Marek Palasinski and Neil Shortland
The purpose of this paper is to explore individual factors predicting support for harsher punishments for relatively common and uncommon serious offenders.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore individual factors predicting support for harsher punishments for relatively common and uncommon serious offenders.
Design/methodology/approach
In Study 1, 120 UK participants (60 males and 60 females; mean age =37.31 SD=16.74) completed a survey exploring the extent to which they supported harsher punishments (SHP) for first time and repeat fraud, sexual and violent offenders. In Study 2, 131 participants (70 Britons and 61 Singaporeans; 69 females and 62 males; mean age=31.57; SD=10.87) completed a similar survey exploring their support for life sentence without the possibility of parole (SLSWP) for rather uncommon repeat offenders (i.e. drug traffickers, human traffickers, serious sexual offenders).
Findings
Study 1 found that right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) was an SHP predictor for first time and repeat fraud, violent and sex offenders. Study 2 found that national identity (i.e. how British or Singaporean participants felt) played a similar role to Study 1’s RWA in being a positive SLSWP predictor for repeat human traffickers and drug traffickers of both sexes, as well as male sex offenders. In contrast to the hypothesis, however, participants’ locations did not appear to play a statistically significant role.
Research limitations/implications
This survey-based research reveals a nuanced and quite consistent picture that could benefit from the inclusion of socio-economic factors and other cross-cultural comparisons.
Practical implications
The key message from this study is to inform the public on the role that right-wing authoritarianism and national identity play in their SHP and SLSWP.
Social implications
It is vital to increase the legislators’ and the public awareness of the role that national identity and RWA seem to play.
Originality/value
The paper offers insight into factors behind people’s punitive attitudes towards specific crimes regardless of geo-cultural location.
Details
Keywords
Viktoria Gallova, Marek Palasinski, Neil Shortland, Michael Humann and Lorraine Bowman Grieve
The purpose of this paper is to determine the potential predictors of anxiety about digital security, terrorist threats and support for high-tech counter measures.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the potential predictors of anxiety about digital security, terrorist threats and support for high-tech counter measures.
Design/methodology/approach
In Study 1, 195 participants indicated their anxiety about digital security systems, data protection and social networking sites. In Study 2, 107 participants indicated their anxiety about domestic terrorism, international terrorism and extremist groups. In Study 3, 261 participants indicated their support for high-tech counter-terrorism measures.
Findings
Study 1 suggests that whereas anxiety about digital security systems, data protection and social networking sites was positively predicted by right-wing authoritarianism, anxiety about social networking was also negatively predicted by time spent online. Study 2 shows that time spent online was a negative predictor of anxiety about domestic terrorism. Study 3 indicates that the strongest positive predictor of support for all the measures was right-wing authoritarianism, followed by national identity.
Research limitations/implications
The findings show the relevance of terror management theory to digital security and counter-terrorism.
Practical implications
It appears that right-wing authoritarianism and national identity may serve as mechanisms for people to subjectively counter the presented threats. This notion may inform relevant policy and practice aimed at making communities safer and potentially helps introduce counter-terror measures with less public backlash.
Social implications
When designing counter-terror measures, policy makers should consider compound national identities (e.g. Catalan or Basque people).
Originality/value
The paper makes contribution to under-explored areas of terrorism anxiety and support for counter-terror measures.
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Keywords
Lorraine Bowman Grieve, Marek Palasinski and Neil Shortland
The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of vengeance as a terrorist motivator.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of vengeance as a terrorist motivator.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper takes a community psychological perspective to examine vengeance in a number of forms. First covering “blood vengeance”, it then examines vigilantism and death squads as functional examples of vengeful entities, as well as the morality of vengeance and the impact of propaganda on vengeance as a terrorist motivator. Finally, both group processes and individual factors relating to the promotion and use of vengeance in terrorism are covered.
Findings
Vengeance can be conceptualised in a number of ways: as a predisposing factor to individual involvement, a factor that contributes to keeping the movement “bound” together (but which can also negatively affect the group’s strategic logic), a factor in the escalation of violent activity through vigilantism, retribution and retaliation which can result in a perpetuation of a cycle of violence, and as a moral mandate that is ideologically rationalised and justified, with perceptions of righteousness and obligation inherent to it.
Research limitations/implications
The presented research is limited by the scarcely available data.
Practical implications
Efforts should be made to defuse vengeful motivations by tapping into collective identities of communities and incorporating multicultural values.
Social implications
Policy makers should be wary of scoring populist scores by ridiculing out-group/religious elements as that creates potential for vengeful terror attacks.
Originality/value
The paper offers insights by renewing the neglected perspective of vengeance in terrorism research.
Details
Keywords
Ricardo Tejeiro, Neil Shortland, Alberto Paramio, Laurence Alison and José Luis González
We analyse the role of subject matter experts' experience in establishing performance benchmarks for ambiguous and unstructured police tasks.
Abstract
Purpose
We analyse the role of subject matter experts' experience in establishing performance benchmarks for ambiguous and unstructured police tasks.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants included 156 students in the final week of their training to become commissioned officers of a police force (78.8% male, aged 21 to 54); 55.8% had previous experience as police officers, with 5–39 years of service (expert group). Participants completed an online questionnaire providing demographic data and responded to three written vignettes presenting critical high-ambiguity, time-pressure, and life-threatening situations.
Findings
Having prior police experience or being familiar with the situations presented in the vignettes did not impact the decisions made in two of the three vignettes. In the vignette where differences appeared, there was no clearly preferred option among the experts. Experts provided shorter and less elaborate justifications for their decisions compared to novices.
Originality/value
Overall experience and personal familiarity with situations do not appear to be sufficient conditions for identifying someone as an expert in this type of tasks. Results are discussed in relation to the difference between knowing what one should do and what one does due to stress and the moral or “sacred” values prevalent in police forces.
Details
Keywords
Marek Palasinski and Neil Shortland
The purpose of this paper is to address individual factors predicting punitive attitudes towards sexual and domestic offences and offenders have received little attention.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address individual factors predicting punitive attitudes towards sexual and domestic offences and offenders have received little attention.
Design/methodology/approach
In Study 1,137 participants completed a 25-item online questionnaire exploring individual factors hypothesised to predict punitive attitudes towards four sexual crimes: rape, paedophilia, incest and bestiality. In Study 2,100 participants completed a similar questionnaire exploring individual factors hypothesised to predict punitive attitudes towards male and female emotional, physical and sexual abusers.
Findings
The standard multiple regression models of Study 1 found that age (i.e. being older), belief in a just world and gender (i.e. being female) were predictors of harsher punitive attitudes. The models of Study 2 found that the low score on the social dominance scale was the most common predictor.
Research limitations/implications
This survey-based project presents a nuanced picture that could be complemented by the inclusion of a wider range of more complex factors and follow-on qualitative studies.
Practical implications
The key message from this study is to inform the public on the role of personality factors in developing punitive attitudes.
Social implications
It is vital to increase the legislators’ and the people’ awareness of the factors shaping the public impressions of criminal justice processes and evidence-based treatment effectiveness.
Originality/value
This relatively modest paper offers insight of personality factors into people’s punitive attitudes shaping actual legislation.
Details
Keywords
Shivam Fijwala, Marek Palasinski and Neil Shortland
Given that how crimes are perceived by the general public influences their sense of community safety, police priorities and offending behaviour, and in light of little, if any at…
Abstract
Purpose
Given that how crimes are perceived by the general public influences their sense of community safety, police priorities and offending behaviour, and in light of little, if any at all, attention being paid to the determinants of such perception, the purpose of this paper is to examine their predictive value.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 150 English participants with diverse backgrounds (78 males and 72 females – mean age: M=24.3; SD=5.44) completed surveys on their perceived increase in violent, sexual and benefit fraud crimes, taking into account theoretically and empirically underpinned factors, like age, income, number of days unemployed in the last three years, number of years spent in formal education and machiavellianism.
Findings
The multiple regression results suggest that participants with less formal education and less income were more likely to see a rise in violent crime. They also suggest that participants with less formal education and longer history of recent unemployment were more likely to see a rise in sexual crime. It turned out, however, that the recent history of unemployment was not a significant predictor of the perceived rise in benefit fraud – only a high machiavellianism score was.
Research limitations/implications
This quantitative research paints a complex picture that could be complemented by follow-on qualitative studies.
Practical implications
The overarching message from this relatively modest study, therefore, which is part of a much larger and more complex ongoing research project, is to inform the public on crime in approachable and mass data-driven ways rather than leaving this to sensation-driven and selective scenario-focused media.
Social implications
Increasing people's sense of community safety is likely to improve their general well-being, community cohesion and trust in others without necessarily inclining them to take personal risks and falling victim to crime due to ignorance and gullibility. This, in turn, might help guide crime prevention strategies and contribute to the actual reduction in crime levels and safer communities.
Originality/value
Not only does this article offer insight into people's perception of different crimes, addressing an important and neglected research deficit, but is also cautiously proposes the need for more professional education of the public about crime figures.
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Aurora Chen, Noeleen Doherty and Susan Vinnicombe
The purpose of this paper is to report a qualitative study with British women managers, which explored the career competencies accrued from undertaking an Executive MBA (EMBA).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report a qualitative study with British women managers, which explored the career competencies accrued from undertaking an Executive MBA (EMBA).
Design/methodology/approach
The research drew on in‐depth interviews with a sample of 18 female alumni from three British business schools. Data were analyzed using NVivo 8.0. within the career‐competencies framework of Knowing‐how, Knowing‐why and Knowing‐whom.
