Cognitive foundations of impartial punitive decision making in organizations: attribution and abstraction

Partial decision making about disciplinary responses to misbehavior is generally considered unfair and undermines the effectiveness of punishment. Nonetheless, organizational actors often struggle to remain impartial in situations that call for punishment. Impartiality appears specifically hard to obtain when some element of the transgression reflects badly upon the punisher themselves, for instance, when in the past the punisher has benefited from the misbehavior, even if just derivatively. In this paper, we argue that in such cases, punishers tend to defensively attribute causes of the transgression to the circumstances in order to protect their own self‐image, thus leading them to relatively lenient punishments. However, we also suggest that psychological impartiality can be obtained through cognitive abstraction. An abstract understanding (high‐level construal) of the punitive situation puts the focus squarely on the gist of the situation and makes circumstantial details less likely to be cognitively available. This hinders defensive circumstantial attribution. We show in a field study and an experiment that partiality in making decisions about punishments occurs under conditions of low‐level (i.e., concrete) construal, whereas impartiality is facilitated by high‐level (i.e., abstract) construal

Interplay of hydrogen bonding and other molecular interactions in determining the crystal packing of a series of anti-[beta]-ketoarylhydrazones

Publisher's version/PDFThe crystal structures of six anti-[beta]-ketoarylhydrazones are reported: (a1) (E)-2-(4-cyanophenylhydrazono)-3- oxobutanenitrile; (a2) (E)-2-(4-methylphenylhydrazono)-3-oxobutanenitrile; (a3) (E)-2-(4-acetylphenylhydrazono)-3-oxobutanenitrile; (a4) (E)-2-(2-methoxyphenylhydrazono)-3-oxobutanenitrile; (a5) (E)-2-(2-acetylphenylhydrazono)-3-oxobutanenitrile; (a6) (E)-2-(2-nitrophenylhydrazono)-3-oxobutanenitrile. All compounds contain the [pi]-conjugated heterodienic group HN--N==C--C==O and could form, at least in principle, chains of intermolecular N--H...O hydrogen bonds assisted by resonance (RAHB-inter). Compounds (a1) and (a2) form this kind of hydrogen bond though with rather long N...O distances of 2.948 (3) and 2.980 (2) [Angstrom], and compound (a6) undergoes the same interaction but even more weakened [N...O 3.150 (1) [Angstrom]] by the intramolecular bifurcation of the hydrogen bond donated by the N--H group. The intrinsic weakness of the intermolecular RAHB makes possible the setting up of alternative packing arrangements that are controlled by an antiparallel dipole-dipole (DD) interaction between two C==O groups of the [beta]-ketohydrazone moiety [compounds (a4) and (a5)]. The critical factors that cause the switching between the different packings turn out to be the presence of hydrogen bonding accepting substituents on the phenyl and, most frequently, the intramolecular N--H...O bond with the O atom of the phenyl o-substituent. The crystal packing is widely determined by RAHB-inter (three cases) or DD (two cases) interactions. Only compound (a3) displays a different packing arrangement, where the DD interaction is complemented by a non-resonant hydrogen bond between a p-acetyl phenyl substituent and the hydrazone N--H group [N...O 2.907 (2) [Angstrom]]. Crystal densities range from 1.24 to 1.44 Mg m[superscript -3] and are shown to increase with the number of intermolecular hydrogen bonds and other non-van der Waals interactions

"Sketches of landscapes": On philosophical poems

Abstract: Is it possible to do philosophy by writing lyric poems-or reading them? How can a poem be genuinely philosophical, and can a philosophical poem do something that straightforward philosophical writing cannot do? Some have suggested that poems and philosophical writings have different aims and are subject to different and conflicting demands, which would render it difficult if not impossible to write a successful philosophical poem. I suggest that while this is true with respect to the aims of the standard academic philosophical journal essay, there is a different way of doing philosophical work-one that pays close attention to actual thought processes and that dramatizes the interplay of ideas-that lyric poetry is quite well suited to take on. Such work may be significant not only in helping us better understand human consciousness, but in letting us grasp insights and aspects of our experience of the world which the philosophical demand for simple, unified theories might otherwise tempt us to minimize or ignore altogether

The Psychology of Exclusivity

Friendship and romantic love are, by their very nature, exclusive relationships. This paper sug- gests that we can better understand the nature of the exclusivity in question by understanding what is wrong with the view of practical reasoning I call the Comprehensive Surveyor View. The CSV claims that practical reasoning, in order to be rational, must be a process of choosing the best available alternative from a perspective that is as detached and objective as possible. But this view, while it means to be neutral between various value-bearers, in fact incorporates a bias against those value-bearers that can only be appreciated from a perspective that is not deta- ched—that can only be appreciated, for instance, by agents who bear long-term commitments to the values in question. In the realm of personal relationships, such commitments tend to give rise to the sort of exclusivity that characterizes friendship and romantic love; they prevent the agent from being impartial between her beloved’s needs, interests, etc., and those of other per- sons. In such contexts, I suggest, needs and claims of other persons may be silenced in much the way that, as John McDowell has suggested, the temptations of immorality are silenced for the virtuous agent

The development of a programming plan for the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex: an internship placement with the Commonwealth Sport Development Program, Barbados, West Indies

In October 1990, sod was broken at the Wildey Complex, to commemorate the start of construction on the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex, a 4000 seat indoor multipurpose sporting facility. The Complex which was built through funds received from a loan agreement between the Government of Barbados and the Peoples Republic of China, commenced operation in November 1992. -- Since its inception the Complex; originally deemed a sporting facility, has been used predominately for cultural and special events. For numerous reasons, sporting groups throughout Barbados have been unable to obtain use of the sporting facility to operate their programs and activities. In addition, there is an underlying opinion within the Ministry of Sport and the Management and Staff of the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex that the facility is extremely underutilized and in need of a distinct programming plan. -- The following report is the result of a four month internship placement at the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex. The scope of the placement involved three fundamental tasks. Initially, an examination of the factors contributing to the construction of the facility and the current state of programs, activities, and special events, was conducted. Upon examination of the current state, a desirable future, detailing proposed programs and activities for increasing the overall use of the facility was developed. Two major objectives upon which the proposed programs were based involved; developing youth sport, and promoting Barbados as a primary tourist attraction for sports. Additional factors that played a significant role when developing the proposed plan were: increasing the overall use and revenue earning potential of the facility, attracting a large user population, and finally, the need to instill and promote the benefits of sport and physical activity to the people of Barbados. -- The final component of the report, involved a series of recommendations and action statements aimed at bridging the gap between the existing state and the desirable future. It was recommended that a complete revision of the current organizational structure of the gymnasium take place, including the establishment of a Board of Management to oversee the daily operation of the facility. Other recommendations involved a revision of the current rental fees, improved access for sporting groups, training for Management and Supervisors, cooperation and support between the bodies responsible for sport, and promotion of the values and benefits of sport

Reversing a Dangerous Trend: Reducing the Risk of HIV Transmission Among MSM in Vancouver

This study considers policy alternatives aimed at reducing sexual risk-taking among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vancouver. Using both quantitative data and qualitative research, the study identifies factors that influence sexual risk-taking and the relevant policy instruments for intervention. Using data collected in the 2007 Sex Now Survey, a statistical analysis demonstrates that MSM under 30, those with more than five sexual partners and those who believe that antiretroviral treatment has made sex less worrisome have a higher probability of risk-taking, on average. Epidemic knowledge is found to decrease the probability of risktaking, on average. Findings are used to determine the effectiveness of four policy alternatives, which are then ranked according to cost, equity and ease of implementation. Policy recommendations include: (i) the creation of a Research and Health Promotion Centre and (ii) the formation of an inter-agency working group

“Sketches of landscapes”: On philosophical poems

Is it possible to do philosophy by writing lyric poems—or reading them? How can a poem be genuinely philosophical, and can a philosophical poem do something that straightforward philosophical writing cannot do? Some have suggested that poems and philosophical writings have different aims and are subject to different and conflicting demands, which would render it difficult if not impossible to write a successful philosophical poem. I suggest that while this is true with respect to the aims of the standard academic philosophical journal essay, there is a different way of doing philosophical work—one that pays close attention to actual thought processes and that dramatizes the interplay of ideas—that lyric poetry is quite well suited to take on. Such work may be significant not only in helping us better understand human consciousness, but in letting us grasp insights and aspects of our experience of the world which the philosophical demand for simple, unified theories might otherwise tempt us to minimize or ignore altogether