This study examines the role of perceived organizational prestige and its predictors (perceived organizational morality, perceived organizational competence, perceived organizational sociability)...Show moreThis study examines the role of perceived organizational prestige and its predictors (perceived organizational morality, perceived organizational competence, perceived organizational sociability) in the general public’s willingness to donate money to a nonprofit organization. With this, we also examine the mediating role of anticipated respect and the moderating role of perceived need for donations. This research has a 4 cell (perceived organizational morality, perceived organizational competence, perceived organizational sociability versus control) between-subjects factorial design and used a total of 159 members of the general public (50,3% female, 1,3% non-binary; Mage = 34,4 years) from English speaking countries (the US, the UK, Ireland and Canada) as research participants. A first series of ANOVAs showed our manipulations to be effective in instilling perceptions of organizational morality, competence and sociability. A second series of ANOVAs indicated that only the morality of the nonprofit organization raised the perception of organizational prestige in our participants. A multiple regression analysis showed that perceived organizational prestige, while controlling for age and gender, related directly and positively to anticipated respect received when donating to a nonprofit organization. Mediation analysis showed a significant indirect effect of perceived organizational prestige on willingness to donate via anticipated respect as a mediator. A second and third mediation analysis showed a significant indirect effect of perceived organizational morality on willingness to donate, via organizational prestige as well as via anticipated respect as mediators. Moderation analysis showed no support for the notion that perceived need for financial donations strengthens the effect of organizational prestige on donation willingness. Theoretical implications, practical implications and limitations are discussed.Show less
Outgroup helping serves various strategic motives, for example to communicate ingroup warmth and competence. However, unsolicited help is not always beneficial for the recipient, as it could cause...Show moreOutgroup helping serves various strategic motives, for example to communicate ingroup warmth and competence. However, unsolicited help is not always beneficial for the recipient, as it could cause feelings of inferiority and incompetence. Furthermore, it is not always judged positively by third party observers. This study investigated how third party observers judge outgroup helping with a motive to appear either moral or social. Based on literature on moral hypocrisy and tainted altruism, it was expected that help providers with a strategic motive to appear moral would be judged more negatively compared to help providers with a strategic motive to appear social. A scenario experiment was conducted, in which participants (N = 209) read a scenario in which the motive to offer help (e.g. to appear moral or social) and whether this was in line with whom they really are (reality congruence) was manipulated. The results confirmed that participants judged the help providers more negatively when the motive to provide help was incongruent with how they really are. However, unexpectedly, help providers who helped an outgroup in order to present themselves as being moral, were not judged more negatively compared to help providers who helped outgroup members in order to appear social. These results are at odds with literature on moral hypocrisy, which describes that it would be perceived as hypocrite when one would lie about being moral, because morality comprises traits such as honesty and integrity. The results suggest that morality and sociability are not as independent as previously thought.Show less
Financial shame can lead people to avoid seeking or accepting help with their financial problems. We expect that attenuating feelings of shame motivates people to seek help. To test this...Show moreFinancial shame can lead people to avoid seeking or accepting help with their financial problems. We expect that attenuating feelings of shame motivates people to seek help. To test this expectation, we conduct an experiment in which we present participants with an alleged website of an organisation that provides financial advice. They are presented with one of two versions. In one version the communication of the organisation is geared toward attenuating feelings of shame, whereas in the other it is not. As hypothesized, participants who experienced less shame perceived the organisation as more positive and were more likely to contact or recommend the organisation to friends or family, and these people dealt with the financial situation more constructively (hypothesis 1a-1c). Contrary to our hypothesis, only people with higher shame perceived the organisation as less positive and people with higher shame and stigma would contact or recommend the organisation less often to friends or family and handled their financial situation less constructively (hypothesis 2a-2c).Show less
