National Culture Research Articles

Drivers and constraints of students’ entrepreneurial intentions across cultural contexts: A neo-configurational perspective

Even though there is evidence of interconnectedness among antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions, emphasizing the need for understanding their joint effects, cross-cultural studies focused on students' entrepreneurial intentions have primarily looked into the isolated effects of these factors, neglecting their complex interplay. Drawing upon complexity theory, we aim to fill this gap by exploring how various factors mutually influence students' entrepreneurial intentions across diverse cultural settings. We employ the fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis on a sample of 144 students to generate novel insights about drivers and constraints of entrepreneurial intentions in two distant cultural clusters, i.e., Confucian Asia and Eastern Europe. Our findings shed light on how attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and barriers intertwine to shape students' entrepreneurial intentions in different cultural settings, thereby affirming the principles of the neo-configurational perspective adopted in this study—multiple conjunctural causation, causal equifinality, and causal asymmetry. While enriching our understanding of the role of national culture in shaping entrepreneurial intentions, this study provides unique insights to management education scholars and practitioners about the need for tailoring entrepreneurial curricula based on the complexity and cultural sensitivity of antecedents of students’ entrepreneurial intentions.

How can nature and nurture influence teleworkers: The influence of national culture and personal traits on job satisfaction

AbstractThe paper presents the results of research on the impact of national culture, Big Five personality traits, and emotional intelligence on job satisfaction in teleworkers. The impacts were also examined in conventionally employed, which enabled a comparison. The research was conducted in the countries of the Western Balkans and included 313 respondents. The job satisfaction of teleworkers is most positively influenced by humane orientation, performance orientation, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, self-regulation, and social skills. Self-awareness can act both positively and negatively, and neuroticism has a negative impact on job satisfaction. National culture has a greater impact on job satisfaction among conventionally employed rather than within teleworkers. Big Five personality traits work differently: extroversion has a greater impact on job satisfaction among conventionally employed, while agreeableness and conscientiousness have a greater impact on job satisfaction among teleworkers. Emotional intelligence has a greater impact on job satisfaction among conventionally employed rather than teleworkers. Teleworking employees are less influenced by the environment, and thus less influenced by national culture. Emotional intelligence helps conventionally employed work more, while teleworkers place higher value on the results of their work.

Technological innovation capacity of MNEs in China: studying the cross-cultural effects

ABSTRACT This study investigates how home country cultural dimensions influence the technological innovation capacity (TIC) of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in China. Drawing on Hofstede’s cultural framework, we examine five key dimensions of national culture in relation to TIC indicators, including patents, R&D centres, and foreign direct investment. We also consider how the cultural distance between home and host countries moderates these relationships. Data were collected from a sample of prominent MNEs in China across diverse home countries and industries. Using structural equation modelling, results reveal significant positive effects of power distance, collectivism, and long-term orientation on TIC. However, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity have no significant impact. Cultural distance positively moderates the effects of power distance and uncertainty avoidance, but not other dimensions. These findings contribute new insights into how home country culture shapes MNEs’ development of innovation capacity abroad. The results have key implications for research integrating culture and innovation in international business.

Follow the Leader: How Culture Gives Rise to a Behavioral Bias That Leads to Higher Greenhouse Gas Emissions

This research investigates the influence of national culture, particularly power distance, on firms’ carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Drawing on a large international dataset spanning over a decade, we examine how power distance, agency conflict, and socioeconomic stability interact to shape firms’ emission decisions. Our analysis reveals a significant positive relationship between power distance and firms’ CO2 emissions, indicating that firms located in countries characterized by higher power distance tend to emit more greenhouse gases (GHGs). Furthermore, we find that agency conflict moderates this relationship, with firms experiencing high levels of debt or paying substantial dividends exhibiting lower emissions in high power distance environments. Additionally, socioeconomic stability attenuates the positive association between power distance and emissions, suggesting that the effectiveness of cultural influences on emission decisions is contingent upon the stability of the societal context. These findings underscore the importance of considering cultural dimensions, agency dynamics, and socioeconomic conditions in understanding corporate environmental behavior. Our research contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence of the nuanced interplay between national culture, agency conflict, and socioeconomic stability in shaping firms’ emission decisions. Policymakers and practitioners can use these insights to develop more targeted environmental policies and strategies aimed at promoting sustainable development globally.

