Behavioural Sciences
9 billion regressions: A multiverse approach to statistical analysis
Researchers never fully know if the statistical method that they choose provides the best possible model for their data. Their choice of how to analyse the data also influences the results. Dr Cristobal Young, Associate Professor of Sociology at Cornell University is using multiverse analysis to offer a rigorous and transparent framework to tackle the intrinsic issues of model uncertainty. Model uncertainty […]
Moral and ethical realism and unbounded organization
Howard Richards, in his recently published article in the Journal of Critical Realism Moral (and Ethical) Realism, offers practical ethics for our times, embedded in findings of the natural sciences. A companion volume written with Dr Gavin Andersson, Unbounded Organizing in Community is a step-by-step guide to realist practice. In other works he develops the fateful consequences of two ‘Staggering Facts.’ […]
Double-suicide in modern Japan: An ageing society’s crisis
Suicide, double-suicide, and homicide-suicide are a significant public health concern in Japan. In particular, double-suicide, which was relatively common among lovers immediately after the Second World War, has re-emerged in Japan among the elderly and their overburdened carers. Professor Fumiko Satoh and colleagues from the Kitasato University School of Medicine have examined prevalence rates and proposed likely reasons for double-suicide […]
In search of the perfect leader: Selecting the next CEO
On most days of the week, the business news will carry a story of at least one Fortune 500 CEO leaving their role; some for the next big role in a gilded career, others less willingly leaving behind the pay and the perks, and thinking about how to make the most of a less than stellar track record. For the […]
Explaining how the mind works: A new theory
How and why do humans think and act in the ways that we do? To answer this question, Dr Paul Badcock and his colleagues have recently proposed a theory of the human brain that combines evidence from evolutionary and developmental psychology, neuroscience, and biology. This theory posits that the human brain is a complex adaptive system, composed of relatively specialised […]
The effects of workplace norms on women’s work behaviour in Japan
Professor Eriko Teramura from the Meikai University Faculty of Economics is a Japanese social scientist who specialises in human resource management and gender theory. Her current research centres around the workplace culture of Japan and the practices specific to Japanese companies that may be affecting the employment of women and their decisions to start a family. Using empirical analysis, Professor […]
Unveiling Muslim Voices: Fostering a culture of understanding
Many Muslim families in the U.S. face isolation, segregation, and increasing pressures at home due to a lack of understanding in the care sector about provision of culturally appropriate supports/services for ageing Muslim parents with disabilities, chronic health and mental health conditions. Dr Rooshey Hasnain of the University of Illinois at Chicago examines the challenges faced by these families and what can be […]
Supporting consumers in the sharing economy
The sharing economy is transforming the traditional consumer journey, with firms like Airbnb, BlaBlaCar and Etsy empowering consumers to become producers themselves. In his research at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Professor Benedict Dellaert draws on household production theory to suggest new marketing strategies that can support consumers as co-producers in co-production networks. Aman walks into a shop and buys a loaf […]
Facilitating regional inter-organisational collaborations for promoting competitive industries
Dr Yuki Kawabata, a professor at the School of Management at Chukyo University in Nagoya, Japan, is conducting research on inter-organisational collaboration. By exploring the process behind cross-sectoral collaborations to promote regional industries, Dr Kawabata aims to suggest ways to better facilitate it. The study builds on the theoretical basis of previous research conducted by Dr Kawabata in Japan. It […]
In the wake of catastrophe Japanese media after the Fukushima nuclear disaster
The Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 saw a clamour among the Japanese media calling for the phase-out of nuclear power plants. In his research, Professor Katsuyuki Hidaka at Ritsumeikan University looks at the discussions around denuclearisation since the catastrophe, and how they reveal tensions within Japan’s social narrative. On 11 March 2011, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale […]