Using the perspectives of individualism-collectivism, Social Cognitive Theory and other concepts such as gay community attachment, this study focused on issues of homosexual identification, disclosure and sexual risk practices in relation to cross-cultural differences among gay Asian and Caucasian men in Sydney. Mostly recruited from gay social venues, 19 gay Asian men participated in exploratory focus groups discussions, another 201 gay Caucasian and 199 gay Asian men completed an anonymous questionnaire, and a further 10 gay Caucasian and 9 gay Asian men took part in in-depth one-to-one interviews. The major findings were: gay Asian men tended to experience conflict, in being both gay and Asian, related to individualism and collectivism; the gay Asian and Caucasian men differed in various aspects of homosexual practice, but shared certain sexual traits and practices; self-efficacy in safe sex and gay community attachment were key factors associated with gay men???s sexual risk practices (???risk??? being defined as unprotected anal intercourse with any casual partners or with a regular partner whose HIV status was not concordant with the participant???s). This study provides evidence that the inclusion of individualism-collectivism, social cognitive variables and gay community factors in the examination of homosexual identity and practice among men of different cultural backgrounds holds promise. It further suggests that educational programs to encourage safe sex will continue to yield benefits from increasing individual awareness, confidence and ability to effectively deal with situations that could pose risks of HIV transmission.

The current study had two purposes. The first purpose was to examine the association between family rules and routines and first grade children's teacher-rated and peer-rated behavioral competencies (e.g., emotional symptoms, conduct problems, peer problems, hyperactivity, and prosocial behavior) after controlling for both family stressors (i.e., single parent home, mobility, socioeconomic status, property ownership) and child ethnicity (African American, Caucasian, Hispanic). The second purpose was to determine if child regulatory control abilities mediates the effects of family rules and routines and children's behavioral competencies. The parents of 215 ethnically diverse children (38%, Caucasian, 22% African American, 33% Hispanic, 7% Other) were interviewed in their homes with a modified and shortened version of Family Routines Inventory (FRI; Jensen, James, Boyce, & Hartnett, 1983). Teachers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997), and peers completed a modified version of the Class Play (Masten, Morison & Pelligrini, 1985). Scores from the SDQ were standardized and combined with the standardized scores obtained from the peer nominations to create composites of the behavioral competencies. Additionally, teachers completed a modified version of the California Child Q-set (CCQ) (Block & Block, 1980) as a measure of these children's regulatory control abilities. African American parents' ratings of their family's rules and routines were higher than those of Hispanic and Caucasian parents' ratings. Additionally, family stressors were positively associated with higher teacher and peer ratings of conduct problems and lower ratings of prosocial behavior. Neither ethnicity nor family rules and routines predicted child competencies. A statistically significant curvilinear relationship was found between family rules and routines and conduct problems such that children of parents reporting the highest and lowest levels of family rules and routines have more conduct problems. No associations were found between family rules and routines and child competencies or children's regulatory control abilities. Limitations of the study are discussed in terms of inadequate measurement of family rules and routines, a defensive response set, self-selection on the part of the parents to participate in the interview, and a sample that is not representative of the community of parents and children in the participating schools.

No description available.

Using the perspectives of individualism-collectivism, Social Cognitive Theory and other concepts such as gay community attachment, this study focused on issues of homosexual identification, disclosure and sexual risk practices in relation to cross-cultural differences among gay Asian and Caucasian men in Sydney. Mostly recruited from gay social venues, 19 gay Asian men participated in exploratory focus groups discussions, another 201 gay Caucasian and 199 gay Asian men completed an anonymous questionnaire, and a further 10 gay Caucasian and 9 gay Asian men took part in in-depth one-to-one interviews. The major findings were: gay Asian men tended to experience conflict, in being both gay and Asian, related to individualism and collectivism; the gay Asian and Caucasian men differed in various aspects of homosexual practice, but shared certain sexual traits and practices; self-efficacy in safe sex and gay community attachment were key factors associated with gay men???s sexual risk practices (???risk??? being defined as unprotected anal intercourse with any casual partners or with a regular partner whose HIV status was not concordant with the participant???s). This study provides evidence that the inclusion of individualism-collectivism, social cognitive variables and gay community factors in the examination of homosexual identity and practice among men of different cultural backgrounds holds promise. It further suggests that educational programs to encourage safe sex will continue to yield benefits from increasing individual awareness, confidence and ability to effectively deal with situations that could pose risks of HIV transmission.

