Socio-cultural Traits Research Articles

Antecedents and consequences of the sociocultural differences between R&D and marketing in Korean high-tech firms

This study investigates antecedents and consequences of the sociocultural differences between R&D and marketing managers. It also tests the presence of sociocultural differences using responses from both R&D and marketing managers in Korean high-technology firms. Korean R&D and marketing managers showed different sociocultural traits from USA or Japanese managers. In terms of professional orientation, R&D mangers tend to pursue their research/professional interests regardless of the importance to the organisation. Moreover, marketing managers showed higher level of bureaucratic orientation. Regarding the antecedents, the joint reward system was negatively related with sociocultural difference. In terms of the consequences, both R&D-marketing integration and new product creativity were found to be negatively associated with sociocultural difference.

Workshop 3 (synthesis): water, poverty alleviation and social programs

Poverty is a complex issue, which must be understood in a holistic manner. Low and variable income is certainly a key element, but it is far from enough to portray poverty. The various characteristics of poverty and their relative strength are determined through contextually specific circumstances, in terms of history, environmental preconditions, socio-cultural traits, etc. Much of this context is made up of local and national circumstances. The consequences of globalisation must, however, increasingly to be taken into account. At a larger scale, it is also relevant to mention that climate change will have a negative, although largely unpredictable, impact for the people in some parts of the world. For those who are already living on marginal lands or who are exposed to water problems, climate change is likely to create considerable adverse effects.

Estimation of inbreeding, kinship, genetic distances, and population structure from surnames: The island of Hvar, Croatia

The aim of this study was to estimate inbreeding, kinship, genetic distances, and population structure of the island of Hvar using surnames of the population from 10 villages. Total inbreeding on the island, estimated from the frequency of isonymous marriages, amounted to 0.0228. Total kinship (unreduced variance) of the entire island amounted to 0.0411, a value indicative of very isolated populations with accumulated kinship over time. The analysis of genetic relationships based on surnames among the villages did not reveal the division of the island's villages into two clusters, "eastern" and "western", as was the case in previous studies when clustering was based on biological, biocultural, and sociocultural traits. In addition, kinship and genetic distances determined from surnames revealed a poor fit to an isolation by distance model (for kinship, R2 = 14.6%, a = 0.1101, b = 0.3573; for genetic distances, R2 = 0.0%, a = 0.5686, b = 121.52), which is in contrast to the results of previous analyses based on other traits. In order to estimate how closely parameters obtained from surnames represented real interpopulational distances, matrices of kinship and genetic distances between 10 villages (determined from surnames) were correlated to corresponding distance matrices based on migrational, sociocultural, anthropometric, physiological, dermatoglyphic, and genetic traits that were previously reported in the literature on the very same samples. The kinship matrix correlated poorly with other distance matrices, while the genetic distance matrix determined from surnames was in a good correlation with distance matrices based on linguistics (r = 0.65 for basic and r = 0.63 for cultural vocabulary), metacarpal bone dimensions (r = 0.54) and genetics (determined from systems of erythrocyte antigens and isoenzymes, r = 0.45). Am. J. Hum. Biol. 9:595-607, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Prevalence and correlates of perimenstrual symptoms: A study of Israeli teenage girls

The prevalence of common premenstrual symptoms and menstrual period pain were studied in a cohort of 545 Israeli adolescent girls aged 16 to 21 years, and their correlation with biological, behavioral, and sociocultural traits were analyzed. A high proportion of the girls (80%) commonly experienced at least one premenstrual symptom. About 70% experienced menstrual pain in the past and 25% reported pain which severely interfered with daily activities during the last three cycles. Premenstrual symptoms and menstrual pain were positively associated. Oral contraceptive use appeared to reduce the prevalence of menstrual pain, and among smokers who had menstrual pain, heavier smokers experienced more pain. Girls of Asian or African ethnic origin reported consistently higher perimenstrual distress than those of Israeli or Western origin, suggesting that social expectations may affect the perception and reporting of these symptoms.

Mate selection in man: evidence, theory, and outcome.

This is a comprehensivve review of the literature on mate selection and non-random mating in man. The 5 sections discuss: 1) genetic and sociobiological aspects of non-random mating for complex traits; 2) evidence on resemblance between spouses (homogamy) on a large variety of traits such as intelligence, personality, physical characteristics, and sociocultural traits; 3) sociological and psychological theories offered to explain assortative mating (non-random, based on like and unlike characterstics; 4) implications of assortative mating for marital satisfaction or quality; and 5) a general summary which includes ideas for future research. When assortative mating for a trait is correlated with fertility, the consequences are magnified, making the trait more exteme and isolated, increasing chances for selection. Sociobiological theory holds that positive assortative mating may be the best way to duplicate one's genes and increase one's inclusive fitness while avoiding the harmful effects of inbreeding. Empirical studies have found homogamy for sociocultural characteristics is more evident than for psychological traits. Assortative mating for the latter is not random, but it is still unclear which personality variables are most highly correlated among married couples. Sociological theories can explain choice of eligibles but not mates within those eligibles, and a survey of the psychological research between the 1940s and 1980s shows a trend from pure descriptive studies of similarity and complementarity to "process theories" (Kerckhoff and Davis, 1962, and Murstein, 1976). Psychological explanations presented include psychoanalytic filter and process theories, the stimulus-vaule-role (SVR) theory, ideal mate theory, intrumental theory, and the matching hypothesis. Factors influencing marital satisfaction have yet to be reliably measured; personality research thus far has yielded inconclusive and conflicting data. Finally, factors leading to choice of marriage partners need to be studied from the point of view of multivariate profiles rather than single traits. Such studies will require sophisticated methodologies of research design and data analysis.

Microbial technology: Some social and intercultural implications in development

This contribution deals with the interrelationships of microbial technology, culture, and society especially since such technology is expected to contribute to national and global development in the coming decades. In harnessing the beneficial activities of microbes for national development, a number of factors, some social, others cultural, are encountered in either the acceptance or rejection of such technology by different peoples. Specific examples are cited, particularly with the development of technologies for the developing world in the food and energy sectors. Attention is also given to the role of women and to the use of resources that are acceptable to some communities and unacceptable to others due to prevailing sociocultural traits. Recognition of the different aids and barriers in development involves an understanding of the existing social and intercultural factors and their implications.

Male-Female Similarities in Class Participation

AbstractContrary to one common interpretation, analysis of high-school discussion classes revealed no predominance in rate of participation or weight of contribution. On all indices male and female students participated in proportion to their numbers in class, both overall and at each level of male-female enrollment. Sex differences in participation might thus be explained by the factor of male-female representation in class rather than by sociocultural traits attributed to the sexes. When each sex speaks in proportion to its numbers present, the differences may rather be viewed as similarities in participation.

Standardization of an Index of Sociocultural Development for Precivilized Societies1

By scaling eighteen of the traits previously found to be important indicators of societal development, the author's Index of Sociocultural Development was brought closer to the status of an equal‐interval ratio scale. Its relation to the logarithm of settlement population as a criterion of societal development was thereby linearised and attained a correlation coefficient of 0.969. Its characteristic exponential relationship with Carneiro's Index of Cultural Accumulation, previously given a theoretical interpretation, was unaffected. In the process of standardizing and validating the Index, it was found that male‐dominant and equidominant societies had significantly different settlement populations and scale sequences of developmental traits. The basis of a standard procedure for obtaining ratings of sociocultural traits suitable for use in the Index is described.