positively related to hate speech perpetration. Finally, increasing levels of injunctive anti-hate speech norms weakened the relation between witnessing and perpetrating hate speech, whereas higher levels of deviant peer pressure strengthened this association. The findings demonstrate that the Social Cognitive Theory is a useful framework for understanding hate speech perpetration in schools. The results also highlight the importance of taking into account social norms and interpersonal relationships (e.g., within the class) when designing anti-hate speech prevention programs and not focusing solely on intrapersonal factors.

How Power Influences Behavior in Projects: A Theory of Planned Behavior Perspective

While the effect of power on organizations has been well researched, how power influences behavior in projects is less well understood. Taking a case-study approach and using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), we traced the thoughts of project managers subject to power, particularly those who resisted. We discovered that power bore down on project managers through new injunctive norms, encouraging them either not to resist or eventually to compromise and yield to new norms that changed their experiential attitudes. The TPB brings a new perspective to project management research, illustrating how power affected project managers’ behavior and influenced project outcomes.

The Nexus Between Attitude, Social Norms, Intention to Comply, Financial Performance, Mental Accounting and Tax Compliance Behavior

This study empirically investigates the effects of attitudes toward tax compliance, descriptive norms, injunctive norms, subjective norms, personal norms, tax compliance intention, financial performance, and mental accounting on tax compliance. The determinant are largely developed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and social norms. Data collection is carried out through field surveys to obtain a final sample of 209 respondents who are SME owners in 11 regencies/cities in Central Java Province, Indonesia. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that attitudes toward tax compliance, injunctive norms, subjective norms, personal norms, and financial performance positively affect SME owners’ tax compliance intentions. Furthermore, financial performance and tax compliance intentions have a positive effect on tax compliance behavior. However, we do not find empirical evidence that mental accounting has a role in strengthening the effect of tax compliance intentions on tax compliance behavior. This study contributes to the tax compliance literature through a more comprehensive measure of subjective norms and the use of financial performance as an alternative measure of perceived behavioral control.

Examining the Effects of Message Framing and Social Norms on Judgments of Earthquake Legislation

<p>To increase earthquake preparation, it is beneficial to understand the effects of different types of information used in risk communications. This thesis adapts methods that have been used with other hazards or in hypothetical situations and applies them to increasing support for current earthquake-strengthening legislation in Wellington, New Zealand (NZ). Study 1 examined valence and numerical format framing. Expressing the number of buildings affected by the legislation as a negatively-valenced frequency was found to be most effective at increasing earthquake-related judgments¹. Study 2 examined descriptive and injunctive norms and found that a range of subject factors such as age and previous knowledge of the legislation influenced the effects of norms. Study 3 used the same manipulation and included a sample from Palmerston North, where earthquake risk perceptions are lower. This study showed several clear norm effects, with the combination of both descriptive and injunctive norms the most effective at increasing support for the earthquake legislation. All three studies showed that belief in the effectiveness of strengthening earthquake-prone buildings predicted support for the legislation and lower earthquake-risk tolerance, suggesting that this could be a key perception to target in communications. Overall, these studies suggest that certain messages are more effective at increasing support for the governmental legislation, but also that framing and social norm effects on real-world issues interact with other variables such as age and knowledge which ought to be examined further to increase the usefulness of psychological research to risk communication. ¹ The results of this study have been accepted for publication as a peer-reviewed journal article: Vinnell, L. J., McClure, J., & Milfont, T. L. (in press). Do framing messages increase support for earthquake legislation? Disaster Prevention and Management, 26(1).</p>

Examining the Effects of Message Framing and Social Norms on Judgments of Earthquake Legislation

<p>To increase earthquake preparation, it is beneficial to understand the effects of different types of information used in risk communications. This thesis adapts methods that have been used with other hazards or in hypothetical situations and applies them to increasing support for current earthquake-strengthening legislation in Wellington, New Zealand (NZ). Study 1 examined valence and numerical format framing. Expressing the number of buildings affected by the legislation as a negatively-valenced frequency was found to be most effective at increasing earthquake-related judgments¹. Study 2 examined descriptive and injunctive norms and found that a range of subject factors such as age and previous knowledge of the legislation influenced the effects of norms. Study 3 used the same manipulation and included a sample from Palmerston North, where earthquake risk perceptions are lower. This study showed several clear norm effects, with the combination of both descriptive and injunctive norms the most effective at increasing support for the earthquake legislation. All three studies showed that belief in the effectiveness of strengthening earthquake-prone buildings predicted support for the legislation and lower earthquake-risk tolerance, suggesting that this could be a key perception to target in communications. Overall, these studies suggest that certain messages are more effective at increasing support for the governmental legislation, but also that framing and social norm effects on real-world issues interact with other variables such as age and knowledge which ought to be examined further to increase the usefulness of psychological research to risk communication. ¹ The results of this study have been accepted for publication as a peer-reviewed journal article: Vinnell, L. J., McClure, J., & Milfont, T. L. (in press). Do framing messages increase support for earthquake legislation? Disaster Prevention and Management, 26(1).</p>