Culture Commitment Research Articles

Management Consultancy Firms and Hythloday’s Island: Utopian Visions of the Most Desired of Workplaces

ABSTRACT Many business graduates regard management consultancy firms as a desirable, even utopian, career destination. Hythloday’s description of the island of Utopia identifies several characteristics that resonate with aspects of the management consulting industry. They include its separation from the rest of humanity, the Utopians’ attitude to acquiring knowledge, their commitment to their way of life, their attitude to work, the governance structure of their state, and their attitude to wealth. These characteristics may be compared and contrasted with management consultancy firms’ elite identities, their knowledge intensity, their use of standardized methods, their cultural commitment to intensive work, the autonomy that they allow their members in their practice, and their commitment to achieving ambitious financial targets. This article uses Thomas More’s Utopia (1516) as an analytical framework for understanding the utopian visions of management consulting that some business graduates form, and for exploring how alternative, perhaps better, visions might be imagined.

Dynamics of Cultural Loyalty Among Keroncong Music Fans: Roles of Cultural Values, Heritage Image, and Community Involvement

Dynamics of Cultural Loyalty Among Keroncong Music Fans: Roles of Cultural Values, Heritage Image, and Community Involvement

An Analysis of the Works of Fazıl İskender and Narine Abgaryan from Contemporary Caucasian Literature in Terms of Cultural Commitment

This article explores the intersection of mythology and modernity in contemporary Caucasian literature, focusing on how contemporary writers from the Caucasus region integrate traditional mythological elements into modern narratives. The study examines selected works of prominent writers such as Fazıl İskender and Narine Abgaryan. It investigates how these writers reflect their commitment to their culture in their works and how they benefit from mythological elements while doing this. For this purpose, Fazıl İskender's Sandro of Chegem and Narine Abgaryan's Three Apples Fell from The Sky were examined, and the way cultural symbols and mythological elements were reflected in these works were supported by quotations from the works. In addition, the cultural and social effects of these works within and outside the Caucasus region were evaluated, and their role in preserving and revitalizing cultural heritage in the globalization environment was emphasized. The study aims to show how regional literary works can be renewed and developed by benefiting from their cultural background, and thus to contribute to a better understanding of contemporary Caucasian literary works.

Messenger vs. Message: The Curious Case of Where’d My Giggle Go?

In 2022, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) awarded pastor Max Lucado’s social-emotional learning picturebook Where’d My Giggle Go? its highest award. The win occurred against the backdrop of conservative, evangelical groups advocating for banning similar secular titles. This study investigates how discourse from two reviewing sites constructs the social identities of readers to understand how they perform relationships with Max Lucado and the evangelical community. Findings reveal how the community’s ideological, social, political, and cultural commitments are (re)produced and (re)circulated through consumer reviews and highlight the mainstreaming of evangelical content in picturebooks.

Cultural Improvement of the Gen-Z Digital Media User in Pinge Village Bali

The intensity of digital media use among Generation Z (Gen-Z) has spread to Pinge Traditional Village in Tabanan Regency, Bali. This study aims to determine the effect of intensive use of social media by students of SMP 3 Marga in Pinge Village, Bali on their interest in learning local culture and ability to interpret local culture amid the influx of cultural information in the world. A survey of 115 Gen Z respondents who are active users of social media at SMP 3 Marga showed a change in attitude towards increasing local cultural loyalty through a correlation test of 0.881 and it can be concluded that the results of (Intensity of Gen-Z Social Media Use) have a positive value with a large relationship of 0.638 (coefficient test) which can be categorized as having a fairly strong degree of relationship to (Meaning of Balinese Local Culture). This research provides an overview of the positive impact of social media on the understanding of local culture. There is a big role of parents at home and in the Pinge Village complex in maintaining village children on every cultural and religious occasion that is routinely held. Through this research, it can be predicted that the future picture of Balinese culture will continue to be preserved until the current generation Z becomes adults in the future. However, hypothesis testing explains that the presence of information technology will result in a change in the meaning of culture in Pinge Village by Gen Z in a positive direction.

The German-Jews' Identity and Reactions to the Nazi Policy

In early April 1933, the racist laws went into effect in Nazi Germany. These officially dictated that all involvement with Jews should be severed by keeping a safe distance. On the eve of Hitler’s taking power, there were some six hundred thousand Jews in Germany. They enjoyed full civil rights and were deeply involved in social and political life. The German Jewish identity was clear-cut to most of them, and some were convinced that Nazi ideology had nothing to do with them. The following article, which focuses on the period between January 1933 and November 1938, will present some responses and identical dilemmas of those German Jews, who found it difficult to accept that Nazi laws include them as Jews only. It will describe their conduct within a community preparation that was gradually being formulated already in Zionist and German-Jewish responses and activities. Most of the sources and examples in this article are aimed to observe the German Jewish dilemma based on their dual cultural loyalty as Germans and as Jews as well. Describing these difficulties, and the German Jews' reactions to the Nuremberg Laws in 1935, and after the Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938, intends to describe expressions of uncertainty and a sense of detachment that characterizes German Jews more prominently. This article deals with the Legal-Racial Lows experienced as German Jews and its future impacts on their fate during the war and afterward.

Female radicalisation in Bangladesh: an investigation of its scope, extent and key motivations behind

ABSTRACT This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the intricate dynamics surrounding female involvement in jihadism in Bangladesh. Drawing on expert interviews and surveys, the study uncovers a multifaceted picture of this phenomenon. Three distinct categories of factors – push, pull, and facilitating – emerge as central in explaining the surge in female participation within militant groups in the region. Push factors, which encompass grievances and vulnerabilities arising from personal crises, poverty and family breakdown, create an environment ripe for radicalisation. The concept of “humiliation by proxy,” where global Muslim victimisation serves as a motivating force, further deepens our understanding of this process. Pull factors reveal that ideological allure, the pursuit of glory, adventure, and the evolving gender roles offered by groups like the Islamic State play a significant role in attracting women to extremist ideologies. The article underscores that the desire for paradise is not confined to men alone but extends to women. Facilitating factors, such as influential family members and online platforms, are pivotal in shaping female radicalisation. Cultural loyalty, particularly from husbands and fathers, empowers them to influence women towards extremism. The internet acts as a powerful tool, facilitating exposure to radical ideologies and virtual group bonding, creating echo chambers that reinforce extremist beliefs.

“This is one Lucianus, nephew to the king!:” Political Dynamics of Four Hungarian Translations of "Hamlet"

In this paper I endeavour to retell a partial history of the Hungarian translation of Hamlet’s commentary: “This is one Lucianus, nephew to the King!” (3:2:239) on the “Murder of Gonzago,” aiming to elucidate the intricate interplay between translation, cultural discourse, and socio-political dynamics. Hamlet’s commentary, seemingly straightforward yet laden with complexity, poses implications capable of reshaping the trajectory and purpose of his theatrical experiment, crafted to probe and establish Claudius’ guilt. The partial history of translations encompasses the epochs of Ferenc Kazinczy (18th century) and János Arany (19th century) up to the modern renderings of István Eörsi and Ádám Nádasdy (20th-21st centuries). Within this framework, I claim that exploring these translations of Hamlet’s commentary offers a gauge of Hamlet’s position in Hungarian cultural discourse. The evolving connotations of words, reflective of linguistic shifts, imbue layered meanings not only onto the statement itself but also onto the theatrical experiment it encapsulates. This exploration of translation, interpretation, and linguistic evolution sheds light on Shakespeare’s and Hamlet’s socio-cultural-political role in Hungary, as translations serve not merely as transparent channels of meaning but also as reflections on the political and cultural commitments of translators and their audiences.

Exile from Eden: Miron Grindea’s <i>ADAM International Review</i>

ADAM International Review was the longest-running literary journal published under a single editor in Europe in the twentieth century. Edited by Miron Grindea from 1936 until his death in 1995, the magazine promoted ‘active humanism’ and ‘comparative’ or ‘world literature’ as the grounds for cultural re-evaluation and international collaboration, following the brutalities of Nazism and faced with the existential threat posed by the Cold War. This article examines Grindea’s unique species of ‘eclectic’ editorship, using ADAM as a case study to highlight the significant role played by individual magazine editors in forging and sustaining open, capacious international literary networks. Grindea was idealistic about his editorial mission, but as the twentieth century wore on found himself increasingly out-of-step with the times, instead seeking consolation in the past. This prompts a series of questions. How effective is a magazine when the editor prioritizes archival recovery above the discovery of new work? How useful are international cultural commitments when ‘internationalism’ has been curated by an individual? And what becomes of a magazine when the personality of its editor dominates?

Development of Natural Science Learning Designs to Improve The Character of Pancasila Students in Critical and Creative Reasoning Aspects

The application of values in learning activities is an effort to strengthen student character. This effort is in line with the Ministry of Education and Culture's commitment to realizing Pancasila Students. Pancasila students are the embodiment of Indonesian students who have good character with competencies that can compete globally and reflect the noble values of Pancasila in every behavior. The results of a preliminary study on science learning activities at Arafah Elementary School show the low level of Pancasila student character in the critical and creative reasoning aspects of students. There is a need for alternative learning designs that are able to accommodate the character of Pancasila students in the aspects of students' critical and creative reasoning skills. This research is development research using the Learning Development Cycle (LDC) model. Model cycle This research includes the scope, creation, user experience, meta stages evaluation, and evaluation. This research aims to describe the development product in the form of a science learning design in improving the character of Pancasila students in the aspects of critical and creative reasoning. The product description is reviewed based on the data obtained, namely the results of product validation provided by experts with valid criteria if it reaches the valid-very valid category, data on effectiveness results is reviewed from the achievement of critical and creative reasoning indicators through pretest and posttest with effective criteria if it reaches the medium- high, and practicality is reviewed based on the observer's assessment of implementation with practical criteria if it reaches the practical-very practical category.

Competitiveness-Building Strategy for Becoming a Long-Lasting Brand: The History of Boon Rawd Brewery in Thailand

This study investigates determinants for long-lasting brands with a case of Singha Corporation's Boon Rawd Brewery, known as Singha Beer. Singha Beer is a representative brand in Thailand having 90 years of business history. We overview the growth path of Boon Rawd Brewery and analyze the strategies for competitive building, addressing how the brand became sustained over time. Considered to be the first local beer in Thailand, the brand has contributed to the economic and social development in Thailand, earning the Garuda symbol, which represents national and cultural loyalty and the highest honor in the Thai business. Our analysis, based on Porter's model, suggests that the firm utilized multi-level strategies, all different, to gain a competitive advantage in the local market. We argue that Singha Beer's key to success lies in the chance that the founder saw in the past and the ideology of the founder that continues until today.

Improvising a Cultural Commitment Renewal From the Middle Up.

Improvising a Cultural Commitment Renewal From the Middle Up.

Charismatic Leadership and Silah Rituality in The Educational Culture of Boarding Schools

This research focuses on how to become a ritual in the communication process. This research is qualitative research with a phenomenological approach. The research participants comprised seven people: Kiai, ustadz and santri. Collecting research data using interviews and documentation and analysing with data reduction procedures, presentation and interpretation of data. The orientation should detail the role of rituality in charismatic leadership to build cultural commitment to education. After studying in-depth, it can be concluded that the company's charismatic leadership transforms spirituality in developing solidarity actions, work and religious commitment to Islamic boarding schools education. This research can be a reference for further research, focusing on studying Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia, especially on charismatic leadership patterns.

A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN: QUEER CHRISTIANS & DATING APPS

Dating apps pose particular challenges for queer Christians, reproducing oppressions and experiences of dispossession in the context of seeking intimate relationships. Queer Christians using dating apps complicates an already sensitive combination of social and cultural commitments, values, and beliefs. Dating apps position themselves in the dating market in a variety of ways, however all function to help people meet other people for dates. Some apps are known for facilitating hookups or catering to queer populations, others are used more broadly and aim to facilitate long-term relationships. Dating apps, along with other social media sites, independently create and control the categories users interact with. On dating apps, users expect the app interface to enable them to represent their unique identities. However, dating apps are often designed with dominant populations in mind and end up excluding those who do not fit the model of their ideal user. Ultimately, my analysis reveals how queer Christians know and express gender and religious identities on dating apps but dating apps do not allow for this complexity to be easily visible or searchable. Queer Christians wrestle with dominant narratives, deviate from social scripts, and resist condemnation to a life without hope for loving partnerships. Dating apps offer fine-grained means of seeking and finding a match made in heaven while simultaneously constructing a hellhole of exclusionary, discriminatory, and oppressive binary categories. Still, queer Christians depend on dating apps, both to do queer identity work and to help them seek and find their match made in heaven.

Cultural Services in Australia and New Zealand’s Preferential Trade Agreements

This article (1) summarizes the provisions relating to cultural services in the preferential trade agreements (PTAs) to which Australia and New Zealand belong, and (2) discusses the scope of these provisions, in light of the cultural policy measures involved and states’ resulting ability to pursue cultural policies. Not only have Australia and New Zealand pursued some of the world’s most ambitious cultural policies, these two partner countries at times took unusual positions on the trade and culture debate. Yet, both have resolutely positioned themselves toward the ‘culture’ side of the debate, with either some of the most far-reaching exceptions or modest commitments relating to the cultural sector in their respective PTAs. Australia, New Zealand, cultural policies, trade and culture debate, trade liberalization, preferential trade agreements, cultural provisions, cultural services, cultural exceptions, cultural commitments

TEXT BETRAYAL VERSUS CULTURAL LOYALTY: EMPLOYED STRATEGIES IN TRANSLATING ARABIC POETIC TEXT INTO ENGLISH

Translating Arabic poetry into English or any European or (anti-Semitic) language constitutes an essential burden on the translator due to their common origins that are similar in terms of rhetorical uses (e.g., synecdoche, metaphor, simile, euphemism, and the most important of all, similarity in grammatical, morphological and derivational linguistic rules). In the case of rendering Arabic poetry into English, the gap is vast and this requires a double effort, wider knowledge, and a high-level culture awareness on part of the translator. More importantly, the translator has to be equipped with an abundant knowledge of the means of influence that fall within the circle of rhetoric methods that may be unique to both Arabic and English languages. That is what we called Text Betrayal Versus Cultural Loyalty.

SOCIOCULTURAL ADAPTATION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS FROM NEIGHBORING AND DISTANT COUNTRIES: INTEGRATING ANALYTICAL CONTEXTS

This article presents a comparative study of the sociocultural adaptation of international students coming to Russia from neighboring (former Soviet republics) and distant countries and studying at the universities of the South Russian region. The preliminary overview of the studies reflects the different contexts in which the problem of adaptation is studied: economic, political, ethno-cultural-differential, and socio-identitarian. It is noted that the Russian approach to the organization of the educational process in groups of international students is characterized by its integrative nature. The implementation of educational tasks includes communicative opportunities for adaptation. This increases the well-being of international students in everyday life. At the same time, concern for the quality of the educational process and advanced teaching technologies affects the prestige and, consequently, the economic competitiveness of the university and the international status of Russian higher education. The study of various aspects of international students’ adaptation – psychological (resources) and sociocultural (expression) – was conducted on a group of 397 individuals, mainly from countries with Eastern culture, 247 men and 150 women. Among them, 110 were from distant countries, and 287 were from neighboring countries. We used an express diagnosis method developed based on an adapted version of the method “Self-assessment of psychological adaptability” by A.L. Svensitsky and the scales “Social commitment to the country” and “Cultural commitment to the country” from the questionnaire by S.V. Frolova. Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used for statistical analysis of the obtained data. The psychological and sociocultural adaptation of respondents from both subgroups showed a similar correlation between adaptation resources and their expressions at p 0.01. At the same time, significant differences between the samples were found in the indicators. The students who came to study from distant countries (Asian and African countries) showed low psychological (active and communicative) potential for successful sociocultural adaptation, while they had high expectations for successful adaptation. Improving their adaptation potential through educational means can be achieved by combining academic work with problem-solving activities in the educational, vocational, social, and communication domains. Students from neighboring countries (former Soviet republics) based their claims of successful adaptation on the social ties between the countries but simultaneously showed a distance from Russian cultural values. In this case, the work of educators would be effective if they continued to develop positive dynamics for intercultural relations and incorporate the traditions of interethnic good neighborliness on the territory of the southern region of Russia.

Can cultural tourism experience enhance cultural confidence? The evidence from Qingyuan Mountain.

A questionnaire survey was conducted among 600 visitors to the region using Qingyuan Mountain, a 5A picturesque location in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, as the research site. A total of 489 valid questionnaires were received. The links between cultural involvement, cultural experience, cultural identity, cultural confidence, and cultural loyalty were experimentally examined using a structural equation modeling technique. The results showed that cultural experience was a mediating factor in the processes of the influence of cultural involvement on cultural identity and the influence of cultural involvement on cultural confidence, but the influence of cultural involvement on cultural identity and the influence of cultural involvement on cultural confidence were not supported. The study accordingly condenses theoretical contributions to academia and management insights for businesses.

Dealing with Unexpected Crises: Organizational Resilience and Its Discontents.

The chapter summarizes key literature, including emerging ideas, that is pertinent to the question of how organizations and their leadership deal with and are resilient through crises - highlighting what works in surviving unexpected crises. The chapter presents an illustration of organizational response; it concludes with an analysis of what is missing from the literature and recommends a path forward to expanding actionable knowledge in this area. Multiple, interdependent factors that foster resilience are identified including (1) being sensitive to possible threats - even seemingly small failures, (2) not relying on simple interpretations of events but rather seeking diversity to create a complete view of the environment, (3) leadership that embraces communication, transparency, and continuous learning, (4) valuing expertise and allowing expert staff to make decisions during a crisis, and (5) a cultural commitment to a resiliency mindset that accepts failures as opportunities to learn and improve. Emerging concepts that may foster resilience but require more research include managing paradox, emotional ambivalence and diversity. Additional areas for fruitful research include: the impact of short-term versus long-term, or successive, crises; external versus internal shocks and the framing of the source of shocks; how crisis affect the pace of innovation and change; the role of diversity in organizational responses to crises; and a set of methodological opportunities to leverage natural experiments or simulations in ways that allow for longitudinal data illuminating the full cycle of crises across organizations from anticipation, to response, to longer-term adaptation to the new normal.

Disentangling the Linkage between Personality and Commitment: A Moderated Mediation Model of Core Self-Evaluations and Affectivity

The purpose of this study is to investigate how several personality traits and two affective states might be associated with organizational (affective) commitment in a Middle Eastern collectivist culture like Turkey. We tested moderated mediation models of the effects of Big-Five personality traits on affective commitment to the organization while investigating the mediation effects of two affective states (i.e., positive affectivity and negative affectivity) and the moderating effects of a personality trait (i.e., core self-evaluations) on these relationships. Data were collected in a field study (N = 312) using a time-lagged research design. As expected, the results indicated that the traits extraversion and agreeableness are positively related to affective commitment through positive affectivity when core self-evaluations is high-to-medium in strength. The results also showed that the indirect and negative effect of neuroticism on affective commitment via negative affectivity was not supported. The main contribution of this study is the focus on personality and affective-commitment linkages, giving an increased understanding of the processes, mechanisms, and conditions (i.e., indirect and moderating) operating within these linkages.