Intercultural Challenges Research Articles

Embedding reflection sessions in (inter)cultural awareness trainings: value and learning outcomes based on workshops for health and social care professionals

PurposeThis article discusses the importance of the relationship between cultural awareness (CA) training and post-training reflection in the health-care sector, and considers the implications for future developments for CA training in relation to content, audience, process and format.Design/methodology/approachA total of 77 health and social care professionals (HCSPs) took part in a 4-h CA training, 25 of whom also opted for an additional optional reflection hour. The results reported on in this paper are drawn from the experiences of the 25 participants in the optional reflection sessions (RSs), using a thematic analysis approach.FindingsParticipants highly valued the “safe space” in both the CA workshop and the optional follow-on RS, enabling them to share experiences, revisit topics and feel supported to put things into practice. They also reported a growing confidence in dealing with intercultural challenges, in particular in asking questions and being curious about topics they did not understand.Originality/valueThis research points towards a strong recommendation for open-ended CA training, allowing participants to articulate their experiences, fears and concerns. It also highlights the importance of a follow-on RS as an integral part of CA training; both of these were found to offer opportunities for strengthening HSCPs’ skills and facilitate the transition of learning from the workshop context into the workplace, with the ultimate aim of reducing inequalities in the quality of patient care.

Cross-cultural challenges in international commercial arbitration: Strategies for effective resolution

The purpose of the article is to determine the most effective strategic guidelines for the implementation of international commercial arbitration. The object of the study is international arbitration. The scientific task is to characterize which strategic guideline is the most optimal today. The research methodology involves the use of the even comparison method. As a result of the study, the most optimal strategic guideline for international commercial arbitration under the pressure of intercultural challenges was determined. In article we prove, that the strategies of Enhanced Cultural Training and Diverse Arbitrator Panels are considered the most effective for addressing cross-cultural challenges in international commercial arbitration for several compelling reasons. The study has a limitation by not taking into account all possible guidelines for development. In further studies, attention should be paid to taking into account the individual needs of specific countries of the world.

Interview: Reflections on Three Decades of Islamic Nonviolence

Abstract This article comprises a discussion with Prof. Mohammed Abu-Nimer, a trailblazer in the field of Peace Studies focusing on Islam and Muslim communities. It explores Prof. Abu-Nimer's reflections on the development of this field over the past three decades. It focuses in particular on methodological, institutional, and inter-cultural challenges and developments during that time. Like Prof. Abu-Nimer's long career, it is international in scope and explores convergences and divergences in the experiences and discourses surrounding Muslim-led nonviolent resistance, peacemaking and peacebuilding initiatives in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. It also includes discussion of the role played by cultural difference and hybridity in translating the distinct peace and nonviolence repertoires of Western and non-Western cultural and political contexts.

Polish-Ukrainian neighborhood after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.Some remarks on The Project Moments by the Institute of Reportage

The article discusses The Project Moments, a collection of thirty interviews with Ukrainian refugeewomen in Poland, developed by the Institute of Reportage in Warsaw in 2021. Additionally,a number of non-fi ction works about the war in Ukraine, written in Poland and abroad, are referenced.The perspective of media and literary studies illuminates intercultural challenges of the currentsocial situation in Poland. The concept of „contact zone” (M. Luis Pratt), used in this context, helpsto demonstrate that Polish communication with Ukrainians often refl ects the attitude of superiorityand ignorance. The Project Moments responds to such a diagnosis, enabling an insight intothe psychological and social situation of the witnesses of war. This publication is an example ofempathetic journalism, creating a safe space for expressing emotions such as grief, fear, sadnessor helplessness. The Project Moments also registers the work of trauma, as well as cases of agencyand resilience.

