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1 – 10 of 577João M.M. Lopes, Sofia Gomes and Tiago Trancoso
Green consumption is fundamental to sustainable development, as it involves adopting practices and technologies that reduce the environmental impact of human activities. This…
Abstract
Purpose
Green consumption is fundamental to sustainable development, as it involves adopting practices and technologies that reduce the environmental impact of human activities. This study aims to analyze the influence of consumers’ green orientation on their environmental concerns and green purchase decisions. Furthermore, the study investigates the mediating role of consumers’ environmental concerns in the relationship between pro-sustainable orientation and green purchase decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a quantitative methodology, applying the partial least squares method to a sample of 927 Portuguese consumers of green products. The sample was collected through an online survey.
Findings
Perceived benefits and perceived quality of products play a positive and significant role in influencing green behavior, especially when consumers are endowed with greater environmental concerns. In addition, consumers’ awareness of the prices of green products and their expectations regarding the future benefits of sustainable consumption positively impact green consumption behavior, further intensifying their environmental concerns.
Practical implications
According to the present findings, companies should adopt a holistic and integrated approach to promote green consumption. This means creating premium eco-friendly products, communicating their benefits, addressing the cost factor, emphasizing the future impact of eco-friendly options and raising consumers’ environmental awareness.
Social implications
It is critical that environmental education is a priority in schools and that there are political incentives for green behaviors. In addition, media campaigns can be an important tool to raise awareness in society.
Originality/value
The results of this study provide important insights for companies on consumer engagement in the circular economy. Deepening knowledge of the antecedents of consumers’ environmental concerns contributes to a deeper understanding of green purchasing decision behavior, allowing companies to support new business strategies.
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Eric Agyemang, John Boulard Forkuor, Ronald Kondor and Douglas Attoh Odongo
This study investigates the economic strategies street beggars (SBs) employ in Ghana to gain a competitive advantage within the contested urban spaces they occupy. By…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the economic strategies street beggars (SBs) employ in Ghana to gain a competitive advantage within the contested urban spaces they occupy. By conceptualising SBs as economic actors, the research shifts the focus from perceiving them as passive recipients of charity to recognising their intentional decision-making and strategic behaviour to maximise financial benefits.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a qualitative case study approach, using non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 40 SBs in Kumasi, Ghana. Thematic analysis was used to identify the economic strategies used by SBs to gain a competitive advantage.
Findings
The study reveals three main strategies adopted by SBs: child advertisement, body marketing, and narrative marketing. These strategies emerge from the SBs' contextual understanding of the public’s social protection needs and are used to develop strategies that give them an advantage over other SBs within contested urban streets.
Research limitations/implications
Future research could explore the effectiveness of different economic strategies employed by street beggars and compare their financial outcomes. Investigating the public’s perceptions and attitudes towards these strategies could provide valuable insights.
Practical implications
Policymakers and city authorities should acknowledge some street begging as an economic activity and develop regulations, designate begging areas, and establish guidelines for acceptable practices. Creating targeted skill training, entrepreneurship programs, and access to microfinance can facilitate the transition of street beggars from begging to more sustainable forms of livelihood.
Social implications
This study challenges the perception of street beggars as passive victims, highlighting their agency and strategic decision-making. Recognizing their economic strategies can inform policies that regulate begging as an economic activity, create alternative opportunities, and prevent exploitation of vulnerable groups, ultimately promoting more sustainable and dignified livelihoods for street beggars.
Originality/value
This study seeks to enrich the current literature and bridge the research gap by investigating the phenomenon of street begging and the diverse economic strategies street beggars employ to gain a competitive advantage within urban areas. This research moves beyond computing financial income and regulating begging by conceptualizing SBs as economic actors and begging as an economic activity. It explores how SBs use conscious efforts and rational strategies to maximize financial benefits from passers-by and outperform other SBs, providing novel insights into the complex dynamics of street begging.
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Sharmila Devi R., Swamy Perumandla and Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya
The purpose of this study is to understand the investment decision-making of real estate investors in housing, highlighting the interplay between rational and irrational factors…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand the investment decision-making of real estate investors in housing, highlighting the interplay between rational and irrational factors. In this study, investment satisfaction was a mediator, while reinvestment intention was the dependent variable.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive research design was used, gathering data from a sample of 550 residential real estate investors using a multi-stage stratified sampling technique. The partial least squares structural equation modelling disjoint two-stage approach was used for data analysis. This methodological approach allowed for an in-depth examination of the relationship between rational factors such as location, profitability, financial viability, environmental considerations and legal aspects alongside irrational factors including various biases like overconfidence, availability, anchoring, representative and information cascade.
Findings
This study strongly supports the adaptive market hypothesis, showing that residential real estate investor behaviour is dynamic, combining rational and irrational elements influenced by evolutionary psychology. This challenges traditional views of investment decision-making. It also establishes that behavioural biases, key to adapting to market changes, are crucial in shaping residential property market efficiency. Essentially, the study uncovers an evolving real estate investment landscape driven by evolutionary behavioural patterns.
Research limitations/implications
This research redefines rationality in behavioural finance by illustrating psychological biases as adaptive tools within the residential property market, urging a holistic integration of these insights into real estate investment theories.
Practical implications
The study reshapes property valuation models by blending economic and psychological perspectives, enhancing investor understanding and market efficiency. These interdisciplinary insights offer a blueprint for improved regulatory policies, investor education and targeted real estate marketing, fundamentally transforming the sector’s dynamics.
Originality/value
Unlike previous studies, the research uniquely integrates human cognitive behaviour theories from psychology and business studies, specifically in the context of residential property investment. This interdisciplinary approach offers a more nuanced understanding of investor behaviour.
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Anthony K. Hunt, Jia Wang, Amin Alizadeh and Maja Pucelj
This paper aims to provide an elucidative and explanatory overview of decision-making theory that human resource management and development (HR) researchers and practitioners can…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide an elucidative and explanatory overview of decision-making theory that human resource management and development (HR) researchers and practitioners can use to explore the impact of heuristics and biases on organizational decisions, particularly within HR contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws upon three theoretical resources anchored in decision-making research: the theory of bounded rationality, the heuristics and biases program, and cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST). A selective narrative review approach was adopted to identify, translate, and contextualize research findings that provide immense applicability, connection, and significance to the field and study of HR.
Findings
The authors extract key insights from the theoretical resources surveyed and illustrate the linkages between HR and decision-making research, presenting a theoretical framework to guide future research endeavors.
Practical implications
Decades of decision-making research have been distilled into a digestible and accessible framework that offers both theoretical and practical implications.
Originality/value
Heuristics are mental shortcuts that facilitate quick decisions by simplifying complexity and reducing effort needed to solve problems. Heuristic strategies can yield favorable outcomes, especially amid time and information constraints. However, heuristics can also introduce systematic judgment errors known as biases. Biases are pervasive within organizational settings and can lead to disastrous decisions. This paper provides HR scholars and professionals with a balanced, nuanced, and integrative framework to better understand heuristics and biases and explore their organizational impact. To that end, a forward-looking and direction-setting research agenda is presented.
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Kirti Sood, Prachi Pathak and Sanjay Gupta
Investment decisions hold immense significance for investors and eventually affect their portfolio performance. Investors are advised to weigh the costs and benefits associated…
Abstract
Purpose
Investment decisions hold immense significance for investors and eventually affect their portfolio performance. Investors are advised to weigh the costs and benefits associated with every decision in order to make rational investment decisions. However, behavioral finance research reveals that investors' choices often stem from a blend of economic, psychological and sociological factors, leading to irrationality. Moreover, environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors, aligned with behavioral finance hypotheses, also sway opinions and stock prices. Hence, this study aims to identify how individual equity investors prioritize key determinants of investment decisions in the Indian stock market.
Design/methodology/approach
The current research gathered data from 391 individual equity investors through a structured questionnaire. Thereafter, a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (F-AHP) was used to meet the purpose of the research.
Findings
Information availability, representative heuristics belonging to psychological factors and macroeconomic indicators falling under economic factors were discovered to be the three most prioritized criteria, whereas environmental issues within the realm of ESG factors, recommendations of brokers or investment consultants of sociological factors, and social issues belonging to ESG factors were found to be the least prioritized criteria, respectively.
Research limitations/implications
Only active and experienced individual equity investors were surveyed in this study. Furthermore, with a sample size of 391 participants, the study was confined to individual equity investors in one nation, India.
Practical implications
This research has implications for individual investors, institutional investors, market regulators, corporations, financial advisors, portfolio managers, policymakers and society as a whole.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, no real attempt has been made to comprehend how active and experienced individual investors prioritize critical determinants of investment decisions by taking economic, psychological, sociological and ESG factors collectively under consideration.
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Gonaduwage Nilantha Roshan Perera, Feranita Feranita, Jesrina Ann Xavier and Thivashini B. Jaya Kumar
The purpose of this study is to explore the intersection of mindfulness practices and ethical decision-making within organisational leadership. Drawing from ancient Buddhist…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the intersection of mindfulness practices and ethical decision-making within organisational leadership. Drawing from ancient Buddhist principles and contemporary neuroscience, this study aims to illuminate how mindfulness can enhance cognitive and emotional regulation, thereby fostering ethical behaviour and improved decision-making among leaders and employees. By examining the theoretical and practical implications of mindfulness in the context of organisational behaviour, this research seeks to contribute to the development of more compassionate, ethical and effective leadership practices, ultimately promoting a more mindful and sustainable business environment.
