Cross-cultural Environment Research Articles

РЕЛИГИОЗНАЯ ИДЕНТИЧНОСТЬ И ПРИОБЩЕНИЕ ДЕТЕЙ К РЕЛИГИИ В МЕЖНАЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ СЕМЬЯХ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ РЕСПУБЛИКИ БАШКОРТОСТАН)

The article reveals some results of a sociological study on the features of religious identity of spouses and social practices of children's inclusion in interethnic families (on the example of the Republic of Bashkortostan). This topic is most relevant for multi-ethnic regions, where interfaith marriages are quite common, despite the presence of isolationist attitudes among a part of the population. Marriages between representatives of various religious movements lead to the formation of a special cross-cultural environment of interaction, which requires the spouses to make many decisions, including on the confessional affiliation of children, on the choice of mechanisms for the formation of religious identity. Based on the author's research, the article analyses the state of religious identity of a resident of a multi-ethnic region in a dynamic aspect. Special attention is paid to spouses who are in an interethnic marriage. The author studies variants of religious communications, among which the dominant one is the co-existence of religions in variations from "common / unified religion" to "equality". Most of the families studied are classified as egalitarian and democratic in terms of their power structure and upbringing model. The article provides data on the state of religious identity of children raised in multi-ethnic families. The authors call traditional, psychological and educational motives for introducing children to religion the predominant ones. Based on the presented material, the authors come to the conclusion that there are two most common models of introducing children to religion in interethnic families: passive (indirect) and active religious socialization. The first model is the most popular among residents of large cities, while traditional families choose the second one.

Being Ready to Lecture a Multicultural Class: Asian Preferences for Conflict Management Style

Lecturers increasingly face the challenge of managing conflicts in a cross-cultural study environment. Cultural variations have a significant impact on communication in general and conflict communication in particular. The study aims to examine Asian preferences concerning conflict behavior. Understanding of different conflict styles in conflict is important for facilitating intercultural competence. This article reviews the findings on Asian preferences for avoiding, integrating, and dominating while managing interpersonal conflicts. Seven studies were reviewed. The results of this review indicate that although Asian nations have often been labelled as “collectivists”, there is a difference between the “Asians”. Koreans are more likely to use a dominating style, Taiwanese and Hong Kong Chinese are more likely to use an avoiding style, and Thais and Japanese are more likely to use an integrating style to solve an interpersonal conflict.

Giving and Interpreting Compliments in English and Kurdish

Compliment as one of the language strategies is used to soften the process of interactions. The way that compliments are given or interpreted as well as the frequency of using them vary from a language to another, from a community to another, and from a person to another. This study tries to track down compliments to illustrate their differences and the similarities in both concerned communities. Complimenting as a lubricant strategy does not always fulfill the purpose, and cannot always be easily employed due to the interactants' differences in terms of cultural backgrounds, social status, gender, and many other social and personal issues. Therefore, giving compliments is regarded as one of the problematic issues, and may cause a kind of misunderstanding among the interactants particularly in a cross-cultural environment. This study draws on both quantitative and qualitative approaches in the process of data collection. It aims at examining the giving and interpretation of compliment from a socio-pragmatic perspective. It comprehensively considers the concept of compliment, diversity of compliments across cultures, the differences in giving compliments in English and Kurdish as well as showing the relationship between compliment and flattery in these two different communities.

Имитационное моделирование профессиональной деятельности в системе подготовки магистров

Difficulties and problems of business education are theoretically considered in the article. The advantages of traditional Western business education and the problems of young managers that are not ready for business activity in the environment of developing markets are highlighted. Methods of research. The author has examined the conditions of business education in Russia, its content and approaches to teaching. In the course of research, the author provides the idea that the solution to the problem of business education is based on innovation of the curriculum, implementation of interactive methods of teaching and creating the atmosphere of cross-cultural communication in the groups of MSc. students. Results of research. It is defined that setting up an innovative MSc. Program completely taught in English to multinational groups of students created cross-cultural environment in class. The curriculum has comprised the components of Russian and Western business school tracks. It is defined that the implementation of innovative methodological approaches to teaching based on modeling of manager’s professional activity is an indispensable educational means of creating the skills demanded. The author demonstrates the advantages of Markstrat simulation game in teaching marketing. It is proved that innovative business simulation helps to create the situation of authentic communication in the classroom, boosts teambuilding and provides practice of decision-making techniques. The author proves that the hypothesis of the article is correct and the way to solve the problem of business education is found.

Purchase intention and purchase behavior online: A cross-cultural approach

This article aims to explore the key factors on e-commerce adoption from elements of social psychology, such as attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, ease of use and perceived usefulness, introducing the study of non-traditional elements like buying impulse, compatibility, and self-efficacy in online stores, contrasting relationships in a cross-cultural environment. The proposed model is tested from quantitative research with a sample of 584 online consumers in Colombia and Spain. The following statistical analyses were conducted: CFA, structural equations, measurement instrument invariance, and multi-group analysis with EQS 6.3 software. The study reveals that self-efficacy in online stores is a key factor in adopting electronic commerce above the cultures studied. Also, there is significant evidence that proves the moderating effect of national culture on several relationships of the model proposed. Results highlight the importance of national culture to understand impulsive buying behavior. The article presents several considerations toward the main elements to generate online purchase intention among consumers in an emerging country and finds substantial differences with consumers in a developed country. Practical implications are made for companies to adopt online channels and expand internationally.

Youngsters and WMAs (WeChat Moments Advertisement): Do We Need the English Language in WMAs?

Social media marketing is considered an integral part of the today’s marketing plans alongside the conventional tools. Social media’s practical application has changed the way of communication between organizations and consumers. In particular, the dynamics of interactions have been diversified in the Chinese technological cross-cultural environment. Foreigners are increasing in China and influencing the business markets. The reason for writing this article is to investigate the effects of the English language as a moderator on the viability of social media measurements and empirically test the electronic customer involvement regarding likes and comments that define the dedication and commitment. This research has analyzed the responses of 287 foreigners. The response was taken through online questionnaires distributed on a random sampling basis to social media users. Empirical research was performed by using SmartPLS3 for analysis to observe the relationships. The resultant role represents that all determinants are not similarly suitable, and are much diversified, in the context of China for the step-up of electronic customer involvement. More particularly, social media advertisement characteristics are more effective in the enhancement of electronic customers’ involvement than advertisement contents. Moreover, the use of the English language is significantly affecting the electronic customer involvement level. Tencent corporation and social media marketers should use this research to make new advertisement plans for further marketing purpose as it will guide them on how to create an innovative advertisement that will positively reap the cross-cultural environment.

Maximizing Cross-Cultural Learning From Exchange Study Abroad Programs: Transformative Learning Theory

While some institutions require their students to spend a semester abroad as a prerequisite to earning a business degree, academics challenge the view that travel abroad helps students become culturally competent. Many students admit that they failed to immerse themselves in a cross-cultural environment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the components of exchange study abroad programs (ESP) that facilitate student cross-cultural learning (CCL). Building on transformative learning theory (TLT), we propose and test a conceptual model of relationships between different components of exchange programs and student CCL. The data collected from more than 700 students participating in a semester and two-semester-long programs are analyzed through logistic regression. This research contributes to the literature on the effectiveness of ESP by identifying the key components that maximize positive outcomes for students. By building on TLT, it reveals the importance of getting out of one’s comfort zone and providing students with support during the ESP. This study bears practical implications as it provides academic institutions and students with important insights that help maximize student CCL.

What drives the process of knowledge management in a cross-cultural setting

PurposeThis paper aims to consider the role and influence of social capital (SC) on knowledge management (KM) and sets out to develop an understanding of the importance of the impact of the cross-cultural environment on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachAccording to the notion, in this study, the relationship between two essential aspects in management and business, SC on KM practices, has been analyzed. By applying a descriptive and correlational method, the impact of various dimensions of SC on KM in a cross-cultural setting has been investigated, and required data has been obtained through questionnaires consist of 30 items, which is prepared for a sample of 232 people.FindingsAlthough the findings are varied, the results indicated that there is an important relationship between SC dimensions and KM in the research environment, which is cross-cultural.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, as the data derived from different branches of a big company in Iran, its results cannot be easily extended to other contexts. Therefore, future streams of research can expand the scope of this paper into other contexts with different characteristics. Moreover, the sample of this paper is taken from different communities (branches) which increase the variety of personality features in distinct cultures. Thus, further research can stress a particular organization/ branch to avoid the problem of cultural variation and focus on a more homogenous sample. Finally, this study targeted a big organization in the IT sector. However, future studies can investigate another type of firm (e.g. small and medium firms) in different sectors (e.g. manufacturing, food sector, etc.).Practical implicationsIn this research, using scientific and practical methods, the impacts have been examined carefully and deliberately to assist the managers of organizations in theoretically and managerially as these outcomes contribute to the development of a new concept called cross-cultural in knowledge management and social capital, and support organizations to cope with the implications of this concept.Originality/valueThere is not much empirical research on cross-cultural settings and its effects on management, finance and business, especially on correlations between KM and SC. This investigation tries to fill this gap and explain the ways, which companies can use SC for enhancing their effectiveness of KM by considering culture diversity impacts.

