Multinational Universities Research Articles

Impact of Nutritional Education Intervention on Food Choice Motivations and Eating Behaviors Among Latin American University Students

ABSTRACT Background Nutritional interventions can help to develop healthy eating patterns during the transition to university, which is a critical transition for all college students. Purpose This research aims to analyze eating behaviors and food choices through sustainable nutritional education interventions with college students from a multinational university in Latin-America. Methods The nutritional intervention had eight sessions emphasizing lifestyle nutrition patterns. There was an intervention group (n = 85), and a control group (n = 80). This research evaluated the eating behaviors and food choice motivators before and after the intervention. Results The nutrition education interventions showed that the group under intervention improved, changing from unhealthy to moderately healthy habits, whereas the control groups remained in unhealthy eating behaviors. Food choice motivations slightly differ from the two groups after the intervention. Discussion The control group students reflected on their lack of awareness of good eating habits so that current trends could influence their food choices in social networks associated with the pandemic, economic factors, and supply. Translation to Health Education Practice The findings from this research highlight opportunities for Certified Health Education Specialists focused on project development and evaluation.

Different Self-Attitude Indicators in Students and Their Self-Realization in a University

The problem raised in the study is also due to the lack of a common conceptual framework explaining the conditionality of foreign students’ realization by subjective characteristics. The purpose of the paper is to present and analyze the results of an empirical study of self-attitude indicators as subject predictors of students’ self-realization in a foreign cultural environment. The study was conducted in 2019-20 among students of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia getting undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Humanities. 412 respondents aged 18-25 took part in the survey. The authors used “Multidimensional questionnaire of self-identity” method by S. I. Kudinov; “Test - questionnaire of self-attitude” method by V. V. Stolin, S. R. Panteleev; the self-assessment diagnostic technique by Dembo-Rubinstein in A. M. Prikhozhan’s modification; “Individual preferences of self-expression sphere” questionnaire by S. S. Kudinov; methods of mathematical and statistical analysis (descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, K. Pearson’s correlation analysis, factor analysis, the program of standard statistical package “Statistica-7.0”. In the course of an empirical study of students in a multinational university it was found that the respondents’ self-realization is carried out mainly in the course of educational activities. As a result of cluster analysis, three groups of respondents with dominant indicators of self-attitude have been identified, which were conventionally designated as positive-stable, negative-rigid and socially dependent type of self-attitude. It is determined that respondents with a positive-stable type of self-attitude demonstrate most successful self-fulfillment due to the expression of such personal qualities as self-acceptance, self-confidence, faith in their possibilities and abilities, self-management. At the same time, the greatest difficulties in self-realization are experienced by students with a socially dependent type of self-attitude, due to low self-esteem, external self-regulation and constant expectation that others would evaluate their activities, actions and reactions.

The influence of organisational identification on employee attitudes and behaviours in multinational higher education institutions

ABSTRACTIn order to operate effectively and efficiently, most higher education institutions depend on employees performing extra-role behaviours and being committed to staying with the organisation. This study assesses the extent to which organisational identification and employee satisfaction are antecedents of these two important behaviours. Key objectives of the research were to identify possible antecedents of organisational identification and to discover whether the consequences of organisational identification vary among the employees of multinational universities at home and foreign campuses. We developed a model that was tested using structural equation modelling, which assesses the influences of organisational identification on employee satisfaction, extra-role behaviours and turnover intentions. All of the paths in our model were significant, but employee identification, satisfaction and extra-role behaviours were lower at foreign branches than at the home campuses of universities, and turnover intentions were higher. These results suggest that higher education institutions need to implement different human resource strategies at home and foreign branches, with a focus on improving organisational identification at the foreign subsidiaries.

Universities as multinational enterprises? The multinational university analyzed through the eclectic paradigm

Purpose The aim of this paper is to examine the emergence of multinational universities through the lens of Dunning’s eclectic paradigm. Design/methodology/approach An analytical framework combining the eclectic paradigm with the three missions of universities is proposed to explore the motives behind the cross-border activity of universities. Findings Although the analogy between a university and a multinational enterprise is flawed, this paper shows how the eclectic paradigm can still serve the purpose of better understanding why universities locate fully pledged campuses or research departments in foreign locations. A set of implications for universities and host countries are also discussed. Originality/value The internationalization of universities has been widely analyzed in the higher education literature, but few attempts have been made to draw connections with international business research. The originality of this paper lies in addressing this cross-disciplinary gap.

