With the increasing trend of globalization, the impact of globalization has lead to a fast changing environment the boundaries for business is diminishing day by day so is the movement of people between different countries and cultures. The requirements of multinational organizations like expansion plans in international market has continuingly increased the need to understand the cultural dimensions of different countries to achieve better results. Therefore the companies are required to understand a national culture’s impact on areas like communication in multicultural teams in different countries which has a high degree of effect on team performance. So our research question revolves around this topic as “How does culture influence communication in multi cultural teams”. This thesis makes an attempt to investigate the influence of national cultures on communication in project teams in China and India by focusing on construction industry based on a number of factors including Hofstede’s (1980) cultural dimensional framework. The researchers intend to explore the cultural factors having major impact on communication in multicultural project teams of both countries. Throughout our research and study, useful lessons on national cultures impact on communication can be drawn for multicultural project team in China and India. It can provide a better insight for the project teams to have concern for and understand why people from different countries and cultures react or respond to various situations in a different manner, giving high emphasis to communication process. To support our thesis a total of 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers in different companies from construction sector. An empirical qualitative research using semi-structured interviews was conducted from a total of 12 project team members from multinational companies in China and India based on their experiences on cultural influence on team communication when working in project teams. The research revealed that there are significant differences and similarities in communication styles of Chinese and Indian teams, and the differences are mostly attributed to have strong links with cultural aspects. Specially with increasing economical changes the traditional patterns of behavior in communication are changing with time. The results also addressed number of similarities; especially in both the countries, culture continues to dominate most aspects of communication. The major implication is that the knowledge of the cultural differences and similarities would facilitate better team performance. Therefore, by keeping in mind the importance as well as the impact of various national cultures and presenting each member with a better understanding and knowledge about social background of the team mates within the multicultural teams, arguments and conflicts arise due to misconception and pre-judgment can be reduced. Hence it will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the teams working in multicultural environment.

Research Objects: we choose two banks as research objects. One is a Swedish bank, Swedbank, which was founded in 1820, the other is a Chinese bank, Minsheng Bank (CMBC), which is a new bank when compared with Swedbank. Purpose & Aim: The 2008 financial crisis hurt banks badly, and consequently how they can become stronger to resist future crises and gain competitive advantages is a key topic for them. There is no doubt that there are many factors that makes a bank successful, but employees are one of the most important factors in a service industry. Therefore, this research study is focused on internal marketing in banks. In addition, this study will attempt to assess whether two banks can learn from each other through the comparison of their internal marketing efforts. Research Methodology: this study will rely on the data collected from the interviews with a manager and an employee from two banks. Books and articles are also been used for secondary data collection. Findings & Conclusion: The research revealed that Swedbank tend to do a better job in satisfying employees' needs, sharing value, having an appropriate organisational culture and being more conscious to treat the employees as customers, in comparison with CMBC. While CMBC need to make more effort in this regard, it does not mean that they must copy what Swedbank do, but rather to establish an appropriate organisational culture for their own internal market. Contribution & Suggestion: In the end, the suggestions have been listed for both banks to improve their internal marketing programme.

¡@¡@With the concern of corporate social responsibility, companies acting as a good citizen has become an important issue. Cause-related marketing (CRM) refers to a company¡¦s aliance with a non-profit organization (NPO): when customers buy the company¡¦s products, the company donates a portion of their profits to the NPO. Through CRM, corporates can effectively enhance their images and customer evaluations. NPOs can increase their visiablity and incomes as well. Customers are able to help NPOs through produce purchase. Therefore, how to enhance the effectiveness of CRM has become a very important issue for both researchers and practitioners. ¡@¡@Based on the previous research in CRM, consumer behavior, and cross-cultural psychology literature, the present study develops a theoretical framework and hypotheses. By using the 2*2*2 experimental design with a cross-cultural sample, the present study examines whether impacts of type of NPO (help-self versus help-others) and national cultures (masculinity versus femininity) interact with two types of advertising appeals (self-focuses versus other-focused) in adverstising persuasion (purchase intentions and corporate image evaluation). The data were collected from 82 Taiwan respondents and 62 Germany respondents, with 15 to 20 respondents for each condition. Multivariate analysis of covariance was performed to test the proposed hypotheses. ¡@¡@The results showed that type of NPO interacts with advertising appeals in advertising persuasion: When consumers perceive a NPO¡¦s nature as help-self, self-focused appeal leads to higher purchase intentions and more favorable corporate image evaluation. In addition, the three-way interaction among type of NPO, national culture and advertising appeals is also significant. The effects of self-focused appeal on advertising persuation are strengthened when a NPO wih help-self orientation is chosen as a cause in a country with masculine culture. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications are discussed.

