The relationship between responsible leadership and individual work behaviors: The mediating role of affective commitment

Aims: Recent scandals within the organizational world have bring to light ethical lapses which have discredit organizations, namely in the way they operate in the market, in the type of leaders they have, leading to a strain in the relationship and trust of their stakeholders (Voegtlin et al., 2012; Waldman & Siegel, 2008). With this in mind, a new type of leadership has been called to respond to the challenges organizations are facing - responsible leadership. This leadership type has been related to different consequents (Miska & Mendenhall, 2018), including employees’ attitudes and behaviors at work (Haque et al., 2017; Voegtlin, 2011). Focusing in this relevant stakeholder group, this study aims to further analyze the relationship between responsible leadership and individual behaviors at work (individual performance and organizational citizenship behaviors) and whether employees’ affective commitment to the organization mediates the former relationship. Methodology / Approach: In order to empirically analyze the research model, a quantitative correlational approach was used. The data were collected through an online survey. 298 Portuguese employees from different organizations have answered, voluntarily and anonymously, to the survey. This included previously validated measures selected from the relevant literature (e.g. Voegtlin, 2011) and socio-professional questions. Conclusions / Results: The data were analyzed using PROCESS macro for IBM SPSS 26. The results indicated that there is significant direct relationship between employees’ perceptions of responsible leadership and their individual behaviors. In addition, affective commitment significantly mediates the relationship between responsible leadership and individual work behaviors, both individual performance and organizational citizenship behaviors. Therefore, the findings, suggest that responsible leaders promote employee’s affective bond to the organization, which reinforces individual performance and organizational citizenship behaviors. Research implications: By having responsible leadership, organizations will be able to increase their employee’s affective commitment, and consequently, increase their individual performance and organizational citizenship behaviors. These behaviors are important to improve overall company’s performance and organizational success. Originality: In this investigation, an employee-centered approach to their perspective on responsible leadership and how it influences their affective commitment and their individual work behaviors was used. With this approach, the study has answered to calls for further analysis of responsible leadership’s consequents at the individual level of analysis (Haque et al., 2017; Miska & Mendenhall, 2018).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gastronomic experience and consumer behavior: Analyzing the influence on destination image

Gastronomy experiences are becoming a fundamental factor that influences the making of a decision regarding choosing a travel destination, as well as being a crucial factor in shaping tourists’ satisfaction regarding their overall travel experience. The aim of the study is to identify and explain the simultaneous impact of the key factors that influence a gastronomic experience and their impact on tourists’ satisfaction with a trip and the destination’s brand. These issues were addressed within the context of Ukraine, as this is an overlooked area of academic research, and an online survey was conducted, targeting domestic and international tourists. Structural equation modeling was used to assess and reveal the proposed hypotheses in the model. The study contributed to the theoretical understanding of the key factors that increases the occurrence of a memorable gastronomic experience and the relationship between the experience of food and its role in the satisfaction of and the perceived brand of a destination. Moreover, the finding showed that past experience and prior knowledge have a positive influence on the gastronomy experience, while tourists’ prior knowledge effects the perceived quality of a destination’s cuisine, as well as the food activities in the destination. Linkages in the model were empirically supported by statistical analyses. Nonetheless, the various level of the tourists’ involvement with gastronomy might be used as an input to examine and improve the memorable gastronomic experience on-site. The research simultaneously highlighted the importance of gastronomy to tourist destinations for positioning on international and domestic markets. The paper not only provides theoretical but also practical implications. The hospitality and tourism businesses benefit from acknowledging the importance of local food and the local food market. The findings of this study are also deemed to assist destination marketers who observe that tourists have become more demanding in search of unique experiences offered by destinations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Adnexal Torsion

Adnexal torsion is a rare event whose diagnosis requires a high degree of suspicion since its presentation is clinical and laboratory nonspecific. Ultrasound constitute the first-line exam in the imaging evaluation and timely surgical treatment, with detorsion, is mandatory to allow the preservation of the structures involved. The effectiveness of preventive measures of recurrence is yet to be determined. In this paper, in addition to a literature review, the authors present a new imaging finding and propose a flowchart for therapeutic decision