Design/methodology/approach
This concept paper explores the integration of mindfulness meditation practices with decision-making, particularly its influence on ethical choices, through a comparative study of modern techniques and the ancient teachings of the Tripitaka. Using a methodology that spans literature review in organisational behaviour and leadership, alongside in-depth analysis of the Tripitaka and contributions from scholars like Bhikkhu Bodhi, the paper examines the potential of mindfulness in enhancing ethical decision-making. It incorporates a range of sources, including peer-reviewed journals and seminal books across various disciplines, to underscore the transformative potential of mindfulness in addressing contemporary challenges and guiding leadership practices.
Findings
This discussion explores how mindfulness, rooted in ancient Buddhist philosophy and aligned with modern neuroscience, can significantly enhance managerial decision-making by fostering a balance between cognitive and emotional factors. It delves into the transformative potential of mindfulness in refining thought processes, promoting ethical decision-making and mitigating cognitive biases. By bridging traditional wisdom with contemporary scientific insights, the analysis underscores mindfulness as an active, dynamic process crucial for personal growth and effective leadership in complex environments.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of this research is its reliance on theoretical frameworks and literature reviews, which may not capture the full range of practical challenges in implementing mindfulness practices within organisations. Additionally, the diversity in mindfulness methodologies and the subjective nature of mindfulness experiences may affect the generalisability of the findings. Future research should include empirical studies to validate the proposed benefits of mindfulness in organisational settings and explore the most effective strategies for integrating mindfulness practices into leadership and decision-making processes. This would help in understanding how mindfulness can be tailored to suit different organisational cultures and individual preferences.
Practical implications
The practical implications of applying mindfulness in organisational settings include enhanced decision-making abilities, improved leadership effectiveness and increased employee well-being. Mindfulness training can equip leaders and employees with the skills to manage stress, navigate complex ethical decisions and maintain focus amidst distractions, leading to more thoughtful and responsible business practices. Organisations might see a reduction in conflict, enhanced creativity and better teamwork, contributing to a more harmonious and productive workplace. Implementing mindfulness programmes could also support talent retention and attraction by promoting a workplace culture that values mental health and ethical behaviour.
Social implications
The social implications of integrating mindfulness into organisational decision-making and leadership, as suggested by the document, include promoting ethical behaviour, enhancing emotional regulation and improving team dynamics. Mindfulness practices can lead to more informed and conscious decision-making, reducing cognitive biases and fostering a culture of ethical awareness within organisations. This shift towards mindful leadership could potentially transform organisational cultures, encouraging greater compassion, ethical responsibility and collective well-being, thereby contributing positively to broader societal values and norms.
Originality/value
The originality and value of this research lie in its novel integration of mindfulness concepts derived from ancient Buddhist teachings with contemporary neuroscience and organisational behaviour studies. By exploring the deep-rooted philosophical underpinnings of mindfulness and their applicability to modern ethical decision-making and leadership practices, this work offers a unique perspective that bridges historical wisdom with current scientific understanding. It provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the transformative potential of mindfulness in organisational settings, highlighting its capacity to foster ethical leadership, enhance decision-making processes and contribute to a more mindful, compassionate and sustainable business environment.
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Stock investing choices of individual investors are predominantly influenced by heuristic biases, leading to sub-optimal choices. Accordingly, this study aims to identify…
Abstract
Purpose
Stock investing choices of individual investors are predominantly influenced by heuristic biases, leading to sub-optimal choices. Accordingly, this study aims to identify, categorize, validate, prioritize, and find causality among the heuristic biases shaping stock investment decisions of individual investors.
Design/methodology/approach
This research offers original contribution by employing a hybrid approach combining fuzzy DELPHI method (FDM), fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), and fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (F-DEMATEL) techniques to validate, prioritize, and find causality among the heuristic biases.
Findings
Twenty sub-heuristic biases were identified under five main heuristic bias categories. Out of which, 17 were validated using FDM. Further, availability and representativeness within main heuristic categories, and availability cascade and retrievability within sub-heuristic biases were prioritized using FAHP. Overconfidence and availability were identified as the causes among the five main biases by F-DEMATEL.
Practical implications
This study offers the stock investors a deeper understanding of heuristic biases and empowers them to make rational investment decisions.
Originality/value
This paper is the inaugural effort to identify, categorize, validate, prioritize and examine the cause-and-effect relationship among the heuristic biases.
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Hamed Qahri-Saremi, Isaac Vaghefi and Ofir Turel
We build on the transactional model of stress and coping and the appraisal theory of emotions to theorize how users cognitively and emotionally cope with IT addiction-induced…
Abstract
Purpose
We build on the transactional model of stress and coping and the appraisal theory of emotions to theorize how users cognitively and emotionally cope with IT addiction-induced stress, distinguish between the roles of guilt and shame in shaping the coping responses and their effects on one’s psychological well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
We test our theory via two complementary empirical studies in the context of social networking sites (SNS). Study 1 (n = 462) adopts a variable-centered approach using structural equation modeling to validate the research model. Study 2 (n = 409) uses Latent Profile Analysis to identify a typology of SNS users based on Study 1’s findings.
Findings
This paper provides a model of guilt-vs shame-driven cognitive-emotional coping with IT addiction and its effects on users’ psychological well-being. It also offers a typology of SNS users on this basis.
Originality/value
This paper sheds light on guilt-vs shame-driven coping with IT addiction and its consequences on users’ psychological well-being and identifies distinct classes of users based on their coping choices and their consequences.
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Ishan Kashyap Hazarika and Ashutosh Yadav
This study combines different perspectives on herding, viewing it as a social network heuristic in comparison to other heuristics. The purpose is to use the heuristic view of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study combines different perspectives on herding, viewing it as a social network heuristic in comparison to other heuristics. The purpose is to use the heuristic view of herding as found in early literature and test it on grounds of efficiency and payoff, in essence, combining the heuristic and rational agent view of herding. The simulated double auction setting includes agents embedded in a social network, allowing for an examination of herding alongside rational behaviour and imperfect signals.
Design/methodology/approach
In each round of the simulation, levels of homophily, density and fractions of types of agents is set and agents are allowed to follow their respective heuristics under those conditions. Characteristics of the social network, such as the size, levels of different homophilies, density and fractions of different types of agents are varied randomly to gauge their effect on the performance of herders vis-à-vis others and the overall market efficiency through simulation based approach. The data used for the study has been developed in Python and linear models are estimated using R.
Findings
Herding decreases total surplus in private value double auctions, but herders are not worse off than other agents and perform equally in common value auctions. Further, herders and random offerers reduce payoffs of other agents as well, and herding effects the surplus per transaction and not the quantum.
Research limitations/implications
This study explores herding as a strategic behaviour coexisting with rationality and other strategies in specific circumstances. It presents intriguing findings on the impact of herding on individual outcomes and market efficiency, raising new avenues for future research. Implication to research includes a dent on the “sieve” argument of markets rooting out irrationality and from it, a policy implication that follows is the need for corrective measures as markets cannot self-correct this, given herders do not perform worse than others.
Originality/value
The study links the phenomenon of herding to the dynamics of social networks and heuristic-based learning mechanisms that sets apart this research from the majority of existing literature, which predominantly conceptualizes herding as an outcome derived from a perfect Bayesian Equilibrium and a rational learning process.
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Roy Peled and Gal Yavetz
This study evaluates how publicly available archival documents shaped online discussions about allegations that thousands of children were kidnapped during the 1950s in Israel…
Abstract
Purpose
This study evaluates how publicly available archival documents shaped online discussions about allegations that thousands of children were kidnapped during the 1950s in Israel, known as the Yemenite children’s affair. It examines if access to historical records leads to more informed and rational public discourse, especially on social media.
Design/methodology/approach
Using content analysis, this study examines Facebook posts from media outlets, politicians, NGOs and public groups between 2016 and 2021 to understand how the Israeli State Archives’ release of over 300,000 documents affected support of the kidnapping.
Findings
Despite extensive archival information debunking the kidnapping theory, public opinion and discourse largely continued to support it. This suggests a complex interaction between information availability, preexisting beliefs, echo chambers and group allegiances, suggesting that access to factual data alone may not effectively challenge established beliefs in online public settings.
Research limitations/implications
Since data were collected only from Facebook, our conclusions cannot be generalized to other platforms. The study relies only on publicly accessible data and does not establish causality between exposure to information and shifts in opinion. Our findings show that disclosing archival information does not significantly benefit public political discourse on contentious topics but also point to the advantages of mediating information by politicians, NGOs and journalists.
Originality/value
As a unique case study, this research contributes to understanding the role of historical archives in digital-age public discourse. It highlights their potential and limitations in facilitating informed debate and deliberation, emphasizing the complexity of influencing established beliefs with factual data.
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