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This study aims to investigate how cultural factors – specifically power distance (PD) and uncertainty avoidance (UA) – affect employees’ use of neutralization techniques to rationalize deviant information systems (IS) behaviors. The goal is to enhance strategies for managing insider threats and improving security policies.

A cross-sectional survey was used to examine how national culture affects neutralization strategies related to IS misuse. A scenario-based survey was used to gather data from 292 employees, stressing four top ranked IS deviant behaviors in Ethiopian organizations. Using SmartPLS 4.0 software, the study validates measurement and structural models using partial least squares structural equation modeling. It then uses bootstrapping procedures to assess hypotheses that predict the use of justifications in situations of IS misuse.

The research finds that all four neutralization techniques – appeal to higher loyalty, claim of normalcy, defense of necessity and denial of responsibility – significantly predicted employees’ IS deviant use intention behaviors. PD and UA cultures also significantly influence IS deviant use intention, with neutralization techniques mediating this relationship, validating the model’s predictive relevance.

The reliance on self-reported data and a cross-sectional design may limit the accuracy and causal inference of the findings. Additionally, the focus on Ethiopian respondents may restrict generalizability, highlighting the need for research in diverse contexts. Future studies could explore longitudinal or experimental designs and examine neutralization techniques and knowledge management to understand IS security.

This study introduces a novel model illustrating how cultural values, such as PD and UA, influence employees’ use of neutralization techniques to justify deviant behavior in Ethiopian organizations. It emphasizes the mediating role of these techniques and the need for culturally tailored anti-neutralization strategies and effective security awareness programs.

Although consumers are aware of the importance of sustainable consumption, there is a persistent gap between positive attitudes and actual behavior. This disconnect is particularly pronounced in the fashion industry, where consumers often suppress their positive attitudes towards sustainability in the face of tempting fast fashion offers. This paper analyzes how consumers attempt to reconcile this attitude-behavior gap through using rationalization or neutralization techniques.

We surveyed more than 1,300 fashion consumers in the USA, Europe and Asia. Based on their last fashion purchase, respondents indicated various purchase details as well as their agreement/disagreement to 32 neutralization statements. Additional scales capture pertinent attitude and awareness measures. To scrutinize the role of neutralization statements, we use a series of logistic regression and multinomial regression analyses.

Country of residence, age and education level are the key determinants when employing neutralization techniques. Logistic regression results also reveal an inverse relationship between age and the propensity of buying sustainable fashion. Ethics, awareness and attitudes all play a role in purchasing sustainable products, but to different degrees in different countries.

Research on how consumers attempt to bridge the gap between attitude-behavior inconsistencies is scarce and primarily qualitative. Our study identifies how fast fashion consumers attempt to reconcile their divergent attitudes and behavior. Uncovering these rationalization or neutralization techniques improves the understanding of the attitude-behavior gap and enables marketers and policymakers to design more effective strategies to promote sustainable consumption.

This chapter is an introduction to the book “Swift Leadership: A Taylor-made Approach to Influence and Decision Making” which is part of the “Exploring Effective Leadership Practices Through Popular Culture” series. The book explores the business practices, decisions, and influence tactics used by popular musician and icon Taylor Swift. Swift leverages her popularity to stand up to entertainment industry giants and champion the underdog. This first chapter provides an overview of the book and reasons why analyzing Swift’s leadership approach is helpful.

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into business operations at various levels, it offers not only new opportunities but also complex ethical challenges. These challenges often manifest as reputational risks when stakeholders perceive ethical missteps in the use of AI that can escalate into corporate crises.

Using a unique database of AI failures and related litigation, this chapter examines the emerging types of reputational issues and the corresponding crisis communications responses of companies engaging with AI, with the overarching goal of exploring the factors driving the various response strategies. This analysis contributes to the emerging field of AI ethics by explicitly linking it to crisis communication, highlighting the critical role of ethical considerations in managing reputational risk.

Research indicates the challenges indeterminate sentenced prisoners (ISPs) face within open prison may have a potentially devastating impact on rehabilitation and prison sentence progression. The authors conducted a study in an English open prison to explore whether the closed prison environment within England and Wales is sufficiently preparing ISPs for the transition to open conditions. There is currently a gap in existing research concerning this issue, which this paper aims to narrow for the purpose of informing good practice and improving sentence progression and rehabilitation outcomes within His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.

Qualitative and exploratory. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes (Braun and Clarke, 2019).

Findings indicated the need for policy in closed prisons to better prepare ISPs for open prison and the need for policy in open prisons to better support ISPs during the liminal phase.

Findings aimed to inform consideration for improvements to enhance preparation for, and transition to, open conditions. A 17-month follow-up after dissemination of the research found evidence for the practical application of the findings at a local level within HMPPS and potential for wider applications linking to strategy and ISP initiatives.

If applied more widely across HMPPS in both closed and open prisons, the research findings have the potential to improve sentence progression and rehabilitation outcomes for ISPs.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether cognitive factors mediate the relationship between parental knowledge/support and delinquency escalation.

Using data from early adolescent youth enrolled in the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) study, two analyses were performed. The first analysis cross-lagged parental knowledge and cognitive impulsivity as predictors of delinquency escalation and the second analysis cross-lagged parental support and moral neutralization as predictors of delinquency escalation.

In both analyses, the indirect effect of a change in parenting on delinquency escalation via a change in cognition attained significance, whereas the indirect effect of a change in cognition on delinquency escalation via a change in parenting did not. In neither case did the direct effect of parenting on delinquency achieve significance.

This study was limited, however, by exclusive reliance on self-report measures to assess all variables in this study and the use of explicit rather than implicit measures of cognitive impulsivity and moral neutralization.

