Cultural Theory Research Articles

Impact of National Culture on the Transfer of Leadership Training

ABSTRACTOrganisations invest heavily in leadership training with the hope that managers will become better leaders. However, the success of these investments depends on the extent to which managers apply the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) they have acquired during their training to their job. Without this transfer, leadership training is ineffective. Despite extensive research on training transfer, there is a notable gap in understanding how national culture influences this process. This research aims to examine the impact of national culture on managers' ability to transfer leadership KSA in light of Hofstede's cultural theory. To achieve this, the focus group method was employed to gather qualitative data from 14 managers in Jordan; seven males and seven females. Thematic and narrative analyses confirmed the impact of national culture on training transfer. The six cultural dimensions have influenced the transfer of leadership training and, to a certain extent, shaped managers' organisational behaviour, regardless of gender. The findings provide a comprehensive understanding of how deeply ingrained cultural values and practices can either facilitate or impede the application of new knowledge and skills in the workplace. For instance, high power distance in Jordanian organisations hinders initiative‐taking and training transfer, while collectivist values facilitate teamwork and knowledge sharing. High uncertainty avoidance poses challenges in handling new situations, and a focus on short‐term goals reflects a lower long‐term orientation. Additionally, the narratives illustrate varying experiences and outcomes of leadership training transfer, influenced by the interplay of characters, setting, and cultural context. These insights have significant implications for designing and implementing leadership training programmes in culturally diverse settings. Practical recommendations include fostering supportive leadership, implementing mentorship programmes, developing recognition and reward systems, and incorporating change management components. By integrating these findings, organisations can enhance the effectiveness of leadership training and achieve a better return on investment.

Social Media Shadows: Unveiling the Hidden Struggles of African American Youth on Facebook

Abstract: While Facebook has become a central element of digital culture, its impact on the mental health of African American youth remains underexplored, particularly in relation to intersecting marginalized identities. Despite extensive research on social media and youth well-being, there is a significant gap in understanding how Facebook contributes to mental health challenges like depression and anxiety, especially for African American adolescents who experience systemic racism and discrimination both offline and online. This paper addresses these shortcomings by examining the intersection of race, socio-economic status, and the pervasive influence of social media on African American youth. Utilizing the Ecological Systems Model and Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), this study critically analyzes existing literature to uncover how Facebook exacerbates mental health struggles through online discrimination, cyberbullying, and harmful social comparison. Furthermore, the research highlights the underrepresentation of African American LGBTQ+ youth in current studies, emphasizing the need for intersectional approaches. Findings reveal that while Facebook offers opportunities for connection and identity exploration, it also intensifies mental health challenges due to frequent exposure to online racism and social exclusion. This study concludes by advocating for targeted interventions, including digital literacy programs, supportive online communities, and improved content moderation, to mitigate the negative mental health impacts on African American youth in the digital age.

Beyond Semiotic Representation: A Study of Emotion in Ukrainian Children’s Paintings

<p>As part of the project of Ukrainian children support, <em>Mom, I See War</em> presents, on its official website and social media, more than 4,000 drawings by children from war-affected areas (mainly Ukraine). Based on the artworks in this platform, the study goes deeper from the mere symbolic interpretations, and discusses the various stages of emotional expression within. Through a close-reading of different aspects within the drawings, the study is performed within the theoretical framework of emotion study, political and cultural theory. While each painting contains a complex combination of various personal emotion, the paper makes a general outlining of all the paintings as a whole, and analyses the various stages of emotional expression among the whole group. In a reaction towards war conditions, four stages of emotion are presented, including fear, pain, anger and hope.<strong></strong></p>

Cross-Cultural Innovative Ski Wear Design from the Perspective of Cultural Symbol Translation

This article delves into the application of Morris' semiotics in innovative clothing design, specifically focusing on constructing a model for the translation and regeneration of cultural symbols in ski wear. By meticulously examining the semantics, syntactics, and pragmatics of cultural symbols, it derives essential styling elements, structural components, and functional attributes for the design. Notably, the study also highlights the gap in research regarding the fusion of local elements into foreign-introduced products, such as ski wear. By exploring the current research status and development trends of cultural symbol theory within the context of innovative ski wear design, this study not only expands the scope of ideas for personalized innovative design of ski wear products but also discusses the potential for extending these conclusions to other types of clothing, thereby contributing to a broader understanding of innovative design practices across the apparel industry.

