Cultural Orientations of sport managers

Various interpretations of sport management are cultural constructs underpinned by core assumptions and values held by members of professional communities. Sport managers world wide share common problems, but differ in how they resolve them. These universal differences emerge from the relationships they form with other people, and their attitude to time, activities and the natural environment. This paper examines the role of sport managers’ cultural orientations in the interpretation and practice of sport management. Using a multiple dimension model (Hampden-Turner and Trompenaars, 2000) it sketches the cultural profiles of fifteen sport managers from seven countries. A combination of methods was employed including questionnaires, interviews and participant observation. It is contended that the culture of sport management concerns a social process by which managers get involved in reconciling seven fundamental cultural dilemmas in order to perform tasks and achieve certain ends. Thus, a knowledge of the cultural meaning of sport management in a particular country would equip sport managers with a valuable tool in managing both the cultural diversity of their own work forces and in developing appropriate cross-cultural skills needed for running international events, marketing campaigns, sponsorship deals and joint ventures

Towards a single step process to create high purity gold structures by electron beam induced deposition at room temperature

Highly pure metallic structures can be deposited by electron beam induced deposition and they have many important applications in different fields. The organo-metallic precursor is decomposed and deposited under the electron beam, and typically it is purified with post-irradiation in presence of O2. However, this approach limits the purification to the surface of the deposit. Therefore, 'in situ' purification during deposition using simultaneous flows of both O2 and precursor in parallel with two gas injector needles has been tested and verified. To simplify the practical arrangements, a special concentric nozzle has been designed allowing deposition and purification performed together in a single step. With this new device metallic structures with high purity can be obtained more easily, while there is no limit on the height of the structures within a practical time frame. In this work, we summarize the first results obtained for 'in situ' Au purification using this concentric nozzle, which is described in more detail, including flow simulations. The operational parameter space is explored in order to optimize the shape as well as the purity of the deposits, which are evaluated through scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy measurements, respectively. The observed variations are interpreted in relation to other variables, such as the deposition yield. The resistivity of purified lines is also measured, and the influence of additional post treatments as a last purification step is studied.EMPA is acknowledged for providing the original code for the GIS simulator model, which was extended by Stan de Muijnck (TU Delft) with the new geometry. Pleun Dona (FEI) is acknowledged for helping in the design of the concentric nozzle and in getting a working prototype. Patricia Peinado is also acknowledged for help on experimental activities. This work was supported by NanoNextNL program, a Dutch national research and technology program for micro- and nano-technology

The Middle Way: East Asian masters students’ perceptions of critical argumentation in U.K. universities.

The paper explores the learning experiences of East Asian masters students in dealing with Western academic norms of critical thinking in classroom debate and assignment writing. The research takes a cultural approach, and employs grounded theory and case study methodology, the aims being for students to explain their perceptions of their personal learning journeys. The data suggest that the majority of students interviewed rejected full academic acculturation into Western norms of argumentation. They instead opted for a ‘Middle Way’ that synergizes the traditional cultural academic values held by many East Asian students with those elements of Western academic norms that are perceived to be aligned with these. This is a relatively new area of research which represents a challenge for British lecturers and students

Media coverage of climate change: an international comparison

We present an international comparison of broadsheet newspaper coverage of climate change. We employ two complementary theoretical lenses, multiple streams theory and institutional theory, to explore why climate change has become headline news in some countries but has received comparatively little coverage in others. The study utilises a worldwide sample across 41 different countries for the year 2008, covering 113 leading national broadsheet newspapers. A cross-sectional regression model is used to identify whether and how a range of contextual factors impact coverage of climate change. To a certain extent, a country’s direct exposure to climate change and the measures that have been taken to combat global warming influence the position of climate change on the media agenda. Crucially, however, we identify a number of contextual factors that impact climate change-related media coverage in different national contexts. In particular, we find a significantly positive relationship between regulatory quality and levels of media coverage. At the same time, unemployment trends are significantly negatively related to media attention to climate change. Gross domestic product per capita does not help to explain levels of climate change-related media coverage. In other words, climate change appears to have moved beyond simply being a ‘rich country issue’

Cultural differences affecting decision-making style: a comparative study between four countries

The aim of this paper was to identify the impact of national culture on decision-making styles in selected countries: Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary. The estimation of Hofstede’s dimensions of national cultures and comparative analyses was carried out by using a narrow-sample strategy. The estimated positions on each dimension confirmed the Hofstede’s original research ranking. The result with significant value was the confirmation of the global trend of decreasing power distance and significant movement towards the individualism. Besides the standardization procedure of comparative cross-cultural analyses, variance analyses were used to identify cultural differences in decision-making styles related to complex decisions (Janis and Mann’s typology). The proposition is that complex decisions are, above and beyond all others, the consequence of social and cultural values installed in every individual. Statistically significant dependency was identified for hyper-vigilant and vigilant decision-making style and national culture’s dimensions. A beneficial goal was to identify the differences and the similarities in value orientation and those in the decision-making style which should not be mistreated as they may influence future business cooperation and political and economic integrations within the CEE context

The Factors Influencing Depression Endpoints Research (FINDER) study: final results of Italian patients with depression

