Business Commons^™

Designing Culturally Compatible Internet Gaming Sites, Sudhir H. Kale

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Rising e-commerce volumes the world over provide opportunities to global marketers to expand their markets using the Internet. While Internet casinos have had their share of failures, the industry still rakes in three times the revenues as web pornography. Converging web technology allows for Internet gaming operators to expand their markets all over the world. However, appealing to consumers in different countries and regions requires adaptation of websites to the cultural milieu of the various target markets. This paper reviews existing literature on culture and website design and goes on to discuss the impact of culture on designing Internet gaming …

Cultural Anthropological Research In The Business Environment, Caitlin Farmer

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Commentary: The Role Of Food Culture And Marketing Activity In Health Disparities, Jerome Williams, David Crockett, Robert Harrison, Kevin Williams

David Crockett

Marketing activities have attracted increased attention from scholars interested in racial disparities in obesity prevalence, as well as the prevalence of other preventable conditions. Although reducing the marketing of nutritionally poor foods to racial/ethnic communities would represent a significant step forward in eliminating racial disparities in health, we focus instead on a critical-related question. What is the relationship between marketing activities, food culture, and health disparities? This commentary posits that food culture shapes the demand for food and the meaning attached to particular foods, preparation styles, and eating practices, while marketing activities shape the overall environment in which food choices …

Let's Stick Together: The Finance Function As Glue, Mark E. Pickering

Mark E Pickering

Finance can play a valuable role in helping align the different organisational departments more closely to achieve a common goal. This article indicates some of the causes of friction between departments and provides suggestions as to how finance executives and managers can contribute to greater alignment.

An Analysis Of Social Factors Influencing The Adoption Of International Financial Reporting Standards, Jeffrey J. Archambault, Marie E. Archambault

Marie E. Archambault

his paper examines the decision of 120 countries to permit or not to permit the use of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for listed companies incorporated within their borders. An empirical model is developed considering variables related to culture, political systems and economic systems of the countries. Least squares regression was used to examine which variables significantly influence the decision to allow the use of IFRS. The results from this regression indicate that literacy rates and net import activity positively influence the decision to allow IFRS. Less economically developed countries were also shown to be more likely to allow IFRS. …

An Analysis Of Social Factors Influencing The Adoption Of International Financial Reporting Standards, Jeffrey J. Archambault, Marie E. Archambault

Jeffrey Archambault

his paper examines the decision of 120 countries to permit or not to permit the use of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for listed companies incorporated within their borders. An empirical model is developed considering variables related to culture, political systems and economic systems of the countries. Least squares regression was used to examine which variables significantly influence the decision to allow the use of IFRS. The results from this regression indicate that literacy rates and net import activity positively influence the decision to allow IFRS. Less economically developed countries were also shown to be more likely to allow IFRS. …

Two Tales Of A City: Nineteenth-Century Black Philadelphia, Nick Salvatore

Nick Salvatore

[Excerpt] In the tension between Forging Freedom and Roots of Violence certain themes present themselves for further research and thought. Neither volume successfully analyzes the historical roots of the African-American class structure. This is especially evident in each book's treatment of the black middling orders. While neither defines the category with clarity, their basic assumption that small shopkeepers and regularly employed workers were critical to the community's ability to withstand some of the worst shocks of racism is important. The clash between these books also raises questions concerning the role of pre-industrial cultural values in the transition to industrial capitalism. …

Examining Corporate Social Responsibility In Thailand: A View From Thai Companies, Nutthanun Rajanakorn

Doctoral Dissertations

This study aims to understand the perceptions and meanings of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of Thailand. Phenomenology was used to explore the inquiry of how Thai executives perceived and implemented their companies’ CSR. Twenty long-interviews were conducted with Thai executives who were directly involved in and in charge of CSR in their companies. Several themes emerged from the study, and the findings were presented in the aspects of their perceptions of CSR involvement, the motivations, the benefits, and the overall meanings of CSR. Giving back, caring for and helping /sharing, and developing and creating are three themes …

A Study Of Effective Leadership In The Chinese Context, Wai Kwan (Elaine) Lau

Management Faculty Research

The study of leadership is one of the most often researched management topics. However, most research and theory contributions are to a great extent limited to accounting for leadership practice in the West. This study is designed to develop an effective leadership model that works in the Chinese context. Paternalistic leadership, a dominant leadership style in an Eastern business environment, is compared with transformational leadership, a dominant leadership style in a Western business environment. In addition, the cultural differences between China and the West relating to leader-follower relationships suggest different leadership behaviors may be more effective in one of these …

Law Firm Mergers: Finding The Right Fit, Mark E. Pickering

Mark E Pickering

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can be an extremely valuable tool to transform organisations and to accelerate growth strategies. However, poorly conceived and implemented acquisitions can result in significant distraction, substantial financial write-offs and, in extreme cases, put the acquirer’s future in jeopardy. Directors play an important role in the M&A decision process and should delve into key components of proposed acquisitions to improve M&A outcomes.

