The current study investigated how individual level cultural values (horizontal individualism, horizontal collectivism, vertical individualism, vertical collectivism, power distance, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and long/short term orientation) relate to the perceived effectiveness of authentic leadership. To ensure cultural diversity, data was collected from participants via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk).The participant pool included 184 participants from the United States, India, and 10 other countries around the world. Of these, 68 (37%) participants identified themselves as female and 116 (63%) identified themselves as male. In order to provide a sample that is more representative of a working population, all participants were employed for an average of at least 20 hours a week in a workplace outside of the home. Data was collected using an online survey. Participants completed measures for individual level cultural values (Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism Scale, and Individual Cultural Value Scale), the perceived effectiveness of authentic leadership (modified Authentic Leadership Questionnaire), and demographics. Participants were compensated $0.65 on average for completing the survey.The perceived effectiveness of authentic leadership was found to have significant positive correlations with horizontal individualism, horizontal collectivism, and long/short term orientation and a negative correlation with power distance and masculinity. In a final hierarchical regression model, age, power distance, long term orientation, and horizontal individualism were found to significantly predict 34% of the variance in perceived effectiveness of authentic leadership. The results help to provide a better understanding of hierarchy perceptions in the workplace. They suggest that individuals who value self-expression, less status differences between leaders and follower, and internal perseverance are more likely to endorse an authentic leadership style as being effective in the workplace. These results imply that congruence between employee and supervisor values may be an important factor in determining whether or not authentic leadership is perceived as being effective in the workplace. Further, managers and organizations may want to consider hiring individuals with cultural values that best fit their own values and leadership style. In the future researchers could investigate individual level cultural values as moderators between leadership and workplace outcomes, such as job satisfaction.

abstract: This study explores how WeChat, one of the most popular Chinese-based Social Network Sites (SNSs), has been adopted and used under different patterns between two Chinese generation cohorts, namely “The post-70” (i.e., people who were born in the 1970s) and “The post-90” (i.e., people who were born in the 1990s). Three major issues were examined in this Study: (1) what are the differences in WeChat connection between two generations; (2) how Chinese post-70 and the post-90 cohorts differ regarding their cultural value orientations and how those differences influence their WeChat connection; (3) if there is a participatory cultural divide between two generation cohorts. Two hundred and eight the post-70 cohort and 221 the post-90 cohort were recruited to complete a 91-item survey. Results indicated significant differences between the post-70 and the post-90 cohorts in WeChat adoption and use, collectivistic/individualistic (COL/IND) orientations, and participation in creating and spreading of popular online memes. Moreover, factors influencing human capital- enhancing activities on WeChat were examined. Also explored were the influence of cultural values on the motivations to connect to the Internet and frequencies of different types of WeChat activities. Major findings and limitations were discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Communication 2018

abstract: This study examined the influence of the traditional values held by Mexican heritage parents on the intention of their adolescent children to use drugs. Specifically, the study tested a mediation model in which the traditional cultural values of parents were hypothesized to influence adolescent drug use intentions indirectly by influencing ethnic identify and adolescent perceptions of parental injunctive norms against drug use. Parents reported on traditional cultural values and expectations for their child. Adolescents reported perceived reaction from parents if they used drugs (parental injunctive norms), ethnic identity, and their intention to use drugs in the future. Two direct effects were observed: parental values on expectations and parental injunctive norms on adolescent drug use intentions. Two paths were also moderated by the sex of the adolescent. The path from parent values to parent expectations was significantly stronger for adolescent girls than boys; the path from ethnic identity affirmation to drug intentions was protective for boys but not for girls. The negative relationship between perceived parental reaction and adolescent drug use intentions suggests that anti-drug norms communicated by parents had a protective influence and can deter youth from using drugs. The results of the current study did not support the hypothesized mediational model, but did provide additional support for the importance of parental influence on adolescents' plans and ideas about using alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. More research is necessary to examine the influence of culture and the mechanisms by which cultural values impact Mexican heritage adolescents' intentions to use drugs and subsequent use. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Psychology 2012

The purpose of this study is to identify and examine the factors that are affecting Chinese parental decisions to enroll their children in local private non-profit Christian primary schools in Hong Kong. Two research instruments were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data from parents. These include the questionnaire survey and the follow-up telephone interviews. A total of 1404 questionnaires were given out, to three different schools, with a return rate of 82%. A total of 59 parents who returned their questionnaires were interviewed for explanation of their responses. Documentary analyses were conducted to assess whether or not the case schools are in line with the parents' expressed preferences. The study identifies three leading criteria which parents use in the selection of a private primary school. The "academic-centered" aspects and the "child-centered" aspects (Woods, Bagley and Glatter, 1998) have been found to be parents' major concerns and they are closely linked to teacher attitudes which parents value highly. The selection criteria were perceived to be influenced by traditional Chinese cultural values on education and character development. A parent-school interaction pattern has been established in this study. It reflects the concern of parents on the effectiveness of the school in enhancing students' discipline and academic performance through teachers with positive attitudes. Common parental school choice factors are examined and discussed. The study established that parents perceived positive teacher attitudes to be interconnected with student's behavioural and academic performance. It also established that parents who perceived the effectiveness of Chinese cultural values on education also perceived improvements in child's behavioural and academic performance. This study provides school administrators with additional understanding of the interconnecting relations between children's school performance and teacher attitudes. A model of private school choice framework was created to show the interactions among parents, teachers, students and the school management.

