In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the concept of trust within the domain of natural disaster management. Trust can be defined as a state of vulnerability where one party relies on another party with the expectation that the latter will carry out entrusted responsibilities without exploiting this inherent vulnerability. This comprehensive literature review is dedicated to the examination of research concerning community and institutional trust in the field of disaster risk reduction (DRR). Particular emphasis is placed on elucidating the influence of trust throughout the distinct phases of natural disaster management, namely prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. The critical examination of the pertinent body of the literature demonstrates that trust plays a central role across the different phases of DRR, being positively associated with effective community responses and resilience. Hence, it becomes imperative to actively foster the development of trust at both institutional and community levels within the realm of DRR. This endeavor is essential for adequately preparing communities to confront natural disasters, crafting effective protocols to enhance community responsiveness and mitigate adverse consequences, and advancing strategies for successful reconstruction and recovery.

Background: Social media platforms are a significant growth opportunity for enterprises, especially for microenterprises, due to the possibility of establishing direct contact with their customers. We investigate the psychological reasons that drive entrepreneurs towards the use of social networking sites (SNSs) for their business, following two important social psychology theories: the theory of planned behaviour and the technology acceptance model. We also tested for two personality traits: openness to experience and dominance. Methods: Data were acquired by examining 325 microentrepreneurs who decided to use either SNSs or traditional sales methods for their businesses. Results and conclusions: Our results confirm that of all the behavioural antecedents tested, perceived usefulness and attitude towards SNSs’ effect on business proved to be the best predictors of the intention to use (or continue using) SNSs for business activity. Implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Social media platforms offer significant growth opportunities for enterprises, particularly microenterprises, due to the chance to establish direct contact with customers. Drawing on the Technology-Acceptance Model (TAM), in the present study, we investigate the psychological reasons that lead microentrepreneurs to use Social Networking Sites (SNSs) for their business. In doing so, we also extend TAM by taking into account entrepreneurs’ personalities (e.g., extraversion and openness to experience) and their perceived risk. We collected data by examining 247 microentrepreneurs engaged in the production of handmade objects. Our results confirm that of all the TAM behavioral antecedents tested, perceived usefulness and attitude toward SNSs’ usage for business proved to be the best predictors of the intention to use SNSs for business activity. The results also indicate that extraversion, openness to experience, and perceived risk, as external factors, significantly affect the TAM constructs. We discuss implications and suggestions for future research.

Leadership is one of the most studied features of virtual teams. Among the various characteristics analyzed by recent literature, leadership self-sacrifice is one of the most important, as it represents a predictor of many positive characteristics of teams’ functioning. In this study, we (a) analyze the relationship between leader self-sacrifice and the prosocial behavior of followers in a work team and (b) observe the effects of leader self-sacrifice in virtual teams. A sample of 197 university students enrolled in a psychology course took part in a group electronic task of writing a detailed research plan for a scientific investigation. Participants collaborated in groups of five, led by a senior student for 30 days. Results showed the presence of an effect of e-leadership self-sacrifice on followers’ prosocial behavior. Another effect of e-leadership self-sacrifice was found via team identification and perceived self-efficacy. Findings are discussed on the basis of Social Identity Theory, showing the importance of self-sacrifice e-leaders to promote reciprocal prosocial behavior of the followers.

Today, more than ever before, awareness of our ability to interact with others through and use social network sites (SNSs) is of fundamental importance, in light of the fact that we are connected to the Web 24 h a day, 7 days a week. Studies of social media in recent decades have shown that self-efficacy is one of the key variables affecting individual online behavior. The general aim of the studies presented here was to develop and validate a new self-report scale measuring self-efficacy in SNS use (an SNS self-efficacy scale, or SNS-SES). Across two studies, a total of 1295 Italian adolescents and adults (ages 15 to 89; M = 38.21, SD = 15.6) participated. The SNS-SES consists of 24 items assessing four factors of self-efficacy in SNS use: task-oriented/technological, task-oriented/social, interpersonal, and emotional. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed a clear factorial validity of this stable four-factor solution.

At the Roots of Product Placement: The Mere Exposure Effect