Establishing veritocracy: Society, truth and science.

In the west, truth is being eroded by post-modernist ideas such as alternative facts. Once truth is no longer valued it is a short route through nationalistic populism to fascism. To combat this we need to establish the idea of 'veritocracy' as a form of government. A veritocracy is a democracy in which truth is so highly valued that promising to tell the truth will become a central feature of politicians' election manifestos feeding back the idea of veritocracy deeper into national culture. A proper understanding of the nature of science can support the idea of veritocracy. This proper understanding will not repeat the mythology of post-World War II philosophy and history of science, but will begin with the much more socially cognisant revolution in our understanding of science that began in the 1960s and 1970s. Nevertheless, a 'wave three' of science studies will justify science, not as a certainty-maker for policy, but as the way to bet in developing the best understanding of the observable world. The key is that science depends on moral truth in its attempts to develop correspondence truth. Science, like the law, should be a 'check and balance' in pluralist democracies and an object lesson in how to pursue truth in decision-making.

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Multipronged Approach to the Repression of Kurds

Since the establishment of the modern Iranian nation-state in 1923, successive regimes and governments of Iran have pursued an intricate policy of suppressing and persecuting its Kurdish people, presenting a significant threat to the Kurdish national identity, culture, and society. The successive Iranian regimes have, along with military means, employed the state’s cultural, educational, religious, and economic institutions to accomplish their goals of assimilating and conquering the Kurds. An examination of Kurdish history and politics in Iran reveals that while the international community has some knowledge of the Iranian state’s extensive deployment of military force and explicit militarization of Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat/East Kurdistan), the broader psychological and nonmilitary (soft power) practices employed to suppress the Kurdish movement, identity, and culture are lesser known to the outside world. By focusing on mass media and policies of “divide-and-rule” as measures and mechanisms used by the Iranian state to subdue its Kurdish citizens, this article aims to provide an analysis of the post-1979 state-Kurdish relationships in Iran.

National culture and Islamic bank risk-taking in the Middle East and Asian countries

ABSTRACT This study investigates the influence of the national culture on risk-taking in Islamic banks. The sample comprises 60 Islamic banks in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and South Asia from 2011 to 2019. Using the random effects generalized least squares model, we find that national culture influences risk-taking in Islamic banks, especially in the power distance dimension. Low power distance incentivizes greater risk. In low power distance countries, Islamic banks tend to adopt a more aggressive approach to their decisions because of the trust and authority of shareholders and depositors, resulting in excessive risk-taking. The findings have implications for regulators and Islamic bank managers to consider national cultural elements when developing bank risk management policies.

Clinical spectrum, phenotypic and molecular characterization, and antifungal susceptibility of an emerging human pathogen, Acrophialophora, from India.

Acrophialophora is implicated in superficial and invasive infections, especially in immunosuppressed individuals. The present study was undertaken to provide clinical, microbiological, phylogenetic, and antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) profile of Acrophialophora isolated from India. All the isolates identified as Acrophialophora species at the National Culture Collection for Pathogenic Fungi, Chandigarh, India were revived. Phenotypic and molecular characterization was performed, followed by temperature studies, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and AFST. We also performed systematic review of all the cases of Acrophialophora species reported till date. A total of nine isolates identified as Acrophialophora species were identified by molecular method as A. fusispora (n=8) and A. levis (n=1), from brain abscess (n=4), respiratory tract (n=3), and corneal scraping (n=2). All patients but two had predisposing factors/co-morbidities. Acrophialophora was identified as mere colonizer in one. Temperature studies and SEM divulged variation between both species. Sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer ribosomal DNA and beta-tubulin loci could distinguish species, while the LSU ribosomal DNA locus could not. AFST showed the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for triazoles and the highest for echinocandins. Systematic literature review revealed 16 cases (11 studies), with ocular infections, pulmonary and central nervous system infections, and A. fusispora was common species. All the patients except three responded well. High MICs were noted for fluconazole, micafungin, and caspofungin. This is the first study delineating clinical, phenotypic, and genotypic characteristics of Acrophialophora species from India. The study highlights microscopic differences between both species and emphasizes the role of molecular methods in precise identification. Triazoles appear to be the most effective antifungals for managing patients.