The rapid developments occurred in the process of Turkey&rsquo / s participation movements into European Union brought also with themselves the first signs of the potential impacts which the European Union will cause to come into existence on the Turkish bureaucracy. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the role the European Union plays as an environmental factor in the formation of organizational culture. In order to realize the purpose of this thesis, a comparative survey was administered between the State Planning Organization (SPO) and the Turkish National Agency which was established as a department in SPO in 2002 and attained its autonomous body within the framework of legal arrangements and which is in a direct interaction with the European Commission in respect of working environment. The study has reached the conclusion that the Turkish National Agency has higher level of cultural characteristics than SPO in the framework of organizational culture. The reached findings support that the Turkish National Agency, although a state/public institution, is under the impact of EU which bring in differentiation. In addition, questionnaire results were compared with Turkish cultural characteristics in Hofstede&rsquo / s national cultural analysis and it was seen that some aspects of Turkish National Agency were also reflected those characteristics. As a result, the Turkish National Agency developed a &rdquo / hybrid&rdquo / structure under the impact of EU and Turkish bureaucracy, and this structure, which is the first sample of its own kind, will be a significant example for similar institutions which will possibly come into being in future.

This thesis looks at the understanding of Chinese and Western cultures within the academic working environment of internationalised higher education, and the influence on their working relationships. This research takes an interpretivist, qualitative approach. It is based on four different organisational contexts of internationalised higher education in Mainland China, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. The four organisational contexts include a Chinese case, a Collaborative case, a Colonialism case and a British case. Qualitative interview data were collected from seventy Chinese and Western academic staff. The research examines academic staff s interpretation of Western (Hofstede s cultural dimensions) and Chinese cultural values (Guanxi, Mianzi and Harmony). The key findings are Guanxi, Mianzi and Harmony are closely related to Hofstede s cultural dimensions. Particularly, with the support of the Chinese Yin-Yang theory, it demonstrates that Hofstede s bipolar cultural dimensions are not sufficient to explain the Chinese culture. The findings also show that Western expatriate academics have stronger cultural sensitivity than the Chinese indigenous academics. Furthermore, the findings show that the organisational context has a stronger impact than the national one on employees cultural understanding and working relationships. Based on the findings, practical implications are discussed as well as limitations and recommendations for future research.

Darbe analizuojami klausimai, kurie susiję su tautinės kultūros puoselėjimu Airijos lietuvių bendruomenėje. Aptariamos kultūros, tautinės kultūros sampratos jos raiška ir vaidmuo išsaugojant lietuvių tautinį identitetą emigracijoje, šiuo atveju Airijoje. Tyrimo dalys skirtos tautinio tapatumo išsaugojimo svarbai intensyvios migracijos sąlygomis. Magistro darbo tikslas – atskleisti tautinės kultūros puoselėjimo galimybes Airijos lietuvių bendruomenėje. Tyrimo objektas yra tautinės kultūros puoselėjimas emigracijoje. Tyrimas atliktas Airijos lietuvių bendruomenėje. Darbo tikslui pasiekti iškelti šie uždaviniai: apibrėžti tautinės kultūros sampratą; atskleisti tautiškumo esmę; charakterizuoti tapatybės bruožus; identifikuoti tautinės kultūros vertybių svarbos suvokimą visuomenėje; nustatyti tautinės kultūros puoselėjimo galimybes; atlikti tyrimą, siekiant atskleisti, kokios yra galimybės puoselėti tautinę kultūrą Airijos lietuvių bendruomenėje; išanalizuoti ir apibendrinti gautus tyrimo duomenis. Išanalizavus mokslinę literatūrą ir apibendrinus gautus tyrimo duomenis galima teigti, kad ne tik žmogus, bet ir kiekviena tauta sau kelia uždavinius: siekti tobulesnio žmoniškumo, puoselėti tai, ką per šimtmečius sukūrė protėviai. Kad visa tai išsaugotume, žmogus turi deramai įgyvendinti siekiamus tikslus, uždavinius. Tyrimo rezultatai atskleidė, jog puoselėti tautinę kultūrą Airijoje emigrantai siekia stengdamiesi išlikti lietuviais, bendraudami su... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The paper analyzes the issues related to fostering of national culture in the Irish Lithuanian community. The work discusses the definitions of culture, national culture and its expression, and the role in preserving the Lithuanian national identity in exile, in this case, in Ireland. Sections of the research are dedicated for the importance of preservation of the national identity in the conditions of intensive migration. The aim of the Master’s thesis is to reveal the opportunities for fostering ethnic culture in the Irish Lithuanian community. The object of research is fostering national culture in emigration. The study was conducted in the Irish Lithuanian community. The following tasks were raised to achieve the main objective of the final work: to define the concept of national culture; to reveal the essence of national identity; to characterize the features of identity; to identify national awareness of the importance of cultural values in the society; to identify opportunities for enhancement of national culture; to carry out a research in order to reveal what are the options to cherish the culture in the Lithuanian community in Ireland; to analyze and summarize the research data. The analysis of the scientific literature and summarized data obtained during the research indicate that not only every human, but also every nation poses challenges for itself: seeking for advancement of humanity, by cherishing the traits that have been developed over... [to full text]

