ABSTRACT Title: Cross-cultural management in international construction projects: Case study of China Machinery Industry Construction Group Inc. Level: Final assignment for Master Degree in Business Administration Author: Yuan Liu, You Li Supervisor: Aihie Osarenkhoe Examinor: Maria Fregidon-Malama Date: 2014.04.18 Aim : This study presents the characteristic and current status of the international construction projects, and figure out which barriers caused by cross-cultural differences the multinational corporations and enterprise would face, as well as the solutions for these barriers. Method: This study was carried out by using a qualitative and quantitative research method. We gathered relevant information by conducting questionnaire to Chinese employees working in Congo, Rep and interviews which include four managers of China Machinery Industry Construction Group Inc (CMICGI). By comparing the literature review and finding, we find barriers caused by cross cultural differences and relevant solutions. Result & Conclusions : Through the literature review associating with the analysis of the questionnaire and interview, we find out that there are nine barriers in the project, the reason why they appeared and how them influence the projects. We also find solutions to solve the barriers. Suggestions for future research: This study restricted to geographical and time, it only included one company and one country. More cases can be concluded in future research. Contributions for the study: The study results show how barrier case of cross-cultural different impact in international construction project. We also - 3 - contribute the evaluation for each barrier. Cultural differences between multinational trading are frequently neglected by firms but have a significant impact. Our research can help more companies to find some problems which they usually ignored. KEYWORDS — Cross-cultural management, Barriers, Cross-cultural difference, International construction projects, Identification, Evaluation

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The problem of this study is to compare character judgments of a sample Korean population with character judgments of a sample American population, based upon viewing a sample of Caucasian photographs. Both Korean and American sample populations and photographs comprising the instrument are determined by random sampling techniques.

Although recent data suggest the existence of anti-fat attitudes, fear of fatness, and maladaptive eating attitudes among Indian women, few researchers have examined the cross-cultural validity of their instruments before assessing Indian samples. The present study assessed the measurement equivalence of three related measures, the Anti-Fat Attitudes Scale, the Goldfarb Fear of Fat Scale, and the Eating Attitudes Test-26, and tested the invariance of latent means among Indian (n = 226) and Euro-American (n = 211) female college students. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses using maximum likelihood estimation with robust standard errors demonstrated reasonable measurement equivalence of the instruments across Indian and Euro-American groups. Confidence interval comparisons of latent means suggested that the Indians and Euro-Americans did not differ significantly in levels of fear of fatness or eating attitudes, but there were some group differences in anti-fat attitudes. Structural equation modeling suggested that fear of fatness and anti-fat attitudes predict about 66% of the variance in Indian eating attitudes; however, these results must be interpreted cautiously due to a poorly fitting measurement model. Results of multiple regression analyses suggested that the eating attitudes of the Indian respondents were not significantly predicted by theirsocioeconomic status or degree of Westernization. In conclusion, these data suggest that there are some similarities, but also some important differences, in the eating-related attitudes and behaviors of Euro-American and Indian women.

This dissertation investigates whether cultural competence, defined as a person’s ability to interact effectively with others from a different cultural background or in a cross-cultural setting, predicts expatriate adjustment and job performance more effectively than other individual-level predictors such as personality and local language proficiency. Rather than simply focusing on the predictive validity of cultural competence, this study also explores a process model that could explain the link between cultural competence and expatriate job performance by proposing a mediating variable of cross-cultural adjustment. Lastly, in a more integrated way, this study examines how the relationship between expatriate adjustment and job performance may be better understood by two potential moderating variables: conscientiousness and expatriate assignment nature. For testing the proposed hypotheses, expatriates in a Fortune 500 company were invited to participate in a web-based survey. Responses about their international assignment experience were obtained from 338 expatriates located in 43 countries, and their supervisors. A set of multiple regression analyses were conducted and three major findings emerged. First, the analyses confirmed the important role of some individual difference such as conscientiousness and local language proficiency in expatriate assignment effectiveness, consistent with the literature. Second, the results showed the unique roles of some cultural competence dimensions in predicting expatriate adjustment and job performance, beyond the effects of other important individual-level variables. Lastly, the results also demonstrated a process model of the effect of motivational cultural competence on expatriate job performance: motivational cultural competence works through work adjustment to influence expatriate job performance. Taken together, these findings provide more comprehensive knowledge about whether and how certain individual differences are related more effectively to expatriate assignment effectiveness. In practical terms, this research has implications regarding expatriate selection and development, in order to improve the chances of success in international assignments.

