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Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Family resilience has become an important concept in mental health and family research over the past twenty years. An assessment tool that was found to assess this concept within western English-speaking populations is the Family Resilience Assessment Scale (FRAS). The FRAS was developed by Sixbey and is based on Walsh’s model of family resilience, a prominent theorist in family resilience research. A recent study has translated and adapted the original scale into Afrikaans, which is one of the eleven official languages of South Africa. This was done for the FRAS to be utilised in a context other than the one it was developed for.

Bibliography: p. 191-205. / This dissertation seeks to determine how the socio-economic and political changes, following the 1989 revolutions in Central Europe, have found reflection and led to the emergence of interest groups in the education debate. It looks at the reforms initiated by the new ruling .power-elite in Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. This reform process, embodying the value system of the new governments, has led, the dissertation seeks to show, directly to new and vibrant interest groups on the educational landscape. This study identifies the seven prominent interest groups - seeking to satisfy their own interests - which engage the government in the education policy making arena. This policy making arena, which I refer to as the "arena of power", is analysed through focussing on the relationship of power between the seven interest groups and the state. The Halasz (1986: 123) classification of interest groups in communist Hungary in 1986, forms the point of departure for my examination of post-1989 interest groups. Each chapter highlights the circumstances that influenced the development of interest groups and the extent of their participation in reforms. The dissertation concludes with a reclassification of post-1989 interest groups in Central Europe, in order to facilitate a better understanding of the dynamics of interest groups in the "arena of power".

The purpose of this randomized experimental design was to determine the impact of a culturally adapted family-based intervention program on parenting styles. A secondary purpose was to determine the impact of cultural factors, biculturalism and familism, on the parenting styles of parents who participated in the family intervention, as compared to those who did not participate in the intervention. The sample consisted mostly of Haitian parents whose youth, ages 13-17, were involved in the juvenile justice system in South Florida. Twenty-one parents were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 15) and comparison group, or standard of care (n = 6). This study was a substudy of a larger scale study that was conducted at a major university in South Florida. Participants in the family-based intervention group received an evidence-based intervention that was adapted to their cultural needs and language preferences. The intervention lasted between 3-4 months. Participants in the comparison group were those in the standard of care, or treatment as usual group, who were referred to community-based organizations for counseling services. A pretest-posttest design was used to examine the effects of the culturally adapted intervention on parenting styles and familism. Parenting styles were measured using the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ, Robinson et al., 1995) and familism was measured using the Attitudinal Familism Scale (Lugo Steidel & Contreras, 2003). T-test analyses were used to determine statistical significance of the variables and gain scores were calculated for the intervention group and comparison group. Pearson’s r correlation coefficient was also used to explore any significant relationships between the dependent variables, parenting styles and familism, and parenting styles and biculturalism. Biculturalism was measured using the Bicultural Involvement Questionnaire (Szapocznik et al., 1980). / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (PhD)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The aim of the study was to investigate how the Swedish managerial leadership applies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and to what extent they need to adapt their leadership due to the context which they are in. Six semi-structured interviews were made, and the results shows that the conditions for Swedish leaders is better in a context higher educational level among the employees and where the employees also express that they value the Swedish leader’s education and professional background. The study also shows that the participants to a high extent need to use an adaptive leadership approach to match the various contexts they work in. The leadership style the participants mostly use is a mixture of what they have learned in their new environment with their roots still in the Swedish approach. The study also shows that that the outcome of leadership can be affected by the different cultures and hierarchies within the different organisations. It is therefore necessary for the Swedish mangers to have a cultural intelligence and characteristics that can meet both the demands of the employees and the employer who often are of different educational and cultural backgrounds. This balance between the historical leadership in the UAE and the new Western leadership is something that the Swedish managers need to bring with them in their everyday work.

This project was conducted with the objective of measuring differences between U.S. American and Chinese preferences for specific leadership characteristics and behaviors. An online survey was administered to U.S. American and Chinese nationals working in U.S.-based multinational corporations (MNCs). Respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which they considered 112 characteristics or behaviors to contribute to or inhibit effective leadership. The data were statistically analyzed to measure variances in how the two samples responded to each item, and to provide insight into what characteristics or behaviors contribute to or inhibit effective leadership in China and in the U.S. The research findings were compared with cross-cultural/intercultural leadership literature, in particular the global leadership and organizational behavior effectiveness project (GLOBE). Several of the findings of this study are similar to those previous research projects conducted on U.S. and Chinese people. Specifically, charismatic and team oriented leadership, which previous research suggests are universal facilitators of effective leadership, were found to facilitate effective leadership. Additionally, many of the individual leader attributes found to facilitate effective leadership in the U.S and China respectively, were also reported to do so in this study. However, the findings also suggest that Chinese orientation towards uncertainty may be weakening, whereas the U.S. data provide a moderate level of support that suggests that the U.S. orientation along the in-group collectivism dimension is strengthening. Unfortunately, due to an unexpectedly small sample size, the findings of this project are limited in their utility. This project did, however, provide invaluable insight into the process of leadership research in China that will inform the design and further define the scope of the second phase of the research.

