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The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the use of humor in one-shot online negotiations affects the chance that the target of the humor will accept the offer. This study/paper proposes two competing hypotheses in this specific context: humor could be perceived as impertinent and thus decrease offer acceptance, or it could be perceived as friendly and thus increase offer acceptance.

To test these hypotheses, this study/paper conducted an experimental scenario study among 589 participants in a negotiation about selling a wardrobe on an online marketplace. Participants took the perspective of the seller, and this study/paper compared a condition in which the buyer used a joke versus a condition in which the buyer did not use a joke.

The use of humor by a buyer significantly increased the chance of offer acceptance by the seller. Without humor, 62% of sellers accepted the buyer’s offer. With humor, 82% of sellers accepted the offer. Further analysis suggests this is explained by the buyer being perceived as friendlier in the humor condition relative to the no humor condition. There were no effects on perceptions of buyer’s impertinence.

The findings indicate that humor is beneficial for buyers in a one-shot online negotiation. On the flipside, this implies that sellers should be cautious about being manipulated into accepting inferior deals by buyers who use humor in one-shot online negotiations.

The significant increase in the number of transactions on online marketplaces (such as AliExpress or eBay) justifies having a fresh look at the role of humor in one-shot online negotiations that are at the core of such transactions. Research in this domain is relatively scarce. In particular, there is no study that specifically tests whether humor is beneficial or detrimental in one-shot online negotiations. This study/paper extends the existing literature to the area of one-shot online interactions characterized by psychological distance.

This paper aims to explore the relevance of theoretical developments from critical disability studies to information practices scholarship, particularly that which is attuned to how systems of power and inequality create barriers to information. More specifically, this paper aims to interrogate the solutionist ethos that underlies the narrow focus on information access within research concerning information practices and marginalization.

The paper follows a critical interpretation synthesis (CIS) review format, which aligns with the overarching interpretivist research objectives. The CIS review method opens up modes of interdisciplinary analysis that question dominant narratives and assumptions within the literature. In the paper, several concepts from critical disability studies are discussed due to their relevance to key concerns of information practices research. These include the political/relational model of disability, bodymind and crip politics. The theoretical framework of political/relational information access outlined in this paper connects and draws comparisons between the above concepts.

The paper develops the political/relational model of information access, which interrogates dominant narratives that situate information as a resolve for marginalization. Extending insights from critical disability studies and activism, the framework underscores how access to information and information more broadly are sites of collective contestation that are constantly in flux. Political/relational information access situates information and access as political and relational entities through which to collectively refuse the hierarchies of value and normalizing logics attached to them.

The connections between critical disability studies and information practices research have been previously underexplored. The literature review develops the political/relational model of information access, which extends insights from critical disability studies to the growing areas of critical inquiry within information practices scholarship and library and information science research more broadly.

The paper aims to explore how values and knowledge are expressed in student’s discussions about food and health.

Food practices present a complex phenomenon extending beyond biomedical descriptions, including social dynamics of food in families and communities. Contextual conditions of social groups and settings have significant impacts on food choices and practices. Although values constitute a central part of educational goals, deliberate values education remains an often-neglected area, with a tendency in both curricula and educational practice to focus on knowledge and overlook how values intersect with knowledge. The paper utilises group interviews supported by participant observations to study the food and health practices as expressed in students' discussions.

The paper’s findings show how values are expressed together with knowledge as value-knowledges around food and health within the social contexts of family, cultural identities and peer relationships. While moving through their lives, students draw on and utilise biomedical, social-cultural and sensory value-knowledges, simultaneously considering the nutrition and taste of foods, the value of connecting with family and peers in cultural settings as well as getting enough food to feel satiated.

The paper presents an original approach around the necessity to consider and integrate cultural identities in discussions and education about food and health to empower students and their communities in a way that is socially just and equitable. This involves shifting discussions of health education away from students as (ir)rational obstacles but rather as partners in co-creating knowledge for sustainable food and health equity.

This chapter restates the key points of our argument and considers some of the implications of our findings and analysis with reference to notions of ‘transition’ and ‘political imprisonment’. At the same time, this chapter broadens the analytic frame. In the light of the foregoing interview-based accounts, we elaborate upon the relationship between prison and politics as revealed at the interface between prison and society and prison and history. And we return to the present moment of revolutionary struggle and examine the specific ways the contemporary criminal justice system and the prison have been weaponised by the State Administrative Council with nefarious effects. Our final plea is for further research on the dynamics and effects of penal practice in Southeast Asia and for increased recognition of the ongoing injustices facing the people of Myanmar within the confines of a carceral state.

The HMPPS National Fire Safety Team commissioned three research studies from HMPPS National Psychology Services to explore fire setting in prisons. The purpose of this paper is to share the outcomes of these studies which explored the characteristics of known fire-setters; the act of repeat fire setting and its relationship to fire severity and level of injury; and the triggers for fire-setting incidents in prisons.

A quantitative matched-groups design allowed for a direct comparison between 100 known adult male fire-setters and 100 adult males in prison who had not set fires. The second study identified 4,003 fire-setting incidents recorded in Sphera Cloud. It used a series of categorical variables to explore repeat custodial fire setting and its relationship to fire severity and level of injury sustained. The third study was qualitative, comprising seven semi-structured interviews with adult males in custody.

Mental illness, being supported via a Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan, and self-harm history predicted fire setting in custody, with the statistical model able to correctly classify 86% of the fire-setting incidents. Fire severity and level of injury alone do not distinguish first from repeat fires, but their interaction does. Themes from prisoner interviews include emotional coping and mental health, fire setting to affect change and costs of fire setting, with subthemes such as grievances towards staff and prolonged periods in cell.

Both quantitative studies were subject to the known limitations of secondary data which include incomplete or inaccurate reporting and/or recording. There was also missing information which could have included unreported fires. The qualitative study struggled to secure interviews with known fire-setters who were suspicious of the research/er. The study also coincided with the Covid-19 lockdowns which may have impacted what the people in prison reported.

The research suggests that there are some likely predictors for fire setting in prisons, and that a statistical model could be worthy of replication with a larger sample. The finding that those who set fires learn from their experiences, and thus can minimise their potential for serious injury suggests a need to prevent cycles of fire setting from the very first fire. The triggers for fire setting in prison suggest that a preventative approach to fire safety must go beyond physical measures and also address environmental factors. This includes staff−prisoner relationships, encourage the recognition of mental health problems and the need for procedurally just approaches to be consistently applied.

Little is known about individuals who set fires in prison or repeat fire setting and its relationship to fire severity and level of injury. The qualitative study involving known fire-setters is likely the first in an English prison.

How parents experience school governance is increasingly shaped by its changing requirements as well as their positioning by leaders and policy makers within a marketised education system. In order to make sense of these experiences, they are situated within a wider policy context in which both neoliberalism and increased centralisation are juxtaposed. Policy has a significant influence on leadership, yet the relationship between them is complex, and while the impact of the former on the latter is clearer, this is less so in terms of the extent to which governance (as a form of leadership) shapes policy, and this is explored further in this chapter. It considers the prescriptive nature of current policy and how this not only hinders the ability of governance to influence policy but facilitates and reproduces the neoliberal ideology underpinning it. The implications of neoliberalism and increased centralisation, with their associated policy technologies, such as performance management and accountability for school governance are considered, including the underrepresentation of certain parents and the ‘professionalisation’ of governing boards. Through a critical exploration of this professionalisation of governance, this chapter makes an original contribution to our understanding of the complex relationship between leadership and policy. It uses Foucault’s work as a conceptual framework, drawing on his tools of governmentality, discipline and surveillance. It has significance not only in terms of governance in the school system in England, but within the wider global policy context in which the influence of both market-oriented policies and centralised policies is evident.

This article explores the main elements of co-participation in health, examining how community engagement can improve health outcomes and health services’ overall efficiency. It aims to discuss and identify key features that facilitate co-participation strategies in service delivery and health program implementation.

The authors conducted a general literature review to comprehensively explore the role of co-participation in health, drawing on scientific literature and real-world examples to identify key factors that contribute to successful health interventions. A total of 50 published resources were included, and a descriptive analysis was performed, focusing on summarizing existing literature and highlighting key themes and practical strategies. Documents were selected from publications dated between 2004 and 2024.

Community participation is presented as a critical factor in improving population health outcomes. The examined initiatives promote the idea that community integration into the design and implementation of health programs increases treatment adherence, users' health perception and improved health outcomes. Several strategies and approaches are presented as key tools to adequately integrate community engagement such as community empowerment, government decentralization and incorporation of technology, among others.

Coparticipation in health improves health outcomes and promotes greater equity and social justice. Involving citizens in health decision-making contributes to improving the quality of life and well-being of the community. Empowering patients’ decision-making not only builds one’s self-agency in health decision-making but also simultaneously facilitates closing the gaps in healthcare service delivery due to large shortages in the health workforce around the world. This has further implications for overall health systems’ financing, efficiency and sustainability.

This research has social implications as it underscores how community participation is essential for fostering equity, justice and inclusivity within health systems.

This article offers an innovative perspective on the role of partnership in achieving good health outcomes, highlighting the importance of adapting interventions to local contexts, the need for sustainable financing and the inclusion of a wide range of actions toward participation.

This paper aims to investigate whether gender-diverse boards and top management teams (TMTs) reduce undesirable environmental social governance (ESG) behavior and whether a critical mass of women in leadership is necessary to influence this outcome. In addition, the authors study whether differences in the levels of national commitment to gender-equality policies affect the effectiveness of gender-diverse boards and management in curbing ESG misconduct.

This study examines the role of women directors and women executives in ESG misconduct using a European sample of analysis of 2,994 firm-year observations from 2015 to 2020.

The authors find that gender diversity effectively prevents ESG misconduct only in countries with strong national policies supporting gender equality. Specifically, women directors and executives significantly reduce ESG misconduct in these countries, demonstrating the complementary role of gender diversity and national equality policies. In addition, female chief executive officers are more likely to curb negative ESG practices in firms operating within gender-equal corporate environments, noting that female chief executive officers are not effective in reducing irresponsible ESG behavior when they are not supported by a critical mass of women directors or executives.

This paper finds novel evidence that the influence of female representation on ESG misconduct is not linear but conditional on the level of female proportion; women in the minority (usually under 3) can scarcely influence group decisions because their specific female attributes are only evident when the visibility and legitimacy of the female group are high enough. Firms led by female chief executive officers seem to reduce ESG misconduct, especially when their chief suites are above a critical threshold. But queen bee female chief executive officers are not effective in reducing adverse ESG activity if their boards and TMTs are not gender diverse; the joint effect of women in different hierarchical positions contributes to decreasing ESG failures.

These findings are useful for policymakers because they show that although there is growing social concern about business gender equality and increasing regulatory efforts through soft/hard gender quotas, stakeholders will not completely benefit from firm gender diversity without national support for gender equality.

This study contributes to the sustainable development literature by examining the direct effects of gender diversity at multiple levels of a firm’s hierarchy (chief suite, board, TMTs), as well as addressing the gap between firm gender diversity and national gender equality policies as mechanisms to reduce ESG misconduct. It also explores the queen bee phenomenon, noting that female leaders in non-diverse organizations often adapt their leadership style to align with masculine corporate cultures.

Navigating the banking world may be overwhelming and intimidating for autistic people due to the generally poor accessibility of banks. Banks around the world are starting to improve the accessibility of their services and products to meet the needs of autistic customers better. However, no empirical research has explored autistic adults’ banking experiences and needs. This study aims to determine what banks can do to make banking more inclusive and accessible for autistic people through understanding the banking experiences of autistic adults living in Australia and identifying the factors that shape these experiences.

In total, 57 autistic adults aged 18–67 years (M_age = 33.00, SD_age = 11.03) and 29 caregivers of autistic adults aged 32–70 years (M_age = 52.24, SD_age = 7.88) completed an online survey about the banking experiences of the autistic adults. In addition, 14 of the 57 autistic adults were interviewed.

Almost all autistic participants had a bank account, and online banking was the preferred way of banking for most autistic adults. The factor most often raised by participants that influenced the banking experiences of autistic adults was supportive and helpful bank staff. Other identified factors included autistic adults’ lack of financial and banking knowledge and banks’ poor understanding of autism. The majority of autistic adults felt that banks could become more autism-friendly and provided suggestions.

Given that most autistic adults are likely to access financial products and services, banks must become more autism-friendly to cater to the diverse needs of autistic customers. Recommendations for how financial institutions can become more inclusive were provided.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first detailed examination of the banking experiences of autistic adults. Practical implications of the research were also provided.

Research indicates that children’s early experience of fire can influence what and how they learn about fire. In turn, early fire-learning can influence how people come to use it later in life, including whether they engage in maladaptive use, i.e. firesetting. Little is known about the underlying mechanisms of fire-learning, which was the basis for this study. The research question was: “how do adults educate children about fire in the UK/ Ireland”? The purpose of this study was to explore the child fire education process from an adult perspective.

Semi-structured interviews was conducted with 21 fire-educators who had regular contact with children. Data was analysed using abbreviated grounded theory. Steps were taken to ensure reliability and validity, including a Cohen’s Kappa calculation, indicating an agreement level of 0.9 between two raters.

Four core themes were identified: the fire narrative, enabling growth, risk management, and communication, from which the fire-learning process model (F-LPM) was formed.

The main limitation is the nature of the sample, in that it was diverse and self-selecting.

The findings are discussed, including how they offer support for social learning theory (SLT) perspectives on fire-learning.

The social construction of fire (i.e. the way fire is viewed by society as a whole in the UK/ Ireland) is discussed in depth, and cultural variability is highlighted. Suggestions are made for how the societal view of fire and, consequently, how adults convey this to young people, could be better balanced.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in the UK/ Ireland to consider how adults educate young people about fire from a concurrent perspective. This is important given that research indicates early experiences of fire can impact how people later go on to use it (including maladaptive use in the form of firesetting).