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1 – 10 of 358
Book part
Publication date: 26 August 2014

Daniel Rottig, Taco H. Reus and Shlomo Y. Tarba

This chapter aims to make sense of the growing research that examines the role of culture in mergers and acquisitions. We provide a detailed review of the many related but…

Abstract

This chapter aims to make sense of the growing research that examines the role of culture in mergers and acquisitions. We provide a detailed review of the many related but distinct constructs that have been introduced to the literature. While each construct has contributed to our understanding of the role of culture, the lack of connections made among constructs has limited the consolidation of contributions. The review shows what these constructs mean for mergers and acquisitions, what major findings have been discovered, and, most importantly, how constructs interrelate. Our discussion provides several opportunities to foster the needed consolidation of this research.

Details

Advances in Mergers and Acquisitions
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-836-5

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Article
Publication date: 10 April 2017

Chun-Hao Li and Shu-Yao Hsu

Since the 1990s, an imbalanced marriage market has ushered in a great number of female immigrants, mainly from China and certain ASEAN countries, into Taiwan. These immigrant…

Abstract

Purpose

Since the 1990s, an imbalanced marriage market has ushered in a great number of female immigrants, mainly from China and certain ASEAN countries, into Taiwan. These immigrant brides lose their original social networks and face difficulties acculturating, which in the long run may take a toll on their psychological well-being. The purpose of this paper is to identify what the factors are and how they are associated with the symptoms of depression and anxiety among immigrant brides.

Design/methodology/approach

Due to the difficulty of identifying immigrant brides within the general population, the research relies on a convenience sample of 366 immigrant brides in eight cities or counties in Taiwan. The research team provided questionnaires in different languages including Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English, Vietnamese, Thai, and Indonesian. Surveyed immigrant brides filled in questionnaires while participating in activities for Immigrant Day.

Findings

Hierarchical regression analyses show that perceived discrimination and sociocultural barriers are the two greatest factors causing depression and anxiety among immigrant brides. However, the effect of social support is not as clear as expected. Emotional social support from “the same ethnic group” is significant in reducing the symptoms of psychological depression of immigrant brides, but it cannot explain the variation in anxiety among immigrant brides.

Originality/value

Although the psychological well-being of immigrant brides in Taiwan is an important issue, little scholarly research has been published on this increasing segment of the population. The research can improve our understanding of the acculturation of immigrant brides in Taiwan. Meanwhile, the findings in the Taiwan-based research may provide further helpful knowledge for South Korea and China, both of which generally share a similar culture with Taiwan and are also facing the issues of marriage market imbalance and the increase of immigrant brides, in developing prevention and intervention strategies and/or programs to enhance the psychological well-being of immigrant brides.

Details

Asian Education and Development Studies, vol. 6 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-3162

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 29 March 2014

Anthony Molaro

Libraries have faced many periods of grim economic realities. These periods of hardship have forced libraries to strive for more efficient organizational structures. Many of these…

Abstract

Libraries have faced many periods of grim economic realities. These periods of hardship have forced libraries to strive for more efficient organizational structures. Many of these improved organizational structures have been the result of mergers and/or consolidations. This phenomenological study describes the lived experiences of the merger design team of a large and complex library organization.

Results indicated the experience of the participants touched upon each of Bolman and Deal’s (2008) four frames: political, human resources, structural, and symbolic. The merger design team’s effectiveness on task is congruent with the model of team effectiveness proposed by Hackman (2002). Lastly, the role of underlying assumptions, espoused values and beliefs, and artifacts that makes up the organization’s culture falls within the parameters set forth by Schein (2004).

Details

Advances in Library Administration and Organization
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-744-3

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 1992

Yaakov Weber and David M. Schweiger

This paper proposes an anthropology‐based theoretical model describing the impact of top management culture clash on the commitment of the acquired team to the new organization…

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Abstract

This paper proposes an anthropology‐based theoretical model describing the impact of top management culture clash on the commitment of the acquired team to the new organization and on its cooperation with the acquiring team. It suggests that three factors are influential, namely the degree of cultural differences, the nature of the contact between the teams, and the intended level of integration between the companies. The paper generates numerous propositions for predicting the impact of the culture clash. It also offers suggestions for further theoretical and empirical study, and presents some of the model's practical implications.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 3 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Article
Publication date: 25 September 2017

