University of Mannheim

About: University of Mannheim is a education organization based out in Mannheim, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Context (language use) & Politics. The organization has 4448 authors who have published 12918 publications receiving 446557 citations. The organization is also known as: Uni Mannheim & UMA.

Scrooge Posing as Mother Teresa: How Hypocritical Social Responsibility Strategies Hurt Employees and Firms

Abstract: Extant research provides compelling conceptual and empirical arguments that company-external (e.g., philanthropic) as well as company-internal (i.e., employee-directed) CSR efforts positively affect employees, but does so largely in studies assessing effects from the two CSR types independently of each other. In contrast, this paper investigates external–internal CSR jointly, examining the effects of (in)consistent external–internal CSR strategies on employee attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. The research takes a social and moral identification theory view and advances the core hypothesis that inconsistent CSR strategies, defined as favoring external over internal stakeholders, trigger employees’ perceptions of corporate hypocrisy which, in turn, lead to emotional exhaustion and turnover. In Study 1, a cross-industry employee survey (n = 3410) indicates that inconsistent CSR strategies with larger external than internal efforts increase employees’ turnover intentions via perceived corporate hypocrisy and emotional exhaustion. In Study 2, a multi-source secondary dataset (n = 1902) demonstrates that inconsistent CSR strategies increase firms’ actual employee turnover. Combined, the two studies demonstrate the importance of taking into account the interests of both external and internal stakeholders of the firm when researching and managing CSR.

To Live Among Like-Minded Others: Exploring the Links Between Person-City Personality Fit and Self-Esteem

Abstract: Does it matter if your personality fits in with the personalities of the people where you live? The present study explored the links between person-city personality fit and self-esteem. Using data from 543,934 residents of 860 U.S. cities, we examined the extent to which the fit between individuals' Big Five personality traits and the Big Five traits of the city where they live (i.e., the prevalent traits of the city's inhabitants) predicts individuals' self-esteem. To provide a benchmark for these effects, we also estimated the degree to which the fit between person and city religiosity predicts individuals' self-esteem. The results provided a nuanced picture of the effects of person-city personality fit on self-esteem: We found significant but small effects of fit on self-esteem only for openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, rather than effects for all Big Five traits. Similar results and effect sizes were observed for religiosity. We conclude with a discussion of the relevance and limitations of this study.

The sum of PRPs is a secure PRF

Abstract: Given d independent pseudorandom permutations (PRPs) πi, ..., πd over {0; 1}n, it appears natural to define a pseudorandom function (PRF) by adding (or XORing) the permutation results: sumd(x) = π1(x) ⊕...⊕πd(x). This paper investigates the security of sumd and also considers a variant that only uses one single PRP over {0; 1}n.

Proinflammatory cytokines induce neurotrophic factor expression in enteric glia: a key to the regulation of epithelial apoptosis in Crohn's disease

Abstract: Objectives: Imbalanced apoptosis of enterocytes is likely to be 1 of the mechanisms underlying Crohn's disease (CD). Apoptosis of enterocytes is regulated by glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), which is increased in CD. The cellular source of GDNF during gut inflammation is unclear. The aim of the study was to identify the source of GDNF in CD during gut inflammation. Materials and Methods: Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), GDNF, and smooth muscle actin (SMA) was detected in the gut from patients with CD by immunohistochemistry. Cultured enteric glia cells (EGC) were labeled with anti-GFAP, anti-GDNF, and antibodies and a Golgi marker (anti-58K antibodies) after blocking Golgi export with monensin. Cultured EGCs were treated with interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α, and lipopolysaccharides. Secretion of neurotrophic factors was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Mucosal GFAP-positive EGCs are increased in the colon of patients with CD. This type of glia but not subepithelial myofibroblasts expresses significant amounts of GDNF. In vitro GDNF is continuously secreted from cultured EGCs. The neurotrophic factor secretion could be stimulated by IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and lipopolysaccharides in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The increased GDNF secretion by EGCs sustained for > 12 hours after withdrawal of the proinflammatory cytokines. Conclusions: A mucosal GFAP expressing EGC population is dramatically increased in CD. This population is a major cellular source of the upregulated GDNF in the inflamed gut. Therefore, mucosal EGC may play a key role in protecting the gut epithelium and may contribute to reestablish the integrity of the injured epithelium.