Shalom Schwartz invented the theory of Basic Human Values in 1987 – based on a study in which the quantitative data he collected, had been organised within an obscure manner. His theory has been validated and positioned as the universal way all individuals organise their values on a personal and cultural level, and has been researched in over 70 countries. South African researchers have however found significant challenges in replicating Schwartz's model within this multi-cultural society, and have ascribed the difficulties to ‘unintended item biases' within Schwartz's measurement instruments. This has been observed when utilising two different measurement instruments, as well as when further assessing ‘finer' sub-value types. A viable quantitative trend in utilising non-verbal assessment techniques has emerged, but has not been adapted for adults yet. In addition, Schwartz's theory has largely only been explored from a quantitative perspective, since its inception in 1987. Only four qualitative studies could be traced within Values-research which all highlighted a different way values were constructed and ordered, through utilising psycho-lexical research methodology. This type of research methodology does not necessarily highlight the effect of socio-economic and educational disparities within its participant's constructions, which Schwartz' highlighted a possible effect within South African research efforts. This study utilised a Social Constructionist approach known as Foucauldian Discourse Analysis to assist in deconstructing the ecology of values-talk from South African participants' linguistic expressions. Four focus group discussions were conducted across four different racial groups (White; Black; Indian and Coloured), as a means for unlocking the different discourses which govern the different ways in which South Africans ‘talk' about personal values. The analysis uncovered five different discourses which were activated and replicated throughout discussions – when constructing values which embraced participants socio-economic and educational positions. These discourses seemed to function in a complimentary and opposing nature at times, depending on the value being discussed. These constructions were compared to Schwartz's Basic Human Values model, and similarities and differences in constructions were discussed. In addition, the research findings were scrutinised to see how they could inform future qualitative research efforts to further explore how Schwartz's Basic Human Values model is ‘lived'. Finally, the study discusses its limitations and various considerations researchers would need to employ, when considering applying non-verbal assessment methodology within an abstract topic like values. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Human Resource Management / MCom / Unrestricted

The purpose of this thesis was to analyze culture’s influence on emotional intelligence between Mexican and Swedish leaders among multinational teams. The theoretical chapter has presented relevant theories relating to the field of research. Starting with globalization and internationalization, continuing with leadership and management. Thereafter, emotional intelligence and culture were defined. Followed by crosscultural management and multinational teams. A conceptual framework was illustrated to understand the logic behind the concepts. To gain a deeper understanding a qualitative method was applied. Further the thesis has pursued a deductive research approach. Purposive sampling was done to ensure the quality of the thesis. Furthermore, the empirical chapter presents the cases, followed by the operationalization, to establish a coherent order. In the analysis, the empirical material is linked to the theoretical framework. Lastly, the final chapter includes conclusions, implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed. The outcome of this study has provided an understanding of the high importance of emotional intelligence amongst international business leaders. Furthermore, the findings in this thesis indicate that there are more similarities than differences regarding emotional intelligence between Mexican and Swedish leaders among multinational teams. Moreover, the thesis material emphasizes that nationality has a minor influence on emotional intelligence. It is rather other cultural aspects that have a greater impact.

Face à la concurrence exacerbée, la prescription d’achat peut être stratégique pour les organisations. Dans des contextes de décision difficiles, la prescription d’achat devient indispensable pour certains consommateurs. La revue de la littérature révèle des carences, des contradictions et un manque de confrontations terrain à propos des quelques théories et propositions émises sur ce concept. Qu’est-ce que la prescription d’achat ? Quel est son poids parmi les principales caractéristiques de décision d’achat ? Quel est l’impact de la culture ? Une étude qualitative menée en France auprès de 10 vétérinaires prescripteurs et 10 acheteurs d’aliments pour animaux de compagnie permet de mieux définir la prescription d’achat, et de valider ou rejeter les précédents apports sur ce thème. A l’aide du Consumer Styles Inventory (Sproles et Kendall 1986), une étude quantitative auprès de 308 acheteurs français et 221 acheteurs chinois d’aliments pour animaux de compagnie valide la sensibilité à la prescription comme caractéristique fondamentale de décision d’achat. Elle a un poids modéré selon le style de décision émergent, mais son rôle est discriminant dans la constitution des segments en France. Elle est positivement et significativement associée au perfectionnisme, à la fidélité, à l’hédonisme et à la confusion ; elle l’est négativement et significativement au prix. Alors qu’il y a une différence significative dans les styles de décision d’achat des français et des chinois, ce n’est pas le cas pour la sensibilité à la prescription. Les principaux apports théoriques et méthodologiques portent sur une meilleure définition de la prescription d’achat, sur la mesure du concept et sur sa présence au sein de deux cultures pourtant opposées. Pour les organisations, cette recherche souligne la valeur ajoutée que constitue le prescripteur face aux indécisions des acheteurs. Celles positionnées sur le haut de gamme sont encouragées à mettre en place des réseaux de prescripteurs pour faciliter leurs ventes. Une série de recommandations opérationnelles en découlent. / In highly competitive markets, shopping prescription may be strategic for organizations. In complex decision-making situations, shopping prescription is useful for some consumers. Literature review reveals gaps, contradictions and field shortcomings about this concept. What brand prescription is? What is its weight among the main decision-making characteristics? What is the impact of culture? A qualitative study conducted in France with 10 vet prescribers and 10 pet food buyers helps to better define this concept, and validate or reject previous contributions to this topic. Using the Consumer Styles Inventory (Sproles et Kendall 1986), a quantitative survey with 308 french and 221 chinese pet food buyers validates prescription consciousness as a fundamental decision-making characteristic. It has a moderate weight within the main decision-making style, but its role is discriminant on the cluster formation in France. It is positiveley and significantly associated with perfectionism, loyalty, hedonism and confusion while it is negatively and sinificantly to price. There is a significant difference in decision-making styles between French and Chinese, but this is not true for prescription consciousness. The main theoretical and methodological contributions are a better definition of this concept, its measurement scale and its presence in both but divergent cultures. From a managerial standpoint, this research highlights the added value brought by prescribers. Companies positioned on the high end market are encouraged to set up prescribers networks to ease sales. A series of operational recommendations arise from there.