This thesis investigates a generalisable cross-cultural model for brand loyalty by integrating extant theories of personal cultural orientation (of individualism and collectivism), self-congruity (actual, ideal, social, and ideal social self-congurity), customer satisfaction, attitudinal brand loyalty, and behavioural brand loyalty. Creating brand loyalty is a key branding issue in modern marketing. Brands are faced with the challenge of building, maintaining, and increasing their capacity to drive customer loyalty across borders with consumers of different cultures. Notwithstanding the growth of culturally centered brand loyalty research, the focus of research today continues to be on cross-cultural differences, often overlooking the generalisable cross-cultural path to consumer brand loyalty. This study instead addresses this overlooked topic of cross-cultural generalisabilities across nations. To assess the cross-cultural generalisability of the conceptual model, survey data from a non-student sample were collected from middle-class, Generation Y individuals of the relevant nationality who have always lived in China, Singapore, or the United States. After performing data cleaning procedures, 541 usable responses from three countries were analysed with the use of the SEM model. The findings show that the personal cultural orientation of collectivism has a positive effect on behavioural brand loyalty through ideal social self-congruity, customer satisfaction, and attitudinal brand loyalty. These findings extend brand loyalty research by considering how an individual’s personal cultural orientation impacts brand loyalty. Moreover, the findings offer marketers increased insight into consumers’ brand loyalty formation process in cross-cultural contexts. The limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are also presented.

Involving whole-body movements into the way games are played can provide various experiences for players, especially when the gameplay requires social interactions together with other players. In addition, a person’s cultural background influences the way they look at themselves in relation to others and how they communicate. Therefore, this thesis will explore what social elements in games involving physical activity are important to consider when designing for different cultural patterns. The research was conducted using a mixed-method approach by collecting quantitative data from an online survey and qualitative data from interviews together with associates at a golf game company. The findings show that the social environment and relationship between players influence the motivation for playing different kinds of games that require physical movements. However, understanding and measuring culture can be a great challenge and the results open up for discussion about directions for future research. / Att involvera rörelser med hela kroppen i hur spel spelas kan ge olika spelupplevelser, särskilt när spelet kräver sociala interaktioner tillsammans med andra spelare. Dessutom påverkar en persons kulturella bakgrund hur de ser på sig själva i förhållande till andra samt hur de kommunicerar. Därför kommer denna studie att undersöka vilka sociala element är viktiga att tänka på när man utformar spel som involverar fysisk aktivitet baserat på olika kulturella mönster. Metoden bestod utav att både en insamling av kvantitativa data genom en enkätundersökning online samt kvalitativa data baserat på intervjuer tillsammans med medarbetare på ett företag som utvecklar golfspel. Resultaten visar att den sociala miljön och förhållandet mellan spelare påverkar deras motivation för att spela olika typer av spel som kräver fysiska rörelser. Att förstå och mäta kultur kan dock vara en stor utmaning och resultaten öppnar därför upp en diskussion om riktningar för framtida forskning.

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Sambandet mellan kultur och personlighet har studerats i stor utsträckning och tidigare forskning har visat på en koppling mellan kulturdimensionen individualism-kollektivism och personlighetsdimensionen idiocentrism-allocentrism. Den föreliggande studien undersöker förhållandet mellan individualism-kollektivism och idiocentrism-allocentrism bland internationella studenter i Sverige. 215 internationella studenter (M = 23 år, åldersintervall 19-44, 120 kvinnor, 94 män, 1 annat) gavs definitioner av individualistiska och kollektivistiska kulturer och ombads att bedöma sin ursprungskultur. De uppmanades sedan att uppskatta sig själva utifrån 22 frågor avsedda att mäta idiocentrism-allocentrism. Slutligen uppmanades de att ange sitt huvudskäl till att studera utomlands genom att välja ett av sju alternativ i en flervalsfråga. Data analyserades med one-way ANOVA's och oberoende t-tester. Resultaten visade på ett samband mellan kulturell bakgrund och idiocentrism-allocentrism i den förväntade riktningen. Vidare demonstrerade resultaten inte en koppling mellan geografisk bakgrund och idiocentrism-allocentrism. Slutligen visade resultaten varken en koppling mellan huvudorsaken till utlandsstudier och idiocentrism-allocentrism, eller mellan huvudorsaken till utlandsstudier och kulturell bakgrund. Av dessa resultat drogs slutsatsen att när det gäller individualism-kollektivism och idiocentrism-allocentrism så påverkar kultur personlighet. Resultaten tyder vidare på att det kanske inte är lämpligt att likställa geografiska enheter som nationer med kultur, då subkulturell mångfald kan påträffas inom dessa enheter. Slutligen tyder resultaten på att internationella studenter skiljer sig åt för gällande skäl till utlandsstudier oavsett personlighet och kulturell bakgrund, även om vidare forskning krävs gällande internationella studenters motivation. / The association between culture and personality has been widely studied and previous research has shown an association between the culture dimension of individualism-collectivism and the personality dimension of idiocentrism-allocentrism. The present study investigates the relationship between individualism-collectivism and idiocentrism-allocentrism among international students in Sweden. 215 international students (M = 23 years, age range 19-44, 120 women, 94 men, 1 other) were given definitions of individualist and collectivist cultures and asked to assess their culture of origin. They were then asked to rate themselves on 22 items intended to measure idiocentrism-allocentrism. Finally, they were asked to state their main reason for studying abroad by choosing one of seven options given in a multiple-choice item. One-way ANOVA's and independent t-tests were carried out for data analysis. The results showed an association between cultural background and idiocentrism-allocentrism in the expected direction. Further, the results did not demonstrate an association between geographical background and idiocentrism-allocentrism. Finally, the results did not demonstrate an association between main reason for studying abroad and idiocentrism-allocentrism, nor between main reason for studying abroad and cultural background. It was concluded that in the case of individualism-collectivism and idiocentrism-allocentrism, culture does influence personality. Further, the results suggest that it may not be appropriate to equate geographical entities such as nations with culture as cultural diversity may be found within such entities. Finally, the results indicate that international students differ in their reasons for studying abroad regardless of personality and cultural background, although further research regarding the motivation of international students is needed.

The individual's experience of inner authority takes centre stage in the majority of scholarship on New Ageism, with many writers highlighting this theme as a defnitive characteristic of the spiritual culture. The aim of this thesis is to explore this topic and to ascertain the place of the individual and the collective within two commercial New Age feld sites in London. The qualitative data which lead this investigation were collected from a yoga centre called Shanti and a Suf dance organisation called the Suf Order. From this data, the thesis identifes an individual-collective dialectic, one which manifests in particular forms and with divergent orientations; the result is a multiplicity of types of individualisms which include collective forces. The study makes the case for this argument by focusing on four modes in which, at both sites, the individual and the collective co-produce each other. One, the (collective) class culture of the practitioners informs and is informed by the (individual) ideologies of self that the informants assert. Two, the (collective) capitalist context of the organisations infuence and are perpetuated by the ways the (individual) representatives of those organisations express themselves. Three, (collective) shared principles regarding 'positivity' and 'energy' enforce and are sustained by the (individual) feelings of the student. Four, the (collective) communities of practitioners depend on and contribute to the (individual) set apart status of the teacher. These four manifestations of the individual-collective dynamic appear with different orientations in each feld context; in all versions and in both settings, individual and collective are both present and mutually- constituting forces, but at Shanti the dialectics lean more towards the personal and at the Suf Order, the 'same' dialectics lean more towards the social. Each organisation refects and adds to the intersections, both in their forms and their orientations. In so doing, the two New Age centres present divergent balances of the individual-collective dynamic that correlate with the personal and social dispositions of their respective student bodies.

Durant des siècles, la religion a été considérée comme une entité extrêmement influente. Lentement et progressivement, les gouvernements ont pris la relève et gagné en puissance. De nos jours, quelques grandes entreprises prennent le relais (Cohen, 1988). Cependant, la recherche montre que les entreprises qui ne gèrent pas leur pouvoir de manière socialement responsable sont sanctionnées par la société (Davis, 1973). Pour cette raison, les PDG sont amenés à faire un usage intelligent et productif de leurs ressources, par le biais de la responsabilité sociale. La RSE est un phénomène important par le moyen duquel les employés acquièrent, par identification à l'entreprise, une identité sociale. Cette identification génère elle-même des comportements de citoyenneté organisationnelle (OCB). Il est nécessaire de procéder à une étude approfondie de ces comportements influencés par la RSE, en tenant compte de l'approche psychologique individualiste ou collectiviste de l'employé. Nous présentons ici un modèle optimal, testé empiriquement. Les résultats de cette recherche suggèrent aux entreprises d'utiliser intelligemment leurs activités opérationnelles pour répondre à un large éventail de besoins. / Ages ago, religion was an entity which was deemed as influentially powerful. Slowly and gradually, governments became the entities even with greater power to influence the circumstances. And now, some big corporations have taken over that power (Cohen, 1988) . Nevertheless, when power comes, along lingers responsibility. Research shows that businesses which do not handle their power in socially responsible manner, the society deprives it of that power (Davis, 1973). For this reason, CEO's now make intelligent use of their resources in order to be productive as well as socially responsible, in short they exhibit Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). CSR is such a powerful phenomenon which enables an employee to derive his/her social identity by identifying with the firm. Employees view their self as a depiction of their firm, when their firm behaves in a socially responsible manner. This resulting identification tends to generate organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). A need resides to conduct an deep study of employee behavior influenced by CSR while considering the individualist or collectivist psychological approach of the employee. This research plays its role in configuring the resulting behavioral patterns generated from the considerate behavior of the firm. We bring forward an optimal model, which is empirically tested. The findings support this research suggesting firms to cleverly utilize its operational activities to meet a broader range of needs.

本研究不將個人主義與集體主義視為單一向度的兩極端，而從多向度的觀點，兼顧學者們談論個人取向及集體取向時所涵蓋的正面及負面意義，以釐清個人取向、集體取向與心理健康的複雜關係，並探討那些態度相互補充之後，對心理健康有最正面的影響。 　　本研究以政大、台大、文化、高雄醫學院、台南師範學院等五所大學的學生共454人為樣本，運用自編的個人取向量表、集體取向量表、心理健康量表及馬康二氏社會讚許性量表等研究工具搜集所需資料，再以典型相關分析、多元逐步迴歸分析、淨相關、共變數分析、變異數分析等方法進行統計分析。 　　研究結果發現：個人取向與集體取向不僅只有對立的關係，亦有不排斥而能互補的關係。若將個人取向視為孤立的意義，則與心理健康有負相關，若將個人取向視為獨立自主與自我表達的意義，則與心理健康有正相關。若將集體取向視為他人導向的意義，亦與心理健康有負相關，但若將集體取向視為家族認同與人際和諧的意義，則與心理健康有正相關。當一個人能夠同時具有個人取向和集體取向的優點時，其心理健康程度最佳。 　　本研究建議：將個人取向與集體取向視為多元化的觀點是可行的研究方向。學校教育中宜提供民主的溝通氣氛，提供不同的論點，協助學生澄清自己的價值觀，在溝通過程中尋求共識，促使學生發展出具有自主性又能認同群體的統整式人生觀，以利學生的心理健康。

Mental Violence in present study is similar to a western concept, bullying. But is has its characteristics, forms and causes in Chinese workplace. It is a form of indirect interpersonal aggression and identified through the perceptions of its receivers. It does not involving touching receivers physically but is psychologically damaging. It exists between individuals of equal status, such as colleagues. Moreover, it is a two-way phenomenon, which could be reversible. Mental Violence may be the result of a conflict of values. It is particularly evident among the Chinese New Educated Youth. Chinese New Educated Youth is that cohort of young people who were partly Confucian and Collectivistic for emphasizing harmony but also partly Individualistic and Westernized for pursuing personal goals. For this cohort, the above two orientations were incompatible and dissonant leading to stress. Furthermore, they had a competitive lifestyle which was no longer supported by the welfare of a planned economy this exacerbates their stress. To relieve stress, Mental Violence was employed in their daily contacts, e.g. in workplaces. The evidence in support of this account was discussed and evaluated. There is no excuse for any violence. However, we have to say sometimes a kind of violence is not always too noxious for someone, such as the sender of violence. To some limited extent, violence could be considered as positive and it at least helped people to relieve stress and recover a balance from unbalanced situation. Mental Violence is such violence. It is a result of negotiation and a side effect of stress as well. Nevertheless, most of things are double-edged swords. Mental Violence is no exception. For the sender, it might be a buffer and makes him or her relaxed; for the receiver, it is absolutely negative, discomfort and even aggressive. For helping readers to clearly understand such violence, and for advising others to raise their awareness of the violence, this study would explore its causes and characteristics. From ancient traditional society to the present modern one, Confucianism and Collectivism afterwards represent a kind of gentle culture which deeply influences traditional Chinese. Chinese traditional philosophy, such as Confucianism and Taoism, stresses the significance of the harmony relationship for the growing, maturing and success of the Chinese. Chinese New Educated Youth who were disciplined for such a culture in thoughts and behaviours while growing up. Therefore, to keep harmony and to avoid conflict becomes a key characteristic for Chinese interactions in a collective society. However, the opening policy to the West world exposed China to the influence of Individualism which is absolutely unlike Confucian or Collectivism. Confucianism s influence has been challenged by Westernized values because of globalization. The difference between two values made Chinese New Educated Youth confused in their thoughts and appropriate behaviours in interpersonal relationships. To recover a balance, they need to relieve such a stress from the confusion and other stressors as well. While using the two value systems in interaction with others, Mental Violence usually happened. Therefore, the conflict of two different values in dealing with social relationship became one cause for Mental Violence. In present research, I tried to reveal Mental Violence, a particular kind of daily conflict in interactions among modern Chinese. For pursuing why Chinese New Educated Youth was special and experienced Mental Violence often, they were compared with other generations in China. Therefore, this research invited participants from three generations (Chinese New Educated Youth, the older generation who were born before 1970s, and the younger generation who were born in 1980s) and from different cities in China. Participants occupations covered different professions, and all of them worked in three sizes of offices (small, big and single). Both of qualitative and quantitative data collecting methods were used in the study. They contained semi-structural interviewing and filling up the questionnaire. And main methods of data analysis are factor analysis, correlation and Thematic Analysis. The result indicated that Mental Violence of Chinese educated youth occurred in workplace was the most often, but was largely unseen by people outside of the group. Because I had to establish why this cohort would be inclined to apply more Mental Violence in daily life, I compared them with their previous generation and the later generation through measuring demographics, westernised, individualism and collectivism. Three generations are different in the Individualism-Collectivism tendency. Chinese New Educated Youth were always in the middle. They were seemed as partly Collectivistic and partly Individualistic. Linked with categories of Mental Violence Chinese New Educated Youth usually experienced, it seems they applied double standards to deal with social interactions. Due to such standards made them failed in establishing good relationships with colleagues, in other words, whatever Chinese New Educated Youth or their colleagues did not feel happy in their social interactions, it means Chinese New Educated Youth have conflict in Individualism-Collectivism tendency. Otherwise, through the investigation, I noticed significant demographical difference other than the generation in experiencing Mental Violence. Male participants reported experiencing Mental Violence more than female ones. The higher education the participant got, the more he or she experienced Mental Violence. Comparing with other occupations, intellectual respondents reported sending Mental Violence the most. Participants who worked as staffs experienced Mental Violence more than people who worked as administrators in the workplace. And people who were singles experienced Mental Violence the most in workplace. Because conflict of relationship seems a sensitive topic for Chinese, I started interviews from talking about overviews of participants workplaces with them. Therefore, the result also shows characteristics of structure and social relationship of Chinese modern offices. China had lot of small size offices in which 2 to 10 staffs worked. Small offices organised small relative closed groups. In such a group, staffs had long time for face to face interaction everyday. Such offices were much more than single offices where only one person worked in and big offices where more than ten persons in. Both of the above characteristics of workplace are not beneficial for physical aggressions as previous study proved but could considered as a structural factor for Mental Violence. Actually, the Mental Violence which reported occurring in small offices is the most often, especially among Chinese New Educated Youth. Hope this research could be a model for further more thorough relevant study. All of the above would be a step towards further study on Mental Violence and Chinese New Educated Youth.

Die Forschungsarbeit beabsichtigte den Zusammenhang zwischen Kultur und der wahrgenommenen Bedienbarkeit der PIM Software seitens deutscher und indonesischer Anwender, welcher in zwei Experimenten untersucht wurde, zu erforschen. Die Entwicklung der PIM Technologie in beiden Ländern, sowie deren kultureller Wert, insbesondere Unsicherheitsvermeidung (UA) und Individualismus-Kollektivismus (INCOL), repräsentieren die zentralen Beweggründe der vorliegenden Untersuchung. Der betrachtete kulturelle Hintergrund und die verwendete Methodik stellen die Verbindung zwischen der ersten und zweiten Studie dar. Die Experimente waren in zwei Studien aufgeteilt, da jeder kulturelle Hintergrund ein unterschiedliches Erhebungsdesign benötigt: UA steht in Beziehung mit der ersten vs. der zweiten Aufgabe und INCOL wurde mittels zwei verschiedenen Wegen der Vervollständigung erfasst (Individual- vs. Gruppenaufgabe). Während sich der Fokus der ersten Studie auf den Vergleich zwischen der deutschen und indonesischen Kultur richtet, konzentrierte sich die zweite Studie auf Kulturen zwischen (Deutschland vs. Indonesien) und innerhalb eines Landes (Individualismus vs. Kollektivismus). Die Ergebnisse legen dar, dass deutsche Anwender ein höheres Level an Unsicherheitsvermeidung als indonesische Anwender zeigen. Lediglich hinsichtlich der Zufriedenheit weisen indonesische, verglichen zu deutschen Benutzern, einen höheren Wert auf, wobei der Haupteffekt der Zeit nur bezüglich der Höhe der Effizienz signifikant ist. Es zeigte sich außerdem ein positiver Zusammenhang zwischen UA und der Effizienz beider Aufgaben, sowie eine negative Korrelation zwischen UA und der berichteten Zufriedenheit. Hinsichtlich der Höhe von UA und der Effektivität ließ sich kein negativer Zusammenhang nachweisen. Desweiteren, betreffend INCOL, lässt sich zusammenfassen, dass der Hauptinteraktionseffekt Aufgabe*INCOL statistisch signifikant ist. Bezüglich Effizienz und Zufriedenheit ist entscheidend, dass, je höher die Ausprägung von Individualismus und Kollektivismus auf Seiten der Anwender ist, desto weniger Zeit beanspruchen diese für die Ausführung individueller Aufgaben und desto zufriedener wenden die Benutzer das PIM und GIM Tool an. Mit eingeschlossen ist jedoch, dass sich zwischen Individualismus und Kollektivismus deutscher und indonesischer Bediener kein Zusammenhang mit der Höhe der Effektivität darstellen lasst. Zusammenfassend ist festzuhalten, dass die Entwickler der PIM Software mit einer internationalen Anwendergruppe beachten sollten, dass die Ergebnisse von Usability Messungen seitens Benutzeranfänger in verschiedenen Kulturen unterschiedlich sein können.