Findings
Women aged between 30 and 34 years emphasized the importance of gaining confidence (Knowing‐why) and skills (Knowing‐how) while those aged between 35 and 45 years focused on developing networks (Knowing‐whom). This study suggests that age and career stage may have considerable impact on perceptions of acquired career competencies.
Research limitations/implications
This is an exploratory piece with limited generalisability; however, it exposes the need to clarify the concept of career stage for women.
Practical implications
Business schools have historically stressed the career benefits of MBA programmes in terms of improved capital and of changing career directions. This research indicates that an EMBA may offer a more level playing field for women with respect to networking activities. In the competitive global environment, business schools may benefit from more fully exploring career competencies, such as networking skills, for increasing the appeal of EMBA programmes. The paper also draws attention to the need for HR managers to increase efforts for improving women's career competencies.
Originality/value
Findings extend previous research on the development of career competencies from an EMBA, indicating the importance of developing networks, particularly at mid‐career. The paper highlights the need to redefine women's mid‐career stage.
Details
Keywords
Julia Richardson, Deborah Anne O'Neil and Kaye Thorn
In this paper, the authors investigate and celebrate the contributions that qualitative research has made to Career Development International (CDI) and careers scholarship over…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper, the authors investigate and celebrate the contributions that qualitative research has made to Career Development International (CDI) and careers scholarship over the past 25 years. The authors highlight the positive impact of understanding the “lived/emic experiences” of individual career actors using qualitative research designs and identify areas for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors employ multiple approaches in their investigation. The authors’ enquiry is part conceptual, part critical analysis and part bibliometric visualisation of qualitative papers published in CDI.
Findings
The authors identify the underlying ontological and epistemological assumptions of qualitative research, and the key tenets and contributions of qualitative research published in CDI. Their bibliometric analysis shows the interrelatedness and frequency of topics addressed by qualitative research and published in CDI, revealing areas for further research. While identifying some of the key criteria for rigor in qualitative research, the authors also engage with emerging calls to avoid rigid templates in how qualitative research is designed and implemented. In this regard, authors echo calls for “methodological bricolage” as an approach to qualitative research in the study of careers.
Originality/value
This is the first bibliographic and visual analysis of qualitative research published in a single journal. The authors offer this investigation as a way of looking back and as an invitation looking forward, encouraging further qualitative research in anticipation of future theoretical developments in career scholarship.
Details
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Carter Gibson, Jay H. Hardy III and M. Ronald Buckley
– The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize research and theory on the definition, antecedents, outcomes, and mechanisms of networking in organizations.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize research and theory on the definition, antecedents, outcomes, and mechanisms of networking in organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
Descriptions of networking are reviewed and an integrated definition of networking in organizations is presented. Approaches for measuring and studying networking are considered and the similarities and differences of networking with related constructs are discussed. A theoretical model of the antecedents and outcomes of networking is presented with the goal of integrating existing networking research. Mechanisms through which networking leads to individual and organizational outcomes are also considered.
Findings
Networking is defined as goal-directed behavior which occurs both inside and outside of an organization, focussed on creating, cultivating, and utilizing interpersonal relationships. The current model proposes that networking is influenced by a variety of individual, job, and organizational level factors and leads to increased visibility and power, job performance, organizational access to strategic information, and career success. Access to information and social capital are proposed as mechanisms that facilitate the effects of networking on outcomes.
Originality/value
Networking is held to be of great professional value for ambitious individuals and organizations. However, much of the research on networking has been spread across various disciplines. Consequentially, consensus on many important topics regarding networking remains notably elusive. This paper reviews and integrates existing research on networking in organizations and proposes directions for future study. A comprehensive definition and model of networking is presented and suggestions to researchers are provided.
Details
Keywords
Aurora Chen, Noeleen Doherty and Susan Vinnicombe
This paper seeks to explore the perceived value of an executive MBA (EMBA) to the development of knowing‐who competency for Taiwanese women managers.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to explore the perceived value of an executive MBA (EMBA) to the development of knowing‐who competency for Taiwanese women managers.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative research drew on in‐depth interviews with a sample of 18 female alumni across three business schools in Taiwan. Analysis, using NVivo 8.0, focused on individual perceptions of the development of knowing‐who, through networks.
Findings
Women emphasized the benefits of acquiring and developing networks from undertaking the EMBA. Cultural values impacted women's perceptions of networking.
Research limitations/implications
This is an exploratory piece with limited generalisability, however, it indicates the perceived importance of networking to female EMBA students within the Asian context.
Originality/value
Findings extend previous research on the acquisition and development of networks through the EMBA experience. The salience of networking for women is established. The clarification of age or career stage in research on women's careers is needed.