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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2005

Richard L. Brinkman and June E. Brinkman

This paper aims to show the interrelation and relevancy of the concept and theory of cultural lag to social justice. The conception of social justice, though wide in scope, is…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to show the interrelation and relevancy of the concept and theory of cultural lag to social justice. The conception of social justice, though wide in scope, is applied in this paper to the limited domain of equality of opportunity and fairness with respect to income distribution.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology of this paper is holistic and interdisciplinary, and interrelates the social and the economic in the overall dynamics of general culture evolution.Findings – The “inverted U‐curve hypothesis” of Simon Kuznets implies that a greater equality of income distribution would be forthcoming in an economy characterized by a mature phase of modern economic growth. Empirical evidence demonstrates that such a movement toward greater equality is subject to question. The American experience of the 1920s and the period from 1973 to the present offers evidence to question the U‐curve hypothesis. Contrary to expectations, during these periods income distribution became more unequal. These periods, indicative of maladjustment, are used to demonstrate and serve as examples of cultural lags. The concept and theory of cultural lag exposes the need for prerequisite institutional adjustment. It consequently appears that the American institutional structure, currently directing the economy toward a policy orientation of laissez‐faire and the resulting increased inequality of income distribution, is anachronistic to a modern industrial society oriented toward the goal of social justice.Originality/value – Relevant to the quest of social justice.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 32 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 April 2007

Peter Townsend and Caroline Wan

This research sets out to assess the relevance and impact of interpersonal contact, in the form of multicultural experience, in the development of socio‐cultural adaptation for…

4168

Abstract

Purpose

This research sets out to assess the relevance and impact of interpersonal contact, in the form of multicultural experience, in the development of socio‐cultural adaptation for international students studying in their new country. The original contribution of this research is the application of a statistical methodology to this subject area in the Asia Pacific Basin.

Design/methodology/approach

The data analysis consisted of quantitative, longitudinal and cross‐sectional studies, from a sample consisting of students studying an international business degree, in the categories of living in national home culture or out of national home culture. Longitudinally, 88 students were sampled at the beginning of the semester and four months later. The cross‐sectional study of 380 students, over three years, was for students in these same categories, on the Australian and Malaysian campuses.

Findings

The analysis identified that socio‐cultural adaptation statistically demonstrates an initial negative relationship with multicultural experience, but develops beyond this period with a positive increase and relationship at the end of three years. There were no significant differences for socio‐cultural adaptation and multicultural experience between students studying in or out of their national home culture.

Research limitations/implications

The results statistically demonstrated a continuous increase of multicultural experience but also a U curve shape of socio‐cultural adaptation, thereby confirming previous qualitative research on the culture shock phenomena.

Originality/value

This is the only statistical research to date on the U curve phenomena in the Asia Pacific Basin.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 21 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

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Article
Publication date: 1 May 1993

Jukka Sappinen

As well as normal job‐related skills the expatriate and thehost‐country organization must master cross‐cultural skills. Expatriatesexperience an adjustment process which is…

1152

Abstract

As well as normal job‐related skills the expatriate and the host‐country organization must master cross‐cultural skills. Expatriates experience an adjustment process which is influenced by several antecedents. Recommends focusing on four different but interrelated adjustment processes. The level of adjustment and expatriate success is hypothesized to have positive correlation. Presents a wave‐curve hypothesis to illustrate the relationship between expatriate adjustment, expatriate work commitment, and expatriates′ decision to leave prematurely.

Details

European Business Review, vol. 93 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-534X

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Article
Publication date: 10 August 2015

Martin Corbett

The purpose of this paper is to examine how a speculative animal behaviour modification experiment conducted over 100 years ago evolved into a scientific law of human behaviour…

9062

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how a speculative animal behaviour modification experiment conducted over 100 years ago evolved into a scientific law of human behaviour that is now widely cited in managerial psychology texts and journals. The paper considers the implications of this evolution for the theory and practice of work stress management in particular, and managerial psychology in general.

Design/methodology/approach

Using insights from social constructivist studies of science the empirical evidence supporting the Yerkes-Dodson Law (YDL) is examined and found wanting. The role played by the simple graphical representation of the YDL in its popularisation is considered.

Findings

Analysis reveals that the YDL has no basis in empirical fact but continues to inform managerial practices which seek to increase or maintain, rather than minimise, levels of stress in the workplace as a means to enhance employee performance.

Practical implications

Practitioners should not seek to increase performance through the manipulation of employee stress levels.

Originality/value

The paper brings attention to the potentially harmful ways the publication of long-discredited models of stress and performance can influence management practice.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 30 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

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Article
Publication date: 5 September 2016

Chunlai Chen

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on urban-rural income inequality in China.

2015

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on urban-rural income inequality in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the provincial-level panel data and employs the fixed-effects instrumental variable regression technique to investigate empirically the impact of FDI on urban-rural income inequality in China.

Findings

The study finds that while FDI has directly contributed to reducing urban-rural income inequality through employment creation, knowledge spillovers and contribution to economic growth, FDI has also contributed to increasing urban-rural income inequality through international trade.

Practical implications

The study has some policy implications. First, as the study finds that FDI not only contributes to reducing urban-rural income inequality through employment creation, knowledge spillovers and contribution to economic growth, but also contributes to increasing urban-rural income inequality through international trade, therefore, apart from improving local economic and technological conditions to attract more FDI inflows, China should re-design FDI policies by shifting away from encouraging export-oriented FDI to encouraging FDI flows into the industries and sectors in line with China’s overall economic structural adjustments and industrial upgrading. Second, policies should focus on increasing investment in infrastructure development and in public education, which not only can reduce urban-rural income inequality but also can attract more FDI inflows. And finally policies should be designed to accelerate urbanisation development by focusing on urban-rural integrated development, household registration system reform and proper settlement of rural migrants in urban areas, thus reducing urban-rural income inequality.

Originality/value

The paper makes two major contributions to the literature. First, the paper adopts the fixed-effects instrumental variable regression technique to deal with the endogeneity issues in estimating the impact of FDI on urban-rural income inequality, producing more consistent estimates. Second, the paper investigates not only the direct impact of FDI on urban-rural income inequality through the effects of employment creation, knowledge spillovers and contribution to economic growth, but also the indirect impact of FDI on urban-rural income inequality through its activities in international trade, adding new empirical evidence to the sparse literature on the impact of FDI on income inequality in China.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

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Article
Publication date: 3 September 2021

Sophia Grill, Matthias Rosenbaum-Feldbrügge, Herbert Fliege and Heiko Rüger

Drawing on social learning theory (SLT), this study aims to investigate how previous cross-cultural work experience influences individual adjustment in a foreign environment over…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on social learning theory (SLT), this study aims to investigate how previous cross-cultural work experience influences individual adjustment in a foreign environment over time. For this purpose, the authors study foreign service employees who are characterized by permanent high mobility and frequent rotations.

Design/methodology/approach

Two cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2011 (analytical sample N = 1,097) and 2019 (analytical sample N = 1,431) amongst German Foreign Service (GFS) employees are used to analyse employees' adjustment, measured by self-perceived quality of life (QOL) and its development over time based on four time points. Locational adjustment trajectories serve as robustness checks.

Findings

Younger and therefore less experienced employees fit J-shaped patterns of adjustment, while more experienced employees show rather flat adjustment curves. Accordingly, work experience matters and “one curve fits all” approaches do not suffice to explain adjustment over time. Moreover, neither more nor less experienced employees experienced U-trajectories as proposed by previous literature on business expatriates.

Research limitations/implications

The study findings are based on cross-sectional surveys, but longitudinal designs should be preferred in future research.

Practical implications

Sending institutions may develop special support systems for inexperienced expatriates prior to departure to weaken the negative impacts of culture shock.

Originality/value

Existing literature only sparsely analysed adjustment and QOL for foreign service employees/diplomats so far. To the authors’ knowledge, no study analysed trajectories of adjustment over time for this population. This study profits from the analysis across two surveys. Both samples benefit from a high diversity, among others, regarding gender, age, education and host countries.

Details

Journal of Global Mobility, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-8799

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2006

Guilherme Pires, John Stanton and Shane Ostenfeld

Purpose – Sets out to argue that training and adjustment strategies based on immersion in a foreign culture, in order to reduce expatriate culture shock, can be improved by…

13244

Abstract

Purpose – Sets out to argue that training and adjustment strategies based on immersion in a foreign culture, in order to reduce expatriate culture shock, can be improved by training that addresses how to use related ethnic networks within the host country. Design/methodology/approach – A framework used for the examination of the cultural adjustment process of long‐term migrants is used to draw implications for the adjustment process of expatriates. The components of analysis include the U‐curve, social learning theory, and oral deprivation. How long‐term arrivals overcome their culture shock is extended to a discussion of expatriates, their problems, and the need for further areas of training. Findings – Significant similarities in the adjustment problems of the two groups point to similar processes in operation and the potential to apply similar solutions to ease the expatriate adjustment process. Research limitation/implications – The study draws from findings in one discipline area and argues by analogy to the field of international human resource management. Implications of this extension include a widening of expatriate training to include greater awareness of host country ethnic networks and how they can be a useful adjustment resource. Practical implications – Expatriate worker failure is common and costly. While there is considerable emphasis on the technical competency of expatriates, social competency is critical but often neglected. Measures to reduce such social failure that focus on reducing the culture shock encountered, need to be examined carefully. This paper has suggested one approach drawing from an analogous situation. Originality/value – The paper links specific elements of the marketing literature dealing with arrivals from a different culture with the expatriate adjustment problem of international human resource management.

