Search Results (37)

The dissemination and practice of green consumption behavior is an important issue in promoting sustainable development. With the advent of the digital age, social media platforms have become an important channel for promoting green consumption. The expression of language style has become an increasingly important factor influencing consumer attitudes. From the perspective of consumer perception, this study used three situational simulation experiments (n total = 304) to explore the mechanism by which the “Versailles Literature” language style impacts the feelings and behaviors of audiences of the green consumption behavior of the poster, and to examine the mediating roles of ostentation perception and hypocrisy perception. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS. The research findings showed that, compared with “non-Versailles Literature”, this style significantly reduces positive attitudes toward green consumption while increasing perceptions of bragging and hypocrisy. Furthermore, the strength of social ties between the consumer and the poster plays a moderating role in the effect of language style; specifically, when posts come from strangers, consumers perceive a stronger sense of bragging and hypocrisy. The research results will provide practical guidance for individuals and enterprises to effectively promote the concept of green consumption on social media, helping enterprises avoid the negative reactions brought about by conspicuous green consumption behaviors and exaggerated or false promotion of environmental behaviors, such as “greenwashing”. Full article

Femvertising is increasingly being used by brands to showcase their values and attract consumers, especially in the fashion industry. Previous studies mainly focused on its impact on female consumers, while the perceptions and responses of male consumers are usually ignored. Focusing on the context of men purchasing women’s clothes as gifts, this study aimed to explore the impact of femvertising on male consumers’ gift purchasing intention and reveal the mechanism, with the mediating effects of female empowerment and brand hypocrisy and the moderation effect of gift recipient. A situational experiment was conducted to acquire data, and hypotheses were tested with regression analysis and the bootstrapping method. The results demonstrated that the total effect of femvertising on male consumers’ gift purchasing intention is not significant, but there is a positive mediating effect of female empowerment and a negative mediating effect of brand hypocrisy, and the mediating effect of female empowerment is stronger for a communal relationship (versus an exchange relationship). Full article

Very few people know that there is not even one character of zhen 真 in the Thirteen Classics revered by Confucians. Among the three axiological categories, Confucianism attaches importance to shan 善 (goodness) and mei 美 (beauty), while Daoism highlights zhen. It was Daoism that first put forward zhen as a philosophical concept and discussed it extensively. However, the existing research about it is still insufficient and mingled with misunderstandings. In this article, I will explore its innermost connotations. I will mainly employ methods such as a literature analysis and comparative research in this inquiry. Zhen indicates the existential authenticity of each individual and the whole world. Daoists believe that one will deviate from zhen once he/she yields to su 俗. Su not only refers to sensual desires but includes Confucian moral regulations as well. Only when one has transcended these secular values will it be possible for him/her to become a true person (zhenren 真人). What Confucians are concerned with is shan, and they even want to repress zhen with shan. This is the fundamental reason that they are unwilling to mention zhen. Full article

Although Wang Fuzhi is considered an important summarizer of Song–Ming Neo-Confucianism, his criticism of the traditional relationship between Heaven and human (tian ren guan xi 天人关系), especially the ensuing religious implications, has not been thoroughly examined. This essay aims to illustrate his reconstruction of Confucianism’s Heaven–human relationship and its ideal this-worldly religious way of life. He believed that Confucianism’s theory of human nature was based on the vision of man and that it was wrong to establish a static theory of human nature with the perspective of Heaven. The Heaven–human relationship is similar to that between father and son, which is different in form and separate in essence (xing yi zhi li 形异质离) and can only be balanced in a dynamic relationship. In addition, he pointed out that the traditional static relationship would lead to hypocrisy and asserted that this tendency might destroy this-worldly life of Confucianism. He attempted to integrate the different degrees of understanding of the Heaven–human relationship into a holistic and historical way of life through the Confucian classics. This-worldly life is continually aware of its own ephemerality through the feeling of the Heaven–human relationship as well as the transmission of experience. The historical life of a particular this-worldly religion is thus established. Full article

Sustainable action of brands has become an essential force in cultural sustainability, but there is still a gap in knowledge about how it contributes to brand performance. This study aims to compare the different effects of creative social enterprise and sustainable campaigns on consumers’ purchase intention and examine the mediating role of brand hypocrisy and the moderating role of sustainable communication. A quasi-experiment was conducted with 499 participants. Hypotheses were tested using the bootstrapping method. The results demonstrated that creative social enterprise (versus sustainable campaign) has lower brand hypocrisy and thus results in higher purchase intention. In addition, when brands use explicit communication (versus implicit communication), the direct effect of creative social enterprise (versus sustainable campaigns) on purchase intention is stronger, while the mediating effect of brand hypocrisy remains the same. Based on these conclusions, it is recommended to integrate sustainable campaigns with implicit communication and creative social enterprise with explicit communication. Full article

The implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in conjunction with proficient investor relations management (IRM) can enhance the reputation and appeal of enterprises, thereby fostering the sustainable development of enterprises. This paper examines the correlation between CSR and IRM by exploring the potential misinterpretation of socially responsible actions by listed companies as “hypocrisy”. We use the fixed effect model, moderating effect model and instrumental variable method to examine the correlation between CSR and IRM. The findings indicate that actively fulfilling corporate social responsibility can enhance interaction and communication between listed companies and investors in the capital market, thereby mitigating the risk of being perceived as “hypocrisy”. This positive effect is particularly pronounced when companies are experiencing poor operational performance. These conclusions remain robust even after conducting various tests to address endogeneity concerns. In terms of the underlying mechanisms, corporate social responsibility primarily enhances investor relations management through strengthening network communication and on-site interactions. Moreover, enterprises are more inclined to proactively interact with investors in the capital market when companies face severe financial difficulties, stringent financing constraints, or poor quality of information disclosure. Additionally, our study extends its analysis to elucidate how corporate social responsibility can mitigate the risk of stock price crashes from the perspective of investor relations management. Full article

This essay examines Matthew’s depiction of both the spirituality demonstrated by Jesus’ actions and words (his own spirituality) and the spirituality he preaches (prescribes/expects of others). Key Matthean themes interweave in this topic. Jesus’ own spirituality and that which he expects of his followers are shaped most profoundly by the apocalyptic expectation of the imminent Reign of God. All practices and attitudes must be aligned with this coming reality. Because of this, the key mark of a true disciple or righteous person is integrity—the congruence of one’s inner character and outer actions, of one’s professed commitments and one’s behaviors. In this, Jesus is the paragon of integrity: everything he does is in alignment with the character of the coming Reign and God’s will. His actions are always a manifestation of his inner character as God’s son and messianic agent within God’s emerging Reign. Those who, like Jesus, manifest a character that is aligned with the realities of the coming age are called righteous and, at the judgment, are allowed to experience God’s Reign. Their attitudes and behaviors have shown that their inner character is in alignment with the character of the Reign of God. By contrast, the scribes and Pharisees are continually upbraided for their hypocrisy and warned that this will cause them to be barred from the Reign. Thus, the spirituality of Jesus in Matthew can be summed up as “spiritual integrity” (which is “righteousness”) shaped by the character of the imminent Reign of God. Jesus exemplifies this and calls his followers to demonstrate their character with integrity as well. Full article

The nature and practice of Christianity is a major, if not the primary, topic in Kierkegaard’s authorship. What it means to live a Christian life is a persistent topic in many of his major works, and yet, he spends most of his authorship criticizing traditional ways of practicing Christianity. While his critique of institutionalized Christianity and merciless unmasking of the hypocrisy of self-proclaimed Christians is rather clear, namely that they are not actually Christian, it is more difficult to get a clear idea of Kierkegaard’s alternative. What is a true and sincere Christian life for Kierkegaard? The argument of this article is that Kierkegaard’s famous existential approach to Christianity amounts to a secularization of Christianity and as such can be seen as a critical development of and not a rejection of the Enlightenment critique of religion. The article uses Kant as an advocate of the Enlightenment critique of religion that Kierkegaard inherits and develops critically, and after having examined Kierkegaard’s existential dialectics, an outline of Kant’s transcendental approach is, presented against which Kierkegaard’s existential alternative is examined in more detail. Kierkegaard’s existential approach is radical with its insistence on “that single individual” and on the existential challenges of human freedom that Kant banned from his analysis of both morality and faith. While Kant presents us with the transcendental possibility of faith, Kierkegaard is concerned with the existential reality of faith. It is argued that Kierkegaard’s existential analysis of faith helps us to find the connection between radical individual choice and the rational morality that is not always evident in Enlightenment—and especially Kantian—accounts of morality. Full article

“Obesity”, is defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30. Yet the tool, BMI, has been shown to be flawed in its weight classing. BMI categories were made by relying nearly exclusively on data about middle-class white males, creating “the normal (white) man”. Yet, BMI continues to be used as a diagnostic tool, and is increasingly deployed to stigmatize fat persons as “diseased”. This has critical implications for women—especially Black women and Latinas—who have some of the highest BMIs in the country. But, despite the consternation over the size of the bodies women of color have, there are nearly no studies to date examining the relationship between BMI and rates of chronic illness by race and gender. In this study, we examined the associations between BMI and type 2 diabetes (T2D) for women across race in comparison to white men. Relying on 20 years of NHANES data, we found that while Latinas and Black women were nearly 3 times and over 5 times as likely to have T2D than white men, respectively, the association between BMI and T2D was significantly weaker for Latinas than for white men. The association between BMI and T2D was markedly weaker for Black women. This study shows that racial and gendered health disparities cannot be explained by differences in rates of “obesity” as defined by a white male norm. Full article

Time theft, especially with the shift to remote work during the pandemic, is an increasing challenge for organizations. Existing studies demonstrate that both authoritarian leadership and laissez-faire leadership can exacerbate time theft, putting leaders in a behavioral dilemma of neither being strict nor lenient. Additionally, the pervasive and covert nature of time theft diminishes the effectiveness of subsequent corrective actions. Our study aims to investigate how to prevent time theft by mitigating employees’ inclinations. Based on role theory, our study examines whether supervisor developmental feedback can encourage employees to perform work roles more appropriately. To uncover the complicated internalization process of role expectation, our study incorporates perceived insider status and work passion as serial mediators and considers the boundary effect of leaders’ word–deed consistency. In Study 1, a survey of 402 employees revealed that supervisor developmental feedback can negatively predict employee time theft through employees’ perceived insider status and work passion. Study 2 employs the same sample to further identify three topics of supervisor developmental feedback: skill learning, attitude learning, and social learning. Moreover, serial multiple mediating effects are affirmed across topics. The findings suggest that providing feedback on employees’ learning and growth is an effective approach to prevent time theft. Full article

COVID-19 has taught us that whom one surrounds oneself with has a profound influence on one’s well-being. In that light, does whom we worship with matter as well? John Calvin would in fact argue that the people we physically worship with have a great impact on our spiritual life. According to Calvin, if you simply worship with (who he deemed to be) the unrighteous group of people, you will lose your spiritual health or even endanger salvation. This is why he was so insistent on asking the French Protestants to leave France and join him in Geneva. What is striking is that worshipping with the right kind of people does not have that automatic effect. Rather, they have to actively engage in many beneficial activities together, encouraging and empowering one another. This is because, for Calvin, while unrighteousness itself is highly contagious, growing in a nurturing community takes conscious and purposeful effort. In this sense, Calvin explains that idolatry and unrighteousness were a spiritual epidemic that is spread physically, while true piety is acquired through a communal practice of many forms of spiritual exercises. This article will have many important contributions to the field of worship and faith formation. Most notably, while scholars have long been addressing Calvin’s view of active practices during worship which help faith formation, I will show that that is not all there is. Instead, I will demonstrate how even simple physical proximity in worship can have an impact on one’s spiritual growth in Calvin’s thought. Another important contribution of this article would be offering a clearer presentation of Calvin’s sacramental theology of body and soul. Scholars have long been arguing that, for Calvin, the bodily participation in a Roman Catholic mass while believing in (what was for him) the true gospel was a serious sin of idolatry and hypocrisy. My article will further develop this idea by noting that, according to Calvin, not only is it wrong to do one thing with one’s body and another with one’s soul but having one’s body in a negative environment is harmful to one’s soul. If one’s body is surrounded by other people who do not believe in the true gospel, it would have a devastating impact on one’s soul. In other words, for Calvin, the body and soul influence each other in a way that has sacramental and developmental implications. Full article

The fit between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and luxury is a debated topic and there is limited understanding regarding how the CSR initiatives of a luxury hotel are differently perceived and responded to by customers. The present study analysed the fit between CSR and luxury in China’s luxury hospitality industry by investigating customers’ CSR perceptions as well as their brand attitudes. According to the attribution of CSR motives, this study classified consumers’ four CSR perceptions, including CSR washing, corporate hypocrisy, corporate citizenship, and shared value creation. An experimental study was implemented with 400 luxury customers. It was found that when the CSR information of a hotel was disclosed by advertisements, participants reported stronger perceptions of CSR washing and corporate hypocrisy as well as weaker perceptions of corporate citizenship and shared value creation than when the CSR information was disclosed by media reports. Different CSR perceptions were found to differently influence customers’ brand attitudes. Their brand attitudes were positively influenced by the perceptions of corporate citizenship and shared value creation and were negatively influenced by the perceptions of CSR washing and corporate hypocrisy. In view of this, the present study argued that the fit between CSR and luxury in the hospitality industry is associated with whether consumers perceive CSR initiatives positively or negatively. Full article

With stakeholder capitalism being the new mantra for corporate moral responsibility, the question of how corporations’ moral commitments inconsistent with their executions would variably influence internal and external stakeholders and for different types of stakeholder capitalism issues remains unanswered. Using a 2 (inconsistency: present/absent) × 2 (stakeholder: internal/external) × 5 (stakeholder-capitalism issues: worker/environment/shareholder/customer/community) between-subjects experiment, this study investigated the variable impact on stakeholders’ corporate hypocrisy perceptions. With data collected from 1296 U.S. stakeholders, ANOVA results revealed that corporate moral responsibility messages-action inconsistency generates hypocrisy among stakeholders such that external stakeholders, namely consumers, experienced higher hypocrisy than internal ones, namely employees. The context of corporate moral responsibility (i.e., the types of stakeholder-capitalism issues) did not moderate resulting perceptions, but these issues directly impacted hypocrisy perceptions. These perceptions varied between external and internal stakeholders for different issues; the highest hypocrisy was recorded for shareholders and workers issues. Thus, the focus of this research was foregrounded on corporations’ moral responsibilities perceived as inconsistent with their execution to present a comparative analysis of different groups of stakeholders’ responses and devise effective solutions. Full article

Scholars have long recognized how Romans 1–2 is replete with resonances of Stoic traditions as they have referred to specific similarities in Seneca’s writings and the impact on the interpretation of the letter. Nevertheless, a significant parallel to Paul’s polemic against his fictitious opponent in Rom 2:17–24 has been neglected, namely, Seneca’s invective in Epistle 59. There, the Stoic calls out the “yonder man,” who harms others despite being known as “most gentle”; who robs others despite being considered “most generous”; and who engages in drunkenness and lust despite his reputation of being “most-temperate.” This parallel is also relevant because, like that of Romans 2, the larger context of Epistle 59 also regards human depravity. Therefore, in this article, I will seek to buttress the conclusions from scholars regarding how well Romans 2 aligns with passages from Seneca. I will also aim to show, however, that—in contrast to Paul—Seneca shows solidarity with his interlocutor by recognizing his own shortcomings. Hence, while the similarities help scholars understand how Stoic traditions impact the creation and interpretation of Romans, the convergence between Epistle 59 and Romans 2 also highlights their great divergence. Thus, while the comments in Epistle 59 support the arguments regarding Stoic influence in Romans, the parallels remind the scholar that even as Paul draws upon Stoic ideas and rhetorical devices to deride his interlocutor, he would also consider himself and his fellow believers as not only distant from the likes of the pretentious yonder man but from the humble hypocrisy of Seneca too. Full article

The present study investigated how people, as uninvolved social observers (i.e., those not affected by the emotion expresser’s behavior), judge hypocrisy in a target who publicly expresses their self-conscious emotions (i.e., shame and guilt) after making an immoral decision, then repeats the same immoral behavior again. Results across the two studies conducted showed that participants viewed the target as more hypocritical when the target expressed guilt (vs. shame) for their past misdeed and then committed the same act again. The present study suggests that social perceivers tend to infer expressions of guilt (and of shame to a lesser degree) as signaling future changes, which is reflected in judgments of hypocrisy. The study further discusses implications for the social functions of emotional expression and communication. Full article