In the new business world, organizational knowledge is considered to be a key factor for profitability attainment. This is true within any industry. It is a vital enabler of superior business accomplishments and developments. Managing such valuable knowledge enables organizations to gain a competitive advantage and advance in the process of wealth creation. As organizations worldwide become increasingly aware of the benefits that can be achieved by engaging in effective knowledge management practices, the need arises for additional research in order to identify and ascertain the effects of cultural differences among the operating environments of different firms, and to find out how these differences translate into varying uses of technologies and knowledge management practices in firms; that is the main objective of this research. To reach this goal, the study utilizes an exploratory research design to collect and analyze quantitative data from employees of various organizations in different countries and industries. We do this in order to explore the determinants of effective knowledge management from cultural, organizational, and technological perspectives. Specifically, the study will examine the country of Saudi Arabia and compare it to other countries. Quantitative data for an empirical investigation was collected through a web-based survey questionnaire sent to employees of various organizations within different national contexts and industrial settings. Drawing upon previously validated studies and several new hypotheses, this study presents a theoretical model that integrates different sociological and technological factors that influence employees’ behavior when using Enterprise 2.0 technologies for knowledge management. Sociological determinants include: power distance, long term-orientation, knowledge management environment, and personal and organizational behavior. The technological determinants include: Enterprise 2.0 tools, richness, sophistication, ease of use, usefulness and behavioral intention of really using these tools. The quantitative investigation reflects the testing of significant theoretical constructs and relational propositions from the theoretical model. Exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling techniques were used to estimate a structural relationship model among the sociological and technological determinants of the intentions of use of Enterprise 2.0. The key findings from this study emphasize the role of technology perceptions including: perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, richness, sophistication of adoption, the use of Enterprise 2.0 technologies in the workplace, as well as the knowledge management environment of the organization. Furthermore, the results highlight the impact of factors pertaining to knowledge management, such as personal and organizational information on the use of Enterprise 2.0 tools. This study also found that divergences among countries with different cultural settings might affect the knowledge management environment and the use of Enterprise 2.0 in organizations; further investigation is needed in this area. Based on these findings, the study offers theoretical implications and suggestions for future research. This research provides guidelines for practices, processes, and technologies related to knowledge management. It also gives specific recommendations, for companies operating in various cultural contexts, on how to give priority to the context and the environment in which the knowledge is being exchanged as well as how to enhance the technological infrastructures that offer a behavioral incentive to use Enterprise 2.0 technologies for knowledge management.

Today's processes of cultural globalization involve three major trends: (I)the global expansion of transnational communications conglomerates; (2) the global implementation of market-oriented cultural policies; and (3) the global diffusion of new communication technologies. These processes have set in motion complicated consequencesa nd prompted a range of national responses.B oth China and Taiwan, the two locations which embody the Asian region's largest cultural formation, have experienced major shifis in their internal political and economic organisation and been significantly influenced by these interlinked global processes since the early 1980s. Taking the national film industries in both locations as a case study, this thesis examines the impact of globalisation on the organisation of national cultural production and distribution, and explores the uses of film in representing shifting conceptions of national culture and identity.

