Intercultural communication in the context of Saudi Arab tertiary education

© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2015. This chapter is a case study of intercultural communication in a tertiary educational setting in Saudi Arabia. Given the fact that educational institutions adopt Western models of education and employ foreign professors, this study aims at shedding light on the patterns of communication in the classroom. The elements of Hofstede\u27s five dimensional model, namely, uncertainty avoidance, individualism/collectivism, and power distance dimensions were applied for the purpose of analysis. The study involved in-depth interviews with 17 female students of a private university in the Eastern Province. While assessing the perception of the students about the communication patterns, it provides recommendations on improving the educational experience of local students taught by Western professors. Ultimately, the findings will contribute in promoting a culturally responsible education characterized by critical thinking skills, individual creativity, and movement out of comfort zones, which will prepare students for the globalized job market\u27s challenges

Exploring expectations, experiences and long-term plans of Chinese international students studying in the joint Sino-Russian degree

This article investigates the transitioning process of international Chinese undergraduate students studying in Russia. The paper offers new insights into changes in the expectations and experiences of Chinese students at various stages of their joint educational studies in China and Russia. Drawing on a qualitative study of 20 Chinese undergraduates studying in Russia, the findings of the study indicate that before studying in Russia, most of Chinese students had low expectations about their study programme. However, once they were in Russia, students’ perception of the value of their international education experiences changes through varied opportunities for self-reflexivity in an unfamiliar cultural environment. The study also offers an example of methodological approach useful for researching international students’ experiences, particularly within but not limited to context of Sino-Foreign university partnerships

Voluntary disclosure of corporate strategy: determinants and outcomes. An empirical study into the risks and payoffs of communicating corporate strategy.

Business leaders increasingly face pressure from stakeholders to be transparent. There appears however little consensus on the risks and payoffs of disclosing vital information such as corporate strategy. To fill this gap, this study analyzes firm-specific determinants and organisational outcomes of voluntary disclosure of corporate strategy. Stakeholder theory and agency theory help to understand whether companies serve their interest to engage with stakeholders and overcome information asymmetries. I connect these theories and propose a comprehensive approach to measure voluntary disclosure of corporate strategy. Hypotheses from the theoretical framework are empirically tested through panel regression of data on identified determinants and outcomes and of disclosed strategy through annual reports, corporate social responsibility reports, corporate websites and corporate press releases by the 70 largest publicly listed companies in the Netherlands from 2003 through 2008. I found that industry, profitability, dual-listing status, national ranking status and listing age have significant effects on voluntary disclosure of corporate strategy. No significant effects are found for size, leverage and ownership concentration. On outcomes, I found that liquidity of stock and corporate reputation are significantly influenced by voluntary disclosure of corporate strategy. No significant effect is found for volatility of stock. My contributions to theory, methodology and empirics offers a stepping-stone for further research into understanding how companies can use transparency to manage stakeholder relations