Esther Hauer, Annika M. Nordlund and Kristina Westerberg
The purpose of this paper is to examine the learning climate in elderly care, its potential improvements after the “Steps for skills”, and its influence on knowledge from formal…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the learning climate in elderly care, its potential improvements after the “Steps for skills”, and its influence on knowledge from formal training. The assumptions were: the different activities of the Steps for skills should enhance the perceived learning climate; differences in working conditions in home help and residential homes should influence the perceived learning climate and its improvements; and changes in the perception of the learning climate should bring changes in the perceived usefulness of new knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is a case study carried out in the public elderly care in Sweden, and used a repeated measurements design. A total of 270 nursing assistants answered a questionnaire at Time I, and 174 at Time II.
Findings
Results show no improvements of the learning climate for the full sample. When contrasting the learning climate in home help services and in residential homes significant differences are found, and also a tendency for their learning climate to change in opposite directions. The perception of the learning climate seems to influence the perceived usefulness of new knowledge.
Research limitations/implications
The sample was from one single organization.
Practical implications
Developmental interventions should take in to consideration that context matters, and that the perceived learning climate influences the use of new knowledge.
Originality/value
In this study, a 15‐items learning climate scale (LCS) is presented. Another contribution is identifying working condition failure as a potential explanation to why interventions usually do not result in expected changes.
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Johan Jansson, Agneta Marell and Annika Nordlund
Knowledge of green consumer behavior is important for environmental and business reasons. The purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of green curtailment behaviors…
Abstract
Purpose
Knowledge of green consumer behavior is important for environmental and business reasons. The purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of green curtailment behaviors and consumer adoption of innovations marketed as green (eco‐innovations), and to analyze factors explaining these two types of green behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
The results from a survey on adopters and non‐adopters (n=1,832) of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) are reported. Regression analysis on willingness to curtail car use and willingness to adopt a so‐called environmentally friendly car are used to identify significant determinants across the behavioral categories.
Findings
The results show that values, beliefs, norms, and habit strength determine willingness to curtail and willingness for eco‐innovation adoption. Personal norms have a strong positive influence on willingness for the behaviors and habit strength has a negative influence. The other determinants have varying influence depending on type of behavior.
Research limitations/implications
A limitation of this study concerns the focus on only one eco‐innovation. However, since the adoption of AFVs is a high involvement behavior, the results carry implications for other high involvement products as well.
Practical implications
Attitudinal factors and habits in combination prove to be effective determinants for curtailment behaviors and willingness to adopt eco‐innovations. In addition, previous adoption is found to be a strong determinant of future willingness to adopt.
Originality/value
The contribution of the paper is the two‐sided approach on green consumer behavior and the result that values, beliefs and norms not only predict low involvement post‐purchase behaviors but also adoption of high involvement eco‐innovations.
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As elsewhere, inequality has increasingly been on the agenda in recent years in Denmark, which has led to discussion about the redistributive role of welfare states across…
Abstract
As elsewhere, inequality has increasingly been on the agenda in recent years in Denmark, which has led to discussion about the redistributive role of welfare states across existing welfare regimes. Perhaps surprisingly, the Danish debate on inequality has revolved more specifically around how the country's tax system influences labour supply, especially the high level of marginal income taxation. The debate on poverty and inequality has become more prominent in Denmark in recent years, with a focus on the living standards of pensioners and children as well as the dynamic relationship between inequality and social policy. Thus, if there is a willingness to reduce inequality, a central challenge is to determine which instruments are available to counter rising inequalities in Denmark. In this context, the interaction between the issue of poverty and political support for specific social policies in Denmark is a challenge. Overall, the analysis suggests that tax reforms focusing on labour market supply have helped increase inequalities, thus indicating a possible trade-off between different aspects of welfare state development. Furthermore, the universality of the Danish model might be questioned in the coming years, which might also imply a debate on the generosity of a number of social security benefits, including those targeting the unemployed.
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Muhammad Abid Saleem, Lynne Eagle and David Low
Climate change and global warming are acknowledged to be growing issues caused by emissions of greenhouse gases. Fuel-efficient or green cars offer a technological solution to…
Abstract
Purpose
Climate change and global warming are acknowledged to be growing issues caused by emissions of greenhouse gases. Fuel-efficient or green cars offer a technological solution to reduce CO2 emissions from car exhaust. This study aims to draw on value–belief–norm (VBN) theory to provide an explanation of eco-socially conscious consumer behavior (ESCCB) related to the choice and use of personal cars.
Design/methodology/approach
The data was collected from 1,372 customers of the automobile industry of Pakistan, randomly drawn from 8 metropolitan cities. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is used to verify the hypotheses of the study.
Findings
By using variance-based structural equation modeling, this study showed that the VBN theory is fully supported in the cultural context of Pakistan and behavioral context of ESCCB. More specifically, personal introjected norms of the customers proved to be strong predictors of ESCCB while personal integrated norms predicted eco-social purchase intentions well.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the only study of its kind that examines the VBN model in the context of a developing country, Pakistan, and for a category of behaviors rarely tested before, i.e. ESCCBs related to purchase and use of personal cars.