Gutenberg Open Science

The Open Science Repository of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.

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Recent Submissions

ZeitschriftenaufsatzAccess status: Open Access ,
‘La société en miniature’ : queuing at theatres and railway stations in nineteenth-century paris
(2025) Ullrich, Tom
In mid-nineteenth-century Paris, theatres and railway stations had become popular gathering places for urban crowds seeking leisure or transport. While the interiors were strictly segregated according to economic and social status, the mixed queues outside served as spaces of human contact and negotiation. I argue that queuing became an everyday spectacle that reflected the contemporary mass society. Architects and authorities imposed functional regulations on queues. The public developed a variety of habits of collective waiting. Artists depicted them in paintings, caricatures and panoramic literature. All three contributed to the queuing phenomenon by producing stereotypes related to class, gender, profession, and custom.
ZeitschriftenaufsatzAccess status: Open Access ,
The role of physical and mental health conditions in explaining health information seeking and avoidance behaviors : an application of the planned risk information seeking model
(2025) Link, Elena; Baumann, Eva
Information seeking and avoidance are important coping strategies for individuals dealing with mental and physical health conditions. To explore the mechanisms behind these behaviors, this study applies the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model (PRISM). An online survey of 1,327 individuals with mental or physical health conditions found more similarities than differences in the predictors of both seeking and avoidance behaviors across these groups, supporting the cross-contextual validity of PRISM. Specifically, attitudes toward information behaviors and subjective norms were identified as overarching predictors. By focusing on mental health conditions, which have been studied less frequently, this research shows that mental health information seeking is influenced by one’s attitudes, fears, and hopes, while avoidance is more distinctively shaped by attitudes and subjective norms related to avoidance.
ZeitschriftenaufsatzAccess status: Open Access ,
Less can be more : how the communication of minor CSR activities undermines the effectiveness of a major CSR initiative
(2025) Koch, Thomas; Denner, Nora; Dieguez Laukamp, Muriel
Organizations often adopt a ‘more is better’ approach to CSR communication, frequently sharing a wide array of initiatives – including relatively minor activities – with stakeholders. However, it remains unclear whether combining major CSR initiatives with minor efforts improves or weakens stakeholders’ overall evaluations of the company’s reputation. Drawing on impression formation mechanisms, this study examines whether stakeholders mentally aggregate CSR activities or average their perceived impact. We conducted two online experiments using scenarios that combined one major CSR initiative with additional minor or moderate activities. The results suggest that combining major and moderate CSR activities can lead to a more positive overall perception. However, the principle of ‘less is more’ also applies: communicating minor activities can dilute the impact of a major initiative and lead to a less favorable impression. Additionally, the study finds that stakeholders often interpret minor CSR activities as attempts to persuade, triggering reactance, and as extrinsically motivated, profit-driven actions, leading to CSR skepticism. This research highlights the importance of selective and strategic CSR messaging to strengthen reputational outcomes while minimizing potential backlash. It suggests that organizations should communicate major and moderate CSR initiatives to enhance their reputation but exercise caution when promoting minor activities.