National culture is deeply rooted in values, which are learned and acquired when we are young (2007, p. 6), and „embedded deeply in everyday life. (Newman & Nollen, 1996, p. 754). Values have helped to shape us into who we are today. In other words, as we grow older, the cultural values we have learned and adapted to will mould our daily practices. This is reflected in our actions, behaviours, and the ways in which we communicate. Based on the previous assertion, it can be suggested that national culture may also influence organisational culture, as our „behaviour at work is a continuation of behaviour learned earlier. (Hofstede, 1991, p. 4). Cultural influence in an organisation could be evidenced by looking at communication practices: how employees interact with one another as they communicate in their daily practices. Earlier studies in organisational communication see communication as the heart of an organisation in which it serves, and as „the essence of organised activity and the basic process out of which all other functions derive. (Bavelas and Barret, cited in Redding, 1985, p. 7). Hence, understanding how culture influences communication will help with understanding organisational behaviour. This study was conducted to look at how culture values, which are referred to as culture dimensions in this thesis, influenced communication practices in an organisation that was going through a change process. A single case study was held in a Malaysian organisation, to investigate how Malaysian culture dimensions of respect, collectivism, and harmony were evidenced in the communication practices. Data was collected from twelve semi-structured interviews and five observation sessions. Guided by six attributes identified in the literature, (1) acknowledging seniority, knowledge and experience, 2) saving face, 3) showing loyalty to organisation and leaders, 4) demonstrating cohesiveness among members, 5) prioritising group interests over personal interests, and 6) avoiding confrontations of Malaysian culture dimensions, this study found eighteen communication practices performed by employees of the organisation. This research contributes to the previous cultural work, especially in the Malaysian context, in which evidence of Malaysian culture dimensions of respect, collectivism, and harmony were displayed in communication practices: 1) acknowledging the status quo, 2) obeying orders and directions, 3) name dropping, 4) keeping silent, 5) avoiding questioning, 6) having separate conversations, 7) adding, not criticising, 8) sugar coating, 9) instilling a sense of belonging, 10) taking sides, 11) cooperating, 12) sacrificing personal interest, 13) protecting identity, 14) negotiating, 15) saying „yes. instead of „no., 16) giving politically correct answers, 17) apologising, and 18) tolerating errors. Insights from this finding will help us to understand the organisational challenges that rely on communication, such as during organisational change. Therefore, data findings will be relevant to practitioners to understand the impact of culture on communication practices across countries.

In the Master Thesis research is carried out into the influence of national culture on the implementation of knowledge management (KM) systems, as well as providing the actions which should be carried out for successful implementation. Research was conducted in the Ukraine and the Czech Republic. The Master thesis starts with an explanation of the problem area, a review of the main definitions necessary for understanding the studied field: foundation of national culture and knowledge management are reviewed. Relevance of the topic is explained by the fact that usually more attention is paid to knowledge sharing than its creation, and if we ignore the fact of national culture, the used theories may lead to a collapse of the system of knowledge management, as they should be modified from country to country. Theoretical framework contains a literature review with information about the concept of knowledge and how to create it within an organization, properties of the knowledge base from which stems knowledge management system and its development. Aspects of national culture and organizational models are also described. Typology of culture proposed by Geert Hofstede, is presented, which is taken as a basis for conducting the research. Individualism and Collectivism dimension from his typology are descried in detail. Because of widespread criticism of Hofstede’s work, the main arguments “against” it were provided. Typologies of such researchers as Triandis, Kim, Kagitcibasi and Berry were reviewed to explain why they are not applicable to this study. Soft System Methodology, rich picture, is used to describe the process of implementing Knowledge Management Systems, as well as the processes required for solving problems and eliminating the identified barriers. Through Kotter's 8-Step Change Model reflected actions for implementing of Knowledge Management System and they are showing in rich picture what in addition with concomitant actions creates complete model for KM system implementation. As a philosophical worldview of the research, Social Constructivism was selected. For data collection, it was decided to create a survey which gave qualitative and quantitative data. Steps of survey creation and how it was delivered to respondents are explained, as well as data analysis and sampling methods. Paper provides practical application of gained knowledge. It explains identified barriers to the implementation of KM system, comparison of Ukrainian and Czech Republic companies in the context of KM, as well as KM on a national level. Described in detail is the creation of rich pictures which reflects the model of implementing KM System. While conducting the research it was proved that national culture affects the style of doing business and the process of implementing a knowledge management system in particular. In order to go deeper into the details of the differences that can exist between countries, the discussion talks about features of the national cultures in Europe, where research has been conducted, and Asia, as Chinese culture is one of the most influential countries. In conclusion, different levels of individualism are found in the studied countries. According to the results of the study and received data, it is safe to say that the question of the influence of national culture on the process of implementing a KM System exists and plays an important role. Opportunities for further research are given.