Frank Fitzpatrick

The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the use of the term “culture shock” in international management studies and cross-cultural research and to propose a paradigmatic shift…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the use of the term “culture shock” in international management studies and cross-cultural research and to propose a paradigmatic shift in how the term is understood for future research. The experience of “culture shock” is an established concept within international management studies, engendering an industry of training designed to combat difficulties in relocation. This paper argues that the use of concept is based on a flawed understanding of “culture” and proposes an alternative perspective to help organisations prepare their employees for overseas assignments.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper opts for a critical review of literature to examine models of culture shock through time and theories relating to success factors in cross-cultural adjustment. In so doing, the paper revisits the notion of culture shock from a social constructionist perspective within a dialectical framework.

Findings

The paper challenges the notion of culture as an essential, reified concept, arguing that culture shock is not about culture, but about the dynamics of context and how individuals deal with life changes to navigate the challenges that they face.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should focus on context-related, interactive behaviour, framed in discourse processes, rather than predetermined a priori typologies based on cultural stereotypes. This would recognise the discursive nature of social interaction within a dialectical framework, where relational tension emerges as a result of disparity.

Practical implications

The paper contributes to an understanding of the complex range of factors influencing the success of relocation to guide international companies in their policies.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a paradigm shift in the treatment of culture shock towards a more discourse-based concept created through universal cultural and dialectical processes.

Details

critical perspectives on international business, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-2043

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Article
Publication date: 8 May 2017

Anjali Bansal

In the literature of mergers and social justice, equality is regarded as a crucial phenomenon to achieve social integration. This paper is based on the philosophy that during…

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Abstract

Purpose

In the literature of mergers and social justice, equality is regarded as a crucial phenomenon to achieve social integration. This paper is based on the philosophy that during mergers and acquisitions (M&As), the employees who experience the equal distribution of resources, equal respect to each other’s policies and procedures, and fair and respectful interactions, are more likely to have a sense of control and lower social isolation and hence tend to get influenced positively by the M&A process. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between perceived organizational justice and employee feelings of alienation during post-M&As.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey research design has been used. This study was undertaken on a sample of 315 employees from five organizations in India. The quantitative data were subjected to univariate and bivariate analysis, while qualitative data were subjected to relational content analysis. Different dimensions of justice were studied in relation to the feelings of alienation using multiple correlational analysis and hierarchical regression analysis.

Findings

Multiple correlational analyses revealed significant negative correlation of perceived organizational justice and of all of its dimensions with all the dimensions of alienation. However, the results of the hierarchical regression analysis found interactional justice and distributive justice to be the major predictors of alienation during M&As. Apart from the quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis also revealed interesting insights, unique to the individual organization.

Originality/value

The study has significant value for both MNCs and researchers. This study has strong implications for the multinational corporations that are making inroads into M&As but consistently failing due to employee issues. This study also presents future directions to the researchers to explore more in the area of soft issues of M&As.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 30 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

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Article
Publication date: 30 August 2021

Jaehyun Kim, Andrew Mowen, Benjamin Hickerson, Alan Graefe and Melissa Bopp

During exposure to new cultures, immigrants face numerous life changes and challenges, which negatively affect mental health, yet environmental supports may address these…

Abstract

Purpose

During exposure to new cultures, immigrants face numerous life changes and challenges, which negatively affect mental health, yet environmental supports may address these concerns. This study aims to examine how neighborhood quality, acculturation and acculturative stress are associated with immigrants’ mental health.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consisted of 511 Asian immigrants who were born in their country of origin and immigrated to the USA. Path analysis using analysis of moment structures (version 22.0) was conducted to test the hypothesized model.

Findings

The results from the path analysis indicated that perceived neighborhood quality and acculturative stress had direct effects on mental health among Asian immigrants. The study also found a significant indirect pathway to mental health where more favorable perceptions of neighborhood quality were associated with higher levels of acculturation and lower levels of acculturative stress, which, in turn, resulted in better mental health.