Σήμερα διανύουμε μια νέα εποχή, η οποία χαρακτηρίζεται από πολιτισμική και εθνική ανομοιογένεια. Η πολυπολιτισμική σύνθεση της κοινωνίας και η συνακόλουθη αρχή του σεβασμού της διαφορετικότητας έχουν εμφανέστατα μεταφερθεί στην εκπαίδευση, η οποία είναι άρρηκτα συνδεδεμένη με το κοινωνικό περιβάλλον όπου συντελείται. Οι δημογραφικές αλλαγές έχουν προφανώς αντίκτυπο στο εκπαιδευτικό σύστημα, το οποίο καλείται να διαδραματίσει σημαντικό ρόλο στη δημιουργία προϋποθέσεων αποδοχής και αναγνώρισης του πλουραλισμού και της ετερότητας ως βασικών γνωρισμάτων των σύγχρονων κοινωνιών. Η εκπλήρωση του ρόλου αυτού απαιτεί προσαρμογή του ίδιου του εκπαιδευτικού συστήματος στα νέα δεδομένα κοινωνικοποίησης που χαρακτηρίζουν την εποχή μας. Απαιτεί ταυτόχρονα πέρα από την αναθεώρηση του νομοθετικού πλαισίου, του Αναλυτικού Προγράμματος και των προσφερόμενων προγραμμάτων και διδακτικού υλικού, τον εφοδιασμό των εκπαιδευτικών και των στελεχών της Εκπαίδευσης με σύγχρονες γνώσεις και δεξιότητες, οι οποίες θα τον καταστήσουν ικανό να χρησιμοποιεί την κατάλληλη μεθοδολογία και να εφαρμόζει τις απαραίτητες στρατηγικές, ώστε το εκπαιδευτικό και διοικητικό του έργο να είναι αποτελεσματικό. Ο ρόλος του Διευθυντή είναι καθοριστικός για την ομαλή και αποφασιστική λειτουργία του σχολείου. Η Διαπολιτισμική εκπαίδευση μπορεί να επιτύχει τους στόχους της αν υπάρξει αλλαγή στάσεων στο εκπαιδευτικό δυναμικό τόσο στο επίπεδο της διοίκησης όσο και στο επίπεδο της διδακτικής και παιδαγωγικής πρακτικής. Στην παρούσα εργασία το ερώτημα που τίθεται είναι αν ο κάθε Διευθυντής της κάθε σχολικής μαινάδας διαθέτει τα απαραίτητα προσόντα και τις ικανότητες να ανταποκριθεί αποτελεσματικά στο έργο του, δηλαδή αν έχει Διαπολιτισμική και διοικητική επάρκεια και ετοιμότητα σε θέματα που σχετίζονται με την ύπαρξη αλλά και τον τρόπο εργασίας με αλλόγλωσσους μαθητές. / Today we are going through a new area, which is characterized by a cultural and ethnic heterogeneity. The multicultural composure of society and the following principles of respect towards differencicition have obviously transfer to education, which is inseparable linked to the social environment where it takes place. The demographic changes have an obvious impact on the educational system. Which is summoned to a role of creating conditions of acceptance and recognition of pluralism and otherness as the basic characteristics of modern societies. The fulfillment of this role requires adjustments to the educational system itself towards the new data of social inclusion that characterizes our societies. Expect of the simultaneous adjustments to the legal framework, changes are also required concerning the curriculum, the offered programs, the teaching material, the supplement of teachers and executives of education with modern knowledge and abilities which will make them capable of using the right method and following the needed strategies so their educational and leading work is effective. The principals role is defining for the smooth and effective function of a school intercultural education can reach its goals if theirs is a change of attitudes in educational dynamic as much on an executive level as in teaching and educational practice. In this thesis the given question is whether each principal of each school unit has the required qualifications and abilities to react accordingly concerning his work, meaning whether or not he has intercultural and leading capabilities and confidence concerning intercultural issues about working with foreign speaking students.

Dans ce travail, nous tentons d’apporter des éléments de compréhension concernant les facteurs sous-jacents aux tendances directionnelles, en examinant l’impact des contraintes biomécaniques et des habitudes culturelles sur la directionnalité dans les mouvements graphiques. Des participants français et syriens, enfants et adultes, ont été comparés dans 6 expériences afin de mettre en évidence les différences cognitives et psychomotrices engendrées par le fait que les cultures occidentales et orientales s'opposent sur la directionnalité majeure de l'écriture et de la lecture, et que les deux mains s’opposent sur la directionnalité en adoptant des mouvements déterminés par des contraintes biomécaniques. De plus, cette comparaison nous a permis de déterminer la force relative de ces deux facteurs au cours du développement lorsqu’un conflit entre les contraintes biomécaniques et les habitudes culturelles apparaît dans la réalisation d’une tâche graphique. Les résultats globaux montrent que la directionnalité peut être considérée comme le produit émergeant d’une interaction complexe entre ces deux types d’influences. La direction d'écriture est un facteur déterminant lorsque la tâche est effectuée avec la main droite (dominante), mais les facteurs culturels et éducatifs peuvent être modulés par le facteur biomécanique lorsque le sujet utilise la main gauche (non dominante). Cette interaction varie selon l'âge du sujet. / In the present work, we try to provide some understanding about the factors underlying the directional tendencies, by examining the impact of biomechanical constraints and cultural habits on directionality in graphic movements. French and Syrian subjects, children and adults, were compared in six experiments in order, to put in evidence the cognitive and psychomotor differences caused by the fact that the Eastern and Western cultures oppose on the directionality of writing and reading habits, and that the two hands are opposite in the directionality by adopting movements determined by biomechanical constraints. Likewise, this comparison allowed us to determine the relative strength of these two factors during development, when a conflict between the biomechanical constraints and cultural habits appears in the completion of a graphic task. The overall results show that the directionality can be considered as the product emerging from a complex interaction between these two types of influences. The writing habit is a determining factor when the task is performed with the right hand (dominant). But the cultural and educational factors can be modulated by the biomechanical factor when the subject uses the left hand (no dominant). This interaction varies by age of the subject.