Forward and backward modeling of cultural evolutionary processes

Modern cultural evolution theory adopts a variety of concepts and methods developed in mathematical biology, in particular population genetics theory. In addition to forward-looking approaches such as two-locus models, backward-looking approaches such as coalescent theory, which describe ancestral states of the current population, have played an important role in population genetics. Here, we show how forward and backward approaches can be applied to two examples in cultural evolution. The first example deals with the number of cultural traits, which can be analyzed by a backward approach. Cultural coalescent theory illustrates many unique aspects of cultural processes such as information transfer (i.e., social learning) from many donors ("cultural parents"), including or excluding the biological parents. Theory predicts that many cultural traits of intermediate (or higher) frequency (popularity) can exist that are surprisingly old. Many unsolved issues remain, however, such as how to incorporate social structure as well as natural and/or cultural selection, which we believe to be an urgent agenda. The second example is the punishment of sibling incest, a problem to which cultural coalescent theory cannot currently be usefully applied. By analyzing forward recursions, we show that punishment is ineffective in suppressing incest, unless the incestuous inclination is diminished by the presence of punishers. Based on these examples, we discuss the merits and demerits of forward and backward approaches.

Intertwining Between Online Retailer's Trustworthiness Attributes and Consumer's Purchase Intentions: A Knowledge Management Perspective in Response to COVID‐19

ABSTRACTCOVID‐19, a black swan event which caused a long‐lasting effect on every sphere of human lives including consumers' perceptions and behaviors in e‐retailing to the extent that they might leave a mark even when the pandemic is over. The purpose of this study is to understand the critical dimensions of online retailer trustworthiness, which have an impact on consumer trust and consumer purchase intentions, as the success of organizations depends on the effective use of their knowledge management capabilities in the deadly situation of COVID‐19. The aim is to provide an insight into how retailers can handle this unprecedented situation, gain consumer trust, and use this customer knowledge to grow their businesses. The three dimensions of e‐service quality, website quality, customer service, security, and privacy demonstrate the online retailer's trustworthiness and better predict customer's trust behavior. Grounded in the Hofstede cultural dimensions' theory, this study is expected to extend our knowledge about the moderating effect of the cultural environment of trust on consumers' online purchase intentions during the COVID‐19 situation. Data were collected from 350 online consumers through a well‐structured questionnaire and used to test the proposed research model employing structural equation modeling. Results show that three attributes of e‐service quality convey the perception of the trustworthiness of retailers and affect consumers' overall trust in OP and subsequent purchase intentions.

Bridging theory and data: A computational workflow for cultural evolution

Cultural evolution applies evolutionary concepts and tools to explain the change of culture over time. Despite advances in both theoretical and empirical methods, the connections between cultural evolutionary theory and evidence are often vague, limiting progress. Theoretical models influence empirical research but rarely guide data collection and analysis in logical and transparent ways. Theoretical models themselves are often too abstract to apply to specific empirical contexts and guide statistical inference. To help bridge this gap, we outline a quality-assurance computational workflow that starts from generative models of empirical phenomena and logically connects statistical estimates to both theory and real-world explanatory goals. We emphasize and demonstrate validation of the workflow using synthetic data. Using the interplay between conformity, migration, and cultural diversity as a case study, we present coded and repeatable examples of directed acyclic graphs, tailored agent-based simulations, a probabilistic transmission model for longitudinal data, and an approximate Bayesian computation model for cross-sectional data. We discuss the assumptions, opportunities, and pitfalls of different approaches to generative modeling and show how each can be used to improve data analysis depending on the structure of available data and the depth of theoretical understanding. Throughout, we highlight the significance of ethnography and of collecting basic cultural and demographic information about study populations and call for more emphasis on logical and theory-driven workflows as part of science reform.

Hierarchies of Actualization.

The concept of transforming power over to power with, the theme of this issue of Creative Nursing, comes from Riane Eisler's cultural transformation theory describing a continuum of domination and partnership along which cultures orient themselves. Hierarchies are important organizing principles in many systems; it is not their presence that is inhumane, but how they function. Domination systems display authoritarian rule in both the family and the state or tribe, with strict hierarchies of domination, and narratives that normalize domination and present the violence that maintains it as inevitable. Partnership systems are characterized by egalitarian structures in both the family and state or tribe, with hierarchies of actualization in which power is used to empower others rather than disempower, low levels of sanctioned violence (since it is not needed to maintain power), and narratives depicting mutual respect, accountability, and benefit as natural. All the articles in this issue of Creative Nursing depict empowerment: of patients, parents and other family members, foster parents, children from preschool age to near adulthood, providers of direct patient care at many levels in many areas, nurses seeking to publish their knowledge, and all people who seek to use language that demonstrates respect and value for all people while acknowledging the diverse cultures in which we abide.

