This thesis argues that pluralism and diversity pose a more fundamental challenge to liberal constitutionalism than is sometimes recognised by liberal political theorists. While the challenges presented by moral pluralism at the philosophical level, and by cultural diversity at the socio-cultural level, have received a great deal of attention in recent political thought, the background within which these themes become salient has not always been fully acknowledged. What is new in the modern world is not so much diversity of lifestyles, but the disintegration of frameworks that traditionally provided an unproblematic basis for political authority. What this modern challenge forces us to confront then, is the idea that ‘the people’ who are subject to law, are also, as citizens, the ultimate source of political authority. I consider in detail the work of two contemporary political theorists who have provided among the most sustained and far-reaching attempts to respond to this challenge, Charles Taylor and Jürgen Habermas. Both make a significant contribution to responding to the contemporary situation of pluralism by taking on board the ‘dialogical’ nature of identity, and the role of the ‘people’ as the ultimate source of political power. However each places a heavy reliance on a privileged standpoint that may shield political judgement from the full implications of modern pluralism: Habermas, by appealing to ‘post-conventional morality’ and Taylor, by appealing to an incipient teleology.

During the last years, due to the globalization markets become more and more involved in an international level. Cultural diversity in the workplace is something common nowadays, it involves countless benefits for the companies and the other professional contexts. While simultaneously, it involves conflicts and misunderstandings therefore it is more and more required to get people able to deal with different cultures. The main purpose of our Thesis is to study the process through which an individual becomes able to deal and work with different cultures. In other words, we pretend to discover how someone can become culturally intelligent. This thesis has been conducted using the Grounded Theory method. By analyzing the data we have collected throughout eight interviews from different culturally intelligent people and the data we have obtained by reading literature, we came with the idea that the process for becoming culturally intelligent is composed by three elements: the first one is related with the individual, the second one is related with the interaction of the individual within a multicultural group and the third one is related with the benefits and disadvantages that emerged while someone is working with different cultures.

As China emerges as a major player on the international business scene, it is becoming increasingly important for Western negotiators to understand how the Chinese negotiate business deals. Existing knowledge regarding the Chinese negotiation style is largely based on considering China as one single country and the Chinese as to negotiate in one homogeneous way. Regional differences in the Chinese negotiation style have traditionally been overlooked in the literature. Guided by a negotiation analysis approach, this thesis conducts an exploratory study of the diversity of the Chinese negotiation style from a regional sub-cultural perspective. It suggests four characteristics of the Chinese negotiation style based on the frameworks of international business negotiations and the Chinese cultural roots and values. This thesis investigates five research questions, which address the characteristics of regional negotiation styles and the consequences of these different styles in relation to Sino-Western negotiations. A case study research strategy is employed to study four regions in China, including the Northern, the Eastern, the Southern and the Central region. Each case was studied using three research methods: semi-structured interviews, secondary documents, and negotiation experiments. Interview data analysis focuses on the perceptions of the Chinese negotiators, the Chinese government official, and the foreign negotiators regarding regional negotiation styles, whereas the experiments examine the students cognitive information on regional differences. The results confirm that regional negotiation styles exist in China. The findings show that Northern and Central negotiators have the Chinese negotiation style in the literature. They place emphasis on relationship and face and show low time-sensitivity and risk-taking propensity. On the contrary, Eastern and Southern negotiators are extremely task-oriented and deal-focused, which means they place little value on relationship and face in negotiations. Differences also exist between the two groups of business-oriented negotiators as Southern negotiators have higher time-sensitivity and risk-taking propensity than Eastern negotiators. Differences in historical and geographical backgrounds are found to be the key drivers in the forming of these regional negotiation styles. Importantly, the experiment results show that, in contrast to the conventional idea, Western negotiators might find it easier to negotiate with the relationship-focused Chinese than with the deal-focused Chinese. This is because Northern and Central negotiators appear to be cooperative in Sino-Western negotiations, whereas Eastern and Southern negotiators tend to use a competitive approach. This thesis provides a number of contributions to the existing literature. First, it provides a better understanding of the overall picture of the Chinese negotiation behaviour and fine-tunes the Chinese negotiation style from a regional sub-cultural perspective. This regional approach to the study of culture is not only rare in Sino-Western negotiation studies, but also uncommon in the literature of international business negotiations. Second, this research highlights the fallacious assumption of cultural homogeneity with nations. It calls for academic attention to balance inter-cultural and intra-cultural diversity in the studies of international business. Third, a step is taken towards exploring the regional values and behavioural differences in China. The findings of this research provide directions for future regional studies on other managerial issues.