Originality/value

The results of the study highlight the importance of improving neighborhood quality as a means by which to facilitate cultural adjustment/adaptation to US culture and thus, improve mental health among Asian immigrants. In addition, the authors suggested considering cultural origin in designing health programs and/or policies for Asian immigrants, which could promote mental health among Asian immigrants. Based on the results of the model, this study produced insightful information and suggestions on how to improve Asian immigrants’ mental health more effectively.

Details

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-9894

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 25 November 2021

Sara Castro-Olivo, Jessica Furrer and Nicholas Yoder

Latino youth represent more than one quarter of the overall public school population in the United States. For decades, Latinos have been found to perform significantly lower than…

Abstract

Latino youth represent more than one quarter of the overall public school population in the United States. For decades, Latinos have been found to perform significantly lower than their peers in standardized academic and some social and emotional measures. A unique subpopulation of this ethnic group, Latino Youth of Immigration (LYOI), has historically been underrepresented in the research literature, specifically, attempting to identify effective interventions that align with their unique social, emotional, and academic needs. In this chapter, we describe the unique sociocultural risk and protective factors for this population. In addition, we provide a brief synthesis of the extant literature on the sociocultural factors that researchers and practitioners need to address in partnership with the LYOI community when developing and implementing preventative programs. We emphasize the unique impact culturally responsive social and emotional learning (SEL) can have in this population. In addition, we provide models and examples on how school-based interventions can be implemented in a transformative manner for this vulnerable population, highlighting implications for researchers and practitioners to better collaborate with the LYOI community.

Book part
Publication date: 19 July 2022

Rebecca Stroud Stasel

The internationalization of education introduces notable cross-cultural challenges and benefits for consideration by scholars of comparative and international education. When

Abstract

The internationalization of education introduces notable cross-cultural challenges and benefits for consideration by scholars of comparative and international education. When teachers move overseas to work, they become sojourners, “between-society culture travelers” (Ward et al., 2005, p. 6). Living and working between cultures offers a substantial set of both challenges and opportunities. Acculturation theory (Sam & Berry, 2006) was initially understood as culture shock (Oberg, 1960), an occupational malady. Acculturation theory seeks to explain adaptation processes and has mostly examined sojourners whose intent is to permanently adapt to a new culture. Educators who are sojourners require temporary states of adaptation. This chapter narrates a subset of a qualitative study examining educator acculturation from an asset orientation to explore what benefits acculturation offers to sojourning educators who work in international schools overseas. Findings include that even highly stressful episodes of culture shock can manifest in long-term benefits, such as the development of personal and professional resilience and self-leadership strategies, as well as the reflective curating of one’s personal and professional identity, which may include the development of an interstitial identity. These benefits serve to increase educators’ cultural competencies, to prepare educators for supporting sojourning students who are acculturating, and to prepare educators for smoother acculturation experiences afterwards.

Details

Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2021
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-618-9

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Article
Publication date: 11 July 2023

Riana Schreuders, Andreia Carita and Suzanne van Aswegen

Self-initiated expatriates (SIE) women's career decisions are often based on the establishment of close personal relationships in various spheres of life. This paper aims to…

Abstract

Purpose

Self-initiated expatriates (SIE) women's career decisions are often based on the establishment of close personal relationships in various spheres of life. This paper aims to explore the effects of social isolation in times of crisis on SIE women's work, psychological and general adjustment.

Design/methodology/approach

The model of expatriate women's adjustment by Caligiuri and Lazarova (2002) is reviewed and adapted to account for the impact of social isolation and loneliness on SIE women's adjustment and professional development in a crisis context. The interplay between duration and intensity of crisis and acculturative stress over time is highlighted; danger zones for potential maladjustment are identified, and adjustment-as-a-crisis context are incorporated into the model.

Findings

The spillover effects between different life spaces in times of isolation have a negative impact on SIE women's ability to develop supportive relationships in different life spaces. The organization becomes the main point of contact with the host culture, but pressure to perform, uncertain contracts, gendered role division and the experience of a double crisis add to the existing acculturative stress which may lead to maladjustment or further fit-dependent crisis over time.

Originality/value

The authors contribute to the theoretical understanding of the impact of social isolation on a single, vulnerable acculturating group, by expanding on an existing static model of adjustment, to account for the temporal (time) and spatial (multi-dimensional crisis context) constraints faced by SIE women which has not been done before.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 28 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

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