How are fashion merchandising curricula designed in the digital age? – Cross-cultural case study from the TPACK perspective

ABSTRACT This study investigated what and how the curricula in fashion merchandising are being offered in the United States and China in the context of digital transformation and possible differences in curricula development due to cultural and educational policy differences. The study was grounded in technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) and cultural dimension theories. Two academic programmes and eight courses were reviewed using the qualitative research method of the case study. The data were coded, classified, and analysed using MAXQDA, incorporating quantitative and qualitative data interpretations. The results revealed diverse ways for the instructors to incorporate TPACK-based curricula design approaches and highlighted the differences in curricula development between the U.S. and China programmes. The study findings offered in-depth views of the significance of TPACK on curricula development strategies and the potential challenges that educators face in meeting the industry's needs.

Towards a ‘Newer Normal’? A Bibliometric Analysis Examining Organisational Culture in the Post-COVID-19 Higher Education Landscape in the United Kingdom

Concern continues to grow over the changing nature of work that initially formed a ‘new normal’ within higher education institutions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation is now being further impacted by subsequent economic and political challenges in the sector, which in turn shifts the workplace towards an even ‘newer normal’. The purpose of this article is to: (1) methodically and logically review the extant literature and research linking the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic to the organisational culture of higher education institutions in the United Kingdom; and (2) based on a bibliometric analysis, to offer a road map for further empirical research in the future. Researchers have found that changing workplace norms, such as remote and hybrid working and other forms of flexibility in approaches to learning and the availability of delivery modes, have become increasingly common, which has changed the nature of working practices and underpinning aspects of organisational culture. Therefore, it now appears opportune to update existing knowledge on organisational culture theory within the United Kingdom higher education context to support policy development and enhance workplace practices in the post-COVID-19 period. From a theoretical perspective, this article contributes to organisational culture literature by assimilating a dataset of nascent studies generated through keyword search on Clarivate Analytics Web of Science that have examined the impact of COVID-19 on organisational culture in United Kingdom higher education institutions. This emergent dataset was analysed using VOS Viewer, with the results of subsequent quantitative bibliometric analysis identifying the main existing research fronts as well as potential research directions for the empirical development of organisational culture. Based on this bibliometric analysis, the main suggested future research agendas that need to be addressed linked to organisational culture in the UK higher education sector in the post-COVID period are: (a) to further examine changing cultural norms and expectations; (b) hybrid approaches to working; (c) academic identity; and (d) organisational culture and the changing psychological contract. Such research is important as the UK Higher Education sector now progresses towards an even ‘newer normal’.

From the Perspective of Cultural Turn Theory: An Analysis of Movie Subtitle Translation

Film is an indispensable entertainment activity in People's Daily life, and it is an important spiritual food for modern people. With the gradual development of China's opening to the outside world and the influence of the domestic and foreign environment, more and more excellent foreign films enter the domestic market, and the demand for film subtitle translation also expands gradually. People's understanding of the film depends on the subtitle translation of the film, so the subtitle translation of the film occupies a very important position. Under the guidance of Susan Basnet's cultural turn theory, this paper takes the film Harry Potter as the research object and analyzes the subtitle translation.

A Culturally-Aware AI Tool for Crowdworkers: Leveraging Chronemics to Support Diverse Work Styles

Crowdsourcing markets are expanding worldwide, but often feature standardized interfaces that ignore the cultural diversity of their workers, negatively impacting their well-being and productivity. To transform these workplace dynamics, this paper proposes creating culturally-aware workplace tools, specifically designed to adapt to the cultural dimensions of monochronic and polychronic work styles. We illustrate this approach with "CultureFit," a tool that we engineered based on extensive research in Chronemics and culture theories. To study and evaluate our tool in the real world, we conducted a field experiment with 55 workers from 24 different countries. Our field experiment revealed that CultureFit significantly improved the earnings of workers from cultural backgrounds often overlooked in design. Our study is among the pioneering efforts to examine culturally aware digital labor interventions. It also provides access to a dataset with over two million data points on culture and digital work, which can be leveraged for future research in this emerging field. The paper concludes by discussing the importance and future possibilities of incorporating cultural insights into the design of tools for digital labor.