<p>The purpose of this essay is to investigate Swedish as a second language acquisition in a group of students with diverse culturul backgrounds. my intension is to find out if a dialogical posture in teaching with focus on the students earlier knowledge,experianses, thoughts and feelings, will contribute to a teaching enviroment where the students can express them selves and listen to each other. the teachers task is to help the students to explore their own thinking.</p><p>According to the theoretical base of the essay, sucessfull second language asquisition occours in a meaningsfull context through dialogue and interaction between students and teacher as well as between student and student.</p><p>I have used a qualitative method consisting in participating as a teacher in this group of second language learners during four lessons, observing, taking notes and writing diary. The teaching material used during the lessons was a book (fiction but based on a true story) and the dialogue in the group proceeded from the story we read together.</p>

Due to large influx of migrants along with a declining rate of native Swedes in working age, corporations are devoting more time and resources for diversity management today. While much attention has been directed towards the gender equality aspect of diversity, less attention has been given to the management of employees with diverse ethnicities and/or nationalities, hence the cultural aspect of diversity. This qualitative case study aims to contribute to the research field on diversity management in Swedish businesses in general but more specifically how the Swedish state-owned company Svevia is working with cultural diversity, identified as a strategic premise in order to assure future business survival. Through semi-structured interviews with employees at all organizational levels, a thorough understanding has been achieved of how Svevia works with diversity management and how the organizational culture allows for cultural diversity to thrive. A range of theoretical perspectives are combined in the for this study established conceptual framework, a framework which has enabled this study to provide an understanding of how an organization as a whole system, and not just fragments of organization, operationalize diversity management. Focus was given to study the processes that underlie the translation towards an intended more diverse workforce and the shape this process takes within the company. The results show that the processes through which information is being transferred within the organization, allowing for a flexibility that enables the company to evolve influenced by society’s constantly shifting demands. Svevia’s management efforts in the area of cultural diversity is not as well developed as that of gender equality. This, in a combination with a rather fragmented organizational culture indicates that there is still room for improvement regarding Svevia’s work with cultural diversity. Svevia, continues to be rather homogenous when it comes to the composition of its workforce, not reflecting the society in which they operate even though measures have been taken. However, if the increased commitment for cultural diversity continues, Svevia will most likely face the growth of diversity in the Swedish labor market, with more ease than companies who do not take measures to improve the organizational culture to become more including and welcoming.

Till följd av en ökad global migration har Sverige blivit ett mångkulturellt land där det talas många olika språk. Detta medför att sjuksköterskan möter patienter med språk, regler och normer som kan skilja sig från deras egna. Avsaknaden av ett gemensamt språk mellan sjuksköterskan och patienten försvårar sjuksköterskans dagliga arbete samt kan vara ett hinder att möta patientens behov. Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskans erfarenheter av språkbarriärer i vårdandet, med fokus på kommunikation och omvårdnad samt att beskriva hur sjuksköterskorna hanterar språkbarriärer. Metod en litteraturöversikt som var baserad på 15 vetenskapliga artiklar såväl kvalitativa, kvantitativa som mixmethod. Resultatet visade att det fanns frustration, osäkerhet samt oro hos sjuksköterskorna vid vård av patienter då ett gemensamt språk saknades. Studien visade tre huvudteman: samt tio subteman som hade betydelse för hur språkbarriär påverkar sjuksköterskans arbete och vården. Slutsats Komplexiteten och utmaningen med att vårda patienter som inte kan värdlandets språk och den påverkan det har på vården och sjuksköterskans dagliga arbete tydliggjordes. Kommunikation är en förutsättning för att patienten kan vara delaktig med sin egen vård och möjliggör att kommunicera om sina behov. / As a result of increased global migration, Sweden has become a multicultural country where it is spoken in many different languages. This means that healthcare professionals such a nurses encounter patients with language, rules and standards which may differ from their own. The lack of a common language between the nurse and the patient complicates the nurse's daily work and can be a barrier to meet the patient's needs. Aim: The aim was to describe nurses' experiences of language barriers, with a focus on communication and care and to describe how nurses deal with language barriers. Method: The study is a literature review based on 15 scientific articles which consists of qualitative, quantitative and a mix method of the two. Results The results showed that the nurses' experience frustration, and anxiety due to uncertainty when caring for patients when a common language was missing. The study revealed three main themes: and ten subthemes that are important to how the language barrier affects the nursing profession and health care. Conclusion: The results has shown the complexity and challenge faced when caring for patients who cannot speak host language and the impact it has on patients health care and nurse's daily work. Communication is a prerequisite for the patient so that they can be involved in their own care and also enables to communicate their needs.