The Interplay of Cultural Value Dimensions and Preferred Leadership Behaviors: Intersecting Pathways in the Case of Croatia

This paper examines Croatian national culture value dimensions, employee leadership behavior preferences, and their relationships. The analysis confirms Croatia’s cultural homogeneity revealing no statistically notable cultural difference between its two main regions (Adriatic and Continental Croatia). The research highlights cultural inclination towards Individualism, indicating a value for personal autonomy, individual aspirations, and a family-centric orientation. Croatia demonstrated a weak tendency to Uncertainty Avoidance, pointing to a cultural openness towards risks, changes, and new challenges. Some significant relationships between cultural value dimensions and preferences for leadership behaviors are found. Through its significant results, this study contributes to the understanding of Croatian societal values and leadership preferences.

The social neuroscience of persuasion approach to the religious intercultural communication: A conceptual evidence from Sidhwa’s novel ‘An American Brat’

The study aims to understand the influence of religio-cultural right-wing persuasion in intercultural communication, as exhibited in a novel representing Pakistani national culture and Parsee minority culture. The methodology involves directed qualitative content analysis of Bapsi Sidhwa’s novel “An American Brat,” using a conceptual model/framework adapting/extracting coding protocol from Morin and Renvoisé’s model to analyze communication within a social neuroscience context. The research delves into the curated message of cultural diversity. Furthermore, it explains the insight of the situation into cultural and religio-cultural persuasion by the writer, which she represented in the context of three cultures, American, Pakistani, and Parsee. The characters’ communication seemed dominant, reflecting the communication regarding Pakistani Islamic cultural values due to its impact and dominance, specifically on personal and contrastive stimuli of the characters’ intuitive knowledge. Likewise, the other persuasive elements from the conceptual model/framework of Morin and Renvoisé are also reflected in the characters’ communication, which interprets any communication in a social neuroscience context. The innovative understudy of intercultural communication shows how social neuro-persuasion succeeds in reconnecting characters to their subconscious fundamental brain-rooted cognitive, cultural, and social identity. Hence, cognitive changes in stimuli often would not change or get easily influenced at teenage on conceptual, theoretical, or biological levels. According to the researchers’ conceptual arguments, future studies may utilize the present model within the textual quotations from the novel’s original text, as the present research was only delimited to qualitative content analysis. However, the theoretical/conceptual framework of the neuroscience of persuasion needs to be verified.

Culture-specific Lexical Units as a Means of Reflecting the Realia of the World around Us on the Material of Kazakh, English, Russian and Turkish Fairy Tales

Lingua-cultural study explores the relationship between language and culture in their functioning as the "cultural identity" of the nation as a whole, and of a single linguistic personality and describes the structure of the linguistic picture of the world. The interaction of language and culture is especially clearly traced through the functioning of the word-concept in proverbs and sayings, phraseological units, literary texts, folklore. Culturological study of concepts is associated with the study of texts in which these concepts are fixed and verbalized as a reflection of national culture and consciousness. In this regard, the study of the concepts of culture on the material of folklore texts seems to be especially relevant. Folklore is the repository of national culture. Folklore texts are an integral part of the vocabulary of the language, reflecting the specific features of the material and spiritual culture of the people, their national mentality. Fairy tales have a special place among folklore texts. This article is dedicated to analyzing culture-specific lexical units as a means of reflecting the realia of the world around us (on the material of Kazakh, English, Russian and Turkish fairy tales).

Does sustainable recruitment enhance motivation? A cross‐country analysis on the role of person‐organization fit

AbstractThis paper analyses the extent to which implementing sustainable recruitment practices (SRP) relates to person‐organization (P‐O) fit and motivation. We also examined the extent to which the collectivism and masculinity dimensions of national culture moderate the relationship between SRP and P‐O fit. Drawing on the attraction‐selection‐attrition framework, social identity theory and stakeholder theory, the proposed hypotheses were tested in a sample of 534 prospective employees from four countries with different cultural contexts. An experimental design was used to test the proposed relationships. The obtained findings highlight the mediating role of P‐O fit in the relationship between SRP and motivation. Collectivism and masculinity moderate the relationship between SRP and P‐O fit. We contribute to prior research by demonstrating a link between perceptions of environmental and social sustainability and motivation, and the consideration of different countries allowed us to underline the role of national context when examining the impact of SRP.

The Effect of National Culture on Evacuation Response Behaviour: A Cross-Cultural Survey

Are there cultural differences and similarities in the way occupants respond to evacuation notifications? Evacuation response behaviour is characterised by the way occupants react to evacuation notifications to validate what is happening around them and prepare for evacuation movement. This study presents a cross-cultural survey based on a case study of a library evacuation to specifically explore how national culture - combined with cues and affiliation - influence evacuation response behaviour. A total of 585 adults from Czech Republic, Poland, Turkey and the United Kingdom participated in the survey. The main results show that for the three scenarios explored (1) UK participants perform significantly fewer response tasks than participants from the other countries, (2) participants from all countries first look around to see what is happening, and seek additional information as one of the first three tasks they perform, (3) Czech, Turkish and UK participants are more likely to wait for a friend/colleague in a scenario without cues than with cues. These results provide insights for safety practitioners and other stakeholders on the importance of cross-cultural research for evacuation behaviour and its inclusion in policy making and emergency preparation.

‘I became an Uzbek’: Jewish-Uzbek encounters in World War Two evacuation

ABSTRACT Examinations of WWII-era Jewish evacuation to Central Asia traditionally focus either on the elite or the common people, subsequently concluding that the locale either fostered interethnic harmony (usually among the intelligentsia) or bred antisemitism (usually among the common people). In this article, however, I argue that both social strata witnessed and participated in these phenomena, using the lens of Uzbek-Jewish relations to evaluate the reality of interethnic encounters in evacuation. Indeed, Ashkenazi Jewish evacuees’ oral history testimonies demonstrate their multifaceted interactions with Uzbeks, in addition to their acquisition of substantial knowledge about their new neighbours, sometimes used to mitigate instances of popular antisemitism. Similarly, periodicals and archival sources’ coverage of the evacuated Ashkenazi Jewish intelligentsia shows not only high-level cultural cooperation and similar knowledge acquisition, but also its use of jointly produced cultural products to combat antisemitic stereotypes. As both antisemitism and interethnic cooperation featured in the first en masse encounter of these two largely unfamiliar ethnic groups, I suggest using it to test the on-the-ground success of the Soviet state’s ideology of the ‘friendship of the peoples’, which specifically prescribed interethnic friendship and the exchange of information about national culture.

From perception to practice: quality management in multinational company from a Swedish perspective

PurposeThis study explores the interplay between levels of cultures and aspects of quality management (QM), aiming to develop a conceptual framework and introduce propositions regarding managing quality in a multinational company (MNC).Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework delineating the relationship between the levels of cultures in MNCs and various aspects of QM is proposed. Thereafter, based on a theory elaboration approach, a case study in Swedish facilities of MNCs is used to further illustrate the link between constructs of the framework, contributing to the identification of challenges and possibilities in managing quality in MNCs.FindingsThe research identifies key propositions regarding the intricate relationship between levels of cultures and their influences on aspects of QM in MNC. Proposition 1 emphasises the impact of national cultural differences on perceptions of QM principles. Proposition 2 reveals that diverse QM perceptions affect global consistency in QM practices. However, proposition 3 suggests that emphasising technical aspects in common QM practices fosters shared perceptions and a cohesive organisational culture, leading to Proposition 4, that a QM-centric organisational culture mediates national cultural differences, facilitating the management of quality globally.Research limitations/implicationsThis research relies on a case study from a Swedish perspective. There is a need for quantitative or mixed method approaches to validate the proposed framework.Practical implicationsThis research yields practical insights into cross-cultural QM challenges and possibilities in MNCs.Originality/valueBy integrating national and organisational culture into the QM framework, this research offers a conceptual model and propositions as a foundation for future cross-cultural QM research in MNCs.

Economic Complexity and National Culture: An Analysis from the Perspective of Income

Resumo As diversas características das dimensões culturais de um país fazem emergir comportamentos coletivos diferentes que impactam nas formas de se viver, na organização do trabalho e na economia. Este estudo investigou as correlações entre as dimensões culturais segundo Hofstede (distância do poder, individualismo-coletivismo, masculinidade-feminilidade, aversão à incerteza, orientação de longo prazo e indulgência-restrição) e os índices de complexidade econômica dos países. Realizou-se uma análise de correlação canônica para determinar a magnitude das relações entre os dois conjuntos de variáveis. Os resultados revelaram correlações significativas entre cultura e complexidade, variando conforme a renda dos países. Características culturais como menor distância do poder, maior individualismo e maior indulgência associaram-se a economias mais complexas, baseadas em inovação e pesquisa científica. Masculinidade-feminilidade e aversão à incerteza não mostraram correlação significativa. Maior orientação de longo prazo correlacionou-se a economias mais diversificadas nas exportações. Essas conclusões podem orientar políticas de desenvolvimento mais eficazes, respeitando particularidades culturais.

Comparison of the nature of cultural integration with university curricula / Estudio comparativo de las características de la integración cultural en el currículum

The study’s primary objective is to analyse cultural integration into the professional courses ‘International Business’ and ‘Business English’. A survey was conducted using a specially designed questionnaire, which included two groups of students of 42 people each from the International Business College, Qingdao Huanghai University, and School of Business Administration, Moscow State University named after Lomonosov. For all items of the questionnaire, a higher assessment by Chinese students of various parameters of cultural integration was found. The importance of cultural integration was equally appreciated by the students of both countries, as well as the importance of knowledge and the development of interest in national culture. Chinese students demonstrated a higher assessment of the material support of the cultural integration process and significantly higher assessments of elements of the culture of other countries integrated into the learning environment and the learning process. The present findings can be used for further research and the introduction of the created programme into the educational process to expand intercultural communication between universities in different countries.

Скульптор на распутье: урало-сибирское турне И.Д. Шадра (1918–1919)

The article attempts to reconstruct an underexplored episode of the artistic biography of the famous Russian sculptor I.D. Shadr — his lecture tour, which took place in 1918–1919 in Shadrinsk, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, and Tomsk. Separate parts of this tour were previously examined in the works of art historians, historians, culturologists and local historians, but it has not yet become the subject of a special scientific study. Shadr’s lectures touched upon a wide range of issues, including development paths of world and national cultures, artistic synthesis, art and religion. The lectures were supplemented by a demonstration of architectural and sculptural design of the Monument to the World’s Suffering. The article is based on the periodical press of the Urals and Siberian cities (Zauralsky krai, Gorny krai, Sibirskaya zhizn newspapers, etc.), including sources that are little‐known or just introduced into scientific circulation. The author of the article reveals the circumstances of Shadr’s tour and content of his lectures, analyses the response of the local audience, and researches into the artistic and socio‐political context of the tour. It is shown that Shadr, not least due to the success of his lectures, acquired the status of a famous sculptor and was able to get large commissions during his stay in White Omsk. Special attention is paid to the possible influence of Shadr’s ideas and his design of the Monument to the World’s Suffering on the architecture and monumental art of the Ural‐Siberian region in the 1920s. It has been suggested that echoes of Shadr’s concept can be found in some monuments and public buildings in the Ural and Siberian cities. The presented information sheds light on the dynamic and multifaceted activity of the sculptor in the extreme conditions of the Russian Civil War, filling in a number of gaps in his biography.

Modern Dance “Body – Mind Teaching Method’’ Rooted in National Culture

As dance programs in higher ed works to de-center Euro centric styles, learning how dance in China draws upon Confucianism would be a valuable addition to the field. Philosophical perspective, this paper describes modern dance teaching that values the national symbolic experience of the dance body and constructs the national cultural thinking of the dance individual as an experiential practice of college arts education that focuses on the performance of students’ spiritual existence.

Why Public Service Motivated Government Employees Experience Varying Job Satisfaction Levels Across Countries: A Meta-analysis Emphasizing Cultural Dimensions

Research spanning 33 years establishes a robust link between government employees’ Public Service Motivation (PSM) and job satisfaction (JS). Recent studies explore how national culture influences this connection across diverse cultural clusters. However, the complexity of national culture necessitates a closer examination of its dimensions within each country. Drawing from 53 studies spanning 16 regions (1990–2022), our findings demonstrate that the PSM-JS relationship tends to be more pronounced in Eastern groups than in Western counterparts, but with substantive variations. Consequently, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity emerge as key cultural predictors. We offer nuanced insights into the role of cultural dimensions in shaping PSM and its sub-dimensions. Additionally, we present a list detailing the estimated strengths of the PSM-JS link in various countries, providing valuable insights for practitioners and future research endeavors.