Cultural adaptation and validation of the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ): robust nine-dimension Danish language confirmatory factor model

Health literacy is an important construct in population health and healthcare requiring rigorous measurement. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ), with nine scales, measures a broad perception of health literacy. This study aimed to adapt the HLQ to the Danish setting, and to examine the factor structure, homogeneity, reliability and discriminant validity. The HLQ was adapted using forward-backward translation, consensus conference and cognitive interviews (n = 15). Psychometric properties were examined based on data collected by face-to-face interview (n = 481). Tests included difficulty level, composite scale reliability and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Cognitive testing revealed that only minor re-wording was required. The easiest scale to respond to positively was 'Social support for health', and the hardest were 'Navigating the healthcare system' and 'Appraisal of health information'. CFA of the individual scales showed acceptably high loadings (range 0.49-0.93). CFA fit statistics after including correlated residuals were good for seven scales, acceptable for one. Composite reliability and Cronbach's α were >0.8 for all but one scale. A nine-factor CFA model was fitted to items with no cross-loadings or correlated residuals allowed. Given this restricted model, the fit was satisfactory. The HLQ appears robust for its intended application of assessing health literacy in a range of settings. Further work is required to demonstrate sensitivity to measure changes.

A partnership model of corporate ethics

The stock market crash of 1987 had a profound effect on corporate Australia and the Australian community in general. The fall-out revealed that some of our most respected business figures had not been as ethical, or even as lawful, as we would have hoped. This impropriety produced in Australia an awakening to business ethics. Whilst many companies endeavoured to introduce ethical practices into their corporations, they perceived ethics as a way of minimising damage to the corporation and in some cases as a means of competitive advantage. What was lost was the reason that one should embark on business ethics; and that is to make the society and corporate Australia a more ethical place in which to exist.This paper proposes a model based on 2 factors: commitment and partnerships, as a means of enabling corporate Australia to refocus attention on the main purpose of being inherently ethical in all that we do. This ethical model requires a commitment to partnerships with all stakeholders both internal and external in an attempt to enhance the level of ethical business practices that are contemplated and pursued within corporate Australia. Whilst the research agenda and the information collected is Australian-based, it is hoped that the ideas contained within this paper will have a wider appeal to corporations in similar cultural settings.

Cultural differences, information and code systems

This paper explores an alternative way of framing information systems research on the role and impact of national culture. It argues that the widely accepted structural framework of Hofstede reduces interpretation to a simplistic categorical description which in many cases ignores differentiation within cultures. The alternative model suggests, that national culture can be better understood by seeking out the dominant codes that frame the discourse pervasive in a culture and understanding how that discourse affects the obvious social codes of ritual, custom and behavior and the textual codes which express the nature of that culture. This framework is applied to two different case studies—one in New Zealand and one in Thailand—to demonstrate its applicability.

Still suffering from the `silo effect`: lingering cultural barriers to collaborative care

This research project sought to draw out the contesting definitions of collaborative care among professional subgroups in maternity services. The paper contrasts medical and social models of knowledge and reports on qualitative evidence from midwives and doctors in Australian hospitals. The evidence indicates that collaborative care is welcomed by both midwives and doctors but that there remains a lingering residue of the ‘silo effect’ of the ‘old’ professionalism, characterized by hierarchical relations, divergent philosophies and competing domains. Although a ‘new professionalism’ has emerged that challenges the old hierarchies and professional dependencies, it too harbours lingering residues of the former dichotomy between midwives and obstetricians. These tensions and enmities will need to be resolved before genuine collaboration may take full effect. The objective is a relationship focused model of care that transcends professional or woman-focused models. The ‘new’ professionalism may be expedited through mediation strategies, a version of which is the ‘sociological intervention method’ discussed in this article.

