CAR CUSHIONING CAUSES CASUALTIES
THE MULTIPLE ROLES OF INDIVIDUALS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES COUNTRY: Canada SCHOOL: Schulich School of Business, York University Parent, manager, activist, train enthusiast, gardener. All these are examples of the different roles an individual might play in their daily lives, either keeping them separate, or allowing the boundaries to blur. Research into the everyday roles people play has mainly focused on those in developed countries, finding that the more similar the associate behaviours of given roles, the more likely it is that individuals integrate them (and vice versa). However, the context is slightly different in developing countries, where time and money may be more important commodities and there is a heightened expectation that people will volunteer for the good of the local community. To test this, researchers collected data from 73 self-employed people in Tanzania, who also provide family planning counselling. They found that when working in their community role, participants were careful not to mix this with work, but that when they were performing their work role, they were happy to reference their family planning counselling. The researchers suggest that when at work, participants’ expected behaviour is straightforward, meaning they have the opportunity and flexibility to bring up their community role. However, when they are performing their family planning role, this is seen as more complex; they do not mention their paid work, to avoid any conflict or confusion. The findings were published in Can I sell you avocados and talk to you about contraception? , slated for publication in the Academy of Management Journal. The paper was co-authored by Geoffrey Kistruck, Professor and RBC Chair in Social Innovation and Impact at Schulich; Patrick Shulist, Assistant Professor of Sustainability in Business at Aalto University School of Business’s Entrepreneurship Unit; Miguel Rivera-Santos, an Associate Professor of Strategy and International Business at Babson College, and Winnie Nguni, Assistant Lecturer at University of Dar es Salaam Business School. (EB)
COUNTRY: Norway SCHOOL: BI Norwegian Business School
To reduce the societal and public health impact of road accidents, policymakers should incentivise against bigger cars, according to BI Norwegian Business School’s Luk Warlop. This is because bigger cars serve as a ‘cushion’, making drivers feel more secure and inducing them to take more risk, according to recently published research from Warlop, in conjunction with Bart Claus from IÉSEG School of Management in France. Prior research has shown that people tend to choose bigger cars because they make them feel more secure, and conversely, that bigger cars are more likely to be involved in accidents than their smaller counterparts. Warlop and Claus’ research is designed to show the link between the two. Across two experiments, they found that an association with a bigger car caused participants to take more risks, both on the road itself and in a simple risk test. The personalities of those involved were simply not a factor in what they term “car cushion hypothesis”, which is why the researchers believe it has strong relevance for policymakers looking to improve public health through road safety. In the first experiment, participants drove either a small or large Toyota (Yaris or Avensis) along the same route in a simulator, with their behaviour monitored. Results showed that those in the large car displayed more reckless behaviour – they drove faster, accelerated more, decelerated later, and used their brakes more than those in the smaller cars. In a second experiment, the researchers set out to take the underlying principles beyond driving, using a BART (Balloon Analog Risk Task) test. Participants were asked to imagine themselves driving either a small (A-class) or large (C-class) Mercedes and then to inflate a balloon by pushing a button. The more the balloon was inflated, the greater the monetary reward on offer but the drivers stood to lose everything if the balloon popped. In this test, those who were shown the larger car beforehand were more likely to inflate their balloon more. The suggestion here is that the perceived increase in safety on the road that comes from a larger car can be linked with generalised risk-taking. (TBD)
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