A content analysis of multinationals' Web communication strategies:cross-cultural research framework and pre-testing

Despite the growing trend toward the interactive medium, there would appear to be a lack of comprehensive research methodology for evaluating the degree of standardisation in multinational corporations' (MNCs') online communication strategies across differing cultures. The objective of this exploratory study is to construct a research framework for cross-cultural comparison of corporate Web pages, applying traditional advertising content study techniques. A series of pretests were conducted to examine three explanatory variables, i.e. information content, cultural values and creative strategies on Japanese MNCs' product-based home pages in Japan, Spain and the USA. The results revealed that Japanese firms tended to localise their online communication strategies in their target markets. In closing, future research directions are discussed and content analysis research designs are summarised

Values and symbols: An intercultural analysis of web pages on the Internet

The author examines how a North American commercial Web site developed by Environmental Systems Research Institute serves as a vehicle through which American hegemony and cultural imperialism are propagated to Latin America. The author argues that the content of the web site pages, which contain American cultural symbols and values, may serve to influence or change the values of its Latin American visitors

Exploring the factors affecting university students' interest in international news: Gender, nationality, field of study and political activity

University students represent a key group of young adults engaging with the news. This research aimed to understand which factors influence students’ level of interest in international news and choice of news topics. During one month, students from all academic backgrounds and from all over the world answered an online questionnaire via Qualtrics. SPSS and non-parametric tests were used to test several hypotheses, namely the relationships between students’ gender, nationality, field of study, political engagement, and media preferences, and their level of interest and selection of international news genres. This study showed a significant difference in the level of interest in international news among students’ fields of study, political engagement and new media outlets, particularly traditional media apps and podcasts. There was also a significant relationship between news topics and students’ gender, nationality, academic field and political engagement. Understanding these influences is essential for academics, policymakers, and media organisations seeking to promote global awareness and student engagement in an increasingly interconnected world.Os estudantes universitários representam um grupo-chave de jovens adultos que consomem notícias. Esta investigação teve como objetivo compreender quais os fatores que influenciam o nível de interesse dos estudantes pelas notícias internacionais e a escolha dos temas noticiosos. Durante um mês, estudantes de todas as áreas académicas e de todo o mundo responderam a um questionário online através do Qualtrics. O SPSS e testes não-paramétricos foram utilizados para testar várias hipóteses, nomeadamente as relações entre o género, a nacionalidade, a área de estudo, o envolvimento político, e as preferências dos meios de comunicação social (media) dos estudantes, e o seu nível de interesse e seleção de temas de notícias internacionais. Este estudo revelou uma diferença significativa do nível de interesse em notícias internacionais entre as áreas de estudo dos estudantes, as suas atividades políticas e os novos media, em particular as aplicações digitais dos media tradicionais e os podcasts. Verificou-se, também, uma relação significativa entre tópicos de notícias e o género, a nacionalidade, a área académica e o envolvimento político dos estudantes. Compreender estas influências é essencial para a academia, os decisores políticos e as organizações mediáticas que procuram promover a consciência global e o envolvimento dos estudantes num mundo cada vez mais interligado

An Evaluation of Organisation Processes Associated with the Transition to a more Internationalised Campus: an Investigation in Thai Universities

This thesis explores the endeavours by managements in Thai universities to facilitate the changes needed to achieve more internationalised campuses. Globalisation has resulted in pressure on universities worldwide to change many aspects of their services in order to respond to student demand and mobility. In addition Higher Education in Thailand is already being affected by the pressures being brought about by the introduction of the new requirements of the Association of South East Asian Nations ( ASEAN COMMUNITY 2015) such as the free movement of people of ASEAN countries. The Thai government has introduced policies and plans concerned with education reform in order to respond to these pressures and to compete with its neighbouring ASEAN countries. Realising a lack of management flexibility and inefficient management in Thai universities, the Thai government has been requiring universities to work towards greater autonomy (flexible self- management) whilst adhering to good governance. Using thematic content analysis based on qualitative research, this research examines the understanding of internationalisation as the expressions of staff’s experience in universities in Thailand and evaluates the organisational processes which facilitate the change to a more internationalised campus in Thai universities. This research evaluates the appropriateness of organisational processes in Thai universities by using the theory of communities of practice, in which cooperation and the sharing of skills and knowledge are dominant themes. Whilst communities of practice as a way of describing and explaining organisational processes has been beneficial in Western contexts, this does not appear to be the case in an Eastern organisational setting. This research finds very little evidence of the characteristics such as participation of staff in decision making, the sharing of ideas and knowledge and a cooperative approach. An analysis of findings has shown that a much more accurate and reliable explanation for the approaches by management to the internationalisation of their campuses can be found in the constraints on management structures and behaviour, imposed by Thai cultural values. Thai management structures are based on strict hierarchical patterns in which the rank and status of individuals are predominant and which indicate the extent of the power which they wield. These structures are reinforced by ‘ego orientation’ by which the ‘self’ is protected and given priority importance. If Thai universities are to respond effectively to global and regional pressures for changes to their services and to the autonomy required by the Thai government policy, their managements will need to move towards good governance. This will require university managements to release the hold that Thai cultural values has currently on managements and to develop more open, cooperative and flexible structure systems. The contribution of this study is that the communities of practice theory is shown to be contextually restricted to geographically more developed educational systems. Besides, it has been shown not to apply in Thailand’s developing internationalisation context. Finally, the ideal organisation model is suggested which hopes to provide effective ways to remove Thai cultural values barriers to successful internationalisation of universities in Thailand

Hatched: The capacity for sustainable development

Hatched: The capacity for sustainable development is edited by Landcare Research scientists Bob Frame, Richard Gordon and Claire Mortimer and is a collection of research findings, stories and tools exploring five key areas of capacity required for New Zealand’s long-term success. It covers innovative research undertaken with businesses, across policy sectors, communities and individuals and was funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology

PUBLIC RISK PERCEPTIONS TOWARD SOCIALLY CONTENTIOUS TECHNOLOGY: HOW CULTURAL VALUES AND BASIC KNOWLEDGE AFFECT NUCLEAR ENERGY RISK ASSESSMENTS

We cannot know with certainty the risks we must face, but we must act as if we do. To that end, experts are well equipped and trained to formulate risk assessments consistent with scientific evidence. But in the case of nuclear energy, most Canadians view the technology as dangerous despite expert assurances of safety. Nuclear energy policy must therefore square a contradiction whereby nuclear technology is accepted by most experts as safe yet perceived by most Canadians as dangerous. This thesis explores the contradiction by asking why some members of the public refuse to accept the opinion of experts that nuclear technology is low-risk. One explanation asserts that, unlike experts, members of the public have poor science comprehension and are prone to perceiving risk in ways marred by cognitive bias. An alternative explanation contends that preexisting worldviews motivate members of the public to perceive risk in ways that do not necessarily align with the goal of accurate risk estimates. To understand why members of the public sometimes amplify nuclear energy risk, these two competing explanations were turned into testable hypotheses and empirically tested among 575 Canadians. The present study found evidence which suggests those who strongly agree with egalitarians values are likely to hold amplified nuclear energy risk perceptions, and those who have greater knowledge of basic facts about nuclear energy tend to have reduced risk perceptions towards nuclear energy. Such results affirm the idea that education is an effective policy tool for reducing nuclear energy fears. However, egalitarian values may interfere with educational efforts to transmit facts, which is why educational efforts can prove more effective if nuclear energy facts are framed in a way that appeals to egalitarian values

The State of the Art of Research in the EU on the Uptake and Use of ICT by Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities

The report provides a snapshot on the current state of the art of socio-economic research undertaken in Europe on ICT and migrations. After briefly illustrating the evolution of studies on ICT and migrations, the report provides an overview of the literature (over 150 items) published on this topic between 2004 and 2008. The main themes and disciplines involved are identified, along with emerging research lines of investigation. Based on the questionnaires gathered in the study, the third chapter of the report focuses on European research institutes, experts and the projects addressing the domain of ICT and migration. About 40 expert researchers were identified, working in/for about 30 research organisations in 11 Member States and Switzerland; and carrying on over 40 research projects. Overall, research in this field is carried out very much through networks of individuals (mostly junior scientists, with an overwhelming presence of women) or small groups, with a growing interdisciplinary character. The report concludes that research on ICT and migration would benefit from a stronger focus on user and impact analysis, and a more systematic comparative research across Europe. The authors also suggest a few topics that deserve further elaboration of theoretical approaches and could lead to cutting edge, comparative research in this field.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

PUBLIC RISK PERCEPTIONS TOWARD SOCIALLY CONTENTIOUS TECHNOLOGY: HOW CULTURAL VALUES AND BASIC KNOWLEDGE AFFECT NUCLEAR ENERGY RISK ASSESSMENTS

We cannot know with certainty the risks we must face, but we must act as if we do. To that end, experts are well equipped and trained to formulate risk assessments consistent with scientific evidence. But in the case of nuclear energy, most Canadians view the technology as dangerous despite expert assurances of safety. Nuclear energy policy must therefore square a contradiction whereby nuclear technology is accepted by most experts as safe yet perceived by most Canadians as dangerous. This thesis explores the contradiction by asking why some members of the public refuse to accept the opinion of experts that nuclear technology is low-risk. One explanation asserts that, unlike experts, members of the public have poor science comprehension and are prone to perceiving risk in ways marred by cognitive bias. An alternative explanation contends that preexisting worldviews motivate members of the public to perceive risk in ways that do not necessarily align with the goal of accurate risk estimates. To understand why members of the public sometimes amplify nuclear energy risk, these two competing explanations were turned into testable hypotheses and empirically tested among 575 Canadians. The present study found evidence which suggests those who strongly agree with egalitarians values are likely to hold amplified nuclear energy risk perceptions, and those who have greater knowledge of basic facts about nuclear energy tend to have reduced risk perceptions towards nuclear energy. Such results affirm the idea that education is an effective policy tool for reducing nuclear energy fears. However, egalitarian values may interfere with educational efforts to transmit facts, which is why educational efforts can prove more effective if nuclear energy facts are framed in a way that appeals to egalitarian values