The education reform efforts in Botswana have focused predominantly on teacher preparation, recruitment and compensation. Recruitment efforts have resulted in a significant number of expatriates working with indigenous teachers in many schools. However, as the schools are currently upgraded and restructured, the quality of the working relationships forged between indigenous and expatriate teachers represents one vital aspect in the reform effort that has gone almost unattended. Many teachers have become dissatisfied and concerned about these relationships, despite compensation and preparation. A decisive first step in attending to these relationships lies in understanding how they develop. The aim of this exploratory study was to identify and describe factors related to the development of working relationships between indigenous and expatriate teachers and illustrate how those factors contribute to the development of these relationships. The study employed a micropolitical perspective and through phenomenological interviews, observation and document analysis, indicated that cultural differences in language and communication, regard for time, handling of student discipline, work ethics and professionalism along with ambiguity and uncertainty, professional and interpersonal obligations, indigenous to expatriate teacher ratio and the interplay of micropolitics are related to the development of these relationships. Results, however, are specific to one school context and should not be generalized. The study recommends management strategies such as provision of programmes for cultural exchange, communication mode standardization, a dean of discipline system, faculty building and further research to redress the situation. / Further Teacher Education / M.Ed.

In the author’s view culture plays an important role in the international business. Cultural issues represent the key factors for a successful cooperation and partnership among companies from different countries. Most of the time the adaptation to a new culture and new governmental policies influence the foreign companies in the direction of changing their business strategy. This thesis is a cross-cultural research study that aims to examine the cultural struggles of some Italian companies established in China. In particular, based on the collection of qualitative data obtained by the conduction of four interviews the study identifies three main influencing elements of the Chinese culture and the way they induce the Italian companies to adapt their business strategy. The study’s most important findings are: guanxi and mianzi influence the Italian business strategy in networking building in China and affect the Italian psychological attitude in the business management and organization. In revealing more short-term thinking in Chinese business circles the findings of the study contrast Hofstede’s theory of a long-term orientation in China. / 本研究认为文化在国际经济中起着重要的作用。文化是不同国家公司成功合作的关键因素。尽管如此，大多时候对一个新文化和新政策的－应影响着外国公司改变他们经济战略的方向。作为一项跨文化研究，本文的主要目的在于调查在华意大利公司的文化竞争力并提供建议。通过汇总,分析四个访谈收集的定性数据，本文提出了影响在华意大利公司适应战略的三个重要因素,指出：关系和面子各自影响意大利企业在中国构建关系的商业战略，并影响其在企业管理和组织方面的心理态度。最后，本研究表明，在商业圈的短期思维方面，中国的情况与霍夫斯泰德的文化维度理论形成对照

Migration is a current subject in today's society. Many people are forced to migrate to a new country, but many of them are moving for other reasons, for example to study, to work or start a family. The aim of this paper is to gain an increased understanding of Arabic speaking female immigrant’s experiences of the adaptation process and whether there is a change in gender identity. The selection consists of Arabic speaking women who have lived in Sweden for a maximum of five years. A qualitative approach has been used and data were collected through interviews and analyzed within the themes that were presented by the research. In analysis, four such themes were identified, such as identity, social relations, cultural differences and migration processes. The result of the study shows that the majority of the respondents perceive that they have been affected by migration, that they have experienced cultural differences in Sweden compared with their homelands and that they are influenced by their social relations. / Migration är ett aktuellt ämne i dagens samhälle. Många människor tvingas fly, men många flyttar även av andra skäl, för att exempelvis studera, arbeta eller bilda familj. Syftet med arbetet är att få en ökad förståelse kring arabisktalande kvinnliga immigranters upplevelser av anpassningsprocessen och huruvida det sker en förändring gällande deras könsidentitet. Urvalet består av arabisktalande kvinnor som flytt från sina hemländer och som har bott i Sverige i högst fem år. En kvalitativ ansats har använts och data samlades in genom intervjuer och analyserades med tematisk analys. Vid analys framkom fyra övergripande teman som var identitet, sociala relationer, kulturella skillnader och migrationsprocessen. Resultatet av undersökningen visar på att majoriteten av respondenterna upplever att de har påverkats av migrationen, att de har upplevt kulturella skillnader i Sverige jämfört med deras hemländer och att de har influerats av deras sociala relationer.