An Appraisal of the Challenges and Limitations of Developing African Countries in Negotiations with Multinational Entities and Developed Nations: Proposed Interventions

The paper takes a look at the limitations and challenges that negotiators of developing African countries encounter with multinational entities and developed nations. It identifies that negotiators of multinational and advanced economies appear to be very competitive and confrontational as against negotiators of developing African negotiators, who appear cooperative and collaborative, a soft-styled approach to negotiations, these disparities arise from power, network and resource imbalance. Some of the challenges encountered by African negotiators include aggressive demands, unilateralism and setting self-serving agendas, negative impact of demographic variables as well as intercultural challenges. Others include inadequate cultural intelligence, negotiating process fatigue, political interest and inadequate competent and experienced human resource and financial limitations among others. The Doha declaration points to the fact that weak nations such as African countries and partners, even though may appear as weaker actors can attain a successful negotiated outcome, when in strategic partnership and networks with identified mutual interest and benefits. The paper recommends the need for the establishment of a networked governance strategy, a more formidable one to the TRIPs network, which delivered a BATNA. Within the state and regional levels, African countries must consciously endeavor to provide their domestic institutions such as Foreign Ministries, Trade and Industry Ministries, national negotiation agencies, with the requisite capacities and expertise needed to be very effective and competitive. Good political well of governments is central in avoiding conflict of interest and corruption at the expense of the State for a BATNA. This would enable them to be better prepared with the requisite confidence, knowledge, and skills to negotiate for a better outcome with multinational corporations and nations.

JICIR Intercultural Theme Dialogue Chinese Multi-National Corporations (MNC’s): (Part I) Global Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract This article presents an in-depth exploration of the challenges and opportunities faced by Chinese Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) as they navigate the global business landscape. Focusing on the intercultural adaptation and communication barriers, it highlights the experiences of Chinese MNCs in various regions, including Africa and Pakistan. The discussion is based on a webinar panel featuring experts with diverse interdisciplinary backgrounds in intercultural business communication, intercultural management, international business, as well as international relation and economics. The insights from the panel address key themes and cross- and intercultural challenges such as dealing with differing leadership styles, communication barriers, cultural differences, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and the development of intercultural competence in diverse socio-cultural environments. The panelists emphasized the importance of flexibility, mutual understanding, and culturally agile leadership in overcoming these challenges. The discussion also outlines potential research areas for further exploration of the intercultural dynamics of Chinese MNCs. Through this dialogue, the article aims to stimulate future research and provide practical recommendations for improving the global operations and intercultural interactions of Chinese enterprises. It also proposes ideas on how Chinese MNCS can both develop and integrate local and global practices to achieve sustainable international growth.

International students’ intercultural challenges in Hungary

The number of students participating in study abroad programmes proliferates in present-day Hungary. International students arrive from various countries with different cultural backgrounds and mother tongues. Consequently, they have to face several differences in Hungary that might result in misunderstandings and problems or even lead to negative experiences. Therefore, the paper examines international students’ intercultural challenges of everyday life in Hungary among 107 international students attending higher educational institutions in Hungary.

Teaching Christian Ethics Beyond Europe and North America: From a Postgraduate Research Seminar to a Theology of Listening

This article explores the process of teaching Christian theological ethics beyond the common focus on European and North American sources. In conversation with moves to decolonise university curricula, the article proposes a theology of listening, an example of a research seminar for master’s and doctoral students at the University of Aberdeen on Christian ethics beyond Europe and North America, and an exploration of broader challenges for the formation of the theologian. The article asks, what can we learn when we give up power and control when teaching and learning theology? How can we shift our methods of knowing and practising theology? We write as theologians from India, Mexico, and the United States living in the United Kingdom. We reflect on forms of exclusion in theological method and formation that arise from colonising, systemic violence, and inequalities. The article considers intercultural challenges when encountering different methods of reflection on the Christian experience. In a search for a more profoundly theological approach, we propose listening to the other as integral to doing theology. In an intercultural move, we draw on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's theology of listening, proposing that theology must be an advent of voices from beyond our usual places and methods.

Intercultural Communication Competence Improvement of Students under the International Education Management Model

With the acceleration of globalization, international education has gradually become the core content of higher education. In this context, students have encountered lots of intercultural challenges, making the evaluation and improvement of their intercultural communication competence (ICC) a key issue. It is difficult for traditional evaluation methods, such as questionnaire surveys, interviews, and teacher evaluations, to meet the needs of current educational institutions because they are subjective, time-consuming, and inefficient. After describing the ICC evaluation process of students under the international education management model, this study proposed a new automatic evaluation method based on the dual-scale convolutional neural network (CNN) model and the bi-directional long-short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) model of characters and words. The new method evaluated students’ ICC more accurately and objectively, providing a new perspective and tool for future research and educational training.