Relation between Communicative Tolerance and Intercultural Adaptation in International Students

The paper presents the results of a study of the connection between the parameters of the communicative tolerance and the intercultural adaptation in the international students from a multinational university (Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia). A total of 337 respondents took part in the research, including 182 young men and 155 young women from five parts of the world: Latin America, Asia (China), Arab countries, Africa, the countries of the Central Asian region. The level of the communicative tolerance was measured with the technique “General communicative tolerance” by V.V.Boyko. The Questionnaire of the adaptation of the person to the new socio-cultural environment (APSCE) by L.V.Yankovsky, in T.G.Stefanenko and M.S.Panov’s modified version was used to define the features of the intercultural adaptation of the international students. The Kruskal–Wallis non-parametrical criteria, the Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), and the correlation analysis (Spearman Rank Correlations) were used for the statistical analysis. The study revealed that the rates of the communicative tolerance, as a whole, are positively related to the efficiency of the intercultural adaptation of the international students in Russia (especially for the students from Africa, Arab countries and Latin America). DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s2p109

Psychological and linguistic features of the Russian language acquisition by international students

The paper presents the results of a full-scale interview with Russian language teachers that teach Russian as a foreign language at the preparatory departments at multinational universities. The research findings identified the basic psychological and linguistic features that are typical for the Russian language acquisition by the students from different regions of the world (Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Arab countries).

Ethnic Stereotypes and Personality Traits in Multinational University Students

The purpose of this paper is to consider personality traits as the factors of social perception determining the characteristics of ethnic stereotypes and prejudices in multinational university students. Based on an analysis of the published data we suppose that such personality traits as self-confidence and aggression are connected with the peculiarities of the social perception in general and ethnic perceptions in particular. A total of 95 respondents took part in the research, including 36 young men and 59 young women. All the respondents were the first, second and third year Russian students of various departments of the multinational university (PFUR). The age of the respondents is from 18 to 21 years, the average age is 19 years. The self-confidence and aggression levels were measured by the Questionnaires developed by A. Krupnov (Krupnov, 2008) in accordance with the System-Functional Model. The features of the ethnic stereotypes of Russian students were measured by the technique of the Semantic Differential (Osgood, Suci, Tannenbaum, 1957). We used a modified version of the semantic differential called “Personal Differential” (Fetiskin, Kozlov, Manuilov, 2002). The Mann–Whitney U-test and regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. Summing up the results of the study, it can be concluded that the characteristics of the ethnic stereotypes and prejudices of the Russian students are more associated with the degree of self-confidence they have, rather than aggressiveness. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n2p72

Managing the oversight of international branch campuses in higher education

Over the past two decades, many colleges and universities established physical presences in foreign countries. The development of such foreign educational outposts has meant that institutions have had to learn how to manage across geopolitical borders. This study used interviews with senior officials at institutions operating one or more international branch campuses to identify the three primary areas of oversight of concern to multinational universities: faculty, curriculum and finances. In each of these areas, the authors identify differing managerial strategies used by institutions and explore how these strategies relate to whether the branch is viewed as an integrated or separated component of the institution’s governance structure.

How to Reverse the Italian Brain Drain: A Master Class from Australia

AbstractThis article discusses the limits of Italian immigration policies and their effects on the Italian market of highly skilled individuals. Italian statutory provisions aimed at regulating immigration focus on limiting immigration without a reasoned distinction being made between skilled and unskilled immigrants. The first part of the article argues that a combination of historical and sociological factors makes Italy uncompetitive in the global market of highly skilled individuals. The second part suggests two pilot schemes for policies that might help in addressing the issue. First, the introduction of a medium‐/long‐term visa for highly skilled individuals, and second, the establishment of private multinational universities modelled on the European Institute (EI) in Florence. These new institutions would open up the academic job market to overseas researchers and, at the same time, would provide a more solid base for the retrieval of Italian academics working abroad.

Social Representations of Russian Cuisine in Multinational University Students

The paper presents the results of a study on the social representations about the Russian national cuisine in the modern Russian and international students. A total of 331 respondents took part in the research, including 246 Russian students and 75 international students of various departments of a multinational university (Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, PFUR). They completed a four-part interview on the Russian cuisine. The concept of “social representation” by S.Moscovici and the structural approach by J.-C.Abric were used for data analysis. There are many similarities in the structure of social representations of Russian cuisine in Russian and the international students. The main difference is that the structure of social representations of the international students does not include the elements related to the history and traditions of Russian cuisine. Information about the traditions of Russian cuisine can be included in the program of Russian language study for help of intercultural communication and adaptation of international students. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n11p413

The Quest for Ubuntu: Water and Health in Limpopo (WHIL) Partnership.

Internationally, efforts to improve health in under-resourced areas of the world frequently involve coalitions, often with at least one partner from the "outside," such as when NGOs or universities from Europe or the US work with institutions and communities in Africa or Asia. Little has been written about applying successful principles to multinational university collaborations as the unit of analysis and where challenges may be magnified by cultural differences and resource imbalances. The purpose of this article is to share the findings from an evaluation of the multi-year interdisciplinary public health Water and Health in Limpopo (WHIL) collaboration between the University of Venda (South Africa) and the University of Virginia (United States). We believe the learnings described easily transfer to collaborative educational endeavors because at their root they speak to the practices that enhance respectful engagement and partnership sustainability.

Persuasive Discourse in EFL Debate

The aim of this article is to investigate the use of persuasive strategies in multinational university students’ EFL debate, in which a group of multinational students had to act out the roles of proponents and opponents in debates carried out in an institutional setting. Their use of persuasive discourse was analyzed by using the principles based on Aristotelian rhetoric. According to the results, the students were able to use rhetorical devices, to express ethos, pathos and logos, in their argumentation. They were able to use logical reasoning, give examples and statistical information, and support their arguments with evidence. Their persuasive strategies consisted of restructuring, repetition, questions, appeals, and intonational, assertive use of voice. A comparison of crosscultural differences showed that the non-Finnish students used logical reasoning, restructuring, and appeals more frequently than the Finnish students in their L2 debating.

How to Reverse the Italian Brain Drain: A Master Class from Australia

This article discusses the limits of Italian immigration policies and their effects on the Italian market of highly skilled individuals. Highly skilled individuals are normally perceived as valuable resources that a country should foster and even, if possible, attract from other states (Meyer and Brown, 1999). Unfortunately, Italian statutory provisions aimed at regulating immigration focus on limiting immigration without a reasoned distinction between skilled and unskilled immigrants. The paper reflects on the reasons for the parochial structure of the Italian white-collar market - which is mainly cultural - and its effects. In the past decades, Italy's private and public sectors have suffered the effects of a “brain drain” of a wide range of highly skilled professionals (Becker, Ichino and Peri, 2003). A series of reasons, such as the fact that Italy is - and has been for some time - one of the world's most sluggish, heavily industrialised economies (Hornby, Mackenzie, 2011), might explain the departure of skilled individuals from the Italian job market. Italy’s lack of economic growth in the private sector (and the related high unemployment rate) “pushes” away highly skilled individuals from areas of oversupply (e.g. Italy) to strong economies (e.g. Australia) where particular abilities are in demand. The paper would like to address the issue by suggesting the introduction of a medium/long-term visa for highly skilled individuals (Ottonelli and Torresi, 2010), and by promoting the establishment of multinational universities modeled on the European Institute in Florence. These new institutions would open the academic job market to young overseas researchers and at the same time provide a more solid base for the retrieval of Italian academics working abroad (the so-called lost brains). The paper is divided in two sections which are preceded by an introduction. The first section deals with the Italian immigration policies. The second explains the policies that might increase the efficiency of the white-collar job market.

Internationalization of corporate R&D: a study of Japanese and Swedish corporations

Based on a questionnaire survey of large corporations in Japan and Sweden, representing chemical, electronic and mechanical engineering sectors, this paper probes three research issues: (1) the level, pace and possible nation-specific mode of internationalization of R&D, (2) the relative roles of demand and supply side factors, and (3) the possible internationalization of industry–university collaborations. The results show a general growth of international R&D across sectors and countries and a particular Japanese mode of internationalization of R&D with a high pace although starting from lower levels, a strong supply-led component, and a strong emphasis on collaborations with US universities. The concept of psychic distance was found to be of limited relevance as an explanatory concept. The paper argues that due to, e.g., technology diversification and emerging technology market conditions, internationalization of R&D will in general become increasingly supply-led, and as industry–university collaborations internationalize, competitive US universities will become increasingly important and internationalize themselves, some conceivably becoming genuine multinational universities.

Multinational Universities in the Modern World and their Mission

The author presents and describes various kinds of multinational universities. These include the national universities in multi‐ethnic developing countries, the universities that have been created in developed countries to serve large numbers of foreign students, and the universities, that, although created in the developed countries for the nationals of these countries, have ended up attracting large numbers of foreign students owing to their prestige. Then, evoking the role of universities and education in general as an aid to the foreign policies of given countries, the author concludes his paper with a presentation of the mission and the functioning of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia.