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1 – 10 of 978Chen Chi Chang and Chien Hsiang Liao
This paper describes a computer supported ubiquitous learning environment for minority language learning. Hakka language involved various tones, art, craft, festivals, food…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper describes a computer supported ubiquitous learning environment for minority language learning. Hakka language involved various tones, art, craft, festivals, food, drink, medicine, religion and custom in different regions. The tones also vary across the dialects of Hakka. The majority of Hakka dialects have six tones in Taiwan. The context for Hakka language translation and use is extremely important. The purpose of this paper is to present the context-aware annotation service to help readers get the right information for Hakka language use and learning more easily.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes the context-aware learning support system for Hakka culture-specific items or language, which is called Hakka culture-specific items annotation system (HACSIAS). HACSIAS is the context-aware annotation system, helping learners to add links of culture-specific items when they are reading the electronic journals, books, and web pages.
Findings
The HACSIAS provides learner appropriate information for Hakka culture-specific items deriving the learner’s situation and personal information. The context-aware computing will automatically provide translation service by searching a given culture-specific items database while these items or terminology appear in a document, either by displaying terms in the translation memory.
Originality/value
The context-aware annotation system for Hakka culture-specific language learning allows Hakka cultural resources to be smoothly integrated into learning materials.
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The purpose of this study is to investigate the views of African higher education scholars about effective leadership and if those views reflect a unique, African meaning of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the views of African higher education scholars about effective leadership and if those views reflect a unique, African meaning of leadership.
Design/methodology/approach
The study sought to explore the views of African higher education scholars about leadership in general and if those views reflect a unique, African meaning, that does not necessarily fit the widely accepted western theories. Using a researcher-designed questionnaire, higher education faculty and administrators were asked their understanding and beliefs about leadership. Data from quantitative responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-test. In addition, qualitative answers, from one open ended question, were utilized to possibly triangulate with quantitative responses.
Findings
This study found that most research participants believe that the widely used western leadership theories are not fully applicable to Africa's context. However, the list of qualities of effective leadership, these participants suggest to be unique to Africa, included mixed attributes from Western, Non-Western and Culture-Neutral theories.
Research limitations/implications
This study has some limitations. First, the data for this study was collected electronically which might have affected the potential responses from those with limited Internet connection or who have not updated their current email addresses. Second, the participants of the study are higher education professionals whose insight about leadership may not necessarily reflect the views of others from different background.
Practical implications
By examining leadership effectiveness in Africa's context, this study adds to the body of literature on the ongoing discussion on the topic of culture and leadership. It is hoped that the findings of the study provide important insights regarding the debate on “western vs non-western” leadership theories.
Originality/value
The universal understanding of leadership and the application of leadership theories across cultures have been an issue of debate for leadership scholars and practitioners around the globe. Many authors argue that the widely used leadership theories are “too western” in value and character (Bass, 1990; Hofstede, 1993; House and Aditya, 1997). This study adds the perspectives of African scholars to the ongoing debate and expands the understanding about leadership across culture.
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David C. Thomas, Günter Stahl, Elizabeth C. Ravlin, Steven Poelmans, Andre Pekerti, Martha Maznevski, Mila B. Lazarova, Efrat Elron, Bjørn Z. Ekelund, Jean-Luc Cerdin, Richard Brislin, Zeynep Aycan and Kevin Au
The construct of cultural intelligence has recently been introduced to the management literature as an individual difference that may predict effectiveness and a variety of…
Abstract
The construct of cultural intelligence has recently been introduced to the management literature as an individual difference that may predict effectiveness and a variety of interpersonal behavior in the global business environment. This construct has enormous potential in helping to explain effectiveness in cross-cultural interactions. However, progress has been limited by the adequacy of existing measures. In this chapter, we describe the development and preliminary validation of a web-based assessment of cultural intelligence based on our conceptualization of cultural intelligence.
Erdener Kaynak, Ali Kara, Clement S.F. Chow and Ali Riza Apil
The empirical, cross-national study reported here examines how time orientations influence attitudes toward advertising in two emerging Asian economies with very different…
Abstract
Purpose
The empirical, cross-national study reported here examines how time orientations influence attitudes toward advertising in two emerging Asian economies with very different background and time orientation, namely Macau and Georgia. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaire was used as an instrument to conduct a survey for the study. The questionnaire design was adapted from Rojas-Méndez et al. study. The two samples were collected through either a drop-off-and-pick-up method or street-intercept interview.
Findings
Georgians are found to be more past oriented and had had more suspicious feelings about advertising whereas Macau data indicated more future-orientation was the most dominant dimensions and they had better dispositions towards advertising.
Practical implications
With the findings, managers of different time orientation markets can consider one more factor to strike for the optimal balance in placing their promotional budget between pull and push strategy, and between above-the-line and below-the-line activities when executing the pull strategy.
Social implications
Government of different time orientation can be more informed of the effectiveness of using advertising to communicate with its citizens in its culture.
Originality/value
Studies on how time orientation relates to attitudes toward advertising are few and such relationship appears to be never compared within two Asian countries with very different background and time orientation.
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Milad Sheikhbanooie and Majid Farahian
Since reflectivity has a crucial role in education, it has attracted researchers’ attention in the last decades. As such, the present study aimed to construct and validate a…
Abstract
Purpose
Since reflectivity has a crucial role in education, it has attracted researchers’ attention in the last decades. As such, the present study aimed to construct and validate a questionnaire to assess the barriers to reflective practices of Iranian ESP (English for Specific Purposes) instructors. Furthermore, this study aimed to investigate the reliability of the scale.
Design/methodology/approach
To attain the purpose of the study, the researchers developed the first item pool of the questionnaire which included 67 items. Then, 4 experts were asked to pass their judgments on the items. Accordingly, 37 items were excluded and the next draft of the questionnaire that included 30 items remained. After their feedback, the revised scale was piloted with 10 ESP instructors to check the clarity of items. Then, the scale was administered to 210 ESP instructors. At the next stage, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was run to assess the construct validity of the questionnaire. Based on the results, three items were removed. To investigate the internal consistency of the scale, a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was employed.
Findings
The final version of the scale included 27 items with three subscales, namely, learners, instructors and institutions’ issues. The results revealed that the questionnaire enjoyed an acceptable level of validity and reliability.
Originality/value
Apart from a few studies, no other study has scrutinized barriers to EFL teachers’ reflectivity. In addition, in the realm of ESP, no study has developed a scale to measure barriers to ESP teachers’ reflective practice.
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Thomas Salzberger and Rudolf R. Sinkovics
The paper investigates the suitability of the Rasch model for establishing data equivalence. The results based on a real data set are contrasted with findings from standard…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper investigates the suitability of the Rasch model for establishing data equivalence. The results based on a real data set are contrasted with findings from standard procedures based on CFA methods.
Design/methodology/approach
Sinkovics et al.'s data on technophobia was used and re‐evaluated using both classical test theory (CTT) (multiple‐group structural equations modelling) and Rasch measurement theory.
Findings
Data equivalence in particular and measurement in general cannot be addressed without reference to theory. While both procedures can be considered best practice approaches within their respective theoretical foundation of measurement, the Rasch model provides some theoretical virtues. Measurement derived from data that fit the Rasch model seems to be approximated by classical procedures reasonably well. However, the reverse is not necessarily true.
Practical implications
The more widespread application of Rasch models would lead to a stronger justification of measurement, in particular, in cross‐cultural studies but also whenever measures of individual respondents are of interest.
Originality/value
Measurement models outside the framework of CTT are still scarce exceptions in marketing research.
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The main purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of individual‐level cultural dimensions on Generation Y consumers' expectations of service quality.
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of individual‐level cultural dimensions on Generation Y consumers' expectations of service quality.
Design/methodology/approach
Service quality and individual‐level cultural values were measured using existing scales from the literature. Factor analysis was conducted to verify the factor structures of both constructs while structural equation modeling was employed to examine the measures for cultural values and service quality dimensions.
Findings
Four out of the five hypotheses are supported and the last one is partially confirmed in terms of directional support. Service quality expectations are positively related to uncertainty avoidance and long‐term orientation but negatively related to power distance. Masculinity and collectivism did not have a significant relationship. Service quality was found to be a three‐factor construct consisting of tangibles, reliability and responsiveness/empathy/assurance. Cultural values were confirmed to consist of five dimensions according to Hofstede's typology. Generation Y consumers are found to be low in power distance and have high expectations of service quality.