Demand for global health training among obstetrics and gynaecology trainees in Australia and New Zealand: Insights from the TIGHT study.

Global health (GH) training aims to equip clinicians with the skills and knowledge to practise in international and cross-cultural environments. Interest among obstetrics and gynaecology trainees is unknown. The Trainee Interest in Global Health Training (TIGHT) study aimed to assess demand for GH training among specialty trainees in Australia and New Zealand. The primary objective was to quantify the number of trainees interested in undertaking a rotation in a resource-limited environment (RLE) in a low- or middle-income country during specialty training. This paper reports the results of a planned sub-group analysis of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) trainees. A cross-sectional study was conducted between August and October 2018. Data were collected using an anonymous, self-reporting, web-based survey. There were 210 respondents among 698 RANZCOG trainees, equating to a response rate of 30.1%. Overall, 77% (157/204) of respondents were keen to undertake a rotation in a RLE, with the vast majority (166/203, 81.8%) interested or very interested in having their GH accredited for training. Sixty-four percent (125/195) expressed interest in undertaking an integrated GH training or fellowship program as an adjunct to specialty training, and a majority (177/201, 88.1%) were keen to continue GH work as a specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist. There is significant demand for GH training among RANZCOG trainees. These findings should inform the development of accredited rotations in RLEs and the cultivation of safe and effective global women's health training pathways. Ideally, these arrangements should be underpinned by mutually beneficial partnerships with both educational and development objectives.

A Review of a Collaborative Online International Learning

Globalization has exacerbated the need for engineers who are capable of working in a cross-cultural environment. Multinational companies continuously seek for engineers who are intercultural competent and capable of conducting business successfully in a cross-cultural environment. However, the skills required to be successful in a multicultural environment are difficult to be taught in the traditional classroom. One of the most effective approaches to acquiring intercultural competence skills is through experiential learning. It is, therefore, not surprising that most colleges all over the world are devoting resources towards the internationalization of their classrooms and the campus community. This ensures that students are provided with a diverse environment so they can learn from, and about diverse cultures and develop their intercultural competence skills. Another effective approach is the study abroad programs, which require students to travel to different countries. However, these approaches require a lot of resources that may not be available to the poor and needy students. Therefore, a more cost-effective approach, such as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is receiving a lot of attention in recent years. In this study, some engineering technology students participated in an 8-week long COIL program with materials engineering students from different languacultural and geographical region. This study reviews the results and compares the performance of the COIL students with those who were not involved. It was observed that the COIL teams performed significantly better on the project work.

Leader cultural intelligence and organizational performance

One of the challenges for international companies is to manage multicultural environments effectively. Cultural intelligence (CQ) is a soft skill required of the leaders of organizations working in cross-cultural contexts to be able to communicate effectively in such environments. On the other hand, organizational structure plays an active role in developing and promoting such skills in an organization. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of leader CQ on organizational performance mediated by organizational structure. To achieve the objective of this research, first, conceptual models and hypotheses of this research were formed based on the literature. Then, a quantitative empirical research design using a questionnaire, as a tool for data collection, and structural equation modeling, as a tool for data analysis, was employed among executives of knowledge-based companies in the Science and Technology Park, Bushehr, Iran. The results disclosed that leader CQ directly and indirectly (i.e., through the organizational structure) has a positive and significant effect on organizational performance. In other words, in organizations that operate in a multicultural environment, the higher the level of leader CQ, the higher the performance of that organization. Accordingly, such companies are encouraged to invest in improving the cultural intelligence of their leaders to improve their performance in cross-cultural environments, and to design appropriate organizational structures for the development of their intellectual capital.

