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The purpose of this paper is to report research testing scales developed from a combination of vested interest (VI) theory and the extended parallel process model of fear appeals. The scales were created to measure variables specified by an expanded model of VI: certainty, salience, immediacy, self-efficacy, response-efficacy, and susceptibility.

A survey was designed with subscales for each element and combined with additional disaster and risk perception variables. Survey data were collected from two populations in the US state of Oklahoma. Results from scale development and regression analyses are reported.

Results show that the scales are robust and flexible to contextual modification. The scales return good to excellent reliabilities, providing evidence that the variables articulated by VI theory predict perceived salience and perceived preparedness.

This study adds to the research pointing to the efficacy of VI theory in providing insight into the perceptual barriers to preparedness. These results demonstrate that perceived vestedness can be a valuable tool in crafting messages to inform audiences of risks and motivate them to prepare.

These results can facilitate the creation of more effective hazard and risk messages. Related research shows households that are prepared for natural and manmade hazards enjoy higher rates of survivability and lower levels of consequences.

This paper presents new results concerning perceived vestedness and the utility of the scales. The research should be of value to practitioners and policymakers concerned with motivating public audiences to prepare for natural and manmade hazards.

This study examines the carbon emissions of Australia’s agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors from a consumption perspective to develop effective policy frameworks. The objective is to identify key supply chains, industries and products contributing to these emissions and provide recommendations for sustainable development.

A multiregional input-output lifecycle assessment was conducted using the Australian Industrial Ecology Virtual Laboratory (IELab) platform to disaggregate sectors and enable benchmarking against other economic sectors.

In 2018, the “agriculture, forestry, and fishing” sector was responsible for 12.15% of Australia’s carbon footprint. Major contributors included the “electricity, gas, water, and waste” category (26.1%) and the sector’s activities (24.3%). The “transport, postal, and warehousing” sector also contributed 18.4%. Within the industry, the agriculture subsector had the highest impact (71.3%), followed by forestry and logging (15%) and fishing, hunting and trapping (7.6%). Aquaculture and supporting services contributed 6.1%.

The principal constraint encountered by the present study pertained to the availability of up-to-date data. The latest accessible data for quantifying the carbon footprint within Australia’s agriculture, forestry and fishing sector, utilizing the Input-Output analysis methodology through the Australian Industrial Ecology Virtual Laboratory (IELab) platform, about 2018.

The findings of this study provide policymakers with detailed insights into the carbon footprints of key sectors, highlighting the contributions from each subsector. This information can be directly used to develop effective emission-reduction policies, with a focus on reducing emissions in utility services, transport and warehousing.

The study, by raising public awareness of the significant role of industrial agricultural methods in Australia’s carbon footprint and emphasizing the importance of renewable energy and sustainable fuels for electricity generation and road transport, underscores the urgent need for action to mitigate climate change.

This study stands out by not only identifying the most impactful industries but also by providing specific strategies to reduce their emissions. It offers a comprehensive breakdown of specific agricultural activities and outlines mitigation strategies for utility services, agricultural operations and transport, thereby adding a unique perspective to the existing knowledge.

A systematic review of the literature on “wounded healers” was undertaken to identify, define and interpret the term and its application within the mental health environment. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Eight key medical/social sciences databases were interrogated. In total, 835 papers were identified in the systematic database search and abstracts were obtained for each to determine whether they met the inclusion criteria. In total, 237 sources were retrieved for critical reading, to assess relevance and value to the review, and 125 documents were subsequently included. Through thematic analysis a number of themes and sub themes were identified

The archetypal image of the wounded healer originates in ancient mythology and crosses many cultures. There are many interpretations and applications of the belief that having healed their own wounds a person is in a better position to heal others, however, the evidence to support this is not so robust. Of more direct relevance to contemporary practice are reports of supporting staff with mental health problems to make a contribution to mental health services, most recently through the employment of peer support workers.

As peer support workers are increasingly being employed in mental health services, it is helpful to consider the many existing staff who bring personal experience of mental health problems. This paper explores the evidence that their lived experience makes a difference to the way that they work and considers their employment support needs.

This study aims to propose a framework of bias in construction project dispute resolution (CPDR hereafter).

With reference to the literatures on effects of bias, manifestations of bias in CPDR were developed. Based on data obtained from construction professionals about their frequency of having these bias manifestations, the underlying constructs of biased behaviors were explored by a principal component factor analysis. A confirmatory factor analysis was further conducted to validate the framework of bias in CPDR.

Four types of bias were identified as the constructs that underlie biased behaviors in CPDR. These four biases were included in the bias framework proposed: preconception, self-affirmation, optimism and interest-oriented. The potency of these types of bias was also evaluated.

First, the findings inform that the existence of bias in CPDR is real. Early detection allows management to intervene and steer CPDR team back to rational courses. Second, this study suggests optimizing CPDR procedures to diminish the chance of bias occurring.

Bias is almost an uncharted area in CPDR. The study fills this research gap by conceptualizing the underlying constructs of biased behaviors. The findings inform construction professionals of the likelihood of practicing biased behaviors in CPDR. Repeated dispute decisions in the commonly used multi-tiered dispute resolution process would enable the creeping in of biases.

This study aims to systematically review the existing literature and develop an understanding of work-life balance (WLB) and its relationship with other forms of work-related behavior and unearth research gaps to recommend future research possibilities and priorities.

The current study attempts to make a detailed survey of the research work done by the pioneers in the domain WLB and its related aspects. A total of 99 research work has been included in this systematic review. The research works have been classified based on the year of publication, geographical distribution, the methodology used and the sector. The various concepts and components that have made significant contributions, factors that influence WLB, importance and implications are discussed.

The paper points to the research gaps and scope for future research in the area of WLB.

The current study uncovered the research gaps regarding the systematic review and classifications based on demography, year of publication, the research method used and sector being studied.

Previous research suggests that service user and carer involvement (SUCI) in clinical psychology training may have an impact. The purpose of this study was to develop a validated questionnaire to enable trainee clinical psychologists to rate this.

A collaborative project was carried out with service users and carers and trainee clinical psychologists. The principles of questionnaire design were followed. The authors developed and validated a trainee self-report questionnaire, based on focus groups and relevant literature indicating potential impacts of involvement on practice. A draft 60-item version was piloted with 15 trainee clinical psychologists. Then, 133 trainees from 22 UK clinical psychology courses completed it (estimated response rate of 13.2%). The sample was representative of UK trainees in gender and ethnicity, but slightly older.

The principal component analysis produced a 36-item questionnaire with four factors: human communication, carer perspectives, empathy and challenging/changing. The questionnaire showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Stakeholder consultation suggested face and content validity and there was some indication of construct validity.

The project has resulted in a usable co-produced questionnaire, which is now available to clinical psychology courses to assess the self-reported impact of SUCI in training, and which may also be used in future research.

This study aims to show the role of social networks in the performance of small- and medium-sized firms (SMEs) in an inland region of Portugal. The main objective is to ascertain the motives for adhering to social networks and to understand if this type of network influences performance in this firm sector.

To fulfill this aim, a quantitative research was adopted, based on application of a questionnaire, the final sample being formed of 86 SMEs.

Based on the results obtained, it is concluded that the SMEs studied are connected to social networks, especially Facebook. The principal reason for this type of firm connecting to social networks has to do with the possibility of presenting services to a greater number of potential customers.

The empirical evidence obtained also shows that the motives associated with cost reduction influence both financial indicators (profit growth) and non-financial indicators (human resource results), and communication and innovation influence only non-financial performance (level of satisfaction).

This study contributes to advancing theory in the field of social networks in SMEs. More precisely, this study suggests that to assess their performance, SME leaders should not use only measures of a financial nature (sales volume, level of growth, etc.), but rather in combination with non-financial indicators such as customer satisfaction, reputation and others.