The relationship between responsible leadership and individual performance: Affective commitment and individual creativity as sequential mediators

In the last decade, responsible leadership (RL) has been gaining more interest in terms of research and practice. However, empirical evidence on its impacts on organizational and individual outcomes needs to be further explored (Haque et al., 2018, 2021; Waldman et al., 2020). RL is described as a way to build and maintain positive relationships with the organization's internal and external stakeholders, as well as responsibly coordinate actions to achieve a shared and meaningful business vision that contributes to sustainable value creation. and positive changes (Maak & Pless, 2006). As such, its potential positive outcomes from different stakeholders’ perspectives are diverse. In what concerns employees, previous research found a direct and significant relationship between RL and individual performance (Lin et al., 2020; Simões & Duarte, 2021). That is, the adoption of a responsible leadership style seems to foster better individual performance. However, is not clear how the relationship is established and the cited authors pointed out the necessity to explore possible mediating and moderating variables. Addressing this research gap, the current study explores the potential intervention of affective commitment and individual creativity as sequential mediators. Haque et al. (2018, 2021), Mousa (2017), and Simões and Duarte (2021) found a positive relationship between RL and affective commitment. Furthermore, Castro-González et al (2019) and Simões et al. (2021), also found a positive significant relationship between RL and individual creativity. The relationship between affective commitment and individual creativity has also been established (Leung & Lin, 2022; Ribeiro et al., 2020). Thus, affective commitment and individual creativity could emerge as potential psychological mechanisms that help explain the direct relationship between RL and individual performance. A quantitative correlational study based on an electronic survey was conducted, collecting data from 260 employees from different organizations, through a non-probabilistic convenience sample. The questionnaire was based on self-report instruments developed to measure RL, affective commitment, individual creativity, and individual performance. All instruments revealed adequate reliability, as well as convergent and discriminant validity in the present sample. The results from multiple regression analysis using PROCESS macro for SPSS indicated a positive and significant relationship between RL and individual performance. The indirect effect of affective commitment on the relationship between RL and individual performance was also significant, but the same did not happen with the indirect effect of individual creativity. Regarding the third indirect effect of the sequential effect of affective commitment and individual creativity at work on the relationship between RL and individual performance, it was positive and statistically significant. This indicates that RL contributes to strengthening the employee's affective commitment to the organization, which increases individual creativity at work, which, in turn, reinforces his/her individual performance at work. The model explains 32% of the variation in individual performance. This means that both affective commitment and creativity, when combined, can help explain the relationship between the main variables of the model, indicating that the individuals' affective bond with the organization and their individual creativity are important variables that need to be considered by a responsible leader in order to influence desired results of their employees, such as improved individual performance. As for the originality of this study, the literature had already found some evidence of the links between the variables in this research model but combining them on a sequential mediation offers a new perspective on the psychosocial process whereby the relationships between constructs are established. In sum, this research suggests that RL can have a positive impact on the individual and, later, on an organizational level. Responsible leader presents themselves as a leader that can better communicate with their employees, build trusting relationships as well as integrate them into the decision-making process. These characteristics can then contribute to employees’ better work experiences, fostering their affective bond to the organization, their tendency to provide more useful and new ideas regarding work processes and results, and, thereby, improve their individual work performance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparison of solar radio and EUV synoptic limb charts during the present solar maximum

The present solar cycle is particular in many aspects: it had a delayed rising phase, it is the weakest of the last 100 years, and it presents two peaks separated by more than one year. To understand the impact of these characteristics on the solar chromosphere and coronal dynamics, images from a wide wavelength range are needed. In this work we use the 17~GHz radio continuum, formed in the upper chromosphere and the EUV lines 304 and 171~{\AA}, that come from the transition region (He II) and the corona (Fe IX, X), respectively. We analyze daily images at 304 and 171~{\AA} obtained by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). The 17~GHz maps were obtained by the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH). To construct synoptic limb charts, we calculated the mean emission of delimited limb areas with 100" wide and angular separation of $5^\circ$. At the equatorial region, the results show an hemispheric asymmetry of the solar activity. The northern hemisphere dominance is coincident with the first sunspot number peak, whereas the second peak occurs concurrently with the increase in the activity at the south. The polar emission reflects the presence of coronal holes at both EUV wavelengths, moreover, the 17~GHz polar brightenings can be associated with the coronal holes. Until 2013, both EUV coronal holes and radio polar brightenings were more predominant at the south pole. Since then they have not been apparent in the north, but thus appear in the beginning of 2015 in the south as observed in the synoptic charts. This work strengthens the association between coronal holes and the 17~GHz polar brightenings as it is evident in the synoptic limb charts, in agreement with previous case study papers. The enhancement of the radio brightness in coronal holes is explained by the presence of bright patches closely associated with the presence of intense unipolar magnetic fields.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. Acccepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Dirac and Majorana heavy neutrinos at LEP II

The possibility of detecting single heavy Dirac and Majorana neutrinos at LEP II is investigated for heavy neutrino masses in the range $M_N=(\sqrt s/2, \sqrt s)$. We study the process $e^+e^- \longrightarrow \nu_{\ell} \ell q_i \bar q_j$ as a clear signature for heavy neutrinos. Numerical estimates for cross sections and distributions for the signal and the background are calculated and a Monte Carlo reconstruction of final state particles after hadronization is presented.Comment: 4 pages, 8 figure

Design of micro- and nanostructures from β-lactoglobulin under selected environmental conditions

The 19th Gums & Stabilisers for the Food Industry Conference: Hydrocolloid multifunctionalityBovine -lactoglobulin (-Lg) is a globular protein and the major component of whey proteins (ca. 50 % of its protein content). Besides the high nutritional value, the biological properties and resistance to proteolytic degradation in the stomach, its gelation capacity is particularly important allowing the formation of bio-based micro- and nanostructures (e.g. particles and hydrogels). -Lg when heated above a critical temperature (i.e. denaturation temperature: 76 ºC) undergoes conformational changes followed by subsequent protein-protein interactions. The order and rates of aggregation is highly dependent on the temperature, pH and protein concentration and can result in the formation of micro- and nanostructures with different properties and morphologies. The understanding of the kinetics of aggregation and of the combined effect of such environmental conditions is essential to design protein structures with the desired functionalities and applications. The objective of the present work was to understand the heat-induced aggregation of -Lg, affected by combined environmental conditions (various pH, heating temperature and protein concentrations) that lead to the formation of -Lg food-grade micro- and nanostructures. In this study, -Lg at various concentration (5, 10 and 15 mg·mL-1) was solubilized in 25 mM of sodium phosphate buffer at different pH values (3, 4, 6 and 7) and heated at different temperatures (60, 70 and 80 ºC) below and above the denaturation temperature of -Lg. Afterwards, the effect of aforementioned conditions on the -Lg micro- and nanostructures formation was evaluated in terms of their particle size and polydispersity index (PDI) by dynamic light scattering. -Lg nanostructures showed particle sizes below 50 nm when formed at pH 3 and 7 for -Lg concentrations of 5, 10 and 15 mg·mL-1 and heating temperatures of 60, 70 and 80 ºC, however displayed high PDI values ( 0.5). When the temperature of heating increased above the denaturation temperature of -Lg (i.e. 80 °C), the PDI values of the structures at pH 6 showed the lowest values ( 0.2), independent of the -Lg concentration used. At pH 4, it was possible to obtain structures at microscale (i.e. 3 µm) independent of the -Lg concentration and heating temperature of 70 and 80 °C. At this pH, which is relatively close to the isoelectric point of -Lg (i.e. 5.2), the net charge of proteins is ca. zero, so the protein structures tend to aggregate, thus showing higher size values. Therefore, protein aggregation mechanisms appear to be controlled by the environmental conditions applied; therefore, an understanding of the quantitative effect of these conditions is crucial for rational design of protein structures at micro or nanoscale with tailor-made functionalities.SFRH/BPD/80766/2011, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq,Brasil) and to the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT,Portugal), respectively. This study was supported by FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte 2020-Programa Operacional Regional do Norteinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio