Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how and to what degree Swedish multinational companies (MNCs) adapt to local conditions when they establish subsidiaries in China, and if cultural differences play an important role in their operations. Background: The major challenge for MNCs establishing abroad is the configuration and integration of their country subsidiaries (Galbraith, 2000). Therefore, it is vital to understand how activities within an organization, such as structures, processes, reward systems, and people practices, should be designed in order for the company to be as efficient as possible (Weiss, 2007; Kesler & Kates, 2011). Swedish direct investments in China have increased significantly in the late 2000s, especially in the eastern regions, where a majority of about 650 Swedish companies in China are located (Swedish Trade Council, 2012a). Establishing across borders is a step towards future growth, but it is important to note that a cross-border expansion comes with many challenges (Galbraith, 2000). Method: This study uses a qualitative research method by investigating the experiences and practices of two Swedish multinational companies with operations in Shanghai, China. Information has been collected from eight respondents in the form of interviews and open-ended questionnaires. Conclusion: Swedish MNCs standardize their organization to a large extent when they establish subsidiaries in China, and culture has a slight influence on the practices of Swedish MNCs but does not play a major role for the business as a whole.

Can the lack of functional cross-cultural communication among individuals within an international organization be the reason for cultural clashes to occur, and lead to conflict between two cultures within the same organization? Our aim is to try to create a potential model of how cross-cultural problems can be studied, in order to contribute to the solution of the problem. And to examine whether the theories, which form the basis of our model can be applied in reality. The research have assumed from the hermeneutical approach for a holistic view of the problem area. The deductive approach has been used in order to distinguish whether the theories can be applied to reality, and qualitative research method for collecting data. The focus lies within cross-cultural communications, which defines the various cultural factors that can affect organizational culture. Hofstede dimensions and the social structure are mentioned and cultural factors as language and religion. The piece includes the national and organizational culture theory and the establishment strategies. Subsequently the culture clashes, the international business relations and conflict resolution. Our conclusion is that culture clashes occur and the further away from our own values, attitudes and norms, we get, the more tolerant we relate to other cultures. We note that organizational culture is influenced by individuals which constitutes in it and the theory and reality may not always correspond. That culture is a complexity to study, where tolerance, acceptance and understanding are the most important tools for cross-cultural communication.

Thesis (Master of Military Studies)-Marine Corps Command and Staff College, 2008. / Title from title page of PDF document (viewed on: Feb 5, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

Cette thèse porte sur la voix charismatique dans le cadre du leadership politique. L'hypothèse générale est que le locuteur-leader utilise sa voix selon deux fonctions. Une fonction primaire, biologique, qui est d'utiliser les modulations de fréquence fondamentale pour être reconnu comme le leader du groupe. Une fonction secondaire, apprise et dépendante de la langue parlée et de la culture d'appartenance, qui est de modifier la qualité de la voix pour véhiculer différents traits et types de charisme dans le but de persuader l'auditoire et atteindre certains buts. La première étape a été de décrire le phénomène du charisme avec une théorie socio-cognitive qui distingue le charisme de l'esprit (la pensée, les actions et le visionnarisme du leader exprimés à travers le langage écrit et verbal) du charisme du corps (tout comportement non verbal utilisé pour exprimer son message ainsi que ses affects et émotions). De plus, des recherches empiriques ont permit de récolter des adjectifs décrivant les traits positifs et négatifs du charisme propres au français, à l'italien et au portugais brésilien. Enfin, un outil appelé MASCharP a été développé pour évaluer les traits du charisme d'un individu à partir de tout comportement perceptible. La deuxième étape d'étude concerne la description acoustique et perceptive de la voix charismatique. Une première phase a consisté à créer des profils vocaux des leaders masculins français, italiens et portugais brésiliens, dans le but de représenter l'extension vocale du leader lors de différents contextes de communication (formels vs. informels). Les profils vocaux montrent l'adoption, par les leaders, d'une stratégie vocale liée au contexte de communication et à leur stratégie persuasive. Ces résultats montrent des similarités inter-langagières et culturelles du comportement vocal entre leaders. La deuxième phase expérimentale sur la voix charismatique démontre l'influence de la qualité de voix des phrases sur la perception de différents types et attributs du leadership charismatique. Le locuteur-leader utilise sa production vocale pour être reconnu comme le leader du groupe. Ceci est valable dans tous les contextes de communication formels où le leader doit exprimer son leadership et a un but persuasif à atteindre. S'il veut soumettre les membres du groupe et souhaite apparaître comme un leader dominant ou menaçant, il utilise une fréquence fondamentale basse associée à des types phonatoires comme le creaky. S'il veut être perçu comme un leader sincère, calme et rassurant, il utilise une fréquence fondamentale plus haute associée à sa voix modale, évitant des types de phonation comme le harsh. Cela est la fonction primaire de la voix charismatique. Enfin, ces travaux de recherche montrent que les traits du leader charismatique, dans le discours politique, sont filtrés par le contexte langagier et culturel d'interaction partagé entre leader et partisans. L'utilisation de la voix pour véhiculer différents types de charisme, caractérises par des attributs différents, est filtrée par la langue et la culture qui favorisent l'émergence de comportements vocaux charismatiques, prototypiques et qui correspondent à l'attente inhérente de l'auditoire. Cela est la fonction secondaire de la voix charismatique. / This dissertation analyzes the charismatic voice in the context of political leadership. It is shown that the speaker-leader uses his/her voice based on two functions. The primary function is biological and consists of manipulating changes in fundamental frequency in order to be recognized as the leader of the group. The secondary function is learned and dependent upon the language spoken and the culture that one belongs to, and consists of changing voice quality in order to convey different traits and types of charisma. These functions are employed in order to persuade an audience and achieve certain goals. The phenomenon of charisma is first addressed through social-cognitive theory that distinguishes charisma of the mind (the leader's thought, actions, and vision expressed through written and spoken language) from charisma of the body (all non-verbal behaviors used for expressing one's message, affects, and emotions. Certain adjectives were established through empirical research to describe positive and negative traits in French, Italian, and Brazilian Portuguese speech. The tool MASCharP (Multi-dimensional Adjective-based Scale of Charisma Perception) was then developed in order to evaluate the charismatic traits of an individual's perceptible behavior. The study then establishes an acoustic and perceptual description of the charismatic voice. Speech range profiles are created for French, Italian, and Brazilian male leaders in order to represent the leaders' vocal extension in different communication contexts (formal vs. informal). The voice profiles demonstrate how the leaders adopt a particular vocal strategy related to the communication context as well as the leaders' persuasive strategy. These results show cross-language and cross-cultural similarities in leaders' vocal behavior. The following experimental phase demonstrates the influence of voice quality on the perception of different types and attributes of charismatic leadership. The speaker-leader uses his vocal production to be recognized as the leader of a group. This is true for all formal communication contexts wherein the leader must express his leadership and has a persuasive goal to achieve. If he wants to submit group members and hopes to appear as a dominant or threatening leader, the leader uses a low fundamental frequency associated with phonatory types such as creaky voice. If he wants to be perceived as a sincere, calm, and reassuring, he uses a higher fundamental frequency associated with his modal voice, avoiding phonatory types such as harsh voice. This is the primary function of the charismatic voice. Lastly, this study shows that, in political discourse, the traits of a charismatic leader are filtered by the language and cultural context of the interaction. The secondary function of the charismatic voice is therefore addressed: the use of one's voice for conveying different types of charisma, as characterized by varying attributes, is filtered through the language and culture that favor certain charismatic vocal behaviors which serve as prototypes that correspond to the audience's inherent expectations.

The purpose of this study is to look for influencing factors on virtual knowledge sharing in Chinese context. To achieve this, a literature review was conducted using the systematic approach described by Webster & Watson (2002). There has been made quite a lot of research about knowledge sharing and virtual communities in Chinese context, but I have not found any literature review that synthesizes it. 14 factors, modeled as concepts, were found in 35 articles, and then synthesized like a concept model. The factors are: face; collectivism; guanxi; in-group/out-group distinction; modesty; hierarchy; competitiveness; informal communication; instant messaging; Confucian dynamism; incentives; language; time spent/time saved, and trust. Research gaps, trends, and implications for developers and managers are discussed. The value of this literature review is that it will make it easier for future scholars and researchers that are doing research in knowledge sharing. This paper also provides useful knowledge for developers and managers of knowledge sharing systems in Chinese contexts.

The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to describe the teachers' perceptions of pedagogy and examine their cross-cultural strategies regarding culturally responsive teaching of K-12 students. Indigenous students of the Northwest Territories (NWT) face academic challenges in a Eurocentric educational system. Tribal critical race theory and Eurocentric diffusionism provided the conceptual framework in this study. Six participants were interviewed and their narratives were triangulated by a 5-member focus group. The research questions focused on the teachers' strategies for building bridges between the Eurocentric and Native ways. Participants were interviewed and their responses created individual stories, which added to the meaning making. Fifteen themes were identified using open and axial coding. The findings showed a teacher proclivity for pedagogy infused with Indigenous thought, and an understanding that residential schooling was intrusive to Indigenous life. Participants presented an anti-Eurocentric diffusionist stance, advocating for schooling that matches Indigenous life and is devoted to a dynamic home-school culture directed at closing the achievement gap with the rest of Canada. This study contributes to social change by providing supporting evidence for the need to involve Indigenous students in the development of their education.