Accounting professionalism : a cultural perspective of developing countries

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of culture on accounting professionalism in 12 developing countries by applying Gray's 1988 model and Hofstede 1980 cultural study.
Design/methodology/approach – Connecting seven variables introduced within a testable model lead the finding to classify the twelve countries within a range from statutory control to professionalism. The data set was collected from 1996 to 2000 through different sources. Twelve developing countries have been chosen from the Middle East and South East Asia in this study and cluster analysis is used for analysing and classifying the countries.
Findings – The results show while the Gray's hypothesis of statutory control is positively confirmed for Iran, and moderately for Bangladesh, Jordan, Oman, and Qatar, it is negatively rejected for Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Research limitations/implications – One limitation of this study is the improvised nature of the data set caused by the difficulty in collecting an extensive data set from developing countries.
Practical implications – The findings of the study provides a useful source of information about accounting authority in those developing countries in which improve the knowledge and literature about the accounting practice internationally.
Originality/value – The findings of the study are useful in harmonization process of the international accounting practices. Knowledge about important aspects of accounting setting of the countries is essential to realize the impediments of harmonization.

Valuing the arts : theorising and realising cultural capital in an Australian city

For those who make and admire artistic works, there is no question of their value. However, for others interested in economic development, the value of the arts is often more tangential, contested and questionable. While the post-modern world of consumption and spectacle suggests to some academics and governments that the arts and cultural industries are the way of the future, others remain sceptical about their social and economic value. This is a theoretical as well as a practical issue this paper explores by offering a reconceptualisation of Pierre Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital as a way of re-assessing the value of the arts. The paper then applies this framework to quantify and qualify the value of the arts in one regional city in Australia – Geelong in Victoria – focusing on the work of two artists. The aim is to describe the interconnected processes by which the arts generate cultural capital in the form of confidence, image, individual well-being, social cohesion and economic viability. The analysis also highlights the ongoing power relations which prescribe artistic production, circulation and valuation. The implications of such a rethinking and application go well beyond one city and region to other places grappling with the relationship between artistic production and urban well being. By focusing on the broad-ranging process by which artistic value is created for individuals, groups, professionals, communities and governments, a model becomes available for other places to use in realising their cultural capital.

Consumer complaint actions: a conceptual model based on complainants about advertising in Australia

This article presents a new conceptual model detailing consumer complaint responses relating to exposure to unacceptable advertising. The model is initiated by consumer perceptions of negative inequity which elicits one of three consumer complaint responses based on the identified triggers that may influence complaining propensity such as demographic, psychographic, cultural, situational and social factors. Complainant perception of the process encountered together with the overall outcome of their experience affect future complaint behaviour as shown by this evolving model as the end reaction flows on to form the consumer’s next response to a similar situation. The advertising industry in Australia is valued annually at over $8 billion and some advertisements have been identified as ‘unacceptable’ by elements in society. Industry and regulatory response to consumer complaints is thus an important area to address and there is no extant literature utilising such an holistic model.

Guanxi in a sub-national cross-cultural setting

This paper explores whether Chinese relationship building, Guanxi, is effective in crosscultural sub-national relationships. Derived from research into Sino-Australian Sister City Type Relationships and using material gathered through interviews in China and Australia, a modified Institutional Guanxi conceptual model has been developed. Some propositions are developed to link the components of the Guanxi conceptual model. Different methodologies are explored to determine the most effective way to test the hypotheses in a cross-cultural environment, and future research is outlined.

The development of cultural entrepreneurs through new venture cases in the business classroom

Artists and workers in the creative industries who embody the essence of creativity are thwart by economic values in delivering their art work or creative concept to consumers. This is particularly evident for students in courses in creative industries who graduate with entrepreneurial aspirations, but not the means to pitch their creative concept or build the business model for the new venture. This paper analyses a university business course developed to take cultural entrepreneurs through venture building as a live case in the creative economy.

How cultural differences cause dimensions of tourism satisfaction

This paper develops a conceptual model of the relationship between different cultural values and how they influence consumer satisfaction in the tourism industry. It is hypothesized that cultural differences manifest themselves in different levels of importance being placed upon different aspects of service, and the differences between the levels of importance and the actual service received cause differences in the levels of satisfaction. These hypotheses are tested using 269 independent samples of levels of importance and 411 independent samples of satisfaction of tourists from four cultural groups (Australian, USA/Canadian, Japanese, Mandarin speakers) who visited Melbourne, Australia in the period May-September, 1996. The analysis develops dimensions of importance and satisfaction separately for each cultural grouping, and uses structural equation modeling (Amos 3.6) to develop the causal model measuring the way in which importance of service dimensions cause dimensions of satisfaction. Conclusions from the analysis show little evidence of a causal relationship between importance of service quality attributes and satisfaction. However, significant differences are found between cultures for different levels of satisfaction resulting indirectly from differences in the importance and actual levels of service received.