The aim with this study is to shed light on the relationship between ideals and practises at the National Museum of Finland (the NMF) and at the Swedish History Museum (the SHM). The focus is on the museums’ role in society regarding integration and cultural diversity. In order to fulfil this aim, I have studied the two museums’ pedagogical programmes for immigrants learning Finnish or Swedish. Through an ethnographic field study (including interviews and observations) and text analysis, I have studied ideals and practices connected to these programmes. My hypothesis is that intercultural dialogue opens up for museums to combine aims concerning cultural diversity with aims of supporting integration. My study shows that there is a problematic relationship between cultural diversity and integration within the ideals and practices at the two museums. At the SHM, the staff’s aims of supporting integration as a mutual process are contradictory to that they are toning down the importance of mutual learning to the programme. At the NMF, the approach to communication within ideals and practices and the shortage of dialogue within the programme makes it difficult to fulfil the aim of representing a diverse society. At both museums, intercultural dialogue is seen as something very positive when it occurs at the learning sessions. It is, however, rather seen as a bonus than as an aim within today’s versions of the pedagogical programmes. This master thesis is written within a two years master programme in Archive, Library and Museum Studies. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att belysa relationen mellan ideal och praktik på Nationalmuseum i Finland och på Historiska museet i Sverige. Fokus ligger på museernas roll i samhället gällande integration och kulturell mångfald. För att uppfylla detta syfte har jag studerat dessa två museers pedagogiska program för invandrare som lär sig finska eller svenska. Genom att genomföra en etnografisk fältstudie med intervjuer och observationer samt textanalys har jag undersökt ideal och praktik kopplade till dessa program. Min tes är att interkulturell dialog öppnar upp för museer att kombinera mål kopplade till kulturell mångfald med mål att stödja integration. Min studie visar på en problematisk relation mellan kulturell mångfald och integration inom ideal och praktik på de två museerna. På Historiska museet motsägs personalens syfte att stödja integration som en ömsesidig process av att de tonar ned betydelsen av ömsesidigt lärande för det pedagogiska programmet. På Nationalmuseum gör synen på kommunikation inom ideal och praktik samt bristen på dialog inom programmet att det blir svårt att uppfylla syftet att representera ett mångkulturellt samhälle. På båda museerna ses interkulturell dialog som något mycket positivt när det sker inom de pedagogiska programmen. I dagens versioner av de pedagogiska programmen ses det dock snarare som en bonus än som ett syfte i sig.

Meaning-making in today's digital culture, using digital media, raises the need for enhanced critical thinking and analytical skills. To be literate in digital media, one must know how to use digital tools, but one is also required to develop intellectual, social, and cultural competencies to be able to interpret messages in multimodal texts, which include written text, sound, and images. This research explored the experiences of two foreign students in higher education who participated in a six-week online workshop called "improving your digital-media skills." In the online workshop, the students completed a project-based activity in which each week they worked on one step toward finishing their projects. The weekly curriculum aimed to develop particular skill of digital-media literacy to access, analyze, evaluate, and create digital media materials. Throughout this study, the data was gathered and analyzed to answer two general questions: 1) How does a project-based activity of digital media creation and consumption impact students' critical thinking and analytical skills in the digital culture? 2) How does students' awareness of cultural diversity influence the choices they make in digital media production? Seeking answers to these two questions, the study employed qualitative case study methods including participant-observation, field notes, questionnaires, interviews, and digital media products analysis. The analysis revealed that the workshop had a great impact on the students' critical analysis and evaluation skills than on critical thinking skills. There was also a noticeable increase in the students' critical thinking skills when using digital media out of the academic settings. Both participants were affected by their experience of living abroad, and this factor influenced their thinking and teaching methods. Cultural identities appeared in their thinking and choices in some parts of the workshop. This study was an initial inquiry into the importance of acquiring cultural competencies along with critical digital-media literacy in order to accept the diversity in education and appreciate our differences.