The diploma thesis sets out to deal with the role of local governments for the protection of cultural values. The theoretical part discusses what cultural values are, what are their contributions and why it is necessary to protect them. This is followed by the analysis of instruments and institutions regarding the protection of culture values in the Czech Republic with the focus on Prague, being a significant cultural centre with many cultural values within its territory. It can be seen that local governments have many options on how to protect their cultural values, for which their level of initiative is crucial. The Prague government has many institutions and instruments aiming to protect the cultural values of the area, however there are some shortcomings. The most current one is a missing updated cultural strategy in Prague. From a long-term point of view, it can also be seen that there is a decline in spending on culture and lack of education and awareness in the cultural sphere.

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The purpose of this qualitative thesis research was to explore the state of distance education in Saudi universities. The research focused on teaching and learning from the perspectives of the universities’ instructors as well as expert designers from the Ministry of Education working in distance education. By using a multiple case studies approach, this study aimed to understand the opportunities and challenges faced in the development of online learning environments at Saudi universities from an ethical and cultural perspectives. Data collection methods consisted of 28 in-depth, one-on-one interviews as well a thematic analysis of 152 supporting documents related to the universities’ strategies to deliver online learning. The advanced findings revealed how the recent integration of a blended learning model has helped to contribute to a shift in the Saudi distance education system, as it moves from a teacher-centered approach to a learner-centered approach. Furthermore, drawing on Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions and Social Construction of Technology (SCOT), the study uncovers complex interactions between the Saudi learning culture, technology integration, and ethical issues. This research contributes unique knowledge about the state of online learning development in Saudi higher education to help enhance distance education development in Saudi Arabia, as well as in other areas of the world where similar distance education development initiatives are underway.

Transparency within the supply chain has become a key priority for textile brands in response to the growing stakeholder concerns around social and environmental impacts of the textile value chain. Textile industry is extremely labour dependent and adds massively to the environmental degradation, adding on to this the highly complex and scattered global supply chain network makes it more difficult for brands to implement transparency in their supply base. Due to the low-cost labour in developing countries, the majority of the textile suppliers is located in South Asia, where the cultural values have been found to be in sharp contrast to the Global West. Many prior studies have also highlighted the lack of supplier’s top management support as the linking barrier to sustainable initiatives. Hence, this research was designed to investigate the behaviour and attitude of top management executives towards various transparency dimensions, i.e., Traceability, Sustainability conditions (Social and environmental) and Purchasing practices, in order to understand the underlying behavioural barriers. The semi-structured interview with 9 top management executives across India and Sri Lanka revealed three major themes: (a) Transparency as business imperative, (b) Distrustful relationship with brand and (c) Tendency to externalise responsibility. The Schwartz theory of cultural orientation was used to examine the role of cultural value in explaining the identified behaviour of top management executives.

The present study looks into examining if an employee’s consideration of future consequences or cultural values better predict their procrastination at work. A total of 253 participants from various parts of the globe were examined via an online survey utilizing the Considerations of Future Consequences Scale (Strathman et al., 2013), Behavior Identification Form (Vallacher & Wegner, 1989), CVScale for cultural values (Yoo et al., 2011), and Irrational Procrastination Scale (Steel, 2010). Work procrastination was found to be negatively correlated to consideration of future consequences, where those with higher levels of consideration of future consequences were found to have lower levels of work procrastination. In addition, more abstract or high-level personal agency was found to be positively correlated to consideration of future consequences and negatively correlated to work procrastination. Furthermore, a positive relationship was found between work procrastination and the cultural values of masculinity and power distance, where those with higher levels of these cultural values had higher levels of work procrastination. Lastly, consideration of future consequences was found to be a better predictor for work procrastination than cultural values. Possible explanations of the results are discussed, limitations of the study are mentioned, and recommendations for future studies are suggested.

Background: The increased awareness of the environmental impact is allowing consumers to be more conscious of their purchasing decisions and habits. Awareness, however, is shown to be based on a number of factors, including country culture. A cultural analysis of the UK was conducted to understand the impact a country’s culture has on individual behaviors. A number of consumer behavior theories were also applied to understand the perceptions and behaviors taken during the individual consumption process. Theories regarding green marketing are also taken into account to provide background of the need for a study of this caliber. Approach: For this quantitative study, an online survey was conducted, along with an analysis of the UK’s culture and implications on consumers purchasing behavior. Findings: The findings from the research show that consumers in the UK are aware of the impact of their sustainable purchasing habits. Consumers do take into account what the purchase means for society as well as them as an individual, which verifies the cultural analysis that was conducted. They are also influenced by green marketing, which validates their purchasing habits and continues the pattern of behavior. Individuals in the UK are very aware of the effects of their behavior, and depending on varying factors are interested in continuing or even changing their behavior to conduct more ethical spending habits. Value: From this research, a framework connecting country culture with consumer behavior decisions is created and applied to environmentally sustainable purchasing choices. This can be taken into account to understand the habits and behaviors of consumers in the UK to continue to push green marketing for products.