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Pregnant employees experience considerable interpersonal discrimination. This study explores the range of possible reactions of observers to pregnancy self-disclosure, interpersonal discrimination and various allyship interventions, and the attentional processes that lead to those reactions. Consequently, it uncovers socio-cognitive processes underlying support for and backlash toward pregnancy in the workplace.

This study used a thought-listing technique to explore observers’ spontaneous thoughts related to pregnancy. Working adults were randomly assigned to read through one of the six scenarios depicting pregnancy self-disclosure, interpersonal discrimination and male allyship interventions (i.e. stating the organization’s anti-discrimination policy, confronting the transgressor by calling out sexism, pivoting the conversation to highlight the strengths of the pregnant employee and a hybrid intervention combining highlighting strengths and confrontation) after which participants listed the top three thoughts that came to their mind (1,668 responses). Responses were thematically analyzed to explore spontaneous reactions toward the pregnant employee, transgressor and ally in the scenario.

Surprisingly, across all scenarios, the most sexist thoughts emerged during pregnancy self-disclosure, even in the absence of any transgression. After a transgression occurred, any allyship intervention was better than none in eliciting lesser sexist backlash against the pregnant employee. Stating the organization’s anti-discrimination policy was most beneficial for the pregnant employee in eliciting the least sexist backlash but at the cost of generating unfavorable impressions of the ally. Calling out the transgressor’s bias elicited the most sexist backlash toward the pregnant employee, yet it created favorable impressions of the ally. In contrast, highlighting the strengths of the pregnant employee created the most favorable impression of the ally while eliciting a few sexist thoughts about the pregnant employee. Overall, the hybrid intervention was the most effective at balancing the competing goals of generating support for the pregnant employee, creating favorable impressions of the ally, as well as holding the transgressor accountable.

This study demonstrates that the type of allyship intervention critically redirects the attentional focus of observers to certain aspects of a discrimination episode and relevant schemas which can generate support or backlash toward targets, transgressors and allies, thereby advancing or obstructing equity and inclusion in organizations.

The aim of the present study was to examine if interest in the 2022 World Cup and planned engagement in the pre-Qatar World Cup programming influenced both current and future informal and formal physical activity.

Data were gathered using a survey conducted eight months prior to the World Cup, analyzing responses using four 2 × 2 analysis of variance (ANOVA) models. These models assessed the relationship between interest in the World Cup and planned engagement in pre-event activities with current and future formal and informal physical activity levels.

The findings of the current study suggest that engagement in sport programming pre-World Cup did not moderate the relationship between interest and physical activity. Engagement appears to play a direct role in physical activity, aligning with engagement theory, whereas interest plays a more direct role in spectator consumption. This highlights the importance of programming initiatives in enhancing physical activity, which is a critical aspect of the social impact of sport mega-events.

This study only focused on the residents of Qatar, and it may not be applicable to the future residents and location of the World Cup. Thus, further research should be conducted to see if this phenomenon can be observed and will exist in other host countries as well as with other sport mega-events. Additionally, our study was quantitative; it is suggested to perform a qualitative or mixed methods approach with a large sample size to obtain a more descriptive analysis that adds more depth to the connection between interest, engagement and physical activity of hosting a sport mega-event.

The study’s implications suggest that host countries and event organizers can significantly impact residents’ physical activity by creating environments and opportunities that align with their intrinsic needs for competence, autonomy and relatedness. For host countries and event organizers, these findings underscore the importance of pre-event planning, particularly in developing sports infrastructure, facilities and initiatives. Participating in sport programs can reflect positively on the economy by reducing healthcare and social service use, as well as increasing social engagement. Policymakers can leverage these findings to develop comprehensive strategies that promote physical activity in conjunction with sport events.

This study highlights the importance of programming initiatives in enhancing physical activity, which is a critical aspect of the social impact of sport mega-events. By leveraging pre-event programming, host countries can address public health concerns and enhance social well-being. The findings suggest a positive relationship between sports programming engagement and increased physical activity among residents, contributing to improved health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.

The findings of this study will contribute to the literature and advance our knowledge regarding the relationship between hosting a sport mega-event and physical activity participation by understanding pre-event impacts. This research offers valuable insights for event organizers and policymakers, highlighting the importance of fostering environments that motivate active participation and contribute to the long-term health and vitality of communities.

This study aims to examine whether senior Enron executive emails celebrated, or at least left a space for, corporate irresponsibility. Engaging with prior organizational-focused research, we investigate how corporate emails sent by senior executives help constitute Enron by communicating to employees senior management’s stance about important topics and social characters.

The study analyzes the 527,356 sentences contained in 144,228 emails sent by Enron senior executives and other employees in the three-year period (1999–2001) before the company’s collapse. Sentences are used as the base-level speech unit because we are interested in identifying the tone and emotions expressed about specific topics and stakeholders. Tone is measured using Loughran and McDonald’s (2016) financial dictionary approach, and emotion is measured using Mohammad and Turney’s (2013) NRC word-emotion lexicon. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regressions are used to explore the determinants of senior management tone and emotions.

The analysis illustrates that while both senior executives and other employees utilized email to help accomplish task-related activities, they employed different evaluative tones to talk about key topics and stakeholders. Also important is what is left unsaid, with a “spiral of silence” emanating from senior management that created a space for corporate irresponsibility.

Combining advanced computerized textual analysis with qualitative techniques, we analyze a unique dataset to explore micro details involved in using email to communicate a tone at the top. The findings illustrate how what is said or not said by senior management contributes to the constitution of an organization.