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This article introduces the best-worst scaling object case, a quantitative method of producing individual level models of heterogeneous perceptions, for use in behavioural decision making research in projects. Heterogeneous individual perceptions refer to observed or unobserved differences between individual perceptions that impact the outcome being studied. Individual level models of perceptions are important to account for the impact of heterogeneous perceptions on measurement tasks, so they do not become an unobserved source of variance that potentially biases research inferences.

An overview of individual heterogeneity is provided highlighting the requirement for individual level models in quantitative perception measurements. A literature review is then conducted of the quantitative methods and tasks used to measure perceptions in behavioural decision making research in projects and their potential to produce individual level models.

The existing quantitative methods cannot produce the necessary individual level models primarily due to the inability to address individual level scale effects, responses styles and biases. Therefore, individual heterogeneity in perceptions can become an unobserved source of variance that potentially biases research inferences.

A method new to project management research, the best-worst scaling object case, is proposed to produce individual level models of heterogeneous perceptions. Guidance on how to implement this method at the individual level is provided along with a discussion of possible future behavioural decision making research in projects.

This article identifies a largely unacknowledged measurement limitation of quantitative behavioural decision making research in projects and provides a practical solution: implementing the best-worst scaling object case at the individual level.

To examine the determinants of smoking cessation and tobacco consumption in the European Union (EU) countries. Specifically, the paper seeks to examine the role of smoking risk perceptions and anti‐smoking regulation.

The paper utilizes multivariate analysis of an EU representative survey.

From all anti‐smoking policies examined, regulatory and information policies seem to show some influence on the cessation decision. Furthermore, once individuals decide to quit smoking they tend to perceive smoking risks differently.

The main policies influencing smoking cessation in the EU are informational campaigns and regulation policies. However, tobacco price does not seem to influence smoking cessation such as advertising.

Regulation is largely associated with smoking cessation due to the role of social interactions of smoking and thus we might expect risk regulation policies to continue to impose constraints on the capacity of smokers to freely smoke.

The use of a common questionnaire for a sample representative of EU countries. The specific consideration of regulatory variables and risk perceptions.

It appears as if a gap exists between objective environmental conditions and the respective managerial perception of those conditions. This situation poses severe problems for executives deriving effective strategies and initiating successful organizational change. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop and provide a deeper understanding of the factors that lead to such a gap.

On the basis of the literature from psychology and strategic management, this paper develops a conceptual framework of the cognitive model with the perception process and potentially moderating factors. Furthermore, more precise mechanisms and relationships within the perception of environmental conditions are proposed.

The perception process consists of three stages, attention, encoding and storage/retrieval, which all may explain variations in how individuals interpret the environment. Moreover, dispositional factors (such as cognitive styles, cognitive structures, intelligence and motivation) as well as situational factors (such as emotion and stress) further cause variations between and within individuals, which ultimately leads to a gap between objective and perceived environmental conditions.

This study not only highlights the existence and the severe consequence of a misperception of environmental conditions, but also offers a variety of factors that could lead to this undesirable effect. Furthermore, while previous research has typically focused on single factors that might influence the perception process, this study assumes a holistic view on the cognitive model and provides more detailed and specific mechanisms on a perceptual gap.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and how climate strength and quality are related to employee commitment above and beyond individual climate perceptions.

Data were collected from 48 work units in organizations from different branches of industry. A total of 419 employees completed a questionnaire.

Climate quality was related to commitment above and beyond individual climate perceptions. However, this concerned the climate dimensions of cooperation and innovation, but not reward. Climate strength moderated the relationship between individual cooperation and innovation perceptions, and commitment.

This study emphasizes the importance of group‐level perceptions as related to employee commitment. Because of the cross‐sectional design, conclusions about the causal order of the variables cannot be drawn.

If organizations want to increase employees' commitment they should put the more skeptical employees in positive work environments, thus, in units of higher cooperation and innovation quality.

People are sensitive to the evaluative tone of their social environment.

The paper is the first to examine the combined relationships of individual climate perceptions, climate‐strength, and climate quality with employee commitment.

Much of the current criminological research regarding police and the autistic community focuses on police training for interacting with autistic individuals or the experiences, fears and perceptions of parents or caregivers. Largely absent from the criminological research are the opinions and perceptions of autistic adults. The purpose of the paper is to examine perceptions of the police and police-led initiatives among these individuals.

The authors analyze data from 121 autistic adults regarding their perceptions of the police and police-led autism awareness efforts using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. Variables of interest include perceptions of procedural justice, police treatment of autistic individuals, fear of interacting with police and perceptions of police autism awareness campaigns.

Findings indicate that autistic respondents vary in perceptions of the police. Prior negative experiences with police have a stronger influence on perceptions than do positive experiences. Support for awareness campaigns is also varied.

Despite high-profile police incidents involving autistic individuals, there have been no empirical examinations of autistic adults' global perceptions of the police or police-led autism awareness campaigns. The current study addresses that oversight by directly examining autistic adults' perceptions. The approach is particularly salient given the ongoing police public scrutiny surrounding officer interactions with individuals from special populations, which is largely uninformed by research centering the voices of impacted individuals.