It is well accepted that casualties incurred as a result of interstate militarized disputes have a significant influence on domestic public opinion and ultimately on foreign policy decision making (FPDM). Although scholars have studied the influence of casualties on FPDM, the major line of research ignores the possibility that different cultural settings may generate different levels of tolerance for human casualties and thereby differentially mediate public reactions. Therefore, I attempt to clarify the impact of cultural factors on interpretation and perception of human casualties in international conflicts by the general public and their implications on consequent foreign policy choices. I specifically examine two socio-cultural factors in the context of two culturally different states, South Korea and the United States. The two cultural factors are (1) the level of individualism vs. collectivism, and (2) the degree of ambiguity intolerance. I argue that the two factors will possibly affect the public’s tolerance of human casualties. I expect that they will affect both the process by which members of the two cultures make decisions and their choices. Cross-national experimental design (in South Korea and the United States) and a comparative case study were employed. Regarding the decision choice, I found that the expected number of casualties were considered in different ways by American students and Korean students. Different from my expectation, the Korean students perceived the expected number of casualties more negatively than the American students. With regard to the process of decision making, the empirical results support the hypotheses that the different levels of intolerance of ambiguity, a cultural factor, will have an impact on the decision process. Specifically, Korean students, who are less tolerant of ambiguity, needed less information to reach a final decision than did American students. Overall, although the results did not completely support cultural accounts, cultural explanation has been proven to be a viable ingredient in explaining the different observed patterns of foreign policy decision making. Specifically, a cultural factor, ambiguity intolerance, had an impact on the process rather than the choice. In addition, this study presents some theoretical implications as well as political implications.

The unprecedented growth of international business has resulted in an increased volume of face-to-face negotiations between parties from different cultures. The importance of cross-cultural negotiation in today¡¦s business environment is reflected in the growing body of negotiation literature. However, there is a notable void in negotiation research regarding the impact of culturally divergent modes of nonverbal communication. The purpose of this paper is to identify the key linkages between the disparate fields of cross-cultural negotiation and nonverbal communication. A model illustrating how key determinants of nonverbal communication affect cross-cultural negotiation is presented. The goal of the model is to provide some valuable insights into how negotiators from diverse backgrounds communicate on a nonverbal level, and how divergences in nonverbal communication affect the negotiation process and outcomes.

Although recent data suggest the existence of anti-fat attitudes, fear of fatness, and maladaptive eating attitudes among Indian women, few researchers have examined the cross-cultural validity of their instruments before assessing Indian samples. The present study assessed the measurement equivalence of three related measures, the Anti-Fat Attitudes Scale, the Goldfarb Fear of Fat Scale, and the Eating Attitudes Test-26, and tested the invariance of latent means among Indian (n = 226) and Euro-American (n = 211) female college students. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses using maximum likelihood estimation with robust standard errors demonstrated reasonable measurement equivalence of the instruments across Indian and Euro-American groups. Confidence interval comparisons of latent means suggested that the Indians and Euro-Americans did not differ significantly in levels of fear of fatness or eating attitudes, but there were some group differences in anti-fat attitudes. Structural equation modeling suggested that fear of fatness and anti-fat attitudes predict about 66% of the variance in Indian eating attitudes; however, these results must be interpreted cautiously due to a poorly fitting measurement model. Results of multiple regression analyses suggested that the eating attitudes of the Indian respondents were not significantly predicted by theirsocioeconomic status or degree of Westernization. In conclusion, these data suggest that there are some similarities, but also some important differences, in the eating-related attitudes and behaviors of Euro-American and Indian women.

Thesis (M.A. (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 146-155).

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.