Effect of Cultural Heritage on Tourism Development in Italy

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of cultural heritage on tourism development in Italy. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The cultural heritage of Italy plays a significant role in its tourism development, attracting millions of visitors annually to historic cities like Rome, Florence, and Venice. Italy's rich history, art, architecture, and traditions make it a global cultural destination, with UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as the Colosseum, the Vatican, and the Uffizi Gallery serving as major draws. This cultural wealth not only boosts the tourism industry but also supports local economies and preserves historical landmarks. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Cultural capital theory, sustainable tourism theory & heritage conservation theory may be used to anchor future studies on the effect of cultural heritage on tourism development in Italy. Implementing practical measures such as visitor quotas, dynamic pricing, and timed entry tickets can help regulate tourist flow to high-traffic cultural heritage sites. Policymakers should develop sustainable tourism frameworks that balance economic growth with cultural heritage preservation.

Do fear-of-COVID-19 and regional identity matter for the linkage between perceived CSR and brand evangelism? A comparative analysis in South Asia

PurposeThere is a dearth of evidence on how and when perceived corporate social responsibility (PCSR) contributes to brand evangelism in the consumer behavioural literature, especially during a pandemic situation. In an attempt to examine this phenomenon, this study investigates the effect of fear-of-COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) and regional identity on PCSR and brand evangelism effect in the South Asian retail context. It theorises linkages mainly from behavioural inhabitation system theory and social identity theory.Design/methodology/approachA survey was administered to a representative sample of 2,242 retail consumers representing Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.FindingsThe results revealed a positive impact of PCSR on brand evangelism, but interestingly varying levels of strength of the key relationships based on country-wise fear-of-COVID-19 and regional identity during the pandemic.Practical implicationsFor the first time, the results of this research shed light on incorporating consumers’ regional identity as well as consumer fear as cultural predictors for better explaining the PCSR and brand evangelism link of nations within a region. This has implications for both theory and practice in the domain of consumer behaviour.Originality/valueThe study reflects its originality by revealing the relevance of country level social identity and negative emotions of nations that can manipulate the business results of corporate ethical responsiveness from a consumer culture theory perspective, especially during and just after a crisis. These results underlie what is active inside consumer black box by explaining as to what external stimuli drive consumer collective and moral mind set in a given culture. This adds to the body of knowledge on ethical consumption behaviour more specific to consumer–brand interaction in market crises.

The Trình Tường house of the Bố Y People in Vietnam: A Study on Cultural Heritage and Traditional Architecture

The Trình Tường house (similer Earthen-Walled house), a distinctive architectural form of the Bố Y people in Vietnam, has embodied both cultural and spiritual values, reflecting their ethnic identity. However, modernization, climate change, and the development of tourism have placed immense pressure on the preservation of this traditional architecture. This paper aims to analyze the cultural and architectural values of the Trình Tường house in the modern context while proposing solutions for its preservation and promotion as a cultural heritage. The research was based on qualitative methods, including field observation, semi-structured interviews with Bố Y community members, and comparative analysis of traditional architecture from other ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia and worldwide. The findings revealed that the Trình Tường house was not only a physical structure but also a cultural and spiritual symbol, connecting people with nature and belief systems. However, pressures from modernization and climate change have compromised the sustainability of this architecture. The study contributes to cultural ecology theory and offers specific policy recommendations for preserving the Trình Tường house, ensuring the Bố Y people’s cultural identity, and paves the way for future research on traditional architectural conservation in the current context.