Consumers can perceive brands in the way they perceive others. There has not been substantial research about attributing human personality traits, such as competence and morality, to brands. In...Show moreConsumers can perceive brands in the way they perceive others. There has not been substantial research about attributing human personality traits, such as competence and morality, to brands. In this study, we analyze competence and morality as dimensions of brand personality in order to predict purchase intention. Moreover, consumers also tend to find similarities between their personalities and a brand's personality. This concept of self congruence is used to moderate the relationships between competence, morality and purchase intention. The results of the online questionnaire showed that both morality and competence increase purchase intention, but self-congruence did not moderate these relationships. These findings suggest interesting implications for academic research and practical implications for the marketing and public relations field.Show less
This study examines the effect of brand morality and brand competence on explicit and implicit brand attitude and whether identification mediates this effect. The study has a two (morality: low x...Show moreThis study examines the effect of brand morality and brand competence on explicit and implicit brand attitude and whether identification mediates this effect. The study has a two (morality: low x high) by two (competence: low x high) factorial experimental between-subjects design. The experiment was conducted with the Qualtrics Domain of Leiden University. The results of four ANOVA’s showed that both brand morality and brand competence affect consumers’ explicit and implicit brand attitude, with a larger effect of brand morality. The first regression analysis showed that identification influences the effect of both brand morality and brand competence on explicit brand attitude, with a slightly larger effect of brand morality. The second regression analysis showed that identification influences the effect of brand competence on implicit brand attitude but does not influence the effect of brand morality on implicit brand attitude. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and suggestions for further research are discussed.Show less
Current literature indicates that consumers prefer certain aspects of brand logos, which could influence consumer behavior. Little is known, however, about the effect of the compatibility of logos...Show moreCurrent literature indicates that consumers prefer certain aspects of brand logos, which could influence consumer behavior. Little is known, however, about the effect of the compatibility of logos with a brand’s personality on consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions. The current experiment (N = 104) is conducted to test if brand attitudes and purchase intentions of competent and moral brands are more positive and stronger when a logo is compatible with the brand’s personality, as opposed to when it is not. Results show no effect of logo compatibility. Reasons for this could be that the effect of logo compatibility could be less explicitly measurable than expected, and that logo compatibility could be (co)determined by semantic meaning of logos. The results, however, have to be interpreted with caution, because the manipulation of the brands’ personalities only partly worked.Show less
Understanding how consumers perceive brand traits may help organizations enhance their positioning strategy and marketing. Previous research shows that personality traits are important in...Show moreUnderstanding how consumers perceive brand traits may help organizations enhance their positioning strategy and marketing. Previous research shows that personality traits are important in predicting social perception and behavior. This study (n = 216) aims to better understand the effect of brand morality and competence on brand attitude and purchase intentions, using an online survey with an experimental design. The findings showed that brand morality has a stronger effect than brand competence on brand attitude and purchase intentions. Previous research also shows the importance of brand trust in predicting consumers’ perceptions. Therefore, the mediation of trust in the relation between the traits and brand attitude and purchase intentions is investigated. The results show that trust is related to brand attitude and purchase intentions. Also, brand trust mediates the relationship between morality and brand attitude and purchase intentions, as well as the relationship between competence and brand attitude and purchase intentions.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
The inclusion of ‘Eduba’ literature which decrees rules or ideals for scribes in the Old Babylonian scribal curriculum is clear evidence that compositions served more than a pedagogical purpose....Show moreThe inclusion of ‘Eduba’ literature which decrees rules or ideals for scribes in the Old Babylonian scribal curriculum is clear evidence that compositions served more than a pedagogical purpose. This thesis investigates the possibility that a moral agenda was involved in the construction of the Old Babylonian scribal curriculum by analysing the most commonly attested literary texts at school sites to see if any common themes regarding proper behaviour emerge.Show less