Collaborating Across Cultures: Cultural Metacognition And Affect-Based Trust In Creative Collaboration, Roy Y. J. Chua, Michael W. Morris, Shira Mor

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We propose that managers adept at thinking about their cultural assumptions (cultural metacognition) are more likely than others to develop affect-based trust in their relationships with people from different cultures, enabling creative collaboration. Study 1, a multi-rater assessment of managerial performance, found that managers higher in metacognitive cultural intelligence (CQ) were rated as more effective in intercultural creative collaboration by managers from other cultures. Study 2, a social network survey, found that managers lower in metacognitive CQ engaged in less sharing of new ideas in their intercultural ties but not intracultural ties. Study 3 required participants to work collaboratively with …

Ralph Fasanella: Worker, Activist, Artist, Nick Salvatore

Nick Salvatore

[Excerpt] In his art, as in his life, Ralph Fasanella reminds us all of the complexity of our society and of the need for each generation to dedicate itself anew to the commitment of justice for all. That his work, accomplished without the benefit of formal training, is as arresting and as pleasing as it is, is but a reflection of Ralph Fasanella's basic message.

The Impact Of Cultural Distances On The Country Selection Process, Alan Blizzard

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Designer Deviance: Enterprise And Deviance In Cultural Change Programs, R Badham, Karin Garrety, V. Morrigan, M. Zanko, Patrick Dawson

Michael Zanko

This article explores the value of investigating cultural change programmes as exercises in engineering deviance. It does so through a case study of an organizational development cultural change programme at Sprogwheels, a large Australian corporation. Drawing on and extending the classic work of Becker (1966), the article details how the programme combined a moral crusade against what it sought to have labelled as the ‘deviant conservatism’ of the existing organizational culture with social support for ‘deviant radicalism’, in the form of a counter-cultural, self-enterprising set of middle managers promoting corporate change. The article explores the complex and contradictory ideas of …

Expatriates' Acculturation Strategies: Going Beyond "How Adjusted Are You?" To "How Do You Adjust?", Matthew Lineberry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Expatriates' degree of adjustment to living and working in a foreign country is well-accepted as an important outcome variable in expatriate management research. However, measures of degree of adjustment do not capture the breadth of strategies expatriates may use to achieve such adjustment, which may be critical for understanding whether expatriates have achieved a healthy and productive orientation to life abroad. Borrowing from research on immigrant populations, this study examines the construct of expatriate acculturation strategies, which characterize expatriates' mode of adjustment along two independent dimensions reflecting maintenance of one's home culture and engagement of the host culture, respectively. One …

Designer Deviance: Enterprise And Deviance In Cultural Change Programs, R Badham, Karin Garrety, V. Morrigan, M. Zanko, Patrick Dawson

Patrick Dawson

This article explores the value of investigating cultural change programmes as exercises in engineering deviance. It does so through a case study of an organizational development cultural change programme at Sprogwheels, a large Australian corporation. Drawing on and extending the classic work of Becker (1966), the article details how the programme combined a moral crusade against what it sought to have labelled as the ‘deviant conservatism’ of the existing organizational culture with social support for ‘deviant radicalism’, in the form of a counter-cultural, self-enterprising set of middle managers promoting corporate change. The article explores the complex and contradictory ideas of …

The Role Of Culture In Mindfulness, Carol Blaszczynski, Ph.D.

International Journal for Business Education

This article presents information about cultural aspects of mindfulness or attention, a topic worthy of exploration and relevance to the global business education literature. The article concludes with implications for business educators and their students.

A Qualitative Analysis Of A Corporate Adventure Program, Kimberly Molyneux

Theses and Dissertations

Outdoor adventure learning (OAL) provides a unique environment to teach organizational change. Therefore, there is an implication these programs can be used to foster necessary specific skills such as leading change, innovation, and thriving in hostile environments to lead in the ever-changing corporate world. Little research, however, supports the efficacy of adventure learning in achieving specific outcomes. Skeptics suggested the benefits of OAL programs do not always generalize effectively from the outdoor experience to the workplace. This paper outlines how utilizing strategic skills and theory to conduct OAL programs are effective and impactful in the corporate world. The purpose of …

Culture And Leadership: Comparing Egypt To The Globe Study Of 62 Societies, Eahab Elsaid, Abdel Moneim Elsaid

