...High context cultures place more emphasis on the importance of group identity. They have a high sensory involvement and participate more readily in bodily contact. Low context cultures prioritise individualistic properties. They use body language less frequently and are monochronic thus placing a high importance on timing and scheduling. Most Northern European countries and other western societies are low context cultures. It has been suggested by the acclaimed social scientist, Norbert Elias (1978) that the development of society and the basis of its’ cultural contexts are closely associated with the prominent historical groups of the region leading to an establishment of national cultural values. Countries and even regions of a country often have very different historical backgrounds which lead to a vast plethora of different national cultural contexts. The authoritative work on formally distinguishing the differences between these cultures was carried out by Professor Geert Hofstede between 1967 and 1973. His work involved analysing values of IBM employees...
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...4072, Australia Drug, Alcohol, and Gambling Service, Hornsby Hospital, Hornsby, NSW 2077, Australia a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Despite being a significant issue, there has been a lack of systematic reviews on gambling and problem gambling (PG) among the Chinese. Thus, this paper attempts to fill this theoretical gap. A literature search of social sciences databases (from 1840 to now) yielded 25 articles with a total sample of 12,848 Chinese community participants and 3397 clinical participants. The major findings were: (1) Social gambling is widespread among Chinese communities as it is a preferred form of entertainment. (2) Prevalence estimates for PG have increased over the years and currently ranged from 2.5% to 4.0%. (3) Chinese problem gamblers consistently have difficulty admitting their issue and seeking professional help for fear of losing respect. (4) Theories, assessments, and interventions developed in the West are currently used to explain and treat PG among the Chinese. There is an urgent need for theory-based interventions specifically tailored for Chinese problem gamblers. (5) Cultural differences exist in patterns of gambling when compared with Western samples; however, evidence is inconsistent. Methodological considerations in this area of research are highlighted and suggestions for further investigation are also included. (6) Much of gambling research has focused on identifying risk factors and at-risk individuals. It is essential to balance this...
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...EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY How can we increase the likelihood of women benefiting equally from development activities? What strategies have proven to be effective in the field? This tipsheet summarises strategies which have worked in practice, based on findings from a review of 85 evaluations undertaken by bilateral and multilateral agencies from 1999 to 2002. There was a great deal of consistency in evaluation reports about the most effective strategies for addressing gender equality issues, regardless of the type of assistance, the donor agency, the partner country or sector. Findings from the review also support anecdotal evidence about how to promote gender equality in development programming. Involve stakeholders from civil society in dialogue on objectives and activities. National machineries for women, local women’s organisations, NGOs and other local advocates for women’s rights can play a key role in setting directions for country strategies and in activity design. They can hold institutions accountable for addressing gaps between commitments and practice. Make long-term commitments to partners and activities. This is essential for sustainable progress towards gender equality at both macro and micro levels. Discuss gender equality with partner countries Dialogue to develop partnerships on gender equality is needed when agencies are developing country assistance strategies, and also at the activity level during design and implementation. This...
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...ATHROPOLOGY OF GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT [HANTH 107] INTRODUCTION Defining Key Concepts Gender is not about women as most people think. Gender is about both men and women. Gender is a set of characteristics distinguishing between male and female, and is a result socio – cultural construction, it describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine. Thus the term gender has social, cultural and attitudinal connotations. Gender is a set of characteristics distinguishing between male and female, and is a result socio – cultural construction, it describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine. Thus the term gender has social, cultural and attitudinal connotations. Sex on the other hand refers to the biological differences in chromosomes, hormonal profiles as well as internal and external sexual organs or genitalia.The term sex since classical times has been used to designate matters related to biological and anatomical makeup of a person. Thus while ones’ sex as male or female is a biological and universal fact that is however not the same with gender since sex is tends to be similar across all cultures while gender varies one society to another. Sex relates to the biological characteristics that categorise someone as either female or male; whereas gender refers to the socially determined ideas and practices of what it is to be female or male. Patriarchy - Systemic societal structures that institutionalise...
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...The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/2040-8005.htm JCHRM 3,1 Managing diversity in Chinese and Indian organizations: a qualitative study Fang Lee Cooke Department of Management, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and 16 Debi S. Saini Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to investigate diversity management (DM) practices in China and India by analyzing formal DM policy (if one exists) adopted by the company and informal DM practices adopted by managers. It also aims to discuss the appropriateness of the US-originated notion of, and approach to, managing diversity in the Indian and Chinese contexts by exploring how local managers make sense of diversity and manage it in a pragmatic way. Design/methodology/approach – The authors adopted a qualitative approach. In particular, through a semi-structured interview design, qualitative data were collected from 16 Chinese and Indian middle and senior managers and four human resources (HR) director of regional headquarters of foreign multinational firms. The data were supplemented by secondary data from a wide range of sources, including government reports and media coverage to extend contextual understanding. Findings – The paper reveals that most Chinese organizations do not see DM as an issue. Where exists, its focus is on conflict avoidance rather than value-addition to the business. In contrast, managing diversity...
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...Hofstede’s Five Dimension comparison of Germany and China Hofstede’s Five Dimensions Hofstede’s five dimensions are a useful tool to give someone an insight of different cultures. These elements give a country’s behaviour tendencies rather than an exact prescription. There are weaknesses to Hofstede’s Five Dimension theory as it may too easily encourage stereotyping. Even in countries as small as the UK, not all citizens are alike – e.g. it is argued that the culture in the North of England is quite different to the South. Hofstede has also been criticized for being too simplistic; however Hofstede’s theory does give us a general base to work from. 74 countries are listed on Hofstede’s website from which information can be drawn to make comparisons not only between countries but against the world average to give a broader picture. The following graph gives a comparison between Germany and China. It also allows for assessment against the Asian average and World average and our own British culture as benchmarks. Hofstede Comparison: UK, Germany, China Asian Average and World Average [pic] Comparison of Germany and China [pic] Power Distance Index Germany 35 LOW China 80 HIGH Individualism Germany 67 HIGH China 66 LOW Masculinity Germany 66 HIGH China 66 HIGH Uncertainty Avoidance Germany 65 HIGH China 30 LOW Long Term Orientation Germany 31LOW China 118 HIGH Power Distance Index – PDI Power Distance measures equality...
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...S J . & P O P A Y J . ( 2 0 0 7 ) Directly observed therapy and tuberculosis: how can a systematic review of qualitative research contribute to improving services? A qualitative meta-synthesis. Journal of Advanced Nursing 57(3), 227–243 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.04092.x Abstract Title. Directly observed therapy and tuberculosis: how can a systematic review of qualitative research contribute to improving services? A qualitative meta-synthesis Aim. This paper reports the findings from a qualitative meta-synthesis concerning people with, or at risk of, tuberculosis, service providers and policymakers and their experiences and perceptions of tuberculosis and treatment. Background. Directly observed therapy is part of a package of interventions to improve tuberculosis treatment and adherence. A Cochrane systematic review of trials showed an absence of evidence for or against directly observed therapy compared with people treating themselves. Method. Qualitative systematic review methods were used to search, screen, appraise and extract data thematic analysis was used to synthesize data from 1990 to 2002, and an update of literature to December 2005. Two questions were addressed: ‘What does qualitative research...
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...Discuss two or more psychological therapies for schizophrenia (24 marks) Psychological therapies in dealing with schizophrenia are Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), Family intervention and Behavioural therapy; token economy. Cognitive- Behavioural therapy is used to treat distorted believes which influences schizophrenic behaviour in maladaptive ways. For example a schizophrenia person may believe that they are being controlled by someone or something else, cognitive therapy is used to treat faulty interpretations of these events. In CBT patients are told to trace the origins of the symptoms to get a better understanding of how it started. Then patients are told to evaluate the content of their symptoms so they are able to test the validity of their faulty believes. Patients are then set behavioural assignments to improve their general levels of functioning. During the therapy the therapists allows the patients to come to their alternatives for dealing with maladaptive behaviour by looking for other explanations and coping strategies that is already present in the patients mind. Research has found that patients that receive cognitive therapy receive CBT experience fewer hallucinations and delusions and have a better recovery than those who receive antipsychotic medication. However Gould et al that found that all seven studies in the meta-analysis reported a statistically significant decrease in the positive symptoms of schizophrenia after treatment. Although most studies...
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...ourselves. Yet, for all its benefits, the Internet has also been identified as an accessory to issues including extra-marital affairs, pornography, and gambling. There also appears to be a growing concern, especially in Asia, for what has been labeled “Internet addiction.” In particular, certain Asian countries report it as a serious public health issue. Liu Guiming, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Society of Juvenile Delinquency Research, has been quoted as saying "the growing number of youth infatuated with unhealthy Web sites and campus violence has become an urgent social problem.” A leading Beijing judge, Shan Xiuyun, also declared that 90 per cent of juvenile crime in the city was Internet-related” (Sebag-Montefiore, 2005).As a result of these concerns, governments in South Korea, Japan and China have set up boot camps, which provide therapy to deal with Internet addiction (Ransom, 2007). China has also issued a ban on new Internet cafes to clamp down on Internet addiction (Watts, 2007). Yet, there are those who doubt whether this outcry is justified or even valid. An article in the American Psychological Association newsletter suggests that there is little empirical evidence to support the existence of Internet addiction and much of the research in this area utilizes self-selecting samples with no control groups (De Angelis, 2000). In light of this controversy, his paper seeks to examine Internet addiction in Asia. Specifically, it reviews the academic and empirical...
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...thought to be centrally important to the academic achievement of their children. However, this role had neither been analyzed nor systematically studied using an experimental design until the 1960’s. The evaluation of the Head Start Program in the United States (Coleman, Campbell, Hobson, McPartland, Mod, Weinfeld, & York, 1966) fostered a national focus on outcomes related to parental involvement by suggesting a substantial relationship between parental involvement in their child’s education and their child’s success in academic domains. Subsequent studies have been presented which support the findings from Coleman, et al. (Duff & Adams, 1981; Henderson, 1987; 1988). Even so, other studies have reported either mixed or no significant differences between experimental and control groups when measuring the effect of parental involvement on student achievement (Griffith, 1996; Heller, & Fantuzzo, 1993; Henry, 1974; Keith, Reimers, Ferman, Pottenbaum, & Aubrey ,1986; Ryan, 1964; Searles, Lewis & Morrow, 1982). Some of the discrepancy across studies relates to the nature of the data collection and research design. For example, some investigators have studied the relationship between parental involvement and child school success using direct observation (Arbuckle & MacKinnon, 1988), surveys, or questionnaires (Edwards & Warin, 1999). Other investigators have utilized a traditional experimental design to compare student performances across...
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...Patriarchy and Women’s Reproduction The systems of male domination and female subordination have been a part of the history but these systems still continue to exist even today. The purpose of this paper is to explore how patriarchy controls women’s reproduction resulting in oppression and subordination of women. The paper argues that patriarchy controls women’s lives and their freedom by controlling their reproduction. The paper discusses the following aspects of this social issue: 1) why and how this social problem occurs, 2) the social process by which it is normalized or legitimized in our society, 3) analysis of new reproductive technologies from feminist perspective, and 4) some suggested solutions that would help to resolve this issue. Patriarchy has been defined as the system of male domination or the power relationships by which men dominate women or it is simply, the rule of men (Omvedt, ). It controls women and treats them as inferior to men. Shulamith Firestone argues that reproduction plays a central role in women’s subordination and it is the basis of women’s subordination by men (Walby, 1990). The conventional patriarchal notion of a family is composed of a husband as the bread-winner and the wife as the homemaker and this notion still runs in this contemporary society (Walby, 1990). In other words, women are associated with childbirths and child-rearing whereas men are the ones who financially support the family, meaning they are the ones who have authority...
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...thus far and summarizes global evidence on financial literacy, its correlates, and existing and upcoming causal investigations. The authors conclude with a synthesis of policy advice and practical suggestions for the way forward in this fast growing area of research. This paper is a product of the Finance and Private Sector Development Team, Development Research Group. It is part of a larger effort by the World Bank to provide open access to its research and make a contribution to development policy discussions around the world. Policy Research Working Papers are also posted on the Web at http://econ.worldbank.org. The author may be contacted at bzia@worldbank.org. The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for...
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...Joseph P.H. Fana,Ã, T.J. Wonga, Tianyu Zhangb a The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong b City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong Received 19 August 2005; received in revised form 31 January 2006; accepted 6 March 2006 Available online 24 January 2007 Abstract Almost 27% of the CEOs in a sample of 790 newly partially privatized firms in China are former or current government bureaucrats. Firms with politically connected CEOs underperform those without politically connected CEOs by almost 18% based on three-year post-IPO stock returns and have poorer three-year post-IPO earnings growth, sales growth, and change in returns on sales. The negative effect of the CEO’s political ties also show up in the first-day stock return. Finally, firms led by politically connected CEOs are more likely to appoint other bureaucrats to the board of directors rather than directors with relevant professional backgrounds. r 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. JEL classification: G34; L33; P31 Keywords: Political connections; Corporate governance; IPO performance; Partial privatization; China We appreciate helpful comments from Stijn Claessens, Mara Faccio, Simon Johnson, Florencio Lopez-deSilanes, John McConnell, Randall Morck, Harold Mulherin, Sheridan Titman, Yijiang Wang, Mengxin Zhao, an anonymous referee, and participants in the 2003 ‘‘The Management and Performance of China’s Domestic Private Firms: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives’’ Research Progress Workshop...
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...Culture, Groups and Social Behaviors 1. Concept and characteristics of culture Culture is that complex whole which consists of knowledge, beliefs, ideas, habits, attitudes, skills, abilities, values, norms, art, law, morals, customs, traditions, feelings, and other capabilities of man which are acquired, learned and socially transmitted by man from one generation to another through language and living together as members of the society. * Culture is learned. * Culture is socially transmitted through language. * Culture is a social product. * Culture is a source of gratification. * Culture is adoptive. * Culture is the distinctive way of life of a group of people. * Culture is material and non-material. * Culture has sanctions and control. * Culture is stable yet dynamic. * Culture is an established pattern of behavior. 2. Components of culture * Norms- a rule or standard of behavior expected of each member of a social group. * Folkways the ways of living, thinking, and acting in a human group, built up without conscious design but serving as compelling guides of conduct. * Mores - the essential or characteristic customs and treaties of a community. * Positive mores or duty or the “Thou shall behavior” * Negative mores or taboo or the “Thou shall not behavior” * Laws – formalized norms enacted by people vested with legitimate authority. * Ideas, Beliefs, Values *...
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...October 29, 2014 IS 206GENDER ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT THE IMPACT OF INEQUALITY Box 1: COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON INEQUALITY AND SOCIAL MOBILITY ACROSS OECD AND LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES Presented by Del Mundo, Maria Naida Box 2: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL COHESION, SOCIAL TOLERANCE OF INEQUALITY Presented by Gutierrez, Cherry Lou THE IMPACT OF INEQUALITY ABSTRACT October 29, 2014 There is growing evidence and recognition on the powerful and corrosive effects of inequality on economic growth, poverty, social mobility and political cohesion. This paper finds that the real and potential impacts of inequality in relation to economic growth, poverty, social mobility, social stability and cohesion. KEYWORDS: Inequality, Economic Growth, Poverty, Social Mobility, Political Cohesion, Gender I. INTRODUCTION In relation to the worldwide gender gap, in so far as inequality also exist in political imbalance in the Philippines distinguished through the partisan move of a party, wherein, such intent, policies and term of their advocacy is their ultimate road map and reluctantly to engage in the opponent’s adherence. Colonial mindset, attributable to the Spanish era wherein their colonial stay in the country portrays the strictness and conservative ways in precluding to whom or to which is one’s belief will end up to, and upon the continuance of the American regime, where westernized ways has gotten in the minds of the Filipinos, that every choice of an American decision draws correct conclusion...
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