Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: To what extent have social and cultural issues become more important than economic, security, and financial issues in determining the parameters of European integration? With the last wave of enlargement having added ten new countries to the European Union, and the new candidate countries being so far east, the European Union is having to come to terms with all the East has to offer, more than ever before: in terms of history, culture, mentality, and to a certain extent, religion. As the European Union?s eastern border comes ever closer to countries such as Russia, Israel, and Turkey, more and more attention must turn towards the creation of appropriate social policies rather than to economic and financial issues: reconciling eastern workers from the East with the long-established labor standards of the West, the on-going project of creating a common identity among an ever-diversifying populace through a somewhat guided coordination of national education policies, and the prospects for a peaceful co-existence of Islam and Christianity will need to be addressed long before economic and financial issues can even be considered. My research will focus on the growing importance of attention to social matters as expressed through the increased activity of civil society, representing migrant, immigrant, minority, and non-Christian populations. These groups, whose growing numbers are an inevitable result of the Union?s eastward expansion, will challenge its democratic structures by necessitating their increased representation in the EU?s decision-making process. As these populations cannot be represented well by states, transnational organizations such as Caritas Europe and Social Platform are granting a voice to those who would otherwise not have one, and yet who represent a large part of the EU?s citizens and residents. Stateless populations and the stateless organizations representing them are becoming more and more relevant and increasingly visible in European politics; their successful inclusion in the European Union (a Union of more than just states) is critical to the success of European integration.

Publication Type: Symposium Paper
Abstract: Attorneys often suggest a per diem argument (PDA) or mathematical formula to help jurors determine non-economic damages in civil cases. We examined whether different dollar/time quantifications (none, $10/hour, $240/day, $7,300/month) and a lump sum (none, $175,000) influenced pain and suffering awards in a simulated personal injury case. Jurors (N=317) awarded less damages and exerted less cognitive effort when presented a larger dollar/time quantification ($7,300/month) compared to $10/hour or no PDA/no lump sum. Jurors who received the PDA alone were less influenced by the plaintiff attorney’s closing argument and awarded less damages than those who received a combined lump sum/PDA argument.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Previous research on corporate social responsibility has attempted to assess the impact of a company’s CSR campaign on attitude toward the company and purchase intention. These studies fall short because researchers assume knowledge is created through exposure to a CSR message without measuring it. The purpose of this study is to assess participants’ knowledge of CSR activities and the impact of knowledge on both attitude and purchase intention. Results indicate that participants exposed to CSR campaigns are more knowledgeable about those campaigns. The study also found that increased knowledge of a company’s CSR campaign increases positive attitudes toward the company but it also creates a backlash. Participants exposed to a company’s CSR campaign indicated they were less likely to purchase the company’s products. Finally, the study also looked at the impact of self- and response efficacy on consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions toward companies that practice CSR. Previous research (Mohr et al., 2001) indicated consumers may lack self- and response efficacy in this context. Results indicated no support for these hypotheses.