Search Results (73)

The atrocities of World War II were pivotal to the launch of the human rights project, which became anchored on the recognition of the inherent dignity of all humans and formed a cornerstone justifying the ascription of rights. Indeed, it became essential to recognise education as a human right given the emergent need to promote the use of reason, having recognised humans as people imbued with inherent dignity. This paper explores the right to education in international human rights law (IHRL) from the perspective of its purpose, and uses IHRL as its starting point. It argues that the ascription of inherent dignity to everyone justifies access to education and investigates the nexus between dignity and education, arguing that access to education is a sine qua non to expanding the inherent dignity of all humans. Thus, it argues that the recognition of dignity requires that all children must be provided with equal access to education to stimulate the use of reason. Full article

The main objective of this study was to investigate European consumers’ intentions to purchase cosmetics and detergents with green ingredients made from recycled CO₂. Aiming to better understand both moral and practical criteria of consumers’ intentions, a combination of the Values-Beliefs-Norms and the Theory of Planned Behaviour models served as the basis of this study’s theoretical framework. The combination was extended with risk perception about global warming, scepticism and media influence. Online interviews were conducted with stratified samples based on gender and age distributions in France, Germany, Greece and Spain. Structural equation modelling and moderation analyses were employed to analyse the data. The results indicated that consumption intentions are generated by consumers’ biospheric values and a sequence of risk perception, awareness of consequences, and ascription of responsibility while they are directly determined (in declining order) by perceived behavioural control, personal norms, attitudes and subjective norms. Subjective norms indicated additional indirect impacts on consumption intentions through personal norms and ascription of responsibility. Moderation also indicated that the relationship between perceived behavioural control and consumption intentions is stronger in consumers, who are less sceptical towards ecological claims on packaging, while the relationship between personal norms and consumption intentions is stronger in consumers, who are less influenced by advertisements. Theoretical, managerial and social implications were derived from the results. Full article

One question that arises in connection with Ockhamism, and that perhaps has not yet received the attention it deserves, is how a coherent formal account of truth ascriptions can be provided by using a suitable truth predicate in the object language. We address this question and show its implications for some semantic issues that have been discussed in the literature on future contingents. Arguably, understanding how truth ascriptions work at the formal level helps to gain a deeper insight into Ockhamism itself. Full article

Food waste poses a substantial global challenge, with intricate environmental, economic, and ethical ramifications. This study examines household food waste behaviors, emphasizing the interplay of personal responsibility, awareness of consequences, personal norms, and systemic barriers. Employing a thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 60 households across Hungary’s Central and Western Transdanubian regions, this research explores factors influencing waste-reduction strategies across the pre-, mid-, and post-consumption phases. The thematic analysis of the interview data yielded key themes, including ascription of responsibility (AR), awareness of consequences (AC), personal norms (PN), demographic characteristics (DC), behavioral intentions (FWBI), and barriers (B). Participants identified barriers to waste reduction, such as impulse buying, poor storage practices, and limited knowledge of food rescue initiatives. Incorporating these barriers as a core variable deepens the understanding of systemic challenges, while stage-specific analysis illuminates the evolution of waste-reduction behaviors. These insights will inform targeted interventions, such as community programs, educational campaigns, and technology-driven solutions, including food rescue apps, to foster sustainable consumption. This study’s integration of behavioral theories with actionable strategies provides valuable guidance for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to reduce household food waste on a global scale. Full article

Sustainable consumer behavior encompasses any action that benefits both the environment and society. Recycling is a prime example of such behavior. However, there is a lack of research examining the connection between knowledge about recycling and recycling behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with consumer recycling behavior under the guidance of an extended theory of planned behavior with an emphasis on the role of recycling knowledge. Using data collected from a national online survey in the U.S., results from the structural equation modeling showed that ascription of responsibility to others is negatively associated with recycling behavior, while behavior skill is positively associated with it. Also, both subjective and objective knowledge measures are positively associated with recycling behavior. In addition, subjective recycling knowledge moderates the relationships between attitude and recycling behavior. Full article

Social representations theory (SRT) refers to an approach within social psychology focusing on systems of beliefs, concepts, and values that establish social order and allow for individuals and groups to identify and understand themselves vis-à-vis others. It involves the ascription of meaning to phenomena so that the unfamiliar is made familiar, and new concepts are integrated into existing worldviews in an ongoing process of constructing and interpreting social realities. This approach has not yet been applied to any biblical texts, and this article will explore how such an application would prove fruitful for understanding the processes of identification and community formation in early Christian groups, with a specific focus on Ephesians. This study will focus on how the concepts of reconciled differences (Eph 2.11–22) and of the “new self” (Eph 4.17–32) are communicated to the readers. Analyzing these concepts through SRT will elucidate how the author advocates for certain beliefs, concepts, and values as part of the community members’ process of aligning themselves with their newly created self. Reading Ephesians through SRT can better elucidate how the text reflects its enigmatic community, which was being formed and reformed through identification, division, and re-identification in the tumultuous second half of the first century. Full article

The objective of this study was to identify the determinants of personal norm and to measure the effect of personal norm on green purchasing behavior as well as a possible mediating role of consumer LOHAS orientation in the effect of personal norm on green purchasing behavior in the hospitality context. A field study was designed to measure the hypothesized effects, and 418 consumers who regularly purchase summer holidays in hotels were included in the survey. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed in order to test the proposed hypotheses. The results confirm that social norm, the ascription of responsibility, and the attitude towards green purchasing behavior are the determinants of personal norm. Personal norm is found to affect both the green purchasing behavior and the LOHAS orientation of consumers. The results of the study also confirmed that LOHAS orientation does not mediate the effect of personal norm on green purchasing behavior due to the dominance of personal norm’s effect on LOHAS orientation. Academic as well as managerial implications are provided in the Discussion. The Conclusion provides the most important academic and practical contributions of the study, limitations related to the generalizability of the findings, and recommendations for future studies. Full article

While numerous studies have investigated the factors associated with autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs), there remains a paucity of research concerning consumers’ intentions to utilize these technologies. Prior research has predominantly concentrated on the effects of individual variables on outcomes, often neglecting the synergistic influence of various factors on consumer intention. This study seeks to examine the collective impact of pro-environmental motives (including awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility), normative motives (such as subjective norms and personal norms), risk factors (COVID-19 risk and delivery risk), and individual characteristics (including trust in technology and innovation) on consumers’ intentions to adopt ADVs. Employing a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), this research analyzed data from 561 Chinese consumers collected via an online platform. The results yielded six distinct solutions, indicating that multiple combinations of antecedent factors could lead to a higher intention to adopt compared to any singular factor. These findings offer significant theoretical and practical implications for the effective implementation of ADVs in the last-mile delivery sector. Full article

The increasingly popular minimalist consumption concept makes more people reflect on the harm of excessive consumption behavior to sustainability. In particular, the phenomenon of excessive apparel consumption is more obvious, resulting in the waste of resources and environmental pollution. In China, more and more bloggers publicize the life change and spiritual decompression brought by a minimalist lifestyle on the Internet. However, whether this guidance could have an impact on consumers’ rational consumption intention and its driving path are still unknown. This study explored the role of bloggers’ minimalist consumption guidance in influencing residents’ intention to reduce excessive apparel consumption in Web 2.0. Considering the bloggers’ guidance on reshaping the self-awareness of members in virtual communities, a comprehensive model is constructed, including bloggers’ attractiveness, bloggers’ minimalist consumption guidance, community belonging perception, (self-monitoring) self-efficacy perception, and (self-worth) ascription of environmental responsibility. Data were collected through questionnaires and the analysis results indicate that there is no significant relationship between bloggers’ minimalist consumption guidance and the intention to reduce excessive apparel consumption. This non-coercive media campaign does not directly affect residents’ behavior, but indirectly increases consumers’ intention to consume apparel rationally by acting on community belonging perception, self-efficacy perception, and ascription of environmental responsibility. In the Internet age, this study not only provides suggestions for guiding residents to consume apparel rationally in China, but also possibly serves as an inspiration for related research in other emerging economies. Full article

Understanding the factors that drive consumers to purchase electric vehicles (EVs) is critical to achieving decarbonization of China’s transportation sector, as well as mitigating global warming. This study aims to construct a research model based on altruistic and self-interested perspectives by integrating the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Norm Activation Model (NAM) to predict the psychological factors that influence Chinese consumers’ intention to purchase EVs. Data were collected from 867 participants in China and empirically tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Self-interested factors, namely subjective norms, attitudes and perceived behavioural control, all had a significant positive effect on EV purchase intention. Additionally, the results showed that personal norms had the greatest effect on EV purchase intention. It was also found that awareness of consequence, ascription of responsibility and subjective norms were positive predictors of personal norms. Awareness of consequence had a positive effect on both the ascription of responsibility and attitudes. The findings contribute to understanding the psychological drivers of Chinese consumers’ intention to purchase EVs and can provide decision-making references for policy makers and manufacturers. Full article

Caste has been a contentious subject in Sikhism. While the Sikh theological canons have vehemently opposed its practice, it continues to be present among the Sikhs, including its discriminatory culture. The obvious response of the Sikh leaders and scholars has been to ask for ‘a moral self-criticism’. The issue thus becomes praxeological, a matter of aligning ‘practice with the theory’. This is a simplistic response. Such a narrative also does not allow us to raise relevant questions about the contemporary framings of caste as a hegemonic construct. It also does not permit us to engage with its diverse empirics among the Sikhs and its other contextual dynamics. The paper argues that to move forward, we need to critically explore the currently popular notions of caste, most of which are drawn from orientalist and colonial constructs. They present India as being a land of Hindus and the practice of caste being its essential feature. The Indian nationalists enthusiastically endorsed such a framing because they found it useful for making claims about India’s cultural unity. Drawing from a large volume of historical and empirical writings, the paper identifies problems with such a narrative of caste which sees it as a purely religious practice. It further argues for a need to look at the materiality of caste. Religious prescripts, such as Manusriti, function as ‘ideological signals’ that promote and legitimize it. In contrast, the ideological signals provided by the Gurus and the Sikh religious canons are unambiguously opposed to such ascription-based hierarchies. Full article

Research into ecotourism behavior in China through meaningful gamification offers a promising strategy for enhancing sustainable tourism practices. With the rapid growth of China’s ecotourism sector, understanding and influencing visitor behaviors is crucial. This study focuses on meaningful gamification elements—exposition, information, engagement, and reflection—as a technique to nurture positive intentions towards ecotourism behavior, increase environmental awareness, educate tourists, and promote sustainable practices in an interactive way. Aligning with China’s technological and sustainability goals, this research introduces the Meaningful Gamification Elements for Ecotourism Behavior (mGEECO) model. This model is analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)–Partial Least Squares (PLS) to test hypotheses related to the relationship between gamification elements and ecotourism intentions, grounded in Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) theory. The findings show that meaningful gamification significantly enhances positive intentions towards ecotourism by improving Environmental Attitude, Awareness of Consequences, and Ascription of Responsibilities. In conclusion, this approach raises awareness of sustainability practices and fosters a sense of responsibility, potentially leading to a more balanced and responsible ecotourism industry in China, benefiting both the environment and local communities while enhancing visitor experiences. Full article

The current diverse opportunities available worldwide have caused an increase in the pursuit of changing jobs in the Philippines for greener pastures, leading to a decrease in organization efficiency due to career shifts or intentions for shifting. With the evident movement of workers, this study aimed to establish a model for determining the factors that influence job-seeking Filipino workers to shift careers and seek greener pastures by holistically analyzing variables using the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Value-Belief-Norm. A total of 210 valid responses among employees who shifted careers were collected through online surveys via social media platforms using purposive sampling. Partial least square structural equation modeling as the main multivariate tool was utilized to assess the hypothesized relationships. The findings of this study revealed that self-transcendence values in shaping personal norms and ascription to responsibility affected the intention to career shift or greener pasture-seeking behavior. In addition, subjective norms affected attitude, while organizational commitment negatively affected intention for greener pastures. It was seen that the factors that affect intention behavior the most among Filipinos were better opportunities, financial stability, workplace environment, and work–life balance—a notion that connects with the Protestant Work Ethics. It was evident that self-perception of a better career, growth, and overall profit merged to influence the intention of a career shift. It could be suggested that job rotation and job enhancement may reduce these intentions and lead to satisfaction among employees. Moreover, job roles may be reevaluated to identify (dis)satisfaction among employees, so the spearheading team may evaluate what actions are needed. Enhancement of skills and development through seminars and training may also be considered. Full article

This study investigated the psychological constructs related to ocean conservation among visitors to a marine mammal park in Portugal. A survey was conducted with 335 adult visitors, assessing value orientations, awareness of ocean vulnerability, attribution of responsibility, personal norms, and behavioral intentions towards ocean conservation. The results revealed two distinct attitudinal profiles among the visitors. ‘Anthropocentric visitors’ prioritize human interests over environmental concerns, along with heightened awareness of the ocean’s vulnerability and greater ascription of responsibility to humans for environmental problems. ‘Ecocentric visitors’ recognize the intrinsic worth of nature, reporting deeper awareness of the consequences of environmental issues on the ocean, more robust personal norms centered on moral obligations towards conservation and higher behavioral intentions to support ocean conservation. Compared to whale-watching tourists from a previous study, the zoo visitors exhibited more polarized anthropocentric and ecocentric profiles, suggesting the whale-watching tourists fell somewhere between the two zoo visitor profiles in their psychological orientations. These contrasting profiles emphasize the heterogeneity in environmental attitudes and highlight the importance of tailoring interventions to resonate with the distinct psychological motivations of different audience segments. Institutions like zoos can play a vital role in shaping public attitudes through targeted communication strategies aligned with visitors’ unique value systems and beliefs. Full article

The significant and rapidly growing impact that digital technologies has on all aspects of our lives has raised awareness of benefits but also concerns and worries linked to the development and use of these technologies. The concept of responsibility, as expressed in terms such as corporate social responsibility or responsible research and innovation, represents one well-established discourse and a set of practices that are used to deal with social and ethical concerns and which are now a well-established part of the broader sustainability literature. Recently, a novel discourse has gained prominence that specifically explores the question of which responsibilities arise for organisations based on their engagement with digital technologies. This discourse uses the term ‘corporate digital responsibility’ to describe how organisations can understand, shape, and discharge their responsibilities not just in a narrow economic sense, but also their broader moral, social and environmental responsibilities. This article takes its point of departure from the corporate digital responsibility discussion and aims to contribute to the theoretical underpinnings of the term. This article suggests that an appropriate metaphor to approach the reality of current socio-technical systems is that of an “ecosystem”. This metaphor accommodates many of the systems features of contemporary digital technologies, but it clashes with traditional conceptions of responsibility. This article argues that a concept of responsible digital ecosystems is a precondition for the successful ascription of responsibilities in digital contexts. Such ecosystems can be understood as systems that are designed to foster and support existing and novel responsibilities, that align responsibility ascriptions with a view to achieve desirable and acceptable outcomes. Based on these ideas of responsible digital ecosystems, this article spells out some of the implications for research and practice that the adoption of this conceptual framework entails. Full article