The practical implications of these results are that they point to ways in which improved parenting can lead to crime deceleration; reduced cognitive impulsivity and moral neutralization can lead to crime deceleration.

These results imply that social variables like parental knowledge and support stimulate a change in cognition as part of the process by which delinquency escalates during early adolescence.

The unique contribution this study makes to the field is that it highlights the role antisocial cognition plays in mediating between social factors and delinquency as part of the crime acceleration process that often occurs in early adolescence.

This paper describes qualitative research evaluating the impacts of parkrun in a female prison. The extended methodology section explains why HMPPS psychologists have been ideally suited to investigate custodial parkrun whilst successfully partnering with a range of stakeholders, conferring benefits that could not have been achieved in any other way.

Purposive sampling resulted in 15 semi-structured interviews with prisoner parkrunners and volunteers at a women’s prison in England.

A range of highly positive parkrun experiences were described, which were grouped into four themes with sub-themes; improved mental and physical health, a sense of purpose, enhanced connections to others and stabilisation in prison. Women struggled when custodial parkrun was inconsistently delivered.

Custodial parkrun offers an opportunity for women to develop factors underpinning health and well-being, harnesses elements which engage women in physical activity and mitigates some gendered barriers to exercise. The findings also describe factors which are important to desistance, the development of a rehabilitation culture, self-determination theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000) and a trauma-informed approach. The opportunity for women to participate in parkrun through the gate may offer an important and sustainable “catalyst for change” (Maruna, 2001, p. 96).

The paper discusses how parkrun might be further utilised across the female prison estate. It adds to the evidence base regarding the benefits of physical activity for women, which might be considered when developing a sports strategy specific to the female estate. Additionally, HMPPS managers hoping to further develop the rehabilitation culture in their establishment might be persuaded as to the benefits of parkrun in this regard. Finally, the work provides an exemplar of how HMPPS psychologists can work with stakeholders to enhance practice evaluations.

This is only the second published research paper focusing on the impacts of parkrun in the custodial estate, and the first looking at women. Additionally, its inclusion in this Special Edition mean it is among the first published works describing how HMPPS psychologists can successfully partner with stakeholders to support evidence-based practice.

This study aims to establish an understanding of commonsense, a valuable mechanism for navigating disruptive, volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (DVUCA) environments.

This study conducts a scientometric (bibliometric) analysis of commonsense through the lens of tacit knowledge, practical intelligence and sensemaking to unpack is nomological network.

This study reveals that tacit knowledge, practical intelligence and sensemaking are pivotal to the conceptualization of commonsense, crucial for navigating DVUCA environments. These elements interact within organizational contexts, influencing knowledge dynamics, decision-making processes and ethical leadership. The findings not only affirm the foundational role of these components in commonsense but also highlight their interplay in fostering organizational resilience, adaptability and strategic agility. This synergy underlines commonsense as a multifaceted and dynamic capability essential for effective management and leadership in complex settings.

This study significantly enriches the theoretical landscape of commonsense by mapping its components within a scientometric-established nomological network. By identifying the interconnected roles of tacit knowledge, practical intelligence and sensemaking in organizational settings, it invites future scholarly endeavors to further dissect these relationships. It also encourages the exploration of additional elements such as emotional intelligence and cultural factors that may influence commonsense. This research opens new avenues for examining how these foundational aspects can be systematically nurtured and developed within diverse organizational environments.

This study provides actionable insights for organizational leaders and policymakers. Understanding the critical roles that tacit knowledge, practical intelligence and sensemaking play in navigating complex environments can guide the enhancement of training and development programs to strengthen these capacities. The importance of fostering a culture that supports continuous learning and ethical leadership is emphasized, as these elements are essential for sustaining competitive advantage and ensuring responsible governance. Managers are encouraged to integrate structured sensemaking processes and practical intelligence into strategic decision-making to improve adaptability and resilience when facing DVUCA challenges and opportunities.

This study offers a pioneering exploration of commonsense through the integration of tacit knowledge, practical intelligence and sensemaking into a cohesive framework. Employing scientometric analysis, the study provides a comprehensive understanding of how these cognitive processes interact to facilitate decision-making and problem-solving in complex environments. The study enriches knowledge management by presenting a refined perspective on the interplay between these elements, deepening the understanding of how commonsense is generated and applied within organizational settings. This contribution significantly enhances theoretical discourse on adaptability, decision-making and resilience in DVUCA environments.

To provide insights around navigating, coping and tackling racial inequalities at university through three key areas: peer support through sharing stories, motivating others in the call to action through developing an anti-racist socially just consciousness and student staff co-creation to build belonging and community at university.

Varied approaches are included around pedagogy, curriculum, peer support, using creative outputs, sharing stories and valuing student wisdom through co-creation underpinned by empirical research.

I concede that establishing race equity in higher education continues to be an ongoing struggle, complete with trials, tribulations and trauma. As “The Forced Silence” outlines, to affect any changes in the institution or in the community and wider society, the changes have to take place at the peer level initially, as it is people and individuals who make up the system. This means that tackling racism is everyone’s business and we all have a responsibility for this work. Privileged folks who are seemingly disaffected by racial discrimination are indeed misguided, as racism is an illness in society and significantly harms our global community. Within higher education institutions, educators occupy a position of power (Hearn, 2012), which I argue we must use in a socially just manner to support all our students to succeed. By embodying and enacting care, compassion and respect within our practice, we can then instil the same in our students, just as we would do for our own children. Our students, just like our children, can then go into society as holistic and socially just conscious members of our community, which I argue is even more important than graduating with a good university degree.

I use a range of original poetry and theory with a view to supporting my academic professional practice in higher education.