Cultural Change Research Articles

Improving midwives' knowledge and attitudes in providing lactation education based on local wisdom of the Bugis ethnic in Indonesia

Background: The current rate of exclusive breastfeeding remains low due to several factors, including social and cultural changes, psychological factors, lack of education provided by healthcare workers, and the increasing promotion of formula milk as well as misinformation to the public. Therefore, it is necessary to have productive midwives who provide optimal healthcare services to improve the health status of infants. Currently, the healthcare services provided by midwives can also be carried out through independent practice. A midwife does not only provide obstetric services from a biological perspective but also addresses social, cultural, and spiritual needs. Purpose: To evaluate the impact of providing lactation education based on local wisdom in improving midwives' knowledge and attitudes in the Bugis ethnic in Indonesia. Method: A quasi-experiment method, specifically a pre-test and post-test with a control group design. The study population consists of midwives who have Independent Midwifery Practice in 15 districts of Makassar City. The sample obtained using purposive sampling. The sample size was 30 midwives, consisting of 15 midwives in the treatment group and 15 midwives in the control group. Results: The N-Gain Score test showed a value of 72.89% for the treatment group, while the control group scored 21.89%. The paired t-test showed an Asymp Sig (2-tailed) value of 0.000, which is less than the probability value of 0.05 for the treatment group. Conclusion: The use of printed and online pocketbooks for lactation education integrated with the cultural values of Sipakatau, Sipakalebbi, and Sipakainge in the exclusive breastfeeding program by independent midwives is more effective compared to counseling alone, which is less effective in the control group. Further testing concluded that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores in the treatment group, indicating an increase in the midwives' knowledge.

Influence of Eponymous Terms in the Everyday Language of Ecuadorian University Teachers: A Qualitative Analysis

The study investigated the manifestation and evolution of eponymic terms in the everyday language of Ecuadorian university teachers, considering historical, cultural and linguistic factors. It was analysed how the phenomenon of eponymy manifests itself in the everyday language of university professors and conceptualized its training and evolution. Interviews were conducted with 25 teachers. Bibliographic material was evaluated, and data were coded using Atlas.ti version 24. Categories, codes, dimensions and subdimensions emerging from the testimonies were identified and analysed. Three main categories were identified: "Evolution of Eponymic Terms", "Cultural Importance Granted by University Faculty" and "Key Use in the Teaching-Learning Process". The results highlighted the adaptation and familiarity with eponymic terms, their impact on professional identity and communication, and their value in education. Eponymic terms facilitate communication and teaching, creating a professional identity and reflecting technological and cultural changes in the Ecuadorian educational context.

Career Duality and Work Performance: Insights from Women in Bangladesh

This study looks into how women's professional success in Bangladesh is affected by career dualism, work-life balance, and cultural expectations. Data were gathered from thirty women in Dhaka who worked in the public, private, and self-employed sectors using a qualitative study methodology. The research utilized semi-structured interviews and theme analysis to effectively capture the intricacies of the participants' perspectives, underscoring the subjective aspect of work-life balance. The participants brought to light considerable difficulties in juggling dual responsibilities as careers and professionals, which are made worse by inflexible gender stereotypes and restricted access to childcare facilities. The results show that women's ability to balance conflicting demands is greatly aided by family support, especially that provided by mothers and spouses. However, respondents said that the lack of maternity benefits, childcare services, and flexible schedules were substantial barriers, and that workplace regulations frequently lacked the flexibility required to meet women's multiple obligations. The study also looks at the post-pandemic trend towards remote employment, which brought difficulties since it blurred the lines between home and professional life even while it offered flexibility. The critical need for institutional reforms-including the implementation of family-friendly workplace practices like paid parental leave, on-site daycare, and remote work options-is highlighted by this study. It also emphasises how crucial cultural changes are to easing the burden on women who want to advance professionally but are under pressure to live up to conventional norms. To investigate the effects of career duality on professional women's long-term career growth and well-being, longitudinal research approaches should be used in future studies.

Exploration on the Change and Development Trend of Corporate Culture Management in the New Era

The management reform of modern companies shares both common and unique characteristics. Changes in corporate culture management are closely tied to broader trends, with the unique changes characterized by diversification. Corporate culture management reforms in Japan, the United States, Europe, China, and other countries are influenced by their unique cultural heritage and changes. The reform of corporate culture management in various countries and regions in the world today has the following common characteristics: First, they have moved beyond emotional management and entered a stage of rational system management, gradually improving over time. Second, corporate culture management has been elevated to the highest level of corporate management, making it central to business activities. From the perspective that can be seen at present, in the global scope, corporate culture management in various countries and regions shows three development trends: firstly, the increasingly strong modern market concept; The second is to introduce values assessment and deeply embed it into corporate culture; And third, the introduction of artificial intelligence into modern corporate culture management.

