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Individuals perceive multiple barriers to consuming cultured meat. This study empirically investigates whether different types of social norms enhance behavioural intentions towards this novel food technology. Specifically, it examines the impact of general norms, in-group norms and out-group norms (based on meat-eaters or non-meat eaters, respectively) on consumers' willingness to try cultured meat.

A two-factorial between-subject online experiment was conducted using a sample of 431 Austrian consumers. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling in AMOS.

This study finds empirical support that both general norms and dietary in-group norms enhance consumers' behavioural intentions towards cultured meat, whereas dietary out-group norms do not affect the latter. The effect of in-group norms on behavioural intentions is mediated by identification with the respective dietary in-group. In addition, in-group identification and out-group disidentification as well as dietary identity also directly affect willingness to try cultured meat. Overall, meat-eaters report greater behavioural intentions than non-meat-eaters.

The findings indicate that using normative dietary cues in marketing campaigns might assist in efforts to increase consumer acceptance of cultured meat. Such efforts might be particularly relevant when introducing cultured meat to European markets.

This study is the first to experimentally examine the principles of the focus theory of normative conduct and social identity theory in the context of consumer-oriented cultured meat research. It contributes to the current literature by empirically demonstrating the relevance of social (group) norms in this domain.

In this study, we develop reliable scales for measuring taxpayers' social norms toward tax compliance and explore the effect of social desirability bias and several methodological issues that may affect behavioral tax and accounting studies. This study provides theoretical specificity to a potentially “decisive” (Alm & McKee, 1998) influence on tax compliance by drawing on Cialdini and Trost's (1998) taxonomy of social norms in developing our scale items. We describe in detail the methods that we used to develop these scales. On the basis of the responses of 218 experienced taxpayers, our results identify four separate social norm dimensions that correspond with the four social norm constructs identified by Cialdini and Trost. We also consider the effect of social desirability bias and find that these effects are mild for experienced taxpayers and are not directly related to compliance intentions. Finally, we also manipulate both the order of the items presented in the experiment and the form (online or paper-based) of the experimental instrument. While order and form effects do not interfere with the interpretation of the influence of social norms on tax compliance, we do find a significant presentation order effect driven by the paper condition, which suggests that online data collection may be preferable to uncontrolled paper and pencil administration.

Waste management behaviours (WMBs) play an important role in minimising metropolitan solid waste generation and reducing the environmental impacts caused by waste disposal. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of social norms, organisational norms and personal norms in explaining individuals’ engagement in WMBs, which include waste avoidance, green purchasing, reusing and recycling and waste disposal.

The metropolitan city of Bangkok, Thailand was selected as a case study – it faces waste management problems caused by a massive increase in waste over the past decade. This study distributed questionnaires to 193 public and private officers residing in the city of Bangkok. Path analyses and a multiple regression analysis were performed to test the effect of each norm and the association of various norms on individuals’ engagement in WMBs.

The results revealed that organisational norms had the strongest effect (both direct and indirect) on WMBs. Personal norms also had a direct effect on WMBs. In contrast, social norms did not directly influence WMBs; however, they did have an indirect effect on WMBs through organisational norms.

This study suggests that the role of organisational norms should be heavily emphasised in promoting the WMBs of public and private officers.

This study found that the role of organisational norms is the most significant factor influencing WMBs in workplaces. In addition, both provincial and subjective environmental norms in organisations significantly affect WMBs. They should be enhanced in order to promote WMBs in organisations.

A longstanding question of American constitutionalism emerges out of the fact that constitutions demand fidelity. By virtue of what is the American Constitution binding? Zevit contends that many of the explanations of constitutional fidelity offered today fail to reconcile Americans’ submission to a Constitution written and ratified by generations of long ago with their claim (or aspiration) to be self-governing as a People today. Zevit introduces one type of explanation (the aptness explanation) that does not contain this flaw, and, drawing on an expansive definition of culture as a notion that encompasses the legal-political, offers the concepts of legal-political culture and baseline community as a framework for assessing the Constitution’s aptness while maintaining the People’s self-rule. She argues that constitutional aptness secures the foundations of constitutional legitimacy.

This study aims to investigate the role of managers in the re-employment of early retirees and focuses on the effect of managers' age norms and stereotypes on managers' employment decisions.

A combination of a factorial study and a survey was conducted. First, information on the age norms and stereotypes was collected. Secondly, profiles of hypothetical retired job applicants were presented to the employers, who were asked to make a specific hiring decision. The information collected during both studies was combined in the analysis and multilevel models were estimated.

The results indicate that higher age norms (defined as age at which somebody is believed to be unable to work for 20 hours a week or more) result in a higher propensity to hire an early retiree. Stereotypes, by contrast, do not influence managers' decisions. Early retirees' chances for re-employment are also related to their own circumstances (physical appearance and relevant experience) and organisational forces, as they are hired when organisations face labour force shortages.

With the use of vignettes study the authors deal with a hypothetical hiring situation.

Although the effect of attitudes has been often suggested, not much empirical evidence has been presented to support this notion. This study estimates the effect of age norms and stereotypes on hiring decision.

Despite the existence of a variety of approaches to the understanding of behavioral and managerial ethics in organizations and business relationships generally, knowledge of organizing systems for fidelity remains in its infancy. We use halakha, or Jewish law, as a model, together with the literature in sociology, economic anthropology, and economics on what it termed “middleman minorities,” and on what we have termed the Landa Problem, the problem of identifying a trustworthy economic exchange partner, to explore this issue.

The article contrasts the differing explanations for trustworthy behavior in these literatures, focusing on the widely referenced work of Avner Greif on the Jewish Maghribi merchants of the eleventh century. We challenge Greif’s argument that cheating among the Magribi was managed chiefly via a rational, self-interested reputational sanctioning system in the closed group of traders. Greif largely ignores a more compelling if potentially complementary argument, which we believe also finds support among the documentary evidence of the Cairo Geniza as reported by Goitein: that the behavior of the Maghribi reflected their deep beliefs and commitment to Jewish law, halakha.

Applying insights from this analysis, we present an explicit theory of heroic marginality, the production of extreme precautionary behaviors to ensure service to the principal.

Generalizing from the case of halakha, the article proposes the construct of a deep code, identifying five defining characteristics of such a code, and suggests that deep codes may act as facilitators of compliance. We also offer speculation on design features employing deep codes that may increase the likelihood of production of behaviors consistent with terminal values of the community.

The assessment of service quality has proven to be an important consideration for managers and researchers. The dominant service quality framework posits that consumers consider both their own expectations and service provider performance when evaluating service quality. In recent years, however, debate has emerged on how this comparison process should be operationalized and comparative analyses have been performed to assess the psychometric properties and diagnostic usefulness of different operationalizations. Reviews problems in the interpretation of service quality measures and demonstrates the additional diagnostic meaning imputed to service quality scores through the development of measurement norms using a case analysis in a professional services context. Offers recommendations on the measurement of service quality.

In the course of cultural evolution, certain institutions have emerged and become dominant in the Western world that have led to an unprecedented rise in prosperity and population. This paper first explains the characteristics and significance of cultural evolution. Subsequently, it explains the fundamental role of politics and the scope for political action in cultural evolution, clearing up some fairly widespread misconceptions about this question. Finally, it derives three specific guidelines from the characteristics of cultural evolution that should be followed in politics. First, the principle of individual freedom should be realized as far as possible. Second, the rule of law should be secured. Third, the scope of action of the state should be closely limited and the state should be decentrally organized. The more consistently these guidelines are followed, the better the prospects of the respective society to survive and prosper in the competitive process of cultural evolution.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which perceptions of injunctive and descriptive norms for workplace organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) affect an individual’s frequency of performing such behaviors. The study also explores whether the effects of norm perceptions are moderated by the individual’s need to belong (NTB) to social groups.

Hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze data from 77 employed MBA students. Perceptions of OCB norms and NTB were assessed with an initial survey. Eight weeks later, a second survey assessed the individual frequency of OCBs.

Descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and NTB independently predicted OCB frequency. Additionally, NTB moderated the effects of injunctive norm perceptions. The injunctive norm was particularly influential for employees high in NTB.

Limitations of this study include its cross-sectional nature and the possibility of common method bias.

Study results indicate that managers can encourage OCBs by drawing attention to the prevalence of OCBs in the workplace (descriptive norm) and by showing approval of OCBs (injunctive norm). Hiring those with high NTB will also increase OCBs and enhance the effects of any effort on management’s part to signify approval of OCBs. OCBs can also be encouraged through new employee orientation and training that emphasizes the descriptive and injunctive norms for OCBs.

This is the first study to demonstrate social norms and NTB as predictors of workplace OCBs. This study also provides the first evidence that the effects of injunctive norms are moderated by NTB.