On paternalistic leadership fit: exploring cross-cultural endorsement, leader-follower fit, and the boundary role of organizational culture

Although cross-cultural leadership research has thrived in international business literature, little attention has been devoted to understanding the effectiveness of non-western theories beyond their original contexts. The purpose of this study is to examine the cross-cultural endorsement of paternalistic leadership, an emerging non-western leadership theory, using data from GLOBE project. Using multigroup confirmatory factor analyses we found measurement equivalence of a scale derived from GLOBE’s data, which enabled us to compare the endorsement of paternalistic leadership dimensions across 10 cultural clusters and 55 societies. Our study revealed that there are significant differences in the importance societies give to each dimension, suggesting that paternalism as leadership style is not universally nor homogeneously endorsed. Furthermore, results suggest that different patterns of endorsement of each of these dimensions give rise to idiosyncratic shades of paternalistic leadership across societies. Implications for theory and future research on international business are discussed.

Uma análise do valor social considerado pelo Comitê de Pronunciamentos Contábeis à luz da teoria tridimensional do direito

Esta tese teve como objetivo identificar qual o valor social considerado pelo Comitê de Pronunciamentos Contábeis (CPC) na emissão de seus pronunciamentos contábeis: aproximação ou distanciamento das normas contábeis brasileiras às internacionais. A contabilidade mundial se encontra em um momento histórico, marcado pelo processo de convergência das normas contábeis e da criação de uma linguagem universal. No processo, cada país tem uma abordagem, que pode variar da convergência, onde os países mantêm suas instituições normativas, ao endosso, onde é efetuada uma tradução dos pronunciamentos contábeis. No Brasil, o processo é conduzido pelo CPC, formado sob a égide de seis instituições privadas brasileiras, cada uma representando um diferente grupo de agentes econômicos. O CPC emite um pronunciamento, que entra em audiência pública por no mínimo 30 dias. A nova versão é resultado da análise das sugestões recebidas. Utilizamos na tese a Teoria Tridimensional do Direito, de Miguel Reale, composta por norma, fato e valor, que estão sempre presentes e correlacionados de maneira funcional e dialética, e sofrem interferência do Poder, que determina quais os valores positivos, a serem preservados, e quais os valores negativos, a serem proibidos. Foram utilizados os pronunciamentos contábeis emitidos pelo CPC no que diz respeito a Conceituação Geral e Evidenciação, antes e depois da audiência pública, a norma internacional em que se baseia o pronunciamento brasileiro e as sugestões recebidas pelo CPC sobre os pronunciamentos contábeis. Os resultados apontam para uma forte associação entre sugestões que tinham como finalidade a aproximação das normas internacionais e a aceitação por parte do CPC. Além disso, os atores envolvidos no processo passam a aceitar a aproximação dos pronunciamentos contábeis brasileiros aos internacionais como realidade e aprenderam que o caminho para modificação de algum ponto do pronunciamento brasileiro é a alteração do pronunciamento do IASB.

Leader-organization fit: comparing the effectiveness of paternalistic and transformational leadership in different organizational cultures

Research on paternalistic leadership (PL) has been based exclusively on national cultures´ differences. However there are cues that other contextual variables can add to the explanation of this construct. Due to its capacity to influence expectations of individuals in organizations, organizational culture can contribute to fill this gap. To test if organizational culture influences the effectiveness of leadership style, we conducted two experimental studies using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, comparing effects of paternalistic and transformational leadership on followers’ outcomes. Using video clips and vignettes, we found that PL is better related to followers´ outcomes in cultures oriented to people than outcome, and that TL has a better relationship in cultures oriented to innovation than stability. The results suggest that organizational culture helps in explaining PL endorsement, and that further analysis of the influence of this variable to PL can provide a better understanding of the expression of this leadership style in organizations.

Exploring different social media users from the millennials’ generation: a cross-cultural behavioral analysis of brazilian users of Facebook and chinese users of RenRen

With the increasing importance of digital communication and its distinct characteristics, marketing tools and strategies adopted by companies have changed dramatically. Among the many digital marketing tools and new media channels available for marketers, the phenomenon known as social media is one of the most complex and enigmatic. It has a range that still is quite unexplored and deeply transforms the present view on the promotion mix (Mangold & Faulds, 2009). Conversations among users on social media directly affect their perceptions on products, services and brands. But more than that, a wide range of other subjects can also become topics of conversations on social media. Hit songs, sporting events, celebrity news and even natural disasters and politics are topics that often become viral on the web. Thus, companies must grasp that, and in order to become more interesting and relevant, they must take part in these conversations inserting their brands in these online dynamic dialogues. This paper focuses on how these social interactions are manifested in the web in to two distinct cultures, Brazil and China. By understanding the similarities and differences of these cultures, this study helps firms to better adjust its marketing efforts across regions, targeting and positioning themselves, not only geographically and culturally, but also across different web platforms (Facebook and RenRen). By examining how companies should focus their efforts according to each segment in social media, firms can also maximize its results in communication and mitigate risks. The findings suggest that differences in cultural dimensions in these two countries directly affect their virtual social networking behavior in many dimensions (Identity, Presence, Relationships, Reputation, Groups, Conversations and Sharing). Accordingly, marketing efforts must be tailored to each comportment and expectations.