The Effect of Transformational Leadership on Organizational Culture Change: A Case Study of the Manufacturing Industry

This study aims to analyze the influence of transformational leadership on organizational culture changes in the manufacturing industry. The phenomenon behind this research is the challenges faced by the manufacturing industry in adapting to the dynamics of the business environment, such as technological developments, global competition, and demands for increased innovation and efficiency. Many manufacturing companies have difficulty adapting due to rigid organizational cultures and employee resistance to change. Transformational leadership is seen as an approach that is able to overcome these obstacles by encouraging adaptive, innovative, and performance-oriented cultural change through empowerment, motivation, and effective communication. This study uses a quantitative method with survey techniques as a data collection tool. A total of 121 respondents, consisting of employees in the manufacturing sector, were selected using the purposive sampling technique. The research instrument is in the form of a closed questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 25 software to conduct validity, reliability, and multiple linear regression tests to test the relationship and influence between transformational leadership and organizational culture change. The results of the study show that transformational leadership has a significant influence in creating a more adaptive, innovative, and performance-oriented organizational culture. Factors such as effective communication, employee engagement, and an appreciation for creativity were found to be important elements in supporting such change. These findings suggest that the application of transformational leadership is particularly relevant in the dynamic manufacturing industry, especially in the face of market challenges and changing business environments. Leaders in this industry are expected to adopt transformational leadership to build a more responsive and productive organizational culture.

Listening in Stereo and Communicating in Semaphore: Child Sexual Abuse Survivor-Led Strategies for Culture Change in the Catholic Church

This expository piece, focusing on a grassroots movement called LOUDfence to address child sexual abuse in religious settings, explores the ways in which the symbolic activity of tying ribbons to church fences offers an active and adaptable listening strategy for giving visibility and voice to survivors and survivor-allies. Working through signs, symbols, embodied actions, and ecclesial metaphors, it offers a methodology and mode for creative, trauma-informed, and lay-led cultural change in Catholic and Anglican church contexts.

JA ImpleMENTAL Implementing the Belgian Best Practice on Community Mental Health system Reform

Abstract Mental health challenges affect more than one in six people across the EU. In order to support Member States to proceed with mental health care system transformation and suicide prevention JA ImpleMENTAL, was initiated on the request of Member States, on October 2021 under the European Union 3rd Health Program. The JA consists of 39 organizations from 21 countries, more than 180 persons are working. Two advisory bodies support the consortium and provide their insights and expertise, a stakeholder forum with 10 key European Organizations in Mental Health including EUPHA Mental Health Section and WHO Europe and OECD, and the Member State Policy Committee which ensures the involvement of ministries and enables the practices to be embedded in health systems. Within the 11 countries implementing pilots under the Belgium model using a common Implementation Strategy, a total 163 activities are implemented under the 5 following key areas: 62 on structural measures needed for the establishment of local networks promoting a user’s centered, human’s right based recovery approach, 43 for the development and/or transformation of mental health services, 22 on training & capacity building in support of the reform and cultural change, 22 on continuous communication, information and awareness raising, and 13 on data collection, monitoring and evaluation. An analysis of MS pilot action plans shows that most service transformation efforts have concentrated on: defining care pathways for people at risk and for those with mild to severe mental health conditions including smooth transition from child and adolescent to Adult Mental Health services, as well as from inpatient to community services, the nomination of case managers for assisting individuals to their recovery process the development of individual service plans, the Involvement of users in various layers of service delivery including peer support and the provision of assertive treatment through mobile units.

Physical activity promotion in Aged care: a participatory approach

Abstract Introduction Aged care facilities (ACF) constitute an increasingly important, yet challenging setting for health promotion - given it is a highly sedentary pseudo-total institution characterized by structured daily routines within a paradigm of care for residents perceived as fragile and vulnerable. A participatory approach with residents, significant others, staff, and management might be a promising pathway to address intrapersonal, sociocultural, organizational, environmental, and political determinants of physical activity in this specific context. We will present processes and results from a research project, funded by the German Ministry of Health (2019-2023), on physical activity promotion in ACFs. Methods Our co-creation approach involved residents, significant others, staff, and management from seven nursing homes in Southern Germany. Methods included 800hrs on-site observations, semi-structured interviews (n = 31), Photovoice (n = 27 participants, n = 169 photos), as well as future workshops (n = 14) for intervention co-development (n = 14) and co-evaluation workshops (n = 7). Data analysis used reflexive thematic analysis with MaxQDA20. Results Implemented interventions (n = 57) addressed individual, social, environmental, and organizational factors. Activity promotion was integrated into care concepts and mission statements, staff work descriptions, as well as informal internal routines. Of the interventions implemented, 33% were rated as more successful, 43% as successful, and 19% as less successful than anticipated. Conclusions Participation can initiate structural and cultural change towards physical activity. However, the analyses also emphasized the critical role of staff training, along with the involvement of significant others and external service providers, as essential components for achieving sustainable change. Key messages • Participatory approaches integrate physical activity into aged care, fostering cultural shifts for resident well-being. • Success requires staff training, engaging residents’ support networks, balancing empowerment with protection.