Submitted by Rebeca Alves Chu (rebeca.chu@gmail.com) on 2013-07-18T17:35:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 tese-rebecachu-final1807.pdf: 3411121 bytes, checksum: 1e98db000d8d9af9348320ced6868cfd (MD5) / Rejected by Suzinei Teles Garcia Garcia (suzinei.garcia@fgv.br), reason: Boa tarde Rebeca, O título foi alterado, porém não consta a informação no verso da ATA. Qualquer alteração no título é necessário o orientador comparecer na secretaria para relatar. Agradeceu bastante gente. Rsrs... Título anterior: HIBRIDIZAÇÃO ORGANIZACIONAL E CULTURAL: O CASO DA INTEGRAÇÃO DE DUAS INSTITUIÇÕES DE ENSINO NO BRASIL Bjs. Suzi on 2013-07-18T19:39:16Z (GMT) / Submitted by Rebeca Alves Chu (rebeca.chu@gmail.com) on 2013-07-22T19:29:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 tese-rebecachu-final1807.pdf: 3411121 bytes, checksum: 1e98db000d8d9af9348320ced6868cfd (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzinei Teles Garcia Garcia (suzinei.garcia@fgv.br) on 2013-07-22T19:37:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 tese-rebecachu-final1807.pdf: 3411121 bytes, checksum: 1e98db000d8d9af9348320ced6868cfd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-07-22T19:38:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese-rebecachu-final1807.pdf: 3411121 bytes, checksum: 1e98db000d8d9af9348320ced6868cfd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-06-24 / The phenomenon of hybridization has been studied across multiple fields of knowledge as the Economy, the Social Sciences, the Political Sciences and the Cultural Studies. Regarding the field of Cultural Studies, hybridism and hybridizations have been broadly utilized to address cultures and cultural encounters. The field of Organizational Studies, however, still investigates hybridism and hybridizations in a superficial way. The objective of this research was to analyze hybridization as an organizational and cultural phenomenon. A case study was conducted to investigate the integration process of a business school, after it’s acquisition, to an university, both in Brazil. The focus of this research was on the origins of hybridization, on which organizational and cultural dimension it occurred, the dynamics it revealed and the impacts it had on organizational and cultural analysis. The case study conducted had a qualitative orientation, an exploratory approach and was based on 41 interviews with representatives from both institutions. Preliminary results indicated that: first, both institutions varied along their particular history and during the post-acquisition process from more or less homogeneous forms; second, the hybrid condition seemed to be a steady state, that varied, however, among more conflictive or more agreeable modes of interaction; third, two types of hybridization occurred, the dialectical and the dialogical ones and fourth, the hybrid condition seems to be the possibility to overcome the cultural and organizational dichotomies that emerged in the case. / O fenômeno da hibridização tem sido estudado em diversos campos do conhecimento, tais como a Economia, as Ciências Sociais, as Ciências Políticas e os Estudos Culturais. No campo dos Estudos Culturais, o hibridismo e a hibridização têm sido utilizados para analisar as culturas e as interações culturais. No campo dos Estudos Organizacionais, as pesquisas sobre hibridismo e hibridização tratam o tema de maneira ainda superficial. Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar a hibridização como fenômeno organizacional e cultural. Foi realizado um estudo de caso sobre o processo de integração pós-aquisição de uma escola de negócios a uma universidade, ambas no Brasil. Este estudo procurou compreender a origem da hibridização, as dimensões organizacionais e culturais nas quais a ela se manifestou, as dinâmicas que gerou, e os impactos para as análises organizacionais e culturais e para a prática gerencial. O estudo de caso conduzido teve caráter qualitativo e exploratório, e se fundamentou em 41 entrevistas com integrantes de ambas as instituições. Os resultados mostraram que: primeiro, as instituições estudadas assumiram formas organizacionais e culturais que variaram entre mais ou menos homogêneas ao longo de suas histórias e durante o processo de integração; segundo, que a condição híbrida pareceu ser um estado (organizacional e cultural) constante que, no entanto, variou de formas mais conflituosas a mais amigáveis no decorrer da interação; terceiro, que ocorreram dois tipos de hibridização, a dialética e a dialógica; e quarto, que a condição híbrida parece ser a possibilidade de superação das dicotomias que surgem.