Negotiating selves: exploring cultures of disclosure

If identity is a construct—and, more critically, a construct defined and developed through relationships with others in public and private spheres—then an understanding of the processes, mechanisms and platforms by which individuals disclose information about themselves is crucial in understanding the way identity, community and culture function, and the way individuals can intervene in the functioning of culture.

Destination branding case study : tracking brand equity for an emerging destination between 2003 and 2007

Place branding has become a major focus of operations for destination marketing organizations (DMOs) striving for differentiation in cluttered markets. The topic of destination branding has only received attention in the tourism literature since the late 1990s, and there has been relatively little research reported in relations to analyzing destination brand effectiveness over time. This article reports an attempt to oprationalize the concept of consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) for an emerging destination over two points in time. The purpose of the project was to track the effectiveness of the brand in 2007 against benchmarks that were established in a 2003 student at the commencement of a new destination brand campaign. The key finding was there was no change in perceived performance for the destination across the brand's performance indicators and CBBE dimensions. Because of the common challenges faced by DMOs worldwide, it is suggested the CBBE hierarchy provides destination marketers with a practical tool for evaluation brand performance over time.

The impact of organisational culture on ERP systems implementation : lessons from Jordan

Jordan is adopting Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in both its public and private sectors. Jordan's emerging private sector has historically close ties to the public sector; though a global market orientation requires a shift in its organisational culture. ERPs however embed business processes which do not necessarily fit with traditional cultural practices, and implementation success is not assured. This study looks at the perceptions of both public and private sector ERP implementations in Jordan and assesses these on various measures of success. There were few differences between public and private sectors, but the benefits actually realised in Jordanian ERPs fell short of claims made for the technology in other cultures.

A hiccup or a rift? ERP implementation success in Jordan

Like many other developing countries, Jordan is adopting Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in both its public and private sectors. Jordan's emerging private sector has historically close ties to the public sector, though a global market orientation requires a shift in its organisational culture. ERPs however embed business processes which do not necessarily fit with traditional cultural practices, and implementation success is not assured.. This study looks at the perceptions of both public and private sector ERP implementations in Jordan and assesses these on various measures of success. There were few differences between public and private sectors, but the benefits actually realized in Jordanian ERPs fell short of claims made for the technology in other cultures. Considerable customisation was required in both sectors, and the traditional style of management in Jordan did not fit well with the requirements for successful implementation. This is consistent with recent studies from various countries that show cultural fit is a particularly neglected factor in assessing ERP success.

Perceptions of aging across 26 cultures and their culture-level associates

College students (N = 3,435) in 26 cultures reported their perceptions of age-related changes in physical, cognitive, and socioemotional areas of functioning and rated societal views of aging within their culture. There was widespread cross-cultural consensus regarding the expected direction of aging trajectories with (1) perceived declines in societal views of aging, physical attractiveness, the ability to perform everyday tasks, and new learning, (2) perceived increases in wisdom, knowledge, and received respect, and (3) perceived stability in family authority and life satisfaction. Cross-cultural variations in aging perceptions were associated with culture-level indicators of population aging, education levels, values, and national character stereotypes. These associations were stronger for societal views on aging and perceptions of socioemotional changes than for perceptions of physical and cognitive changes. A consideration of culture-level variables also suggested that previously reported differences in aging perceptions between Asian and Western countries may be related to differences in population structure.

Factors influencing oncology nurses' approaches to accommodating cultural needs in palliative care

Aims and objectives: The purpose of this study is to explore the social construction of cultural issues in palliative care amongst oncology nurses. ---------- Background: Australia is a nation composed of people from different cultural origins with diverse linguistic, spiritual, religious and social backgrounds. The challenge of working with an increasingly culturally diverse population is a common theme expressed by many healthcare professionals from a variety of countries. ---------- Design: Grounded theory was used to investigate the processes by which nurses provide nursing care to cancer patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. ---------- Methods: Semi-structured interviews with seven Australian oncology nurses provided the data for the study; the data was analysed using grounded theory data analysis techniques. ---------- Results: The core category emerging from the study was that of accommodating cultural needs. This paper focuses on describing the series of subcategories that were identified as factors which could influence the process by which nurses would accommodate cultural needs. These factors included nurses' views and understandings of culture and cultural mores, their philosophy of cultural care, nurses' previous experiences with people from other cultures and organisational approaches to culture and cultural care. ---------- Conclusions: This study demonstrated that previous experiences with people from other cultures and organisational approaches to culture and cultural care often influenced nurses' views and understandings of culture and cultural mores and their beliefs, attitudes and behaviours in providing cultural care. ---------- Relevance to clinical practice: It is imperative to appreciate how nurses' experiences with people from other cultures can be recognised and built upon or, if necessary, challenged. Furthermore, nurses' cultural competence and experiences with people from other cultures need to be further investigated in clinical practice.

Consumer-based brand equity for Australia as a long haul tourism destination in an emerging market

Purpose: Although the branding literature emerged during the 1940s, research relating to tourism destination branding has only gained momentum since the late 1990s. There remains a lack of theory in particular that addresses the measurement of the effectiveness of destination branding over time. The purpose of the research was to test the effectiveness of a model of consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) for a country destination.---------- Design/methodology: A model of consumer-based brand equity was adapted from the marketing literature and applied to a nation context. The model was tested by using structural equation modelling with data from a large Chilean sample (n=845), comprising a mix of previous visitors and non-visitors. The model fits the data well. Findings: This paper reports the results of an investigation into brand equity for Australia as a long haul destination in an emerging market. The research took place just before the launch of the nation’s fourth new brand campaign in six years. The results indicate Australia is a well known but not compelling destination brand for tourists in Chile, which reflects the lower priority the South American market has been given by the national tourism office (NTO).---------- Practical implications: It is suggested that CBBE measures could be analysed at various points in time to track any strengthening or weakening of market perceptions in relation to brand objectives. A standard CBBE instrument could provide long-term effectiveness performance measures regardless of changes in destination marketing organisation (DMO) staff, advertising agency, other stakeholders, and budget.---------- Originality/value: This study contributes to the nation-branding literature by being one of the first to test the efficacy of a model of consumer-based brand equity for a tourism destination brand.

Leadership for creating cultures of sustainability

This chapter discusses the vital role of leadership in creating change for sustainability in an early childhood education and care setting. The author's experiences and perspectives as the past Director of Campus Kindergarten, a long day care centre that has had a Sustainable Planet Project for over a decade, are drawn upon as she explores the theoretical underpinnings that helped to shape her work as an innovative leader and a leader of innovation. Four frames of leadership, organisational culture, professional development and organisational change, and their contributions to creating and shaping the Sustainable Planet Project, are outlined. The style of educational and organisational leadership is highlighted as essential in creating a culture of sustainability. There is an emphasis on 'whole settings' approaches to change and the creating of 'learning communities' for sustainable living. Importantly, the recognition of children as leaders and change agents for sustainability is explored.

Can book-to-market and size be risk factors that predict economic growth in Asia's emerging economies?

We investigate whether the two 2 zero cost portfolios, SMB and HML, have the ability to predict economic growth for markets investigated in this paper. Our findings show that there are only a limited number of cases when the coefficients are positive and significance is achieved in an even more limited number of cases. Our results are in stark contrast to Liew and Vassalou (2000) who find coefficients to be generally positive and of a similar magnitude. We go a step further and also employ the methodology of Lakonishok, Shleifer and Vishny (1994) and once again fail to support the risk-based hypothesis of Liew and Vassalou (2000). In sum, we argue that search for a robust economic explanation for firm size and book-to-market equity effects needs sustained effort as these two zero cost portfolios do not represent economically relevant risk.

Foreign wine consumption in Australia : the influence of consumer perceptions to foreign cultures on wine choice

Research has shown that while some people favor foreign- sourced products, others prefer to purchase goods made in their own country. From the perspective of the Australian wine market, consumption of wine has been consistently increasing in recent years. While sales of Australian made wine is booming, sales of imported sources is also increasing in terms of dollar value. This paper examines the effect of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity on willingness to buy foreign wine products, in an effort to better understand the factors involved in the consumer decision making process when purchasing wine products.

Controversies of prophylactic hypothermia and the emerging use of brain tissue oxygen tension monitoring and decompressive craniectomy in traumatic brain-injured children

Background Despite being the leading cause of death and disability in the paediatric population, traumatic brain injury (TBI) in this group is largely understudied. Clinical practice within the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) has been based upon adult guidelines however children are significantly different in terms of mechanism, pathophysiology and consequence of injury. Aim To review TBI management in the PICU and gain insight into potential management strategies. Method To conduct this review, a literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, PUBMED and The Cochrane Library using the following key words; traumatic brain injury; paediatric; hypothermia. There were no date restrictions applied to ensure that past studies, whose principles remain current were not excluded. Results Three areas were identified from the literature search and will be discussed against current acknowledged treatment strategies: Prophylactic hypothermia, brain tissue oxygen tension monitoring and decompressive craniectomy. Conclusion Previous literature has failed to fully address paediatric specific management protocols and we therefore have little evidence-based guidance. This review has shown that there is an emerging and ongoing trend towards paediatric specific TBI research in particular the area of moderate prophylactic hypothermia (MPH).

Global knowledge cultures

Knowledge is about cultural power. Considering that it is both resource and product within the brave new world of fast capitalism, this collection argues for knowledge cultures that are mutually engaged and hence more culturally inclusive and socially productive. Globalized intellectual property regimes, the privatization of information, and their counterpoint, the information and creative commons movements, constitute productive sites for the exploration of epistemologies that talk with each other rather than at and past each other. Global Knowledge Cultures provides a collection of accessible essays by some of the world’s leading legal scholars, new media analysts, techno activists, library professionals, educators and philosophers. Issues canvassed by the authors include the ownership of knowledge, open content licensing, knowledge policy, the common-wealth of learning, transnational cultural governance, and information futures. Together, they call for sustained intercultural dialogue for more ethical knowledge cultures within contexts of fast knowledge capitalism.

Testing a tri-partite contingent model of engineering cultures : a pilot study

For some time there has been a growing awareness of organizational culture and its impact on the functioning of engineering and maintenance departments. Those wishing to implement contemporary maintenance regimes (e.g. condition based maintenance) are often encouraged to develop “appropriate cultures” to support a new method’s introduction. Unfortunately these same publications often fail to specifically articulate the cultural values required to support those efforts. In the broader literature, only a limited number of case examples document the cultural values held by engineering asset intensive firms and how they contribute to their success (or failure). Consequently a gap exists in our knowledge of what engineering cultures currently might look like, or what might constitute a best practice engineering asset culture. The findings of a pilot study investigating the perceived ideal characteristics of engineering asset cultures are reported. Engineering managers, consultants and academics (n=47), were surveyed as to what they saw were essential attributes of both engineering cultures and engineering asset personnel. Valued cultural elements included those orientated around continuous improvement, safety and quality. Valued individual attributes included openness to change, interpersonal skills and conscientiousness. The paper concludes with a discussion regarding the development of a best practice cultural framework for practitioners and engineering managers.

The quest for authenticity in the west – negotiating the self in late modern cultures

Across western culture in the late modern era a number of phenomena have emerged that seek to challenge mainstream consumer capitalism and its effects on everyday lifestyles. Two of these movements labelled as Seachange (Amenity Migration) and Downshifting have grown steadily in popularity within the public sphere and also academic discourse. In this thesis these phenomena are investigated further using a Durkheimian platform for theoretical interrogation. It is argued that while previous research accomplishes much in the investigation of Seachange and Downshifting, there is a significant gap in theoretical explanation and synthesis that requires filling. Thus in this research, it is argued that the concept of self-authenticity assists in the fulfilment of this aim. It is shown here that authenticity guides the construction, negotiation and experience of the phenomena which serves to authenticate the self. It is further argued however that Downshifting and Seachange reflect a wider theme of the self where the individual seeks protection from the profane impacts of advanced capitalism. Subsequently, the thesis aims not only to reveal the underlying principles which feed each phenomenon, but also relate them back to a wider cultural narrative of the sacred self.