Details

Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-7606

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 March 2015

Peter Townsend, Padraic Regan and Liang Liang Li

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate cultural experience as a learning strategy for developing international managers.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate cultural experience as a learning strategy for developing international managers.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an integrated framework, two quantitative studies, based on empirical methodology, are conducted. Study 1, with an undergraduate sample situated in the Asia Pacific, aimed to examine the relationship between cultural experience and intercultural capability (IC), an original theoretical construct representing the critical factors of international managers. Study 2, employing a more culturally experienced postgraduate sample from Ireland, sought to confirm the findings from study 1 and further test the relationship of cultural experience with the factor of cultural adaptation.

Findings

Results identify a U-curve relationship of cultural experience and cultural adaptation for inexperienced students (study 1). A more linear, but less significant relationship between the above two with a maximum level of adaptation for more experienced students was found in study 2. This implies that there is a relationship between cultural experience and IC, within the limitations of the sample. However, whilst cultural experience is a major variable in developing IC, findings are that universities and industry training managers need to use a blended learning approach when developing international managers, hence, combining cultural experience (experiential learning) with didactic methods.

Originality/value

This is an original theoretical construct representing the critical factors of international managers.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 29 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 10 March 2010

Jennifer Earl and Sarah A. Soule

Scholarship on the effects of various kinds of state repression (e.g., counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, protest policing) on subsequent dissent has produced a body of…

Abstract

Scholarship on the effects of various kinds of state repression (e.g., counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, protest policing) on subsequent dissent has produced a body of contradictory findings. In an attempt to better understand the effects of one form of state repression – protest policing – on one form of dissent – public protest – this paper examines the effects of various policing strategies used at protest events on subsequent protest levels in the United States between 1960 and 1990. Theoretically, we argue the effects of repression cannot be broadly theorized but instead need to be hypothesized at the level of particular police strategies and actions. We theorize and empirically examine the impacts of five police strategies, while also improving on prior analyses by producing a comprehensive model that examines lagged and nonlinear effects and examines the effects across the entire social movement sector, as well as across two specific movement industries. Results (1) confirm that not all police strategies have the same effects; (2) show that policing strategies tend to have predominately linear effects; (3) show that police actions have their strongest effects in the very short term, with few effects detectable after a few weeks; and (4) point to interesting differences in the effects of policing strategies on subsequent protest across different social movements.

Details

Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-036-1

Article
Publication date: 12 February 2019

Beiting He, Ran An and John Berry

The purpose of this paper is to explore the psychological adjustment process of expatriates from Chinese multinational enterprises, including how their social capital affects this…

1419

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the psychological adjustment process of expatriates from Chinese multinational enterprises, including how their social capital affects this process.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative investigation was based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 26 Chinese expatriates. The grounded theory method was applied to guide the data collection and analysis.

Findings

The psychological adjustment process of Chinese expatriates includes three periods: crisis, self-adjustment and self-growth period. In addition, bonding capital (including organizational, family and co-cultural colleagues’ support) is more conducive to Chinese expatriates’ psychological well-being than bridging capital (e.g. host-nationals’ support). Finally, a separation acculturation strategy is more conducive to psychological adjustment, rather than an integration strategy.

Research limitations/implications

This study focused on expatriates themselves. Future research should consider other stakeholders (e.g. organizations, family), and examine expatriate adjustment from new perspectives (e.g. strategic human resource management, work-family balance). This study had a small sample and focused on only one organization. Future research could usefully add other Chinese multinational corporations, and other Chinese expatriates to expand the generalizability of the current findings.

Practical implications

This study suggests the possible benefits of management practices for expatriates. Organizations can develop an “expatriate bubble” to help structure basic life overseas. Organizations could develop family-support programs and make them expatriate-supportive. Organizations should also strengthen the connections between expatriates and local colleagues.

Originality/value

Few scholars have elaborated on how different support groups (based on their cultural backgrounds) influence the psychological adjustment of expatriates. Until now, mainland Chinese expatriates have received little attention. In addition, this research takes a significant step forward by illuminating the psychological adjustment of Chinese expatriates from a social capital perspective.

Details

Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5794

Keywords

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