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Aggression is an undesirable behavior that assaults traditions norms, morals and standards of ethics practiced in society. To address the scarceness of identification tools and for evidence-based interventions in Pakistan, the purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which aggression is prevalent in Pakistan’s people by newly developed self-reported questionnaires in the Urdu language designed after reviewing the cultural and social perspectives of the society.

The research design was based on principles of scale development followed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. A subject matter expert panel technique was adopted where educationists from diversified backgrounds helped to generate items and to establish content validity.

The three-factor construct has been supported by factor analysis. These analyzes identified aggression measures in terms of direct aggression, displaced aggression and indirect aggression. The model has established inner consistency, reliability and validity. Furthermore, the impact of age and gender on different forms of aggression was explored and discussed.

Aggression is a distinctive trait of many psychiatric disturbances. To undertake the dearth of identification tools and for evidence-based interventions in Pakistan, it was necessary to develop a tool for identification to address aggression issues among common people. This research is devised to develop a self-reported questionnaire in the Urdu language keeping cultural and social perspectives of society.

Engineering students (N = 285) enrolled in either a first-year or senior-year design course that consisted entirely of team-based collaborative learning projects reported few gains in their overall leadership development. First-year students made moderate gains in transformational leadership skills and social-normative motivation to lead. Peer evaluations of skill were lower than were self-reported scores, and, for first-year students, self-reported scores and peer scores were not correlated. A high degree of co-curricular involvement in student organizations, as compared to little or no involvement, was associated with student gains in seniors. These results indicate the relatively small degree of leadership learning that takes place in classroom-based team experiences when those experiences are not paired with opportunities for deliberate practice or reflection in the development of leadership capacity.

Addresses the standardization of the measurements and the labels for concepts commonly used in the study of work organizations. As a reference handbook and research tool, seeks to improve measurement in the study of work organizations and to facilitate the teaching of introductory courses in this subject. Focuses solely on work organizations, that is, social systems in which members work for money. Defines measurement and distinguishes four levels: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. Selects specific measures on the basis of quality, diversity, simplicity and availability and evaluates each measure for its validity and reliability. Employs a set of 38 concepts ‐ ranging from “absenteeism” to “turnover” as the handbook’s frame of reference. Concludes by reviewing organizational measurement over the past 30 years and recommending future measurement reseach.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to consider the use of the Internet as a potential facilitator of positive health-related perceptions. Specifically, we propose that online health information seeking fosters positive perceptions of health. Using path modeling, we theorized several mechanisms through which information seeking could be conducive to positive health perceptions, which we conceptualized into the following four dimensions: (1) sense of empowerment in managing health, (2) self-reported ability to take better care of health, (3) sense of improved health-related quality of life, and (4) self-reported improvement of health.

Methodology: Our sample consisted of respondents who have used the Internet as a resource for health information (n = 710), drawn from the largest national probability-based online research panel. Our comparison subsample consisted of older respondents (age ≥ 60; n = 194). We used Internet-specific measures and employed structural equation models (SEM) to estimate the direct, indirect, and total effects of health-related use of the Internet on subjective health perceptions. Based on our review of the literature, competent health communication with healthcare providers and sense of empowerment in managing personal health were modeled as mediator variables. We assessed whether the proposed mediational relationships, if significant, differed across our indicators of positive health perceptions and whether any differential associations were observed among older adults. We run parallel models for each indicator of positive health perception.

Findings: Provider-patient communication informed by the Internet resources were perceived to impart a greater sense of empowerment to manage health among our respondents, which in turn, was associated with perceived contributions to better self-reported ability to provide self-care, increased health-related quality of life, and improvement in self-reported health. The SEM results revealed a good fit with our full sample and subsample.

Research Implications: Conceptualization of the multidimensional aspects of online health information seeking with separate multi-indicator analyses of the outcome variable is important to further our understanding of how technology may impact the pathways involved in influencing health perceptions and as a result health outcomes.

The purpose of this paper is to apply a structured approach to understand the importance of personal ecological norms in purchasing organic food. The norm‐activation‐model by Schwartz is used to predict self‐reported and observed purchase behaviour of organic milk.

The paper reports the results of a field study with 63 customers of a German supermarket. A combination of covert observation and in‐store interviews was applied to obtain reliable data on actual shopping behaviour and its predictors.

The results show that the self‐reported and the observed purchase of organic milk is predicted by personal ecological norms, social norms, and perceived behavioural control. Personal norms are activated by awareness of need, awareness of consequences, perceived behavioural control, and social norms. People with strong personal norms use “organic production”, the “EU‐BIO‐Label” and “ingredients” as additional criteria during their decision process. For people with strong ecological norms the price difference between organic and conventional milk, the lack of knowledge about organic milk, and convenience are less important constraints. Finally, people with strong personal norms react more sensitively to proposed norm‐centred interventions.

The study offers insight into the processes of motivating behaviour and can therefore be used to design intervention strategies. Suggestions are developed in the closing part of the paper.

The study applies for the first time the norm‐activation‐model to the domain of purchasing organic milk and underlines the importance of normative influences for this decision.

This study aims to test whether faculty and students who have developed the most pro-environmental values and concerns are also the most likely to reduce the on-campus waste stream. It does so by using the theory of ecological modernization.

Questionnaires were created and disseminated to a representative sample of 590 undergraduate students and faculty on one college campus. This research took place after widespread efforts were made to increase faculty and student knowledge of the college’s recycling guidelines.

Among the measures of environmental orientation (values, concern about pollution and green consumption), only environmental values were associated with claiming to know guidelines and self-reporting higher levels of recycling effort. None was associated with knowledge about local recycling guidelines.

Research on recycling programs at other campuses would help move beyond this specific case. The use of longitudinal surveys would help establish time-order.

This research makes an important contribution by measuring the impact well-intentioned people have on the waste stream. Without thorough knowledge of local recycling guidelines, even the most environmentally oriented people with the best of intentions may contribute to the waste stream by throwing away things that can be recycled and contaminating recycling bins with non-recyclable materials. The authors conclude that activist interventions are necessary to teach about campus recycling guidelines to reduce the waste produced on campus.

Academic misconduct has become an albatross on the management of higher education institutions with long-term ramification on developmental agenda of countries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between religiousness of students and examination cheating tendencies. Further, this paper explored the cheating methods, reasons for cheating and the relationship between perception of peer cheating and examination cheating propensity among students in Ghana.

A cross-sectional research design was adopted for the study using questionnaires to collect data from 355 students in a three-year higher national diploma awarding technical university in Ghana. Descriptive statistics, Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests were the main data analytical tools.

Results of the study revealed that “fear of failure” was the leading reason driving students’ examination cheating behaviours. Perception of peer cheating was related to levels of self-reported cheating whereas religious inclination of students was uncorrelated with the self-reported cheating behaviour of students.

The findings of the study provide implication for management of higher education institutions. The academic counselling unit of higher education institutions should work to dispel students’ overly sensitivity to end-of-semester examinations. Teachings of religious groups should highlight examination cheating as constituting violations of religious values and norms.

This paper is one of the pioneers of examination cheating and religiosity relationship in Ghana’s higher education settings. This study makes an additional contribution to the literature on the religiosity examination cheating nexus.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a measurement scale to assess food safety culture for use in school foodservice.

The scale was originally developed by the authors based on the previous study and a paper-based survey was carried out. Based on responses from 1,408 Japanese school food handlers, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to extract a factor structure, and the reliability (Cronbach’s α value), construct and criterion-related validity of the scale were assessed.

The scale was constructed as a 20-item food safety culture assessment with the following subscales: underestimation of risk, surrounding support, communication, facilities and equipment, and commitment. The total score on this scale moderately correlated with self-reported behaviors (r_s=0.427, p<0.01) and descriptive norms (r_s=0.472, p<0.01), but only slightly with knowledge (r_s=0.105, p<0.01). Its reliability and validity were confirmed.

This research should be replicated in large supply centers (i.e. a central kitchen). As this study relied on self-reports, further studies could examine whether the scale could be related to objective indicators for triangulation (e.g. behavioral observation, interviews).

