Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychology / Patrick A. Knight / The current study uses structural equation modeling to simultaneously test the relationships between cultural knowledge, rapport building, and counterpart receptiveness in a cross-cultural setting using military-advisors. Five-hundred-eighty-three Army soldiers and Marines deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan as advisors to host-national soldiers were asked to complete a questionnaire about their job-tasks. Results indicate that advisors who use cultural knowledge are more effective building relationships, and as a result have counterparts who are more receptive to their advice. Limitations and implications of the model are discussed, as well as potential directions for future research.

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The central theme of this doctoral research is organisational knowledge creation in the cross cultural context of the post-socialist transition of former Eastern European (EE) countries towards a more liberal market structure and methods of working. This transition was particularly important for those countries seeking European Union (EU) accession such as Romania, and impacted on those organisations having a major role in accession such as the Romanian Border Police (RBP). The need for organisations to expand their knowledge of strategic decision making for change and development resulted in a plethora of EU-funded training interventions to fill the gap. The literature suggests that as a result of the dominance of Western ideology of the transitional process, cognitive dissonance and a general disconnect with the outcomes of EU-funded projects was a product of such interventions. This research explores how a more collaborative co-inquiry methodology with partners can bring about knowledge creation as a more sustainable and significant approach for organisational change. Specifically, it investigates the reflective capabilities of a group of Romanian Border Police (RBP) managers to reveal how they can create knowledge for organisational change and development in preparation for EU accession. Simultaneously a framework for facilitation was developed as a result of using the original research of Geppert and Clark (2002) and Breiter and Scardamalia (2000), as a foundation for the operationalisation of the research and in the attempt to move away from traditional models of knowledge transfer to further develop the changing dimensions of training interventions in the EE as suggested by Michaelova and Hollinshead (2007). It is offered as a purposeful method for the sustainable organisation, in preference to western style knowledge transfer projects. The findings result in a complex model of knowledge creation for the RBP and a better understanding of how Western trainers can work with EE organisations to achieve the desired outcomes for developing organisations. Moreover recommendations are made on how the EU can best utilise this research as a basis for funding future knowledge transfer projects, to guarantee that funding is having an impact on developing organisations at a time of austerity.

Abstract The cultural creativity industry has become a key indicator of national competitiveness; this can be seen from the cultural competition through creativity in major events such as the Olympics and the World Expo. However, culture and artistic creativity cannot be cultivated within short periods of time, and does not lead to accomplishments quickly like technological, economic, or political activities. The primary spirit of the cultural creativity industry should be in disseminating cultural elements and materials, followed by the process of creativity, and finally resulting in economic benefit. Museums are the greatest physical manifestation of cultural imagery. Museums¡¦ six major functions, which are collection, research, education, exhibition, leisure and entertainment, and exchange, indicate that they provide a high quality environment for cultural preservation. Cultural relics are the most important carriers of cultural knowledge; they represent a segment of history, and reflect contemporary customs and lifestyles. Many cultural relics contain stories in their existence, and may easily create interesting topics on an artistic foundation. Thus, museums provide a very important source for enhancing the quality and quantity of cultural meaning. Additionally, museums also provide a stage for the performance of cultural creativity products, such as exhibition-planning, exhibition design, design planning for related media, and the exhibition and sale of industrial art products. The purposes of this study are: 1) to understand the actual conditions of cultural knowledge transmission by museums, and existing correlation to the cultural creativity industry; 2) to collect the more comprehensive actions or projects in providing cultural creativity by museums, to serve as the basis of whether it is necessary to construct a cultural knowledge provisional platform, or how to construct it; and 3) to construct hypotheses on creating a platform organization for museums to provide cultural knowledge. Research subjects include the National Palace Museum (national level), the National History Museum (Ministry of Education), the National Museum of Taiwan Literature (Council for Cultural Affairs), the National Science and Technology Museums (Ministry of Education), the Broadcasting Museum (non-profit corporation). In-depth interviews and questionnaires are used for data collection. Conclusions of this study include: 1. Museums can certainly provide abundant cultural knowledge. 2. Digital archives of museums can certainly be converted to added value for cultural knowledge, and in turn, convert to creative and design knowledge. 3. Digital archives and activity processes and records formed through museum functions are preserved within museums, but are not all open to the public. 4. In order to convert museum digital archives and activity processes and records into externally visible cultural knowledge with creative usage value, it is necessary to use systematic design to stimulate the internal knowledge of museums. In turn, the external and internal knowledge interactive cycle can produce added value in cultural knowledge functions. 5. Since there are great differences among museums in terms of their resources, most museums are unable to convert internal cultural knowledge resources into design knowledge with value added to knowledge. Thus, in order to allow creative personnel to broadly utilize cultural knowledge within various museums, it is necessary to create a feasible platform organization to integrate all cultural knowledge resources within museums. This study suggests that a cultural knowledge platform institution based on museums should be constructed, and the institution should have the following characteristics: 1. A standing and independent organization with long-term and stable funding for operation, with significant public confidence, and can assuredly obtain all knowledge resources of museums. It is possible to collect information hubs of cultural knowledge from various museums, and systematically construct cultural knowledge databases. This organization is not affiliated to any museum and does not exist within government administrative organizations. 2. A friendly and convenient museum knowledge database. Its data should include data in existing domestic museum digital archives, as well as data not provided by museums in the exhibition-planning process. The database should also comprehensively collect creative works derived from museums in various countries, such as exhibitions, films, industrial artworks, operas and music, multimedia, gaming software, museums and urban tourism, apparel, special culture and foods, among others, in order to construct the largest museum knowledge platform database. All databases need to have a powerful base of professional consultants to guide usage, and to have convenient search facilities. 3. A professionally trained and powerful group of creative consultants who can research and develop various projects for converting cultural knowledge into creativity. 4. Multimedia rooms and conference rooms with sufficient cultural atmosphere and seating to allow cultural workers to congregate, comfortable environment for them to discuss their creative ideas. 5. To have several exhibition spaces for standing exhibitions and special exhibitions, to create experimental exhibition rooms that allow museums to serve as a source for creative knowledge, allowing cultural creators to have a concrete place to exchange their ideas. 6. Various stable and continued theme events, including different themes for different cultural creative groups, so they can have events to elicit cultural creativity. An official website could provide various types of up-to-date cultural knowledge, corporate matching information, cultural creation competitions, and information on observations. Unlike most museum websites, this website would be primarily focused on interaction and learning. 7. The platform organization should not belong to any single museum or be directly under the organization of Council for Cultural Affairs, in order to avoid jurisdictional problems. 8. There should be an ability to arrange exhibitions, and the main points of cultural knowledge application should be evinced in the exhibitions. There should be clear instruction on understanding and applications of cultural knowledge of museums by various industries. 9. Location of the platform organization should be easy to reach, within the most popular commercial leisure area (such as department stores), so that more people and cultural creative workers can conveniently reach it. The organization should contain a creative and attractive gift shop and food court area, and the creative products should be related to museums. 10. The organization should be able to invite international creative workers (and groups) by successfully selecting those who create works relating to museum-related issues for exchange and to make lectures. 11. The platform organization can provide creators with supplemental knowledge in exhibition technology, manufacturing and production, and financial management. 12. A membership system for domestic people, cultural creative workers, and corporations, but foreigners should be able to view exhibits once by using their passports. Tourism promotions can quickly transmit information about Taiwanese museums and to rapidly promote creative works in museums. Here, it is possible to refer to a successful example in the Thailand Creative and Design Center in Bangkok. 13. Different associations can be established within the platform organization, in order to promote further exchange of knowledge and experiences. Keyword: museum, cultural creativity industry, cultural knowledge, digital archives

This thesis explores the encounter between the Afghan-American community and the U.S. military-industrial complex in the production of cultural knowledge for counterinsurgency (COIN) operations in Afghanistan. It focuses on the narratives mobilized as 'expertise' by Afghan-American contractors from the major diaspora hubs in California and Virginia, who were employed as role-players, translators, and cultural advisors by the U.S. military and defense contractors. I discuss how such narratives gained currency and shaped the perceptions of Afghanistan in the U.S. foreign and security policy communities. The goal of the thesis is to demonstrate the extent to which COIN-centered cultural knowledge production both defined political strategies toward Afghanistan and also reconstituted the Afghan diaspora in America. The thesis contributes to emergent ethnographic studies on militarism by looking at its effect on American society in general and the Afghan diaspora in particular. The broader application of the thesis findings is to move beyond critiques of the troubled connection between anthropology and the military, and to analyze the relationship between citizens and the state in terms of national and biopolitical security.

Language teaching usually focuses on linguistic knowledge, such as vocabulary and grammar, but that is not the whole picture for language learning. To build effective intercultural communication networks, language and culture study is fundamental. Language is the medium of cultural messages. This paper explores Chinese learners’ culture learning through their language courses. Based on cultural information provided in the textbooks (Integrated Chinese Level I & Level II), I designed a cultural knowledge questionnaire to collect data and analyze learners’ culture competence and problems when learning culture. After multiple rounds of modifications, the questionnaire was distributed to different levels of Chinese language learners, Chinese native speakers, and other language speakers at a public university in western Massachusetts. The questionnaire was also distributed to intermediate level Chinese students at a public university in Virginia. The results show differences among different levels of students and different questions, but no difference in heritage students’ performance nor in different universities. The data analysis of the questionnaire also provides insights for textbooks editors, Chinese instructors and educators. Culture learning is a continuing process that requires enough accurate and up-to-date cultural knowledge in textbooks as well as effective and appropriate teaching by instructors.

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Thesis (MCurr)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to explore the perceived need among nurses from different cultures in a private hospital in Saudi Arabia for a program to teach cultural sensitivity. The hypotheses for this study were:  Diverse bio- and demographical/cultural/educational backgrounds of nursing staff have an input on their cultural knowledge and sensitivity of care given in the hospital  The amount of occurrence reports generated due to cultural differences and clashes indicate the need for a program to teach cultural sensitivity. A descriptive quantitative study was done, using a self administrative questionnaire on a randomly selected sample 15.8% (n=200) of the population (N=1272) of registered nurses. The data was collected by structured questionnaires with sections requiring the following:  Biographical information (age, gender, nationality)  Amount of experience in nursing of patients with diverse cultures  Nursing education received about caring for patients of diverse cultures  Cultures of colleagues and patients in the hospital  Whether incidents occur because of cultural differences  Amounts of incident reports generated by each respondent per month The study is descriptive and made use of non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis, Mann- Whitney U and Chi-square computations to determine relationships between the answers of the different respondents to be able to come to a conclusion about the research question. The study reflects a youthful component of nurses from very diverse cultures working in the hospital, with a large variety of patients of equally diverse cultures. Only 1:5 of the nurses felt that they have enough knowledge about each others’ and their patients’ cultures. Recommendations for the implementation of a program for cultural sensitivity are the end result of this study. The ultimate goal for such a program is culturally sensitive nursing where the patients would experience that their culture has been considered in the planning and implementation of their nursing care. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doelwit van hierdie navorsing was om te bepaal of geregistreerde verpleegkundiges van verskillende kulture by ’n privaat hospitaal in Saudi Arabië die behoefte ervaar en herken vir die aanleer van kulturele sensitiwiteit. Die hipoteses van die navorsing was soos volg:  Diverse bio- en demografiese/kulturele/opvoedkundige agtergrond van verpleeglui sal hul kulturele kennis en dus kultuur sensitiewe verpleging in die hospitaal beinvloed.  Die aantal insidente wat voorkom oor kultuurverskille en botsings is ‘n aanduiding vir die nodigheid van ‘n program om kulturele sensitiwiteit aan te leer. ’n Beskrywende navorsingsontwerp met ‘n kwantitatiewe benadering is in die studie gevolg. ’n Vraelys wat deur die respondente self voltooi moes word, is ingevul deur die ewekansige verkose steekproef van 15.8% (n=200) van die bevolking van geregistreerde verpleegkundiges (N=1272).Die gestruktureerde vraelys het afdelings bevat wat die volgende inligting verlang het:  biografiese inligting (ouderdom, geslag, nasionaliteit),  hoeveelheid ondervinding van verpleging van ander kulture,  verpleegonderrig ontvang in die hantering van pasiёnte met diverse kulture,  kulture van kollegas en pasiёnte in die hospitaal,  of daar insidente voorkom weens kultuur verskille,  hoeveelheid insidentverslae wat elke deelnemer moet invul per maand. Die studie is beskrywend van aard en daar is gebruik gemaak van nie-parametriese Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U en Chi-kwadraat berekeninge om verhoudinge tussen die antwoorde van die verskillende respondente te bepaal en om tot ‘n gevolgtrekking te kom oor die navorsingsvraag. Die resultate van die navorsing toon dat daar ’n jonger komponent van geregistreerde verpleegkundiges van baie diverse kulture in die hospitaal werk met ‘n groot verskeidenheid van pasiente van ewe diverse kulture. Slegs 1:5 van die verpleegkundiges in die steekproef het gevoel dat hulle oor die nodige kennis beskik m.b.t. mekaar en hul pasiёnte se kulture. Aanbevelings vir die implementering van ’n program vir kulturele sensitiwiteit is die eindresultaat van hierdie navorsing. Die uiteindelike doel van so ‘n program is kultureel sensitiewe. verpleegsorg waar pasiёnte ervaar dat hul kultuur aangespreek word in die beplanning en implementering van sulke sorg

This study examines the effects of social tie strength, value fit and affect-based trust of overseas workers on their cultural knowledge acquisition in foreign countries. Based on the assumption that cultural knowledge is acquired through social interactions, the research model encompassed 3 social-related independent variables and tested empirically from 536 interpersonal relationships reported by 136 respondents. The results revealed that social tie strength and value fit have positive impacts on cultural knowledge acquisition not only directly but also indirectly, through the mediation role of affect-based trust. However, the mediation effect differs between relationships with local nationals and relationships with non-local nationals. Specifically, affect-based t rust is essential for the effect of social tie strength to local nationals instead of that to non-local nationals; moreover, the mediation effect is sufficient on value fitted non-local nationals but is incomplete on value fitted local nationals. The implications of the findings and the need for future research were also discussed.

Bakgrund: Mångkulturella samhällen blir alltmer vanliga i och med den ökande invandringen.De olika kulturerna medför andra värderingar, seder och levnadssätt än de som är vanliga hos majoritetsbefolkningen. Invandringen skapar även ett nytt sjukdomspanorama med krav på sjukvården som inte funnits tidigare. Enligt den svenska hälso- och sjukvårdslagen skall all vård ges på lika villkor för alla individer. Leiningers transkulturella omvårdnadsteori går ut på att en professionell, kulturellt anpassad omvårdnad kan garanteras om den genomsyras av ett individcentrerat förhållningssätt och med kulturell medvetenhet hos sjukvårdspersonal. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva kulturell medvetenhet hos vårdpersonal och hur detta påverkar vården. Metod: Studien gjordes som en litteratursammanställning av tio vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativ ansats. Resultat: Resultatet kunde delas in i två teman med tre respektive två tillhörande kategorier. Det första temat; Den kulturellt särskilde patienten förde med sig kategorierna; Kulturellt specifika beteenden, anhörigas medverkan och kommunikation. Det andra temat; Kulturspecifikt bemötande i vården skildrades genom kategorierna; Kulturell medvetenhet och hantering av kulturella möten. Slutsats: De hinder och komplikationer som präglade den transkulturella vården var ofta kopplade till vårdpersonalens upplevda okunskap. De uttryckte ett stort behov av riktlinjer, stöd från arbetsledare och framför allt kunskap inom området. Detta skulle även göra det möjligt att bedriva en god transkulturell omvårdnad i linje med Leiningers transkulturella omvårdnadsteori. / Background: Multicultural communities have become more common because of the increasing immigration. The diverse cultures bring different values, cultural practices and ways of living than the ones that are common for the majority population. The immigration also leads to a new disease panorama with demands on health care that have not before existed. According to the Swedish Health care law, all care shall be given on the same conditions for all individuals. Leininger´s cultural care theory claims that a professional, culturally appropriate care can be guaranteed if it is based on an individual centered approach and given with a cultural knowledge. Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe the cultural knowledge with healthcare staff and how it influences the health care. Method: The study was made as a literature review of ten scientific articles with a qualitative approach. Result: The result was divided in two themes with three respectively two belonging categories. The first theme; The culturally particular patient, was divided in the categories; Culturally specific behaviors, the presence of relatives and communication. The second theme; Culturally specific treatment in health care was divided in the categories; Cultural knowledge and management of cultural meetings. Conclusion: The obstacles and complications that occurred in the transcultural health care wereoften related to the lack of knowledge that the health care staff experienced. They agreed that aneed for guidelines, support from supervisors and particularly knowledge within the areaexisted. This would also make it possible to accomplish a good transcultural care in the spirit ofLeininger´s care theory.