Young drivers represent a high-risk group worldwide, with their overrepresentation in road trauma placing substantial pressure on health and economic systems. Their crashes are often linked to risky driving behaviors, accentuating the need for reliable instruments to assess these patterns. The Behavior of Young Novice Drivers Scale (BYNDS) was developed to comprehensively assess multiple dimensions of risky driving behavior in drivers aged 17-29 years; however, it has not yet undergone cross-cultural validation. Aim: This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive cross-cultural validation of the BYNDS and examine differences in risky driving behaviors among young drivers from Low-and Middle-Income (LMIC) and High-Income (HIC) countries. Method: Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of n = 3,989 young drivers aged M = 22.25 years, of whom 52 % were male and 48 % female. Participants completed the BYNDS, a 44-item behavioral questionnaire administered across 12 countries (48.6 % LMICs; 51.4 % HICs) spanning five continents. Results: The findings indicate that the BYNDS supports a five-factor structure with good fit indices, strong factor loadings, and acceptable reliability, and invariance between countries of different income levels. Furthermore, the validated BYNDS-42 (comprising 42 items distributed across five factors) also showed the ability to distinguish between drivers with and without self-reported crashes or traffic fines. Conclusion: This study provides robust evidence supporting the cross-cultural validity and reli-ability of the BYNDS, reinforcing its value as a tool for assessing young driver behavior. These findings offer empirically grounded insights that can inform behavioral interventions aimed at improving young drivers' road safety.
Due to the current fragmentation of experiences, companies have diminished control over the experience they provide at particular touchpoints. However, customers, on the other hand, have gained enhanced power over certain touchpoints. Touchpoints can be categorized as internal or external elements of a customer's journey. Our current knowledge of how businesses might affect external factors that may influence consumers' views of their experiences is very limited and the absence of information may stem from organizations prioritizing components within their control that can be fully managed internally. Fear, anxiety, and dread play a critical role in different touchpoints, either as indications of anticipated future outcomes or as emotions felt during the interaction. The experience with a touchpoint can also be affected by the presence of other customers providing patrons with the opportunity to engage with them at random. This interaction can result in gaining knowledge from others' experiences to address their own concerns, reduce uncertainty, and decrease perceived risks. Although emotion has always been studied as an individual experience, it is important to recognize that social interactions can also influence customer emotions, potentially aiding in the resolution of difficulties. This study examines the correlation between interactions occurring in the retail setting (in the form of peer-to-peer interactions) and the sense of peace of mind experienced by Generation Z consumers and how this affects their overall customer experience. Generation Z is sometimes characterized by a high risk aversion, especially when it comes to product categories in which they have little experience. As a result, this makes these individuals more susceptible to the influence of others. A market research company was hired to collect data from customers between 18 and 21 years of age who had just completed a purchase at various retailers at different malls. Participants were approached and randomly invited to participate in a survey immediately upon exiting a retailer once age verification and informed consent were confirmed. The instrument to measure the primary constructs was developed using scales validated by prior service-marketing literature. The PROCESS Macro developed by Hayes (PROCESS: A versatile computational tool for observed variable mediation, moderation, and conditional process modelling, University of Kansas, KS, 2012) was used to test mediation and moderated mediation of the variables used for the research model. The results demonstrate that P2PQ influences the experience process as an external and uncontrollable touchpoint. The relationship between P2PQ and POM represents a departure from how P2PQ was previously analyzed within the CX context and highlights the significance of the variable within the experience design process. The results also demonstrate that P2PQ interaction predicts CX via POM and that this relationship is stronger for hedonistic services than for functional ones.
This study examines positive behavioral spillover between waste-related behaviors that vary in complexity. Specifically, we test whether encouraging a relatively simple behavior-using reusable shopping bags-can lead to increased adoption of a more complex behavior, such as recycling. To investigate this, we conducted a longitudinal field experiment. Additionally, we explored the moderating roles of three individual-level constructs: Perceived Difficulty, Self-efficacy, and Perceived Consumer Effectiveness. Our findings show that positive spillover occurs for recycling at home, but not for recycling elsewhere. Moreover, Perceived Difficulty strengthens this effect, while Perceived Consumer Effectiveness diminishes it. We conclude by discussing how these insights can inform public and private interventions aimed at promoting recycling.
Two-hundred-million years ago, the emission of an estimated 100,000 Gt of CO2 during pulsed eruptions in the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province had dire consequences for the biosphere and resulted in the end-Triassic extinction. The exact causes for the extinction of organisms remain enigmatic, but a complex and drawn-out scenario is emerging that is in line with the pulsed activity in the CAMP. Palynological assemblages obtained from the immediate extinction interval from multiple locations exhibit a remarkable darkening of pollen and spores that is at odds with simple thermal maturation during burial. Here, we investigate this latest Triassic “dark zone”, using the Palynomorph Darkening Index (PDI) obtained from trilete fern spores in the Schandelah-1 core (North Germany) and Classopollis pollen in drill cores from Denmark (Stenlille-4), the United Kingdom (ICDP Prees-2), and Luxemburg (Elvange). Coinciding with a collapse of forest vegetation and the spread of a pioneer fern vegetation, the fern spores’ PDI reaches peak darkness in the uppermost Triletes Beds from Germany and equivalents elsewhere. This darkening event is mimicked in highest PDI values in Classopollis from the upper Lilstock Formation in the Prees-2 core and equivalent beds in the Elvange and Stenlille-4 cores. Controlled heating experiments of Lycopodium spores followed by PDI analyses suggest that latest Triassic darkening of palynomorphs is consistent with frequent surface fires carried in fern savannahs. The ensuing extreme soil erosion during wetter intervals resulted in mass removal of charred organic material in coastal sediments. The impact of continental-scale wildfires during the height of the end-Triassic mass-extinction suggests intense climate change exerting heat stress on vegetation as a major factor in the collapse of terrestrial ecosystems.
The existing literature presents limited evidence of research on knowledge management in organizations within the organizations that are part of the social and solidarity economy. Thus, this study aims to examine the impact of knowledge transfer on absorptive capacity and organizational learning and, consequently, on the social performance of organizations within the social and solidarity economy of Colombia. This study utilizes structural equation modeling to analyze the hypothesized relationships, employing a custom survey of managers and associates based on a literature review conducted among 347 members. The findings indicate that the influence of knowledge transfer on organizational performance in the social sphere is insignificant. This result underscores the need for organizations to develop absorption capacities and adequate organizational learning strategies, which are crucial for survival and integral growth, thus strengthening the doctrine that nourishes this type of companies. This paper contributes to theory and practice in social and solidarity economy organizations by expanding current knowledge on social performance, focusing on knowledge transfer, absorptive capacity and organizational learning. Furthermore, it adds to the body of knowledge by highlighting regional specificities that could hinder the competitiveness of companies and by presenting a quantitative methodology little used for these topics, which allows inferences about the cluster of companies in a country.