Abstrakt Kandidatuppsats i Företagsekonomi III - Organisation &amp; Ledarskap 15 hp Ekonomihögskolan Linneuniversitetet Kalmar Titel: Kulturell mångfald: Att leda olikheter - En kvalitativ studie om ledarskapets roll för mångfaldsarbete Syfte: Studien syfte är att bidra med en ökad förståelse för hur kulturell mångfald inom organisationer kan tillvaratas som resurs av ledare. Syftet är även att skapa en förståelse för de olika faktorer som påverkar hur kulturell mångfald hanteras och hur ledarskapet kan användas som verktyg för ett positivt mångfaldsarbete. Metod: En kvalitativ studie med en induktiv ansats. Tre fallstudier har genomförts inom två universitet samt ett statligt konsultbolag där sammanlagt sex personer har intervjuats.   Slutsats: Ledarskapet bör vara situationsanpassat eftersom kulturell mångfald inom en organisation betyder en stor del förändringar och olikheter. Kulturell mångfald kan snarare utgöra ett hinder än en resurs om ledare inte vet hur de ska arbeta med och hantera mångfalden. Ledare behöver verktyg för mångfaldsarbetet vilket kan anskaffas på olika sätt, exempelvis genom utbildningar, praktiska seminarier eller arbetsplatsmöten där kommunikation och mångfald kan diskuteras. Mångfaldsarbete kan och bör bedrivas på olika sätt beroende på organisation, men det måste oavsett ske kontinuerligt och på flera nivåer. Det krävs ett aktivt arbete från organisationens ledare för att skapa och bibehålla en medvetenhet kring organisationens kulturella mångfald och därför bör mångfaldsarbete ses som en långsiktig investering. / Abstract Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration III - Organization &amp; Leadership 15 hp School of Economics at Linnaeus University of Kalmar Title: Cultural diversity: To lead differences - A qualitative study about the role of leadership in  workforce diversity Purpose: The purpose of the study is to contribute to an enhanced understanding for how cultural diversity within organizations can be utilized as a resource by leaders. The purpose is to also create an understanding for the different factors that can affect how cultural diversity is managed and how leadership can be used as a tool for positive outcomes in diversity. Methodology: A qualitative method has been used with an inductive approach. Three case studies were implemented, two were conducted in two Swedish universities and one was conducted in a public consulting company. The case studies had an amount of six people in total that were interviewed. Conclusion:Leadership should be situational because cultural diversity within an organization mean a great deal of changes and differences. Cultural diversity can therefore rather be a hindrance than a resource if the leader doesn’t know how to work with and manage the diversity that exists. The leader needs tools in order to work with diversity and it can be obtained through different ways, such as; educations, practical seminars or meetings where communication and diversity is discussed. Diversity can and should be managed in different ways depending on organization, it has to be done continuously and on different levels. An active working process is therefore needed from the leaders of the organization in order to create and maintain a consciousness around the cultural diversity of the organization and hence see diversity as a longterm investment.

Many researchers say that the multiculturalism in Russia has emerged recently, but this term started to dеvеlop few dеcades ago. During this time period we have seen its significant change and improvement. Russian sociеty culturally is very divеrse. There are many different nаtions, culturеs, religions, and even civilizations living in Russia. The uniqueness of Russia consists in the fact that those different culturеs are its indigenous people. There is probably no other stаte in the world with such a high number of different culturеs living together relatively peacefully for centuries. Also, culturally diverse population of Russia is not composed of migrаnts as in the case of Europe or the USA. For this purpose the beginning of the thesis is dedicated to understanding of the term multiculturalism, cultural diversity, minority groups and similar. Multiculturalism developed significantly especially in the phase of last events which took place in the Wеst. The 9/11 has brought several changes. Also, the latest incidents (and the speeches of the several lеadеrs) in Europe have shown Europeans and the rest of the world that the situation in immigrаnt welcoming rеgions is not positive as before. This makes the policy of multiculturalism even more complicated in the light of present developments. The...