It is increasingly common that organizations enter different forms of collaborations to extend their capabilities in order to reach mutual goals and remain competitive on a rapidly changing market. Due to a gap in literature on cross-cultural collaborations, the purpose of this study is to explore how to increase organizational efficiency in a cross-brand, cross-cultural project. A collaborative project within the TRATON GROUP is observed with a focus on the Swedish and German automotive companies Scania and MAN. With the aim to portray the current situation of challenges within the collaborative project and to suggest improvements for efficiency, two research questions are developed.The study is initiated by gaining an understanding of the specific case and, in parallel, conducting a literature research. By the incorporation of factors for collaborative work and critical success factors for projects, a model of critical collaboration factors is developed and used to map the empirical results to previous research. The model contains several factors that are believed to aid collaborations in increased efficiency. Next, the empirical results are gathered through a total of eleven qualitative interviews with employees from Scania, MAN, and TRATON. Two specific working areas within the collaboration project are chosen as unit of analysis, due to one of them having progressed better than the other one and could therefore provide the study with a practical comparison of project progress.Conclusively, the aim of the study is answered by combining existing literature with a comparison of the working areas within the collaboration project. The study shows that corporate cultures can influence organizational structures and approaches, which leads to several challenges and differences in their ways of working. Although, efficiency can be increased by assessing the critical collaboration factors developed in the model. The study highlights that factors such as shared goals, common organizational structure, resource availability, match of competencies in teams, and relationship-building are strongly related to increased progress and efficiency. Lastly, recommendations to the commissioning firm are provided to bridge differences between the brands to increase their efficiency and progress. / Det blir allt vanligare att organisationer bildar olika former av samarbetsstrukturer för att utvidga sina kompetenser och förmågor för att kunna nå gemensamma mål och förbli konkurrenskraftig på en snabb-föränderlig marknad. På grund av en avsaknad av litteratur inom området med fokus på tvärkulturella samarbetsprojekt är syftet med denna studie att undersöka hur organisatorisk effektivitet påverkas av externa faktorer och kan förbättras i ett tvärkulturellt samarbetsprojekt mellan två företag. Ett samarbetsprojekt inom TRATON GROUP observeras med fokus på de svenska och tyska buss- och lastbilsföretagen Scania och MAN. Med syfte att beskriva samarbetsprojektets nuvarande utmaningar och att föreslå förbättringar för ökad effektivitet utvecklas två forskningsfrågor.Arbetet initieras med att förstå det specifika fallet genom intern dokumentation och möten med anställda, parallellt med en omfattande litteraturstudie. Genom att kombinera litteratur som bemöter samarbetsfaktorer och kritiska framgångsfaktorer för projekt, skapas en modell som sammanfattar kritiska samarbetsfaktorer. Denna modell innehåller faktorer som tros stödja samarbetsprojekt till ökad effektivitet och används i kartläggningen av empiriskt resultat mot teori. Det empiriska resultatet samlades in genom elva kvalitativa intervjuer med anställda från Scania, MAN och TRATON. Två specifika arbetsområden inom samarbetsprojektet mellan MAN och Scania väljs som analysenhet, på grund av studiens tidsbegränsning. Just dessa två arbetsområden väljs ut för att en av dem har haft bättre progress än den andra, vilket gör att en praktisk jämförelse mellan dem kan förse studien med ytterligare information.Sammanfattningsvis besvaras studiens syfte genom en praktisk jämförelse i kombination med tidigare litteratur. Studien pekar på att företagskultur kan påverka organisationsstrukturer och arbetssätt som kan leda till flera skillnader mellan samarbetspartners. Ökad effektivitet kan uppnås genom att använda sig av de kritiska samarbetsfaktorerna som har utvecklas i litteraturavsnittet. Studien belyser att ha ett delat mål, en gemensam organisationsstruktur, tillgång till resurser och att bygga relationer positivt påverkar progress och effektivitet. Till sist ges praktiska rekommendationer till samarbetsparterna för att brygga skillnader mellan dem i syfte att förbättra projektets effektivitet och progress.

There is evidence that industrialization and urbanization has led to an increase of immigration to urban areas for employment and has led to a change of family structure and connection between parents and adult children in Chinese societies. However, little research has compared different Chinese societies, as well as rural and non-rural regions. This study compared the adult children’s current level of filial piety, between non-rural and rural regions, and between males and females using data from an international study of countries in East Asia. Overall, China reported higher level of filial piety as compared to Taiwan. Moreover, for the regional differences, the China rural group also showed higher levels of filial piety than the China non-rural group. The gender differences between these two regions further explain this phenomenon. Both male and female non-rural groups and the female rural group reported similar amount of caregiving. However, the male rural China group reported significantly lower levels of caregiving than the female rural China group as well as both male and female non-rural groups. These results help fill the literature gap in contemporary filial piety between societies in East Asia.

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Cultural Aspects of Cartographic Creation: Use of Mental Maps in Cross-cultural Research Abstract: Diploma thesis deals with study of interdisciplinary issue of cultural aspects of cartographic creation. The first part of the work consists of theoretical introduction dealing with the map con- tent, map stylistics and map language, in which maps show the greatest cultural differences. The map figures here in a role of the image of reality and visual manifestation of culture. The analogy between a map and a classical language (linguistic anthropology) and the analogy between early maps and primitive cultures' maps are described. Beside the language, as determinants of the human spatial perception and other categories related to the map creation could be mentioned the environment, the experiences and the society, in which man lives. Several examples of so- called cultural map styles, especially from Australia and Oceania, are introduced as well. In the methodical part of the work in connection with cultural-anthropological research a method of cognitive maps, respectively mental maps of map users and map makers is discussed in detail. Just these maps are suitable to explore the cultural particularities of cartographic creation. The application part of the work presents the results of field research of mental...