The purpose of this article was to examine how individual positive emotions and team work engagement (TWE) relate to the perceptions of team viability.

A total of 254 teams (N = 1,154 individuals) participated in this study, and a multilevel analysis was conducted of the effects of individual and team-level factors.

The multilevel analysis results suggest a partial compensatory effect. High levels of individual positive emotions and high TWE are associated with a positive effect on the perceptions of team viability. Simultaneously, being part of a highly engaged team has a protective effect on perceptions of team viability, when individuals experience low levels of positive emotions.

As the study was conducted with teams involved in a management simulation, generalizing the results to “real world” teams must be done with caution.

Nonetheless, these findings have important implications for managers of work groups. They highlight the need to consider collective states of work groups as relevant for their effectiveness, and suggest that promoting positive interactions between team members may result in gains in team viability perceptions, mostly when individual emotions are less positive.

We consider both individual and collective affective experiences at work, and focus on a less studied outcome, team viability. Additionally, we empirically demonstrate the relevance of collective states of teams for team members’ individual perceptions, as a top-down influence mechanism.

The paper aims to explore the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) embedding degree and education level on individual perception, as well as the moderating effect of nationality.

The paper first conceptualizes PBL embedding degree which means the extent of applying PBL. It takes an empirical study on an international MBA class in one of the first-class universities in China. An investigation is taken with the designed “PBL-based Cognitive Perception Scale” and an Ordered Probit Model is constructed.

The findings of this study are as follows: PBL embedding degree has a significant effect on the cognitive perception of student, which varies in different dimensions; the educational level of international student positively affects the cognitive perception toward PBL; and nationality may moderate the relationship between the PBL embedding degree and individual perception.

The paper replenishes the investigation and application of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning. By conceptualizing PBL embedding degree, the paper extends the research perspectives of PBL and proposes a subjective method on the evaluation of PBL. The paper also may provide a guidance for PBL curriculum design with sustainable development of education.

The purpose of this paper is to understand consumer reactions to security breaches and the best approach for companies to minimize the reputational damage that is done.

The authors assessed trust in a company following a data breach as well as perceptions of individual and corporate responsibility for data security and also measured individual personality.

The authors found that individuals held companies more responsible for protecting private data and held companies even more responsible following a data breach. Further, perception of responsibility for a data breach significantly affected individuals’ response to a company’s attempt to rebuild trust. Finally, participant personality impacted perceptions of responsibility and trust in a company after a data breach.

Companies are held more responsible for protecting private data than are individuals. Thus, violation of this expectation insofar as a data breach may result in a psychological contract breach which explains reductions in trust in a company which has experienced a data breach. Further, the effect of company’s responses to a data breach depends on individuals’ perception of responsibility and personality. Thus, the best course of action following a data breach may vary across customers.

Companies should consider differences in customer perceptions when responding to a data breach.

Individuals differ in how responsible they feel a company is for data security. Further, those differences impact reactions to data breach responses from companies.

This paper explored personality as it impacts perceptions of corporate responsibility in data security. Further, the authors explore the role of perception of responsibility to determine the role of psychological contract breach in reduced trust after data breach.

The purpose of this paper is to submit and test a model of corporate entrepreneurship (CE).

Using a sample of 264 employees of a mid‐sized organization, the authors conceptualize three antecedent categories of CE: process, context, and individual characteristics. The authors also test the mediating affect of CE on desirable individual outcomes: job satisfaction, turnover intent, and affective commitment.

The results indicate that the model does an adequate job of explaining CE, and that CE mediates the relationship between our antecedents and individual outcomes.

For researchers, the primary value of this research is the opportunity to consider a predictive model of CE on the knowledge base currently in the field. For practitioners, the process seems to offer an important precursor to CE.

This study empirically assesses the perceptions the public has of employees and their organization following a [re]tweet, and the additional potential ameliorating effect of a disclaimer distancing the organization from the individual employee's social media presence.

A fully crossed 2 (disclaimer vs. no disclaimer) × 2 (positive vs. negative valence post) × 2 (post vs. retweet) experiment exposed participants (N = 173) to an employee's personal tweet. Resultant perceptions of both the poster (i.e., goodwill) and the poster's organization (i.e., organizational reputation) were analyzed using planned contrast analyses.

Findings reveal audiences form impressions of individuals based on both tweeted and retweeted content. Perceptions of both the poster's goodwill and the poster's organization were commensurate with the valence of the poster's tweets, stronger when posts were original tweets rather than retweets, and there was a significant interaction effect between valence and [re]tweet. Disclaimers did not significantly affect perceptions, suggesting employers may be better served by asking employees to omit reference to their employer on their personal social media accounts.

This research contributes to understanding how employee and organizational reputation are affected by employees' personal social media content. Results suggest that even when a disclaimer explicitly seeks to distance an employee from the organization, audiences still see the employee as an informal brand ambassadors of their organization.