We examine the workplace effects of amoral management. Specifically, we suggest amoral managers who are also high performers instill a moral decoupling view within employees such that employees separate evaluations of morality and performance. Drawing from social learning theory (Bandura, 1986, 2001), we explicate that managers who abstain from moral issues and exhibit high performance emphasize that performance is separate from and a more desired ideal than morals in the workplace. Subsequently, a moral decoupled reasoning process prompts admiration of the high-performing, amoral manager as the manager is viewed by the employee as embodying the organizational ideal. Firstly, we test our theoretical model using an experimental study design to establish internal validity. Then, in a second study, we test our theoretical model via working employees to establish external validity. Both studies provide support for our theoretical model in that moral decoupling mediates the positive, conditional indirect relationship between amoral management and manager admiration when manager performance is higher versus lower. Theoretical and practical implications of our study are discussed.
Confession contamination, in which confidential case information is shared with a suspect during an interrogation, provides misleading credibility to confessions. We hypothesized that indications of confession contamination provided through questions from an interrogation and expert information on contamination would significantly lower mock jurors' judgments about guilt (in a verdict determination and a likelihood of guilt rating) and their rating of the strength of a confession as evidence in a case vignette. In a 2 (interrogation questions vs. no interrogation questions) x 2 (expert video vs. no expert video) design, 181 jury-eligible adults read case materials that included a false confession. Expert testimony and questions that involved contamination resulted in significantly lower likelihood of guilt ratings, and participants exposed to the interrogation questions rated the confession as significantly less accurate and persuasive than participants who were not provided evidence of contamination. However, we did not find the expected additive effects of questions showing confession contamination and expert information. Additionally, participants' responses to an initial Confession Attitude Questionnaire (CAQ) suggested better knowledge about some aspects of confession than has been reported in previous studies. Our findings support recent recommendations about interrogations and confessions.
Using a recently developed measure of financial market risk perceptions, we show that risk perceptions affect firm-level corporate financing behavior. Firms tend to adjust their capital structures to cater to investors' appetite for risk. When perceived risks are low, firms tend to choose more leveraged capital structures to take advantage of higher valuations associated with higher risk exposure. When perceived risks are high, firms tend to deleverage to avoid undervaluation associated with higher risk exposure. Furthermore, in periods of low risk perceptions, bond issue announcement returns tend to be higher, whereas long-run returns tend to decline with leverage.
Immigration is at the forefront of the nation’s public policy agenda. Despite research finding the contrary, a primary concern held by some Americans is that immigration increases crime in the United States. The current study embeds an information experiment in a survey of 430 U.S. adults to assess whether fact-based information on the immigration-crime relationship influences attitudes toward immigration and its effect on crime. Results reveal that the presentation of fact-based information reduced negative perceptions toward the immigration-crime relationship only when participants were exposed to the information for 10 seconds or longer. Additionally, geographical, political, and emotional factors shaped attitudes. Policy implications are discussed.
BACKGROUND:Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor characterized by rapid growth, thereby resistance, and enrichment of glioma stem-like cells (GSCs). Despite advances in understanding GBM biology, the molecular mechanisms sustaining tumorigenesis and stemness remain incompletely defined. METHODS:We investigated the role of Rap1b, a small GTPase, in glioma progression using patient-derived datasets, GBM cell lines, GSC cultures, and a xenograft mouse model. Functional assays, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, and in vivo tumor growth analysis were performed. RESULTS:Rap1b was found to be highly expressed in GSCs and played a central role in regulating Notch1 and VEGFR2 signaling. Functionally, Rap1b promoted GBM cell proliferation and invasion by inhibiting apoptosis and promoting cell cycle progression beyond the G2/M checkpoint. Furthermore, Rap1b regulated the expression of key stemness markers CD133, ALDH1, and SOX2, contributing to the maintenance of GSC phenotypes. Clinically, elevated Rap1b expression correlated with higher tumor grade and poorer overall survival in glioma patients. Mechanistically, Rap1b translocated into the nucleus upon activation, suggesting a possible role as a transcriptional regulator. In vivo, Rap1b downregulation significantly reduced glioma growth in a nude mouse xenograft model. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings uncover a previously underappreciated role of Rap1b in promoting glioma cell proliferation, stemness, and tumor growth through modulation of Notch and VEGFR2 pathways. These results suggest that Rap1b may serve as a novel therapeutic target in glioblastoma by disrupting critical signaling networks that sustain tumor progression and stem cell-like features.
