National Culture, Education, and Antecedent Values of Corporate Social Responsibility

This study investigated the relationship national culture has on two antecedent values of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) operationalized as concern for the environment and trust in social institutions. Random samples from World Value Surveys (WVS) for the two countries Sweden and Taiwan were utilized. Results showed antecedent values of CSR to be different for the two countries that are at opposite ends of Hofstede’s (2001) cultural value dimensions. Results also demonstrated education to have significant influences on antecedent values of CSR for the Taiwanese sample but not for the Swedish sample. Implications and direction for future research are discussed

The Impact Of Consumer Attitudes About Bioengineering On Purchase Behavior Intentions: Moderating Effects Of Innate Consumer Innovativeness And Anxiety

Biotechnology is anticipated to be the next generation of innovations and is predicted to surpass the IT revolution in terms of economic prosperity (Darby and Zucher, 2003).  But available behavioral and social research relating to biotechnology is at its infant stage.  Most studies are qualitative in nature (i.e., focus groups) and are limited to public policy issues such as awareness, knowledge, and perception of risks (Bredahl, 1999; Frewer et al., 1997; Frewer, Howard, and Shepherd, 1997). According to Bredahl, 2001, few research projects have yet to determine how consumer attitudes can be expected to influence subsequent purchase behavior intentions with genetically modified products. As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to approve more and more inventions of biotechnology (i.e., foods such as genetically engineered potatoes and rice; industrial plastic from genetically modified organisms; and life saving pharmaceuticals for diseases such as cancer, HIV, and Alzheimer’s) there is a need for research that investigates how consumer attitudes about genetically modified products influence their purchase intentions and subsequent purchase behavior.  The primary purpose of this research is to investigate how consumer attitudes about bioengineering influence their purchase behavior intentions. Second, the influence of two personal variables innate consumer innovativeness and general anxiety about bioengineering as they relate to purchase behavior intentions will be investigated.  Finally, the study also makes an attempt to determine if the relationship between attitude and behavior intentions is moderated by the two personal variables innate consumer innovativeness and general anxiety about bioengineering.  Personal variables such as these can reasonably be expected to have a differential impact on the relationship between attitude about bioengineering and purchase behavior intentions.  That is, the strength of the relationship between attitude and purchase behavior intentions is likely to be stronger for consumers that are innovative and less anxious about bioengineering than others.  The study results have implications for both researchers and promoters of bioengineering. For researchers, it should be noted that an extensive literature search was unable to find any empirical research to date that have investigated the moderating effects on the relationship between attitude about bioengineering and purchase behavior intentions.  For practitioners, the study will aid biotechnology firms in their efforts in building a more positive attitude about biotechnology in general and to identify the profile of consumers that are more likely to purchase and use products of this technology

Entanglement Entropy from a Holographic Viewpoint

The entanglement entropy has been historically studied by many authors in order to obtain quantum mechanical interpretations of the gravitational entropy. The discovery of AdS/CFT correspondence leads to the idea of holographic entanglement entropy, which is a clear solution to this important problem in gravity. In this article, we would like to give a quick survey of recent progresses on the holographic entanglement entropy. We focus on its gravitational aspects, so that it is comprehensible to those who are familiar with general relativity and basics of quantum field theory.Comment: Latex, 30 pages, invited review for Classical and Quantum Gravity, minor correction

Factors Affecting Glass Ceiling in the Sri Lanka Administrative Service

The glass ceiling represents the invisible barriers preventing women from reaching top leadership positions. In the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) there is a stark gender disparity at higher executive levels. Although women increasingly fill entry-level positions, their representation sharply declines in senior roles. This study examines factors affecting glass ceiling in the Sri Lanka Administrative Service. By employing in-depth interviews with 15 female top executive officers, data was collected and Deductive Thematic Analysis was used to analysis the data. This study identified six main barriers women face namely, political, personal, organizational, psychological, social-cultural and stereotyped barriers. These obstacles hinder women’s career advancement despite their qualifications and experience. The research offers policy measures for organizations, individuals, and society to better support the development of women in leadership. The significance of this study lies in its comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted barriers women encounter within the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS), highlighting the urgent need for systemic change in a historically male-dominated sector. By focusing on the experiences of female top executive officers, the research provides nuanced insights into how these barriers intersect and create a complex web that stifles women's career progression. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding these barriers not just in isolation but also as part of a broader societal context, thereby enriching the discourse on gender equality in leadership. Keywords: Career Advancement, Glass Ceiling, Sri Lanka Administrative Servic

Understanding the Interplay Among Regulatory Self-Efficacy, Moral Disengagement, and Academic Cheating Behaviour During Vocational Education: A Three-Wave Study

The literature has suggested that to understand the diffusion of unethical conduct in the workplace, it is important to investigate the underlying processes sustaining engagement in misbehaviour and to study what occurs during vocational education. Drawing on social-cognitive theory, in this study, we longitudinally examined the role of two opposite dimensions of the self-regulatory moral system, regulatory self-efficacy and moral disengagement, in influencing academic cheating behaviour. In addition, in line with the theories highlighting the bidirectional relationship between cognitive processes and behaviour, we aimed to also examine the reciprocal influence of behaviour on these dimensions over time. Overall, no previous studies have examined the longitudinal interplay between these variables. The sample included 866 (62.8% female) nursing students who were assessed three times annually from the beginning of their vocational education. The findings from a cross-lagged model confirmed that regulatory self-efficacy and moral disengagement have opposite influences on cheating behaviour, that regulatory self-efficacy negatively influences not only the engagement in misconduct but also the justification mechanisms that allow the divorce between moral standards and action, and that moral disengagement and cheating behaviour reciprocally support each other over time. Specifically, not only did moral disengagement influence cheating behaviour even when controlling for its prior levels, but also cheating behaviour affected moral disengagement one year later, controlling for its prior levels. These findings suggest that recourse to wrongdoing could gradually lead to further normalising this kind of behaviour and morally desensitising individuals to misconduct

Angular reconstruction of high energy air showers using the radio signal spectrum

The Hellenic Open University extensive air shower array (also known as Astroneu array) is a small scale hybrid detection system operating in an area with high levels of electromagnetic noise from anthropogenic activity. In the present study we report the latest results of the data analysis concerning the estimation of the shower direction using the spectrum of the RF system. In a recent layout of the array, 4 RF antennas were operating receiving a common trigger from an autonomous detection station of 3 particle detectors. The directions estimated with the RF system are in very good agreement with the corresponding estimations using the particle detectors demonstrating that a single antenna has the potential for reconstructing the shower axis angular direction

Exocrine pancreas function is impaired in adult relatives of patients with type 1 diabetes

Aims: Alterations of the exocrine pancreas have been reported in type 1 diabetes, but their contribution to the pathogenesis of the disease is poorly understood. Here, we investigated markers of exocrine pancreas dysfunction in individuals at-risk of developing type 1 diabetes. Methods: Serum P-amylase and lipase levels were assessed in samples obtained from healthy controls, patients with new onset type 1 diabetes, relatives participating to the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention who were, at blood collection, autoantibody negative or positive for a single autoantibody (low-risk individuals), and positive for multiple autoantibodies (high-risk individuals). Linear mixed models were adopted to estimate variation of pancreatic enzymes among the groups and to evaluate the influence of high-risk HLA genotypes and residual beta cell function on exocrine pancreas function. Results: In adults, but not children, reduced levels of P-amylase and lipase were shown in at-risk individuals, including (for P-amylase levels only) those at low-risk, and in T1Dnew. Furthermore, while high-risk HLA genotypes negatively affected P-amylase levels in autoantibody negative adult individuals, fasting C-peptide levels did not correlate with pancreatic enzyme levels. Conclusions: Exocrine pancreas dysfunction precedes the onset of type 1 diabetes in adult at-risk individuals and may be unrelated to fasting C-peptide levels