Creation of foreign students’ positive motivation in mastering professional terminology in cross cultural educational environment at medical universities

Creation of foreign students’ positive motivation in mastering professional terminology in cross cultural educational environment at medical universities

The influence of employees’ cross-cultural psychological capital on workplace psychological well-being

Orientation: In order to withstand the global and local cultural diversity and challenges that South African workplaces face, it is essential for employees to have cross-cultural psychological resources (i.e. cross-cultural psychological capital). A lack of cross-cultural psychological capital or the inability to adjust to cross-cultural environments may impact negatively employees’ psychological well-being.Research purpose: The purpose of this research was to explore the influence of employees’ cross-cultural psychological capital on their psychological well-being (indicated by burnout and work engagement).Motivation for the study: Cross-cultural psychological capital and its influence on employees’ psychological well-being have not been explored in South Africa. This study aimed to fill this gap.Research approach/design and method: Data were collected using questionnaires completed by 213 employees from different organisations in South Africa. Partial least squares (PLS) and structural equations modelling (SEM) were used to explore the relationships between the independent variable (cross-cultural psychological capital) and burnout and work engagement.Main findings: Cross-cultural psychological capital had a statistically significant negative influence on burnout and a statistically significant positive influence on work engagement. It had a stronger negative influence on emotional exhaustion than on cynicism and a stronger positive influence on vigour than on dedication.Practical/managerial implications: Enhancing employees’ cross-cultural psychological capital by means of programmes and short interventions may improve their psychological well-being.Contribution/value-add: This research contributed to filling the gap in the literature regarding the role of cross-cultural psychological capital in the psychological well-being of employees working in cross-cultural environments.

How to Supervise International PhD Students: A Narrative Inquiry Study

This narrative inquiry study was undertaken, recruiting 06 successful PhD students in China. The participants were invited and semi-structured interviews were taken one-by-one. The study aimed to explore information about supervisor-supervisee relationship and factors that motivate international PhD students to enhance their research outcomes in a cross-cultural environment. The qualitative data were coded, using QDA miner lite software. After the formation of initial codes, five major categories were emerged included: empowerment, usefulness, success, interest and caring. Each category represented the respective component of MUSIC model of academic motivation (Jones, 2009). The findings illustrated that International PhD students are satisfied with work and life. The supervisors used effective strategies to motivate international PhD supervisees to enhance academic outcomes. The study uncovered students’ expectations which included: formal meetings, feedback, guidance, and team work. Based on study findings and results, the MUSIC model can be used as supervision strategy. It is a comprehensive model where all of its five components cover the supervisees’ expectations.

Формирование международных команд в гостиничном бизнесе на основе развития кросскультурных коммуникативных компетенций

The modern period of development of tourist and hotel business is characterized by the further development of the processes of globalization and internationalization of markets. This article is devoted to the improvement of hotel personnel management processes in a cross-cultural environment. We consider cross-cultural relationships in the hospitality industry, an ethnocentric approach in the formation of a hotel chain culture, and cross-cultural aspects of personnel management that contribute to the formation of a corporate value system. The article discusses the problem of recruitment and effective management in a multicultural workforce. An analysis is made of the influence of national peculiarities of personnel from different countries on the formation of a corporate culture and, as a result, on the management style. The authors argue that the intersection of various national cultures in the conditions of the functioning of the international hotel chain leads to the formation of a new type of hotel personnel management. Based on the analysis of the problems existing in the hotel management of international hotel chains, a grouping of cross-cultural personnel competences was proposed using the reception and accommodation services as an example. Arguments are presented justifying the need to take into account the differences of each group in the work of the managers of the contact zone of the reception and accommodation services and in the process of serving the guest during their stay. Cross-cultural communication competences in the hotel industry are a new, higher level of personnel management. The expediency of applying effective methods of selection, continuous professional retraining and hotel personnel management that would take into account the cultural characteristics of employees, which is a key success factor for the organization of the hotel business, is argued. An algorithm for introducing cross-cultural competencies in hotel management through the use of educational management tools is given. The intercultural, interlingual competences used in hotel management represent the basis of a new approach to the high level of customer service of hotels. The authors come to the conclusion that this is one of the features and conditions for the safe existence of international chain companies of the hotel business.

Przyjmowanie perspektywy w rzeczywistości wirtualnej dla personelu wojskowego: przegląd podejść do wirtualnego treningu społecznego

In this article, we have given an overview of exemplary empirical research on both the efficacy of perspective taking and the positive aspects of employment of virtual reality technologies in the context of military personnel training. The inclusion of awareness of mental states and subjective experiences expressed in accurately designed virtual scenarios can prepare soldiers for more effective and decisive operations prior to deployment on foreign soil, where they will have to come to terms with difficult decisions connected with cultural differences and plurality. First, we would like to present notions about perspective taking and what role VR maintains in relation to the development of aspects of cognition. Next, we approach the proposed ensemble of articles that state the extent of VR-PT efficacy: (1) the relevance of developing perspective taking in the military, (2) the effectiveness of VR in training. Although we did not find examples of the military perspective taking training in specifically immersive virtual environments, we do want to posit an idea that this kind of regime could bring a plethora of positive effects – e.g. accurate threat assessment in cross-cultural environments, positive nonverbal behaviour, increased outgroup helping behaviour, reduced/less dependency on stereotyping and possibly reduced conflict-inducing intergroup differences.

Culture, Language and Productivity in the Workplace within the BRICS Nations

The changing economic environment globally carries challenges and opportunities for business. Cross-cultural environments and financial integration call for greater understanding of the workplace. The authors assess the usage and status of language and culture in workplaces within the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries through a light touch survey to assist in framing further and deeper research activities. The objective is to develop a suitable research framework regarding the place of language and culture in the workplace in multilingual and multicultural contexts. The authors argue for the inclusion of a cultural dimension linked to multilingual strategies in the workplace. The inextricable link between language and culture is explored in this article. It is suggested that orality and the way we pass on information in the workplace should be considered when encouraging productivity in the multilingual, multicultural workplace in order to create a sense of integration and belonging rather than one of alienation.

The Opining Mining of Expatriate Adjustment and Significant Role of Social Media

In this research paper, the researcher focused on the opining mining of expatriate adjustment and the significant roleof social media in real life. It is also one of the significant research issues for the person who are having citizenshipof one country and living in another country with a cross-cultural environment. The researcher would identify thefactors of a cross-cultural environment which are suitable and significant for the expatriate adjustment with the helpof social media. The social media is having of its own significant role in adjusting expatriate with respect to opinionmining. The opinion mining is one of the processes of seeking innovation of ideas and thought on the basis ofexisting or currently available in the real world. The social media is playing one of the biggest enablers for expatriatein a cross-cultural environment. The objective of this research paper is to identify the factors which are significantwith respect to opinion mining and social media in a cross-cultural environment. The researcher emphasized that thereason for online communication with respect to social media that flows are concept and opinion which thus play asignificant role in the cohesion and transformation of society. Its minimal concern on the emergence of opinions,widespread, and get benefits. The researcher used the social media for the adjustment with respect to expatriate’sadjustment.

A passage to India: cultural distance issues in IJVs’ knowledge management

ABSTRACTCultural distance has been identified as one of the main issues affecting partnership processes in international joint-ventures (IJVs). However, there is still a lot of debate about the role played by cultural differences in influencing IJVs’ knowledge management. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how cultural distance impacts on knowledge management processes of IJVs’ relationships in a cross-cultural business environment. We performed a content analysis focused on an embedded case study, the IJVs of the Generali Group in India. Results show that trust alone is not sufficient to support knowledge management within IJVs, as partners may feel reluctant to share strategic information. However, the creation of facilitation roles, the development of knowledge acquisition skills, and the contributions of managers and employees generate a social glue that increases the willingness to share knowledge and facilitates knowledge management processes.

Ethical, Business, and Management Views of China’s Next Generation: A Quantitative Study of Chinese Undergraduate Students for Improved Pedagogy and More Effective East-West Business Interaction

The purpose of this quantitative research is to explore Chinese undergraduate student worldviews and the foundation upon which those views are constructed. This study sheds light on neglected aspects of the changing global economy in its demand for consistent global ethics and a blending of Eastern and Western approaches to business and management that meet the needs of all stakeholders. The results of this study may lead to a better understanding for Western educators and business practitioners when dealing with Chinese students or clients in a cross-cultural environment.