Odette School of Business Publications

The purpose of this paper is to improve our understanding of the western conceptions of leadership in competition with emerging leadership paradigms in non-western societies. We examine the societal culture in Egypt using GLOBE’s nine cultural attributes and dimensions. Paired sample t-tests were used to test for differences in the Egyptian data that was collected. The data was collected from 142 Egyptian middle managers from 19 organizations from 2008 to 2011. It was compared to the data collected as part of the GLOBE research project. The results showed that Egyptians are most interested in reducing the power distance and increasing …

Crossing The Valley Of Death: A Multi-Sited, Multi-Level Ethnographic Study Of Growth Startups And Entrepreneurial Communities In Post-Industrial Detroit, Marlo Rencher

Wayne State University Dissertations

The intention of this research is to reveal the humanity of the startup experience for American growth companies. What is it about the growth entrepreneurship experience that has been hidden from view? Can we begin to articulate a holistic view of entrepreneurship--including those human universals and culture-bound particulars that must be successfully navigated?

This study is an ethnographic account of three Detroit-based entrepreneurial communities and the people within them. This research examines the sociocultural features of entrepreneurship on three levels. The first level of context for growth businesses to be studied is that of their entrepreneurial community. These communities have …

Labor Culture: Labor Morality Under Socialism, Vladimir Magun

Russian Culture

Soviet leaders had always taken a keen interest in workers' behavior and labor motives and sought to keep labor morality under strict state control. A complex network of values and regulations was developed for this purpose after the October Revolution of 1917. They were best articulated in the "political economy of socialism" which purported to present a scientific picture of the country's economic life. Textbooks on socialist economy were widely circulated in the Soviet Union and appropriate courses included into a core curriculum for all higher education institutions in the country. Basic tenets of socialist political economy were taught in …

Culture Of Social Institutions And Behavioural Manifestations In Entrepreneurship Development: A South-Asian Case, Helan R. Gamage, Ananda Wickramasinghe

Sydney Business School - Papers

This paper is based on the South Asian culture, social institutions and entrepreneurship in particular to Sri Lankan entrepreneurship. Sri Lankan culture demonstrates various complex and unique behavioral patterns. Sri Lankan entrepreneurial culture can be identified to have evolved through two different routes. One can be traced to the origins of Sri Lankan civilization and the other to the western influence, originating from the Industrial Revolution, and imposed through colonization which systematically destroyed the indigenous feudal system. Moreover, the ideology of entrepreneurship training and education in Sri Lanka is exclusively western in origin and character. Observations of this research showed …

The Invisible Hand Of Business Strategy Processes: Culture, Power And Politics In Stragegy In A Developing Country, Ananda Wickramasinghe

Sydney Business School - Papers

This paper argues the reasons for limited compatibility of western strategic approaches with production relations in Sri Lankan tea plantation sector from findings of case study research. Reasons for this include the great diversity within the sector in relation to key issues including caste and class, ethnic groups and their political groupings, and in particular to modes of production which span traditional, capitalist and state capitalist models. Managers in developing countries struggle to assimilate such prescriptive perspectives and frameworks into their firms in response to external pressures. This suggests strategy research needs to be informed beyond generalised strategy and national …

Cultural Context And Its Affect On Management Practices In Organizations - A Special Focus Of Compensation Practices, Shandana Shuaib

Business Review

Management practices are carried out in organizations which operate in some sort of environment. The environment is basically divided into two types: internal environment and external environment. In both these environments culture constitutes the main part. Thus, in order to fully comprehend the management practices in organizations it is utmost necessary to understand the cultural context of that society in which it operates. Many management practices if enforced without taking into consideration its cultural context may not yield the expected results. Similarly a management practice which might be very effective in one culture may not be so in another cultural …

How Do Institutional Environments Affect Directors' Behaviors And Their Effectiveness?, Toru Yoshikawa, Hongjin Zhu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We examine how institutional environments affect outside directors’ behaviors and their effectiveness. Extant research on the board of directors has indicated that outside directors play a significant role in exercising independent control over management and providing resources. However, we know little about whether and how the relative importance of the two functions varies across different institutional environments characterized by distinct dominant exchange modes (contractual vs. relational). By differentiating between relationship-based and contract-based exchange regimes, we develop a conceptual model to show how the differences in transaction structures influence the relative importance of outside directors as monitors and resource providers, and …

Job Satisfaction Determinants: A Study Across 48 Nations, Jeanine K. Andreassi, Leanna Lawter, Martin Brockerhoff, Peter Rutigliano

WCBT Faculty Publications

This paper examines the drivers of job satisfaction across four cultural regions—Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America. Using Hofstede’s theory, determinants were used to predict job satisfaction for each region and then compared to determine significant differences. Data was collected from a proprietary industry survey on employee work attitudes. The sample consisted of over 70,000 employees from 4 large multinational organizations. Data was analyzed using regression analysis and comparison testing across models. There are significant relationships between job characteristics and job satisfaction across all regions of the world, with a sense of achievement universally the most important driver. Although …