Please Mind the Stress: The Influence of Technostress on Mindset-Driven Sustainable Consumption in an Online Shopping Context

Though reportedly aware, the importance of sustainability is not reflected in consumers’ consumption behavior. Existing research excludes both the concept of mindset as a driver for sustainable consumption and the diminishing effect of stress on this relationship. We close this gap by examining how a growth mindset indirectly affects consumers’ sustainable purchase decisions, mediated by the preference for sustainable products, and the influence of technostress in an experimental online shopping scenario. Results based on 121 participants show a positive indirect effect of growth mindset on consumers’ sustainable product choice, mediated by their general preference for sustainable products, while technostress has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between preference for and choice of sustainable products. Our study contributes to the e-commerce and consumer psychology literature and extends research by showing how external influences disrupt the purchase decision of consumers who are usually inclined towards purchasing sustainable products under non-invasive conditions

Coping with IT! Antecedents and Consequences of Technostress in E-Commerce

Technostress represents a high risk for e-commerce operators as consumers perceiving technostress are likely to leave online stores without making a purchase. However, research on technostress mechanisms in e-commerce is scarce. Conducting an online between-subjects experiment, we aim to address these research gaps by providing insights on when technostress arises in an e-commerce context, which coping strategies consumers apply when perceiving technostress and how this affects their behavior: We empirically investigate which technology-induced stressors create technostress in an online store and how they affect purchase intention. Our moderated mediation analysis based on 160 respondents reveals a negative indirect effect of technostress on consumers’ purchasing intention, mediated by consumers’ perception of website quality, website trust, and choice of coping strategy. Thereby, we contribute to technostress, coping and e-commerce literature and extend research by presenting empirically validated technology-induced stressors together with insights into the mechanism of a transactional technostress-model in the context of e-commerce

Segmented Europeanization: the transnationalization of public spheres in Europe ; trends and patterns / Michael Brüggemann; Stefanie Sifft; Katharina Kleinen

The existence of a European public sphere, a public network of exchange of opinions and ideas on political issues, has come to be seen as a prerequisite for the democratic legitimacy of the European Union. The paper conceptualizes the Europeanization of the national public spheres as a gradual process that may occur on four different dimensions: 1. monitoring governance, 2. mutual observation, 3. discursive exchange, and 4. collective identification with Europe. It then presents the results of our empirical research on the transnationalization of public spheres in Europe: What is the prevailing pattern of Europeanization that can be observed in different countries of the EU? We have conducted a quantitative content analysis of the political discourses in quality newspapers of five EU member states (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain) over a period of twenty years. According to our analysis of more than 3,000 articles the main pattern of transnationalization to be found in all countries is segmented Europeanization: Within each public sphere we find more and more talk about European institutions and policies but there is no indication of an increase in the debate in between the national public spheres. In addition, we find weak indications of a gradually developing European we-perspective. --

3D Gel Map of Arabidopsis Complex I

Complex I has a unique structure in plants and includes extra subunits. Here, we present a novel study to define its protein constituents. Mitochondria were isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana cell cultures, leaves, and roots. Subunits of complex I were resolved by 3D blue-native (BN)/SDS/SDS-PAGE and identified by mass spectrometry. Overall, 55 distinct proteins were found, seven of which occur in pairs of isoforms. We present evidence that Arabidopsis complex I consists of 49 distinct types of subunits, 40 of which represent homologs of bovine complex I. The nine other subunits represent special proteins absent in the animal linage of eukaryotes, most prominently a group of subunits related to bacterial gamma-type carbonic anhydrases. A GelMap http://www.gelmap.de/arabidopsis-3d-complex-i/ is presented for promoting future complex I research in Arabidopsis thaliana.DF

Flüssigprozessierung von Multischicht-OLEDs aus kleinen Molekülen

Organischen Licht emittierende Dioden bestehen aus mehreren nanometerdünnen Schichten organischer Moleküle und könnten zukünftig statt durch Vakuumabscheidung in einem kostengünstigen Flüssigphasenprozess hergestellt werden. Gegenstand dieser Arbeit sind theoretische und praktische verfahrenstechnische Untersuchungen der Prozessparameter für die Beschichtung und Trocknung sublimierbarer kleiner Moleküle sowie der Einflussgrößen auf die Trennung der einzelnen Schichten in Mehrschichtsystemen

On the rise: Climate change in New Zealand will cause sperm and blue whales to seek higher latitudes

Climate impacts affect marine ecosystems worldwide with island nations such as New Zealand being extremely vulnerable because of their socio-economic and cultural dependence on the marine and costal environment. Cetaceans are ideal indicator species of ecosystem change and ocean health given their extended life span and cosmopolitan distribution, but limited data availability prevents anticipating change in distribution under future climate changes. We projected the range shifts of a key odontocete and mysticete species (Physeter macrocephalus and Balaenoptera musculus) in 2100 relative to present day in New Zealand waters, using an ensemble modelling approach, under three climate change scenarios of different severity. The results show a latitudinal shift in suitable habitat for both whale species, increasing in magnitude with severity of sea surface temperature warming. The most severe climate change scenario tested generated 56% and 42% loss and decrease of currently suitable habitat for sperm and blue whales, respectively, mostly in New Zealand’s northern waters. These predicted changes will have a strong impact on the ecosystem functioning and services in New Zealand’s northern waters but also in coastal areas (critical for the species’ foraging and survival). Not only do these simulated range shifts help to identify future potential climate refugia to mitigate a global warming, they also generate a range of socioeconomic consequences for island nations relying on wildlife tourism, industry, and environmental protection

Investment and Adaptation as Commitment Devices in Climate Politics

It is well established that adaptation and technological investment in each case may serve as a commitment device in international climate politics. This paper for the first time analyzes the combined impact of these two strategic variables on global mitigation within a noncooperative framework where countries either decide on mitigation before or after adaptation. By investment, which is assumed to be made in the first place due to its considerable lead time, countries commit to lower national contributions to the global public good of mitigation. We find that the sequencing of adaptation before mitigation reinforces this strategic effect of technological investments at least for sufficiently similar countries. As a consequence, the subgame-perfect equilibrium yields a globally lower level of mitigation and higher global costs of climate change when adaptation is decided before mitigation. Besides this theoretical contribution, the paper proposes some strategies to combat the unfortunate rush to adaptation which can be currently observed in climate politics