This paper considers the morality that comes with the actions of autonomous AI-systems (AAA). AAA are becoming more autonomous and more intelligent every day, and are already part of our daily...Show moreThis paper considers the morality that comes with the actions of autonomous AI-systems (AAA). AAA are becoming more autonomous and more intelligent every day, and are already part of our daily lives in the form of decision support tools, all sorts of apps, or even self-driving cars and that is why they need a moral compass. Currently, implementing a moral compass into AAA is problematic since the current strategies, laws, principles, guidelines and moral codes do not suffice for solving the moral challenges that surround AAA and impact human lives. Two strategies are considered: Top-Down (TD) and Bottom-Up (BU) strategies. TD strategies use explicit rules that are programmed into AAA, and AAA are designed to follow these rules. BU strategies allow AAA to teach themselves the correct behaviour using feedback from the evaluation of their actions. The problems with TD strategies are that situational dilemmas require almost infinite lists of rules which account for every possible factor, and that a shorter set of rules will result in definitions that are too vague to be eligible for implementation in practise. The problems with BU strategies are that they provide limited transparency of the actions and reasoning behind these actions, and that it becomes harder to evaluate AAA’s moral compass. Furthermore, additional problems come with the moral compass of AAA. Understanding how to emulate the relevant human factors in the moral compass of AAA is difficult, and the moral compass of AAA should adapt to the changing and subjective moral compass of humans over time. This paper concludes that, currently, both TD and BU strategies for implementing a moral compass into AAA prove to be problematic, and that proper evaluation of AAA is difficult. Additionally, the moral compass of AAA becomes more problematic because the programmed moral compass differs from human reasoning and actions.Show less
This thesis aims to bring abstract conceptions of morality in politics into a current, comparative case study. It will compare the arms export policies of two Western democracies, Germany and the...Show moreThis thesis aims to bring abstract conceptions of morality in politics into a current, comparative case study. It will compare the arms export policies of two Western democracies, Germany and the UK, which are similar in many ways but have taken different stances on arms exports. It will consider a range of factors and compare them to account for the difference in arms policy. It looks at a variety of factors, including comparing political parties, civil society, public opinion, opposition politics and economics but ultimately concludes that the most important factors are historic accountability and the formation of government.Show less
War brings about destruction and loss of human life, and should be avoided at all cost. Unfortunately, sometimes, the same values that makes us want to avoid war are the ones that need defending....Show moreWar brings about destruction and loss of human life, and should be avoided at all cost. Unfortunately, sometimes, the same values that makes us want to avoid war are the ones that need defending. At times, war is necessary to put an end to destruction and attacks on human life and restore a status quo based on these moral values. Looking at various tools, most notably contemporary just war theory, this master thesis will argue that the Western military powers have a moral right – if not a moral duty towards the oppressed foreign populations as well as their own citizens – to intervene militarily in Syria and Iraq, where the so-called Islamic State spreads fear, chaos and destruction. There is a caveat to this, however. Those who intervene must carefully consider their chances of success and assure a just peace in the wake of the violence that rules there. A just intention is meaningless if the end is not just too.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to examine Henri-Georges Clouzot’s questioning of French morality in La Vérité (1960). La Vérité, which translates as The Truth, is not merely a courtroom drama about a...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to examine Henri-Georges Clouzot’s questioning of French morality in La Vérité (1960). La Vérité, which translates as The Truth, is not merely a courtroom drama about a crime passionnel; a closer look reveals that this film directed by Clouzot does not aim to judge its accused; instead, it is society’s morality that is put on trial. Viewing La Vérité resembles being prosecuted for lack of self-reflection. Clouzot holds up a mirror to the audience who are helplessly subjected to witnessing how Dominque Marceau becomes entangled deeper and deeper in a web of moral prejudice and prejudgement, only to realise that the spider is not solely the président des assises, nor the jury; it is primarily the observer who is responsible for Marceau’s predicament. In short, the truth seems susceptible to moral standards, but how, then, is the truth in fact true? And, moreover, how can truth and justice be compatible when morality interferes? Obscured by a dramatic veil of passion and beauty, these are questions that Clouzot presents his 1960s French audience and, although it was over fifty years ago, these are still very relevant questions to address. By means of his inconclusive subtlety, Clouzot asks for an active-reflexive commitment to his pursuit and he expects the viewer to put in effort and contribute by taking a standpoint through active reasoning and reflective thinking. Although engaging and innovative, La Vérité leaves a bitter taste as the ending is disquieting to an audience who accept the mirror that Clouzot is handing and take a close and honest look at its reflection.Show less
