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.

The fulfilment of Child Support payments following divorce is important to ensure children’s wellbeing. Guided by a model of normative influences, we investigated how individuals perceived Child Support payments in South Korea and the United States and if they varied by child’s gender, custody arrangements, changes in the responsible father’s finances, and his financial obligations to an aging parent. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 132 Korean and 132 U.S. participants by utilizing a multiple segment factorial vignette (MSFV). Korean respondents believed more Child Support should be paid than did U.S. respondents. Custody arrangements and changes in the fathers’ finances affected perceived financial obligations of divorced fathers to the child regardless of participants’ country. Having an aging parent in need affected Koreans’ perceptions about Child Support in different ways than U.S. participants. Qualitative responses indicated that Koreans emphasized paternal obligations, whereas U.S. participants stressed the issue of fairness as a rationale. We discuss the results of this study in relation to Child Support compliance in both countries and suggest implications for research and practice.

Yes / This study explores how aspects of perceived national culture affect the information security attitudes and behavior of employees. Data was collected using 19 semi-structured interviews in Ireland and the United States of America (US). The main findings are that US employees in the observed organizations are more inclined to adopt formalized information security policies and procedures than Irish employees, and are also more likely to have higher levels of compliance and lower levels of non-compliance.

No description available.

Malgré de nombreuses recherches portant sur l’innovativité interculturelle du consommateur, l’impact de la culture sur la valeur perçue d’un attribut innovant ne fait pas l’objet de publication. Cette thèse cherche à répondre à ce besoin en étudiant l’impact de la culture nationale sur la valeur perçue de l’attribut innovant des produits technologiques dans deux pays européens majeurs (France et Allemagne), membres de la zone euro. Cette thèse s’appuie sur le modèle interculturel GLOBE pour étudier les différences culturelles entre ces deux pays. Les résultats sont fondés sur une étude de consommateurs quantitative (N=793) utilisant la méthode de l’analyse conjointe basée sur le choix et l’échelle d’attitude « sensibilité au prix ». Les résultats confirment l’impact de la culture nationale sur trois concepts liés à l’attitude du consommateur face au prix de lancement d’une innovation technologique : la valeur perçue par un consommateur de l’attribut innovant d’un produit, l’importance qu’un consommateur accorde à la présence d’un attribut innovant lors du choix d’un produit et la sensibilité du consommateur au prix d’une innovation. Le rôle modérateur du revenu sur ces relations constitue également un résultat majeur. / Despite extensive research on intercultural consumer innovativeness, existing literature does not cover the topic of impacts of national culture on the perceived value of innovative product attributes. This study attempts to fill this gap, by studying the perceived value of innovative attributes, with regards to high-tech products across two major European countries (Euro zone members: France and Germany) using the GLOBE intercultural model as a framework. The results are based on quantitative consumer research (N=793) using Choice Based Conjoint Analysis and the Price Sensitivity Scale.The author’s findings highlight that national culture significantly impacts three aspects of consumer attitude with regards to the launching price of high tech innovations. These three variables are: the perceived value of innovative product attributes, the importance of innovative product attributes for consumers and the price sensitivity towards innovative products. In addition, the research identifies the moderator effects of consumer income on these relations.

Current research in the field of emotions has demonstrated a strong causal correlation between stressful life events and clinical depression. The conceptual framework of this scientific study is taking into consideration the theoretical ideas developed by the laboratories of Alex Zautra, and Susan Folkman about the co-existence of positive and negative emotions during the experience of stress and depression. The principal purpose of this study is to report the convergent validity of the Multicultural State-Trait Depression Inventory, which supports the new direction in the psychometric assessment of clinical depression. Responses to the items of the state and trait scales were analyzed on a multicultural sample to determine the convergent validity and item analysis of the instrument. The results present empirical evidence that demonstrates a high degree of concurrent validity of the IMUDER subscalesand the reference instruments as shown by Pearson correlations. / Los estudios científicos de las emociones han demostrado concluyentemente una robusta relación causal entre eventos estresantes de la vida diaria y la depresión clínica. El marco conceptual del presente estudio toma en consideración los marcos teóricos de Alex Zautra y de Susan Folkman acerca de la coexistencia de emociones positivas y negativas en el proceso de estrés y depresión. El propósito de este estudio es reportar el análisis de ítems y la validez convergente del Inventario Multicultural de la Depresión, Estado-Rasgo (IMUDER). En base a una muestra multicultural, se realizó los análisis psicométricos en base al coeficiente de correlación de Pearson, a fin de determinar la validez convergente. Los resultados de dichos análisis realizados en forma separada para la escala estado y para la escala rasgo, nos indican un elevado nivel de asociación y validez convergente entre las escalas estado y rasgo del IMUDER, dimensiones de distres y eustres, y las pruebas de depresión utilizadas en este estudio. Estos datos indican que el IMUDER es un instrumento psicométrico que presentauna sólida validez convergente y propiedades psicométricas adecuadas.

abstract: The worldwide supply of potable fresh water is ever decreasing. While 2.5% of Earth's water is fresh, only 1% is accessible. Of this water, the World Health Organization estimates that only one-third can be used to meet our daily needs while the other two-thirds are unusable due to contamination. As the world population continues to grow and climate change reduces water security, we must consider not only solutions, but evaluate the perceptions and reactions of individuals in order to successfully implement such solutions. To that end, the goal of this dissertation is to explore human attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors around water issues by conducting cross-cultural comparisons of (1) water risks and solutions, (2) wastewater knowledge and acceptance, and (3) motivators for willingness to use treated wastewater. Previous research in these domains has primarily focused on a single site or national context. While such research is valuable for establishing how and why cultural context matters, comparative studies are also needed to help link perceptions at local and global scales. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach grounded in anthropological methods and theory, I use interview data collected in a range of international sites as part of the Arizona State University's Global Ethnohydrology Study. With funding from National Science Foundation grants to the Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) and the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research project (CAP LTER), this dissertation explores cross-cultural perceptions of water threats and management strategies, specifically wastewater reclamation and reuse, in order to make recommendations for policy makers and water managers. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Anthropology 2016

Alumni loyalty is a relevant research field, which includes different possibilities for investigation. This dissertation focuses on the particularly relevant research gaps in the AL literature. Specifically, this thesis adds to the AL research by developing a more accurate conceptual IAL model for the explanation and prediction of AL. This model includes main internal and external factors (i.e., gender and culture) and could serve as a basis for further theoretical research or could be applied in practice as it is. The findings of this thesis provide deeper insight into the mechanism of alumni university interactions and help to implement an effective, pragmatic plan of AL by taking into consideration cross-cultural and cross-gender differences of alumni. Specifically, the dissertation could be beneficial to educators, researchers, and managers. Educators could integrate the pertinent information into their teaching materials for courses in non-profit marketing and management. Researchers could use the provided reference tool and obtained findings to identify colleagues with similar research interests, to recognize directions for future investigation into the subject, and to develop a deeper and more detailed understanding of AL. The managers could use the results of this dissertation to determine areas which need to be stressed to enhance AL. Additionally, the derived ideas and strategies of AL could assist managers in better analyzing nonprofit organizations and developing an in-depth understanding of the commonalities across various types of alumni groups, “and patterns in the differences among them” (Pettit, 1999, p. 105). The author of this thesis believes that the dissertation can bring “a new era to alumni research” by developing a body of research-based knowledge about a variety of important issues related to AL (Pettit, 1999, p. 105).

Early mother-infant interactions are influenced by the eco-cultural context within which they take place and impact the infant´s development of socio-emotional competences. The genetically open programs of the attachment system enable a child within the limits of the system to adapt to varying eco-cultural contexts. This study focuses on the cultural aspects of attachment among the Cameroonian Nso, a prototypical interdependent cultural group very distinct from Western cultures. 32 Nso families with one-year old infants were visited twice by a German / Cameroonian female stranger respectively, who greeted family, mother and child and interacted with the child for five minutes. The visiting scenes were videotaped and the child s reactions were coded with respect to emotional reaction, closeness with mother, signs of avoidance or approach towards the stranger. Additionally, the mothers were interviewed on attachment topics. Results for the greeting scenes show three distinct reaction patterns, independent of whether the stranger was a German or Cameroonian woman. Children reacted predominantly fearful, curious or unemotional. Results are discussed by drawing on information gathered through the interviews which suggest that calm, non-distressed children are highly valued in the Nso ethnicity and that mothers deliberately use frightening behavior as a means of education. From a western point of view, maternal frightening behavior is considered to be responsible for the development of disorganization; The results suggest that within the cultural context of the Nso, however, typical reactions traditionally associated with disorganization like freezing and impassiveness need to be (re-)interpreted according to the eco-cultural context.

This thesis investigates the influence that cultural differences have in the designing of products and services that encourage sustainable lifestyles. This was researched through a case study of dishwashing practices in Mexico and the UK, and the development of a methodological framework for supporting designers working in cross-cultural contexts. Designers can shift user behaviour to be more responsible, and by doing this, reduce a product s impact on the use phase of its lifecycle. Nevertheless, designing products that successfully drive behaviour towards a more sustainable path can only be accomplished if they are conceived to fit the user and the specific context of interaction. In order to do so, designers must truly understand the users, and take into account the complex web of factors that lay behind individual behaviour. A comprehensive review of the literature established an understanding of human behaviour and the emergence and evolution of practices and routines. This brought to light the diverse behavioural patterns in different contexts; and was further investigated with a scoping study in two different locations (Mexico and the UK), exploring general water consuming practices in the home, specifically manual dishwashing practices. The preliminary findings shaped a study that aimed to deepen the understanding of these practices in the selected sites, involving the use of Cultural Probes and videoing people in their common kitchen environment. A robust and clear image of washing-up practices emerged with rich and detailed data presented in different media, ideal to be implemented in a design process. To this end, a series of multicultural Personas were created as the direct outcome of the Cultural Probes and the scoping study, giving way to the design studies phase of the project, carried out with industrial design students in Mexico and the UK. A design brief for sustainable washing up practices was delivered. Design experiments were used to provide interesting evidence of the influence in the design process of the designers understanding of the target user. The findings indicate that designers benefit from exploration and creativity tools tailored directly from the user-research findings in the early design process. This increases the level of empathy towards the user, particularly making it easier to design for users with different needs and contexts than the designers themselves. It also helps designers to better apply design for sustainable behaviour framework to their concept designs.