A névtani tudománykommunikáció szerepe és fórumai napjainkban

The importance of science communication lies in countering misconceptions that are often deeply rooted in the public consciousness, and the pseudo-scientific content spreading with unprecedented dynamism. The cultural and social changes brought about by the technicisation and virtualisation of information flows mean an unprecedented challenge. But it has also opened up new venues for science communication. Over the last decade and a half, the emergence of blogs and various multimedia and internet platforms has been a major development in the field of onomastic and science communication in general. After a more general introductory section, the paper presents a selection of good examples of contemporary platforms for science communication in onomastics, both in Hungary and abroad, with a more detailed discussion of the onomastic blog of the Onomastic Student Study Circle at ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, the NÉVállomás.

SWITCHtoHEALTHY: Switching Mediterranean Consumers to Mediterranean Sustainable Healthy Dietary Patterns

Abstract In the Mediterranean countries profound changes in diet are taking place, largely due to cultural and socio-economic changes in lifestyle, which are leading to the erosion of the Mediterranean food cultures. The diet modernization process is noticeable; it has generated not only a modification of food choices in the direction of unhealthy foods, but also the habit of sedentary behaviours leading to an imbalance between energy intake and consumption. All of this has negative health impacts, as shown by the ever-increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity, as well as the rise of chronic diet-related diseases. The SWITCHtoHEALTHY project aims to generate an overall change of approach to the modern problem of eating behaviours, by strengthening the role of families towards the promotion of the sustainable Mediterranean food model. The main goal is to generate an actual switch to healthier dietary models, that are more consistent with the Mediterranean Diet. The project SWITCHtoHEALTHY aims to generate a dietary behaviour change in the direction of a greater adherence to the Mediterranean food model, by strengthening the role of families in the process of acquiring and maintaining healthy eating habits. The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is a healthy and sustainable food model, with an essentially plant-based dietary pattern (high consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, cereals, and legumes). This goal will be reached by making available to families a combination of hands-on educational material and digital tools and complementing the dietary and lifestyle recommendations with easy-to-eat healthier snacking products.

Public and professional stakeholders' perceptions of alcohol advertising and availability policies: A qualitative study.

Reducing alcohol availability and restricting alcohol advertising are effective ways to reduce harm from alcohol. Implementation of public health policies involves collaboration between different stakeholders, and is influenced by public opinion. This paper explores public and professional stakeholders' perceptions of alcohol advertising and availability policies. It is the first to capture consensus and divergence in narratives of these stakeholders. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 stakeholders from third sector organisations, government, public health and alcohol licensing in Scotland. We conducted 11 online focus groups with 45 participants, living in neighbourhoods in Scotland characterised by varying levels of urbanity, deprivation and retail density change. We gave participants a list of policies and discussed their views on acceptability, feasibility and likely success. Despite general consensus that regulation of alcohol advertising is an important priority, public stakeholders were concerned about the feasibility of advertising interventions and potential unintended consequences. While professional stakeholders were in favour of regulating alcohol availability, public stakeholders had misgivings about feasibility and effectiveness. When prompted to discuss specific interventions, similar views about protecting children and achieving cultural change emerged. This study highlights the importance of policy makers and other stakeholders to consider public stakeholders' opinions on alcohol policy and understanding that their views may be influenced by competing framings of alcohol problems. Attempts to increase support for alcohol control policies need to consider people's concerns about the effectiveness and potential unintended consequences of these policies, and the wider social context of alcohol consumption.

Two “Fires” of Leadership: Is it Possible to Listen and Lead Parish Cultural Change?

Pope Francis has claimed that “we are living through a change of epoch, the deepest level of which is cultural.” “A change of epoch” entails much change in Catholic parishes especially across the Western world. Change can be chosen or unchosen. Actively chosen change is explored in this paper. Examples include parishes self-consciously adapting to become more mission-focused or purposefully adopting more traditional liturgical styles. Drawing on empirical case studies of British parishes undertaken in the course of my doctoral research in 2017 and 2018, this paper explores two different styles of leadership using Pope Francis’s metaphor of two “fires.” While “powerful flame” stands for bold, visionary leadership, “charcoal fire” represents more mild and tender listening. I consider questions such as: What is the cultural impact on a community when listening is engaged in, and when it is not? How might listening impact a parish’s direction of travel if intentional change is pursued? And what limitations to change might a listening approach entail?

Improving cooperation between Hospital and the Community Mental Health Services of Nicosia

Abstract In order to accelerate psychiatric reform in Cyprus we took advantage of JA Implemental during the pilot implementation of Belgium best practices on facilitating the transfer of mental patients from mental hospital to the community mental health services. A multidisciplinary network has been organized between Athalassa Mental Hospital, that is the only mental hospital in the Republic of Cyprus performing 700 patients admissions yearly, and the Community Services of sector 1 and sector 2 of Nicosia Community Mental Services. The network meets regularly in order to facilitate therapeutic culture change in the direction of increasing the percentage of hospital patients that are motivated and prepared to be voluntarily moved for care by the community multidisciplinary teams. This is going to facilitate discharges from hospital, decrease duration of hospitalizations, decrease the frequency of hospitalizations and revolving door readmissions. This increased cooperation is being built on the basis of administrational procedures and clinical protocols that are based on multidisciplinary consensus. The evaluation starts multidisciplinarily in the hospital. A liaison community mental nurse takes part I the evaluation and motivation of the patients before the discharge from the hospital. A written informed consent process takes place in the hospital for the voluntary admission in the community mental health care setting. Also an effort is being made for early written referrals and appointments for community psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker and occupational therapist. This pilot action plan is going to increase cooperation of the mental hospital with the community mental health services, to decrease stigmatization and reform therapeutic culture to the direction of treatment in the community and recovery approach, according to Belgium best practices included in the JA Implemental project.

Critical factors to adopt sustainable agrifood supply chain management in developing countries: The case of Ethiopian coffee industry

AbstractGlobal agrifood supply chains are under increasing pressure to address sustainability issues due to growing concerns. However, numerous organizations within the agrifood industry are struggling to incorporate sustainable supply chain management practices and address the concerns. Therefore, this research is designed to identify the key critical factors, such as drivers, enablers, and barriers to adopting sustainable practices. This study considers the Ethiopian coffee industry, which is an important sector not only for the Ethiopian economy but also for the global agrifood supply chain. To accomplish the objectives of this study, we applied a systematic literature review and empirical survey. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify critical factors for adopting sustainability in agrifood supply chains. An empirical survey was then undertaken in the Ethiopian coffee industry to rank the key critical factors. Hence, the study has revealed that economic and productivity improvement, cost effectiveness and improvement in the overall performance, and difficulty in mindset and cultural changes as the key critical factors that determine the adoption of sustainability initiatives from the perspectives of the Ethiopian coffee supply chain. The findings can be used as input by government regulatory bodies and policymakers to craft strategies and policies to adopt sustainability initiatives and ensure sustainable development. Furthermore, the research is expected to contribute to the existing literature by bringing in the perspective of suppliers in developing countries.

Evolutionary Pedagogy: Evolutionary Foundations of Certain Pedagogical Practices and Their Implications in Teaching Processes

Human evolution is the result of highly complex biological, psychological and cultural changes over millions of years. This process can be traced back to the evolution of modern humans, thanks to the ability of human ancestors to adapt to environmental conditions. The evolutionary process involves the development not only of physical characteristics, but also of mental capacities and social structures. It is therefore a natural consequence that evolution has fundamentally influenced human cultural and psychological traits. The main reason for the emergence of fields such as evolutionary psychology and evolutionary psychiatry in the light of recent studies is the search for the contributions of evolutionary processes to such fields. Evolutionary pedagogy is basically the result of such a search. It was shaped as a result of the search for the reflections of psychological and cultural situations affected by evolutionary processes on pedagogy. Therefore, evolutionary pedagogy is a synthesis and it seeks to explain how many pedagogical practices may have been shaped in the evolutionary process. To this end, it draws heavily on evolutionary psychology and directly on human biological evolution. Such a quest for grounding predicts that a more beneficial process can be realized in the teaching-learning process by reproducing evolutionary situations in the classroom environment. In other words, the learning process can become more effective if teachers use the features compatible with evolutionary processes in their teaching techniques, classroom management, and the development of skills for learning to learn, and if they include them in the classroom environment. This is the main starting point of the study. Throughout the study, some examples of the pedagogical practices in which can manifest itself are emphasized. In addition to the explanations and examples given in the study, other researchers may associate different pedagogical practices with evolutionary processes. Therefore, evolutionary pedagogy is not only a new field but also a field that is open to the interest of researchers as a field open to development.

Miron Białoszewski, Lech Emfazy Stefański, and the Paranormal: Toward a History of a Peculiar Relationship

ABSTRACT Miron Białoszewski, an acclaimed Polish poet and playwriter, and Lech Emfazy Stefański, a poet, dramatist, director, and since the early 1970s a key parapsychologist in Poland, met first shortly after World War II. They shared a passion for avant-garde theatre, literature, and music, and were also interested in psychic phenomena which, though, manifested itself in their lives and writings with quite different intensities. This article seeks to provide an introduction to the role of the esoteric elements in their biographies, while at the same time situating their relationship against the background of political and cultural changes in communist Poland. The first part of the paper outlines Białoszewski’s and Stefański’s youth experiences and their collaboration in the Theatre at Tarczyńska Street. The second part of the article addresses Stefański’s contribution to the propagation of psychotronics in Poland; it also touches upon his literary texts; while the last section examines the encounters of the former collaborators in the 1970s, placing emphasis on the role of the blind poetess Jadwiga Stańczakowa in bringing the two men back together.

Beyond the end of history: rethinking Britain’s nineties

ABSTRACT Historical scholarship on Britain’s 1990s is in its infancy. Historians have not yet produced the volume of rich empirical work which has transformed recent understandings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, an absence which this special issue begins to address. This introductory essay outlines existing frameworks for historicising the decade of the 1990s, from the influential ‘Holiday from History’ metanarrative to the idea of a neoliberal consensus, before setting out alternative stories and trajectories. In the political sphere, these include a heightened focus on questions of rights, citizenship and democracy, whilst in the arena of social and cultural change emphasis is placed on new forms of chosen community and the complex effects of digital technologies on selfhood and identity across the decade. The essay concludes with a discussion of the archive available to historians of the 1990s, encompassing the increasing prominence of the ‘born-digital record’. Rather than constituting a coherent periodisation, ‘the nineties’, we suggest, offers a useful lens for thinking more broadly about change and continuity at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first.

Lessons Learned from Offering Video Visits as an Alternative to Phone Visits: A Case Study from a Safety-Net Obstetrics Clinics.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, human-centered design work in San Francisco found video visits promising for Medicaid-insured pregnant individuals. They were deemed likely better than phone at addressing concerns about remoteness. We describe our experience with introducing video visits within a safety net clinic that had rapidly adopted phone visits as the standard telemedicine option early in the pandemic. By utilizing Kotter's change framework, providing an equity-focused vision, and supporting the implementation with a skilled, on-the-ground project manager, temporary uptake of offering video visits was achieved. However, competing priorities, staffing structure, and institutional culture were barriers to creating sustained change once grant funding ended, even after improvement of digital infrastructure. Efforts to increase video visit uptake in systems where telephone visits are the norm-as is in many safety net systems-may have limited success without leadership-driven prioritization and culture change at all levels.

"Redefining Patient Experience: Strategies for Enhancing Patient-centered Care"

In recent years, the focus on patient-centered care has gained significant momentum, as healthcare organizations recognize the importance of delivering high-quality care that is responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values. This paper explores strategies for redefining the patient experience by emphasizing the integration of patient-centered care practices. Key strategies include enhancing communication between healthcare providers and patients, utilizing technology to support patient engagement, implementing shared decision-making models, and fostering a compassionate care environment. The study also examines the role of leadership in driving organizational culture changes that prioritize patient-centered care. By adopting these strategies, healthcare institutions can improve patient satisfaction, outcomes, and overall experience, leading to a more effective and empathetic healthcare system.

Models of Teaching, Magazines and Music Machines: Alternative approaches to electronic music education in Melbourne

This article presents a history of alternative electronic music education in Melbourne, Australia. It documents early examples of experimentation with non-traditional classes and programmes in tertiary institutions and subsequently the emergence, over several decades, of alternative teaching and learning in community centres, nightclubs, retail stores, message boards and magazines. The article uses Scheffler’s Models of Teaching to provide a framework to document the differing pedagogical approaches, and draws upon archival material, interviews, essays and first-hand experiences to explain how Melbourne’s rich history has informed and influenced today’s learning practices. It posits that the adaptable, dynamic and flexible practices found in Melbourne’s electronic music education were the result of influences from key educators, the needs of the communities that enabled them and the adaptation to cultural and technological changes.