Research limitation/implications
The main limitations are that the study did not distinguish between different types of full‐service restaurants in its analysis and the sample consisted of undergraduate students only.
Practical implications
The findings indicate the importance of measuring individual‐level cultural values which may be used as a segmentation variable to guide service delivery and resource allocation.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the scant research on service quality among Generation Y consumers in developing countries. It also assesses the five‐factor structure of the SERVQUAL scale in a new country setting, that is, Malaysia.
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Elaine B Sloan, Joy F Hazucha and Paul T Van Katwyk
Senior line managers and their HR business partners need to make sure they have the right leadership talent, at the right time, in the right place. Our aim in this chapter is to…
Abstract
Senior line managers and their HR business partners need to make sure they have the right leadership talent, at the right time, in the right place. Our aim in this chapter is to weave together some of the best conceptual models and most useful research findings we have found to create a guiding framework for managing global leadership talent strategically. The guiding framework addresses three primary phases of global talent planning and development: clarifying the globalization strategy, defining global leadership roles and requirements, and designing the talent management system.
Michelle R. Nelson and Hye‐Jin Paek
This research examines global advertising strategies and tactics in a global media brand for a shared audience across seven countries (Brazil, China, France, India, South Korea…
Abstract
Purpose
This research examines global advertising strategies and tactics in a global media brand for a shared audience across seven countries (Brazil, China, France, India, South Korea, Thailand, and USA).
Design/methodology/approach
A content analysis of advertisements in local editions of Cosmopolitan magazine compares the extent of standardization in execution elements (advertising copy, models) across product nationality (multinational, domestic) and category (beauty, other).
Findings
Local editions deliver more multinational than domestic product ads across all countries, except India. Overall, multinational product ads tend to use standardized strategies and tactics more than domestic product ads, although this propensity varies across countries. Beauty products (cosmetics, fashion) are more likely to use standardized approaches than are other products (e.g. cars, food, household goods).
Research limitations/implications
The research only examines one type of magazine and for one type of audience.
Practical implications
A global medium such as Cosmopolitan offers international advertisers an opportunity to reach a shared consumer segment of women with varying degrees of standardization, and that even in Asian countries, some standardization is possible.
Originality/value
This is the first multi‐country study to examine advertising executions for global advertising strategy within a transnational media brand. Unlike previous studies that advise against global strategy in Asia, we find that contemporary advertisers are practicing some global advertising strategies, but to varying degrees.
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Roberto Pessoa de Queiroz Falcão, Michel Mott Machado, Eduardo Picanço Cruz and Caroline Shenaz Hossein
The purpose of this article is to investigate how social integration, immigrant networks and barriers to ventureing affect the entrepreneurial activities of Brazilians in Canada…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to investigate how social integration, immigrant networks and barriers to ventureing affect the entrepreneurial activities of Brazilians in Canada, indicating how mixed embeddedness takes place in that context.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected in Toronto, through the application of a survey with 74 Brazilian entrepreneur respondents and 42 semi-structured interviews with selected subjects, thus representing a multi-method approach. The analysis included descriptive statistics from the survey data and a qualitative analysis of the trajectories and life stories of Brazilian immigrants.
Findings
Our sample comprises respondents with a high level of education and proficiency in English, coming predominantly from the southeast of Brazil, white, aged from 30 to 49. The majority of businesses are small and related to the service sector. The article contributes to the literature by discussing the elements related to mixed embeddedness, including the need for cultural adaptation and for the creation of networks as a crucial element for business venturing.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses on entrepreneurs regardless of their businesses sector or formality/informality status. It could be used as an instrument to support Canadian public policies for welcoming Brazilians and for the Brazilian government to prevent the evasion of potential entrepreneurs.
Originality/value
The article contributes to the body of knowledge of immigrant entrepreneurship in Canada and of Brazilian entrepreneurship overseas. The results suggest factors that may be relevant to the expansion of their business, such as social networking, cultural embeddedness and adaptation of the products/services to a wider range of target customers.
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