Qualitive research in a cross-cultural context: Fijian experiences

In this article, the authors discuss the experiences of conducting qualitative research in traditional Fijian communities. This provided the setting for the cross-cultural exchange between the researcher and research participants and from which the authors draw important considerations for the design of future qualitative studies. In particular, the authors discuss the need to adapt essentially Western research designs to accommodate different cross-cultural styles of facilitation, group dynamics, spatial arrangements, gender issues, protocol, patterns of participation, and perception of time. They propose a model that clarifies the types of roles and styles of facilitation observed in a Fijian workshop setting and comment on how different cross-cultural dynamics between the researcher and participants can influence the success of qualitative research.

Mapping cultural dimensions in Australian sporting organisations

No research focusing on sport has yet provided a method of charting cultureʼs potential dimensions. The aim of this study was to redress this gap by identifying a set of dimensions that could describe the cultures of Australian sporting organisations. The population for this study included Australian National Sport Organisations (NSOs), State Sport Organisations (SSOs) and clubs participating in national league competitions. Eight sport organisations formed the sample. Data were collected via 24 in-depth interviews. This study revealed 12 dimensions and 68 sub-dimensions of culture, which may be used to begin the process of mapping sport cultures. These results reveal some unique sport dimensions with no single existing dimensional model that captures the collective elements revealed in this study. The unique dimensions revealed in this study include “Rituals”, “Symbols”, “Size”, “History and tradition”, with support for these dimensions found within the sub-dimensional codes. This suggests that the dimensions recorded here might provide a useful launching pad for future studies on sport culture.

Structural deficiency or cultural racism: the educational and social experiences of Arab-Australian youth

This paper discusses the cultural, attitudinal and structural factors that impact upon the social experiences and educational achievements of Arabic-speaking background (ASB) students in three Melbourne secondary schools with high levels of cultural and linguistic diversity. The paper makes the case for and then outlines a multidimensional approach to multicultural education to better integrate ASB students and their families into the schooling environment. Key strategies developed and tested include a model of school-community partnership, online and interactive teacher support material (TSM) as well as on-going teacher professional development workshops on reflexive approaches to cultural diversity and intercultural tension.

Painting equality : female artists as cultural entrepreneurial marketers

Purpose – There is growing interest by marketers in historical accounts that paint early female artists as entrepreneurial marketers. The purpose of this paper is to challenge the traditional view of entrepreneurship to incorporate a feminist theory of cultural entrepreneurship by considering the role of two female artists.
Design/methodology/approach – Using calls for historical research and new methods of enquiry in marketing, this paper traces early female artists and applies modern entrepreneurial theory to their marketing methods to identify their innovation, adaptability to change and planned marketing approach.
Findings – The paper suggests that entrepreneurial marketing is fused with the artists’ persona resulting in their celebrated status being widely recognised. It contributes an important fresh body of knowledge to the wider entrepreneurship debate by offering a new model of cultural entrepreneurial marketing. The three concepts of innovation, adaptability and marketing approach have not previously been applied to link women artists as entrepreneurs, however, this article argues that there is plenty of evidence to do so.
Research limitations/implications – While these artists are Australian (which could be seen to be a limitation), the art market is indeed international. In this respect, these artists join a longer international history as producers and consumers involved in entrepreneurial organisations from early days.
Originality/value – The artists’ significance falls within the context of emerging modernism, feminism and cultural identity during the 1920s and 1930s in Sydney, Australia. It is combined with and explains the actions and the success of two female artists’ unusual marketing approach. It is of value to readers interested in historical context regarding equality in the visual arts.

A cross-cultural study of consumer purchase intention and planned behaviour

This study investigates for two cultures differences in consumers’ purchase intention formation and their association with planned behaviour using the model of reasoned action. It also seeks evidence of exposure to a new dominant culture influencing change in behavioural intentions. Australian and Malaysian students are used as participants in the study. The results indicate that there is an association between intention and planned behaviour for Australian students, while no association exists for the Malaysian students. Additionally, the Malaysian students living in Australia for more than two years do not show a tendency to adopt the Australian students’ intention formation in an ‘individualistic’ culture.