Pedagogical responsiveness of mathematics instruction at inclusive secondary schools: A particularistic case study

This qualitative particularistic case study explores the perspectives and experiences of learners with visual and hearing impairments regarding the teaching of mathematics. Extreme-case sampling was employed to select four learners (three hearing impaired and one visually impaired) from the only two inclusive secondary schools in the northern part of Namibia. The study qualitative study utilised open-ended questionnaires and interviews. Verbatim quotes from the research participants were used as inferences to identify descriptors within the first-generation Cultural Historical Activity Theory, which served as a theoretical and analytical tool. The findings revealed that the activity system of learners with visual and hearing impairments exhibited tensions that negatively affected their performance in mathematics. Learners experienced marginal responsive pedagogy in mathematics classrooms due to teachers' lack of knowledge and pedagogical skills for delivering meaningful mathematical instruction. While learners without disabilities struggled with comprehension and effective communication skills, learners with visual and hearing impairments faced a lack of equipment to support the conceptualisation and visualisation of mathematical subject content. The authors emphasise the critical importance of addressing communication barriers and adapting teaching practices to support the learning and inclusion of visually and hearing-impaired learners in mathematics, with an emphasis on mathematical language that promotes a better understanding of mathematical concepts. Teacher training should also incorporate responsive pedagogy to enhance outcomes and foster a more inclusive learning environment that promotes academic success and positive social experiences for all learners. Recommendations at a policy level, including advocating for a decolonised curriculum were made.

Reframing the Antarctic as polar planetary commons: moving beyond rights of nature

ABSTRACT This conceptual paper seeks to unravel the processes of assigning rights to nature (RoN) in the polar context through recognising how current efforts of assigning these are steeped in property relations and express an inherent anthropocentrism. The paper critically synthesises ideas from across the disciplines of environmental law, geography and cultural theory to understand how the process of assigning rights to nature takes place – or effectively how rights of nature makes for Antarctic geographies today and into the future. The Antarctic is currently promoted, depicted and popularly imagined as a pristine wilderness. As such, it represents the final frontier of techno industrial capitalism on the planet. In this context, the wilderness qualities of the region need to be confronted as places of our making. This calls for a radical realignment of the assignation of rights to nature, whereby any diminutive apprehensions of nature or objective measures of wilderness need to be countered. Any assignation of rights needs to be informed by how values and representations are continually relationally constituted and have a planetary dimension. This reframing implies that places do not possess some inherent or authentic value, or rights. The way they are valued is made here and now, there and then, in the moments we make sense of and relate to place. In this frame of ongoing valuing, this paper explores how RoN takes place in the polar regions, revealing the Antarctic as a planetary hydrocommons. Underpinned by notions of geopower and sympoietic earth jurisprudence these planetary hydrocommons are illustrated through ice and the question posed is how our ongoing relation configuration to place can feature in Antarctic policy and governance.

Contemporary Literary and Cultural Theory: An Overview by Jeffrey Di Leo (review)

Contemporary Literary and Cultural Theory: An Overview by Jeffrey Di Leo (review)

Representing London: making and claiming the city

What does it mean to represent a city? We examine this question through drawing from and seeking to read across two somewhat distinct meanings of representation, stemming from cultural theory and political studies. The reason for approaching representation in this way is an interest in how elected representatives claim the city. Based on interviews with members of the London Assembly, we take a transversal cut across party and geographical lines to analyse the nature and content of their representative claims, identifying two main types: the city as an identity and as a place or a collection of places. The politicians invoke cultural and institutional dimensions of representation and representativeness. The usefulness of employing both senses of representation is that through its representatives, the city—and urban democratic representation—is more than a discrete object or even a multiplicity of viewpoints, but rather a process continually made and remade through practices and claims, even as these slide across scales. These repertoires of representation, of the city as is and as it could be, signal how even from a place of seeming political marginality, the city is open to multiple imagined ideals that are shared and cut across conventional political lines.

WORLD LITERATURE IN HUNGARIAN TRANSLATION ANTHOLOGIES IN SLOVAKIA

The study draws on minor literature theory and cultural theory of literary translation. As a case study, it analyses Olivér Rácz’s Csillagsugárzás (1978), an anthology of translations from world literature into Hungarian in Slovakia, and also compares it with the volumes by László Cselényi (1986) and Árpád Tőzsér (2002). In Hungarian literature, the anthologies compiled during the modernist period can be attributed mainly to the oeuvre of the poets who grouped around the literary journal Nyugat, and like the journal, these anthologies are linked to Western literature, complemented by the canon of classical antique literature. This initial tendency changed radically, especially after the Second World War, when the ruling ideology expected the literature of the socialist bloc to be represented. The collection of poems under analysis draws on this tradition but also seeks to incorporate Slovak and Czech literature into the world literary canon, given its minority position, while also making use of ideological and manipulative gestures.