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Factors Influencing Depression Endpoints Research (FINDER) is a 6-month, prospective, observational study carried out in 12 European countries aimed at investigating health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in outpatients receiving treatment for a first or new depressive episode. The Italian HRQoL data at 6 months is described in this report, and the factors associated with HRQoL changes were determined.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were collected at baseline, 3 and 6 months of treatment. HRQoL was measured using components of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36; mental component summary (MCS), physical component summary (PCS)) and the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D; visual analogue scale (VAS) and health status index (HSI)). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was adopted to evaluate depressive symptoms, while somatic and painful physical symptoms were assessed by using the 28-item Somatic Symptom Inventory (SSI-28) and a VAS.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the initial 513 patients, 472 completed the 3-month observation and 466 the 6-month observation. The SF-36 and EQ-5D mean (± SD) scores showed HRQoL improvements at 3 months and a further smaller improvement at 6 months, with the most positive effects for SF-36 MCS (baseline 22.0 ± 9.2, 3 months 34.6 ± 10.0; 6 months 39.3 ± 9.5) and EQ-5D HSI (baseline 0.4 ± 0.3; 3 months 0.7 ± 0.3; 6 months 0.7 ± 0.2). Depression and anxiety symptoms (HADS-D mean at baseline 13.3 ± 4.2; HADS-A mean at baseline 12.2 ± 3.9) consistently decreased during the first 3 months (8.7 ± 4.3; 7.5 ± 3.6) and showed a further positive change at 6 months (6.9 ± 4.3; 5.8 ± 3.4). Somatic and painful symptoms (SSI and VAS) significantly decreased, with the most positive changes in the SSI-28 somatic item (mean at baseline 2.4 ± 0.7; mean change at 3 months: -0.5; 95% CI -0.6 to -0.5; mean change at 6 months: -0.7; 95% CI -0.8 to -0.7); in 'interference of overall pain with daily activities' (mean at baseline 45.2 ± 30.7; mean change at 3 months -17.4; 95% CI -20.0 to -14.8; mean change at 6 months -24.4; 95% CI -27.3 to -21.6) and in 'having pain while awake' (mean at baseline 41.1 ± 29.0; mean change at 3 months -13.7; 95% CI -15.9 to -11.5; mean change at 6 months -20.2; 95% CI -22.8 to -17.5) domains. The results from linear regression analyses showed that the antidepressant switch within classes was consistently associated with a worsening in SF-36 MCS, EQ-5D VAS and HSI compared to non-switching treatment. Furthermore, between-group antidepressants (AD) switch was associated with a worse SF-36 MCS and EQ-5D HSI. MCS (<it>P </it>= 0.028), PCS (<it>P </it>= 0.036) and HSI (<it>P </it>= 0.002) were inversely related to the number of each previous additional depressive episode. PCS (<it>P </it>= 0.009) and HSI (<it>P </it>= 0.005) were also less improved in patients suffering from a chronic medical condition. Moreover, PCS (<it>P </it>= 0.044) and EQ-5D VAS (<it>P </it>< 0.0001) worsening was consistently associated with the presence of a psychiatric illness in the 24 months before baseline. For every additional point on the SSI-somatic score and on the overall pain VAS score at baseline, HSI score were on average 0.062 (<it>P </it>< 0.001) and 0.001 (<it>P </it>= 0.005) smaller, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>After starting AD treatment, HRQoL improvements at 3 and 6 months were observed. However, several factors can negatively influence HRQoL, such as the presence of somatic and painful symptoms, the presence of any chronic medical condition or previous psychiatric illness.</p

Multi-lingual and multi-cultural information literacy; perspectives, models and good practice

Purpose This paper reviews current approaches to, and good practice, in information literacy development in multi-lingual and multi-cultural settings, with particular emphasis on provision for international students. Design/methodology/approach A selective and critical review of published literature is extended by evaluation of examples of multi-lingual information literacy tutorials and MOOCs. Findings Multi-lingual and multi-cultural information literacy are umbrella terms covering a variety of situations and issues. This provision is of increasing importance in an increasingly mobile and multi-cultural world. This article evaluates current approaches and good practice, focusing on issues of culture vis a vis language, the balance between individual and group needs, specific and generic information literacy instruction, and models for information literacy, pedagogy and culture. Recommendations for good practice and for further research are given, Originality/value This is one of very few articles critically reviewing how information literacy development is affected by linguistic and cultural factors

Norovirus outbreak in a natural playground: A One Health approach

Norovirus constitutes the most frequently identified infectious cause of disease outbreaks associated with untreated recreational water. When investigating outbreaks related to surface water, a One Health approach is insightful. Historically, there has been a focus on potential contamination of recreational water by bird droppings and a recent publication demonstrating human noroviruses in bird faeces suggested this should be investigated in future water-related norovirus outbreaks. Here, we describe a One Health approach investigating a norovirus outbreak in a natural playground. On social media, a large amount of waterfowl were reported to defecate near these playground premises leading to speculations about their potential involvement. Surface water, as well as human and bird faecal specimens, was tested for human noroviruses. Norovirus was found to be the most likely cause of the outbreak but there was no evidence for transmission via waterfowl. Cases had become known on social media prior to notification to the public health service underscoring the potential of online media as an early warning system. In view of known risk factors, advice was given for future outbreak investigations and natural playgroun

What Make the Impact of the Financial Crisis on Innovation Different Across European Countries?

This paper finds that the financial crisis has tremendously impacted innovation in most European countries with Greece and Lithuania being the most affected while Finland and Austria have the least negative effect on their innovation activities. Greece and Lithuania’s national innovation systems share many common characteristics which are in sharp contrast to those shared by Finland and Austria, including most notably culture, quality of the higher education system, science and technological capability, and structure of the economy. Those identified distinctions along the main dimensions of the national innovation systems between the most and least affected countries could to a large extent explain why the effect of the financial crisis is heterogeneous across European countries