What differences in the cultural backgrounds of partners are detrimental for international joint ventures?

An international joint venture implies that a firm has to cooperate with a partner with a different cultural background. In this study, hypotheses about which differences in national culture are most disruptive for international joint ventures were developed and tested using Hofstede's five dimensions. The study focused on how these dimensions affect the survival of international joint ventures, as well as their incidence relative to wholly owned subsidiaries. The hypotheses were tested on longitudinal data about 828 foreign entries of twenty-five Dutch multinationals in seventy-two countries between 1966 and 1994. The database, which spans almost three decades, was also used to provide new evidence on a key assumption of Hofstede's work: that cultural values are stable over time

Working abroad, working with others: How firms learn to operate international joint ventures

Successful international joint ventures entail both learning to operate across national boundaries and learning to cooperate. Hypotheses grounded in organizational learning theory were tested with event-history analysis and data on 1,493 expansions of 25 large Dutch firms between 1966 and 1994. Experience with domestic joint ventures and with international wholly owned subsidiaries contributed to the longevity of international joint ventures, but prior experience with international joint ventures did not

Recommendations for clinical research in children presenting to primary care out-of-hours services

BACKGROUND: Research in primary care is essential, but recruiting children in this setting can be complex and may cause selection bias. Challenges surrounding informed consent, particularly in an acute clinical setting, can undermine feasibility. The off-protocol use of an intervention nearing implementation has become common in pragmatic randomized controlled trials (RCTs) set in primary care. AIM: To describe how the informed consent procedure affects study inclusion and to assess how off-protocol medication prescribing affects participant selection in a paediatric RCT. DESIGN: A pragmatic RCT evaluating the cost-effectiveness of oral ondansetron in children diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis in primary care out-of-hours services and a parallel cohort study. METHOD: Consecutive children aged 6 months to 6 years attending primary care out-of-hours services with acute gastroenteritis were evaluated to assess the feasibility of obtaining informed consent, the off-protocol use of ondansetron, and other inclusion/exclusion criteria. RESULTS: The RCTs feasibility was reduced by the informed consent procedure because 39.0% (325/834) of children were accompanied by only one parent. General practitioners prescribed ondansetron off-protocol to 34 children (4.1%), whereof 19 children were eligible for the RCT. RCT-eligible children included in the parallel cohort had fewer risk factors for dehydration than children in the RCT despite similar dehydration assessments by general practitioners. CONCLUSION: The informed consent procedure and off-protocol use of study medication affect the inclusion rate but had little effect on selection. A parallel cohort study alongside the RCT can help evaluate selection bias, and a pilot study can reveal potential barriers to inclusion

Breaking Bad Habits

Setiap perusahaan mungkin memiliki praktik terbaik yang sudah jadi warisan turun-temurun. Namun praktik dan kultur ini tidak selamanya strategis untuk dijalankan di masa depan. Bisa jadi sudah ketinggalan zaman atau malah menghambat inovasi. Buku ini menawarkan perangkat berpikir yang membantu kita mengidentifikasi gejala yang menunjukkan bahwa sebuah praktik baik sudah berubah menjadi praktik buruk dalam perusahaan. Setelah itu, kita akan dipandu tentang bagaimana mengentaskannya menjadi sebuah ide, proses, dan strategi baru yang mendorong terciptanya peluang dan pertumbuhan

What Differences in the Cultural Backgrounds of Partners Are Detrimental for International Joint Ventures?

An international joint venture implies that a firm has to cooperate with a partner with a different cultural background. In this study, hypotheses about which differences in national culture are most disruptive for international joint ventures were developed and tested using Hofstede's five dimensions. The study focused on how these dimensions affect the survival of international joint ventures, as well as their incidence relative to wholly owned subsidiaries. The hypotheses were tested on longitudinal data about 828 foreign entries of twenty-five Dutch multinational in seventy-two countries between 1966 and 1994. The database, which spans almost three decades, was also used to provide new evidence on a key assumption of Hofstede's work: that cultural values are stable over time.© 1997 JIBS. Journal of International Business Studies (1997) 28, 845–864

Effect of source type and protective message on the critical evaluation of news messages on Facebook: Randomized controlled trial in the Netherlands

Background: Disinformation has become an increasing societal concern, especially due to the speed that news is shared in the digital era. In particular, disinformation in the health care sector can lead to serious casualties, as the current COVID-19 crisis clearly shows. Objective: The main aim of this study was to experimentally examine the effects of information about the source and a protective warning message on users’ critical evaluation of news items, as well as the perception of accuracy of the news item. Methods: A 3 (unreliable vs reliable vs no identified source) × 2 (with protective message vs without) between-subject design was conducted among 307 participants (mean age 29 (SD 10.9] years). Results: The results showed a significant effect of source information on critical evaluation. In addition, including a protective message did not significantly affect critical evaluation. The results showed no interaction between type of source and protective message on critical evaluation. Conclusions: Based on these results, it is questionable whether including protective messages to improve critical evaluation is a way to move forward and improve critical evaluation of health-related news items, although effective methodologies to tackle the spread of disinformation are highly needed