Shared decision-making between paediatric haematologists, children with sickle cell disease and their parents: an exploratory study

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) face various healthcare choices to be made during the disease process that may impact their lives. Shared decision-making (SDM) could improve their health outcomes. We assessed if, and to what extent, paediatricians engage children with SCD and/or their parents in the decision-making process. In this observational cross-sectional study, paediatric SCD patients and their parents visiting the outpatient paediatrics clinic of a university hospital participated in a SDM baseline measurement. Two evaluators independently and objectively analysed the level of patient involvement in decision-making from the audio-recordings of the consultations using the OPTION-5 instrument, a 0–20-point scale from which scores are usually expressed as a percentage of ideal SDM. The level of SDM, as perceived by patients, parents and paediatricians, was appreciated using the SDM-Q-9 and SDM-Q-Doc questionnaires, respectively. Scores could range from 0% (no SDM) to 100% (exemplary SDM). Twenty-four consultations in which a decision needed to be made about SCD treatment were audiotaped and analysed; six were from each paediatrician. The group consisted of 17 male and 7 female patients from various cultural backgrounds between 2 and 17 years old, with a mean age of 9.4 years (SD 4.2). Median OPTION-5 scores were 25.0% [IQR] 20.0–40.0%; range 0–55%). Median SDM-Q-9 and SDM-Q-Doc scores were 56.7% (IQR 39.4–88.9%) and 68.9% (IQR 57.8–77.8%), respectively.Conclusion: Although subjective scores of SDM were fair, the objectively scored level of SDM among children suffering from SCD leaves room for improvement. This may be realized by increasing knowledge about the benefits of SDM, child-centred SDM interventions and SDM-training for paediatricians that takes into account the complexity of intercultural challenges and risk communication between stakeholders.What is Known:• Children that suffer from sickle cell disease (SCD) are more vulnerable to factors that negatively impact the care that they receive as well as suboptimal health outcomes.• Shared decision-making (SDM) can help children participate in a collaborative decision-making process about their preferred treatment options and improve their health outcomes.What is New:• The level of participation in the decision-making process for patients suffering from SCD and the families that they belong to leaves room for improvement. The impact of intercultural challenges and the quality and consistency of risk-communication between stakeholders in paediatric SDM needs further exploration.• Paediatricians are more confident about their ability to involve the child and parents compared to how children and their parents experience their level of involvement in a shared decision-making process.

Global Research on International Students’ Intercultural Adaptation in a Foreign Context: A Visualized Bibliometric Analysis of the Scientific Landscape

As the volume of research on intercultural adaptation of international students (IAIS) increases significantly over the past decades, a systematic review of the diverse literature on a global scale and its development process becomes essential. This study conducted a thorough bibliometric analysis for the knowledge domain of IAIS research using relevant articles ( N = 1,126) from 1990 to 2022 in Thompson Reuter’s Web of Science (WoS) database-Core Collection. This work aims to analyze the advances and trends on the subject using a set of bibliometric analytical tools, including Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and BibExcel. The research findings demonstrate that the number of published articles projects an ostensible upward trend in terms of temporal distribution, especially since 2007. The USA occupies a leading position in terms of the largest publication output and a greater influence therewith. The most productive journal, author(s), and institution(s) are International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Brown L and Wang KT, and the University of Hong Kong and the University of Queensland, respectively. Collaboration in this field has become mainstream but still needs to be enhanced among researchers and at national and institutional levels. The frequency and co-occurrence analysis of keywords reveals that the main keywords for discussion include international students, adjustment, acculturation, adaptation, acculturative stress, identity, social support, stress, experiences, and depression, while cultural intelligence and intercultural sensitivity, culture shock and intercultural challenges, and integration and migration serve as the emerging themes. The study would aid academic researchers and policymakers in understanding the intricacies of IAIS and identifying areas that require further investigation.

Intercultural Lived Ecclesiology: The Asian Synodal Praxis of Communio, Partecipatio et Missio Inter Gentes

The current synodal process (2021–2024) engaging the worldwide Catholic Church at the micro, meso and macro levels involves bringing Christians from across cultures, ethnic communities, linguistic groups and nationalities to interact and shape their journey as people of God. Without wanting to reproduce the intense debate that is in progress, we limit ourselves to examining the crucial issue—to a great extent ignored—of the intercultural lived ecclesiology associated with the inter gentes synodal praxis of communion, participation and mission. Although the synodal journey appears to be promising, the endogenous and exogenous ecclesial and societal differences implied in the inter gentes discernment can render it a complex transformative endeavor, entailing reciprocal enrichment and mutual critique. Taking up ideas that emerged in the various episcopal conferences in Asia in dialogue with some key themes in one of the European, namely, the German Episcopal Conference, we trace the intercultural challenges and prospects of communio, partecipatio et missio inter gentes, with a view to transforming the Church’s way of being and functioning.

Redefining Sustainability and Entrepreneurship Teaching

The demand for sustainable development is rapidly increasing with the need to create cleaner and greener products for consumers and producers alike. In line with this need, sustainability has become integral to entrepreneurship research. Although sustainability-focused entrepreneurship programs are offered at higher education institutions, gaps remain in identifying novel approaches to combining sustainability and entrepreneurship in university programs. To overcome these gaps, this study provides an approach to redefining how sustainability-based entrepreneurship can be taught in a virtual environment using a cross-institution initiative involving instructors and students from multiple countries and disciplinary backgrounds to provide students with opportunities to solve complex sustainability-based problems affecting society. A post-assessment survey (including open-ended questions related to skill development, intercultural learning, virtual learning, and debrief) was administered to better understand student perceptions of learning and engagement. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic inductive analysis resulting in three key themes (learning outcomes, supportive learning environment, and intercultural challenges). The Discussion and Conclusion sections highlight implications for practitioners, contributions to the literature, and limitations/future research. Pedagogical strategies for educators and program designers are provided.

Mixed methods study on foreign early career academics' sense of knowledge and intellectual development

AbstractEmployees' sense of development is an essential component of their well‐being that enhances their work performance. In the Japanese higher education sector, the number of foreign academics has increased considerably due to the strong backing of government initiatives. Although studies have unpacked foreign academics' intercultural challenges and marginalisation experiences, their developmental experiences in host countries have been under‐researched. Thus, this mixed‐methods study examined what explains foreign early career academics' sense of knowledge and intellectual development and how. Both the quantitative and qualitative results indicated collegiality's key role in their development, while the discrepancies between them suggest that their development is better explained by how knowledge is transmitted via three key conditions—access, interpersonal matters and sources—than workplace conditions. Foreign academics' perspectives can contribute to institutional policy development, because they may be aware of the status quo to which locals feel resigned.

Global guidelines, local interpretations: ethnography of climate policy implementation in Mapuche territory, Southern Chile

ABSTRACT The climate vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples is closely related to their marginalization from decision-making processes. Although the engagement of Indigenous Peoples in climate policy is increasingly promoted at the international level, there are still multiple barriers to their meaningful participation at the national level. Through an ethnography of the State, this article analyses how both the State's political orientation, and its interpretations of different stakeholders, influence the participation of Mapuche-Pehuenche communities in two mitigation projects implemented in Lonquimay, Chile, in the southern Andes. This study is based on a review of State policies for Indigenous Peoples, participant observations of the mitigation projects’ implementation, and qualitative data collected through 26 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. The study uses an ethnographic approach to allow an understanding of how the State is constructed in the face of climate change and of Indigenous Peoples’ vulnerability. The State project, which shapes the relationship of the Mapuche with their territory, with the State, and among themselves, is reflected in policy implementation patterns and the existing economic development model. All these relationships influence how officials and the Mapuche interpret and implement climate policy. This article demonstrates that by neglecting these relationships, climate policy risks being less effective in part as it reinforces the exclusion of Indigenous Peoples. While Indigenous Peoples’ participation poses significant intercultural challenges, it also yields valuable lessons that can promote processes of institutional transformation that contribute to climate mitigation, such as strengthening local capacities and questioning beliefs that have led to climate change.

The role of parenting styles for the relationship of stays abroad, self-efficacy and intercultural competence

ABSTRACT Students’ development of intercultural competence during stays abroad has been subject to numerous studies due to the vital importance of intercultural interaction in the globalised world. In the present cross-sectional study, we provide and test a theoretical frame connecting self-efficacy theory of learning and intercultural learning, examining the remembered parenting style of N = 203 German students as a moderating variable to contribute to the understanding of intercultural competence as the result of a learning process. We predicted and found that self-efficacy mediates the relationship between length of stay abroad and intercultural competence, depending on the perception of an emotional warm parenting style. Contrary to our assumptions, the parenting styles control, and punishment do not moderate the relationship between length of stay abroad and self-efficacy. The current study thus contributes to the understanding of intercultural learning as a result of accomplishing intercultural challenges and learning, with implications for further research and practice.

Paralanguage Influences in Intercultural Communication of Foreign Nationals in Cebu, Philippines

Paralanguage is a vital component of metacommunication in human interaction that allows people to convey nuanced meaning and emotion and add layers of meaning to their spoken utterances through manipulation of the manner of speech. This is why paralanguage is suggested to be considered as the primary facet of communicative competence in effective communication. However, this is adversely hampered by the challenges between people with different cultural backgrounds. This is because cultural differences have many effects on communication since people from different cultures communicate using distinct styles of their language, words, gestures, phrases, and other non-lexical components of speech, such as diction, pitch, and tone. Intercultural communication also includes low and high context cultures. Hence, the need to conduct this study is crucial to explore the influence of paralanguage on communication among speakers from different cultures and understand the influence of culture on the communication experiences of people coming from varied speech communities. The study employed narrative analysis as a lens to collect and analyze the data gathered from the participants. The foreign nationals were interviewed as study participants to deliberately examine the intercultural challenges in paralanguage. Data were deduced using Miles and Huberman’s thematic analytical framework. Findings revealed that paralanguage greatly influenced the communication engagements of foreign nationals with the local people and that this influence is also associated with the existing cultural background of the foreign and local communicators involved.

Narratives of home-making on a Colombian intercultural campus

In an increasingly globalised society, the internationalisation of higher education has become a prime goal for many universities, which seek to promote the development of intercultural competencies and insert their actors in dynamics of academic cooperation, knowledge construction and negotiation of meanings in an environment of respect. What is sometimes overlooked, however, is the fact that university campuses are already intercultural spaces by nature, even in the absence of internationalisation initiatives; in other words, university campuses are places where diversity abounds, making it possible to experience intercultural encounters, leading to the development of intercultural competencies. This article presents the narratives of four students and their home-making experiences at a Colombian university. Through their stories, these students give us a glimpse of the intercultural challenges they face when they try to create a sense of belonging while developing, constraining or reaffirming their identities on campus. The article analyses the student narratives through the lenses of new materialism, social semiotics, intersectionality and intercultural communication to understand the complexity of building a home with others amid diversity and, sometimes, adversity.

Communication competence of Indonesian workers in intercultural interaction in Munich and Canberra

The discourse of intercultural communication competence is increasingly important in the globalized world. However, there need to be more studies reported on the communication competence of Indonesian workers in intercultural interaction, particularly in the host country Germany and Australia. This study investigates communication competence in the intercultural interaction of Indonesian workers in two cities, Munich and Canberra. It focuses on intercultural challenges encountered by Indonesian workers working at different corporations and organizations in Munich and Canberra. Using qualitative methods, we examine Indonesian workers' intercultural awareness, sensitivity, and language competence in the host cities. This ethnographic study is based on interviews and informal conversations with Indonesian workers in Munich and Canberra and observations through the engagement of the researchers in the various Indonesian Diaspora community in the two cities. Based on thematic analysis, two empirical findings are essential to everyday intercultural interaction. First, intercultural awareness and sensitivity explain the knowledge and experiences of Indonesian workers on local rules and regulations, culture, and history of the host cities. Second, language competence describes the ability of Indonesian workers to understand the accents and dialects (German Bavaria and English Australian) and to overcome language barriers in everyday work and community life. The study concludes that participants have different experiences implementing communication competence in everyday interaction. It depends on the intercultural interaction intensity of Indonesian workers with their colleagues and the local community.

Intercultural Challenges Among English Language Teaching Students in Inbound and Outbound Programs of Indonesia's Ministry of Education and Culture

This paper shows the cultural barriers in the higher education setting and advises that the university makes certain preparations to welcome inbound and outbound students of exchange program upon their arrival. Students have accepted resources primarily generated from the university to overcome these obstacles. Therefore, as revealed by this study, the university or college is better able to identify students' needs and provide appropriate campus resources and services when they have a deeper grasp of their academic issues. The university must be equipped not only intellectually, but also socially and culturally, to meet the demands of its students.
 Keywords: Cultural Issues, Inbound and Outbound students