This study helps practitioners understand food safety culture dimensions in the foodservice industry and improve food safety training and performance in school foodservice.

The focus on food safety culture in the Japanese foodservice industry identifies cultural factors that are important for school foodservice. Additionally, the relationship between food safety culture and normative factors was also clarified.

Information and communications technology (ICT) offers enormous opportunities for individuals, businesses and society. The application of ICT is equally important to economic and non-economic activities. Researchers have increasingly focused on the adoption and use of ICT by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as the economic development of a country is largely dependent on them. Following the success of ICT utilisation in SMEs in developed countries, many developing countries are looking to utilise the potential of the technology to develop SMEs. Past studies have shown that the contribution of ICT to the performance of SMEs is not clear and certain. Thus, it is crucial to determine the effectiveness of ICT in generating firm performance since this has implications for SMEs’ expenditure on the technology. This research examines the diffusion of ICT among SMEs with respect to the typical stages from innovation adoption to post-adoption, by analysing the actual usage of ICT and value creation. The mediating effects of integration and utilisation on SME performance are also studied. Grounded in the innovation diffusion literature, institutional theory and resource-based theory, this study has developed a comprehensive integrated research model focused on the research objectives. Following a positivist research paradigm, this study employs a mixed-method research approach. A preliminary conceptual framework is developed through an extensive literature review and is refined by results from an in-depth field study. During the field study, a total of 11 SME owners or decision-makers were interviewed. The recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using NVivo 10 to refine the model to develop the research hypotheses. The final research model is composed of 30 first-order and five higher-order constructs which involve both reflective and formative measures. Partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is employed to test the theoretical model with a cross-sectional data set of 282 SMEs in Bangladesh. Survey data were collected using a structured questionnaire issued to SMEs selected by applying a stratified random sampling technique. The structural equation modelling utilises a two-step procedure of data analysis. Prior to estimating the structural model, the measurement model is examined for construct validity of the study variables (i.e. convergent and discriminant validity).

The estimates show cognitive evaluation as an important antecedent for expectation which is shaped primarily by the entrepreneurs’ beliefs (perception) and also influenced by the owners’ innovativeness and culture. Culture further influences expectation. The study finds that facilitating condition, environmental pressure and country readiness are important antecedents of expectation and ICT use. The results also reveal that integration and the degree of ICT utilisation significantly affect SMEs’ performance. Surprisingly, the findings do not reveal any significant impact of ICT usage on performance which apparently suggests the possibility of the ICT productivity paradox. However, the analysis finally proves the non-existence of the paradox by demonstrating the mediating role of ICT integration and degree of utilisation explain the influence of information technology (IT) usage on firm performance which is consistent with the resource-based theory. The results suggest that the use of ICT can enhance SMEs’ performance if the technology is integrated and properly utilised. SME owners or managers, interested stakeholders and policy makers may follow the study’s outcomes and focus on ICT integration and degree of utilisation with a view to attaining superior organisational performance.

This study urges concerned business enterprises and government to look at the environmental and cultural factors with a view to achieving ICT usage success in terms of enhanced firm performance. In particular, improving organisational practices and procedures by eliminating the traditional power distance inside organisations and implementing necessary rules and regulations are important actions for managing environmental and cultural uncertainties. The application of a Bengali user interface may help to ensure the productivity of ICT use by SMEs in Bangladesh. Establishing a favourable national technology infrastructure and legal environment may contribute positively to improving the overall situation. This study also suggests some changes and modifications in the country’s existing policies and strategies. The government and policy makers should undertake mass promotional programs to disseminate information about the various uses of computers and their contribution in developing better organisational performance. Organising specialised training programs for SME capacity building may succeed in attaining the motivation for SMEs to use ICT. Ensuring easy access to the technology by providing loans, grants and subsidies is important. Various stakeholders, partners and related organisations should come forward to support government policies and priorities in order to ensure the productive use of ICT among SMEs which finally will help to foster Bangladesh’s economic development.