Chinese host country nationals' willingness to support expatriates:the role of collectivism, interpersonal affect and Guanxi

The willingness of host country nationals (HCNs) to provide support to the expatriate has received a lot of attention in the literature on international assignments. Surprisingly, though, the number of empirical studies examining this relationship is extremely limited. This study examines the role of HCNs' collectivistic orientation, interpersonal affect, and guanxi in relation to their willingness to support expatriates. Using data from 212 HCNs in China, it is found that HCNs' perceived relationship quality with the expatriate has a significant impact on their willingness to provide assistance, both role information and social support, to expatriates. Further, it is found that relationship quality is related to perceived cultural similarity. The results reinforce the importance of paying attention to the perceptions and reactions of HCNs towards expatriates. Implications of the findings are discussed, and suggestions are offered for future research.

Reproducibility-repeatability of choroidal thickness calculation using optical coherence tomography

Purpose. To evaluate the repeatability and reproducibility of subfoveal choroidal thickness (CT) calculations performed manually using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods. The CT was imaged in vivo at each of two visits on 11 healthy volunteers (mean age, 35.72 ± 13.19 years) using the spectral domain OCT. CT was manually measured after applying ImageJ processing filters on 15 radial subfoveal scans. Each radial scan was spaced 12° from each other and contained 2500 A-scans. The coefficient of variability, coefficient of repeatability (CoR), coefficient of reproducibility, and intraclass correlation coefficient determined the reproducibility and repeatability of the calculation. Axial length (AL) and mean spherical equivalent refractive error were measured with the IOLMaster and an open view autorefractor to study their potential relationship with CT. Results. The within-visit and between-visit coefficient of variability, CoR, coefficient of reproducibility, and intraclass correlation coefficient were 0.80, 2.97% 2.44%, and 99%, respectively. The subfoveal CT correlated significantly with AL (R = -0.60, p = 0.05). Conclusions. The subfoveal CT could be measured manually in vivo using OCT and the readings obtained from the healthy subjects evaluated were repeatable and reproducible. It is proposed that OCT could be a useful instrument to perform in vivo assessment and monitoring of CT changes in retinal disease. The preliminary results suggest a negative correlation between subfoveal CT and AL in such a way that it decreases with increasing AL but not with refractive error.

Reproducibility and repeatability of the OcuSense TearLab™ osmometer

BACKGROUND: Some studies report that increased tear osmolarity is a reliable indicator of dry eye syndrome (DES). The OcuSense TearLab™ osmometer requires less than a 100-nl sample of tears and provides an instant quantitative result. Our aim was to clinically evaluate this instrument in terms of its reproducibility and repeatability. METHODS: Twenty-nine participants who ranged in age from 19 to 49 years (mean?±?SD: 23.3?±?5.5 years) were recruited. Osmolarity readings were collected by two operators, in two sessions separated by 1 or 2 weeks in order to assess test reproducibility and repeatability. RESULTS: The coefficient of reproducibility was 39 mOsms/l; the coefficient of repeatability was 33 mOsms/l. CONCLUSIONS: Our mean coefficient of variation over four readings for 29 subjects is 2.9%, which compares well with that reported by the manufacturer. Our results inform practitioners about the level of change over time that can be considered clinically relevant for healthy subjects. This value is 33mOsms/l; any change smaller than this could be attributed to measurement noise.

The impact of national cultures and interpersonal factors on managerial communication

This study was undertaken for two primary purposes. The first was to discover whether or not two of the four cultural dimensions depicted by Hof-stede (1980), namely Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance, could be repeated using samples from seven organizations operating in three distinct cultural settings. The second was to assess the degree to which these dimensions affect superior-subordinate communication across the culturally-different groups. Also, the impact of the three interpersonal factors: Trust in Superior, Upward Influence and Mobility Aspirations was investigated cross-culturally. Participants were 291 managers from seven organizations; four Sudanese, two white British and an organization in Britain run by a group of British citizens of Pakistani extraction. It was hypothesized that the Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance of the three groups would replicate Hof-stede's. Specific implications of these dimensions for organizational communication and in particular for superior-subordinate communication were also hypothesized. Multiple regression analyses were performed with items of the two cultural dimensions and the three interpersonal factors (each in turn) forming the independent variables, while the organizational communication aspects formed the dependent variables. T-tests between means were also used to compare and contrast issues such as directionality of information flow across organizations operating in these settings. Work-related values of each of the three cultural groups provided support for Hofstede's model. However, only tentative support was given to the hypothesized relationships between the cultural dimensions and organizational communication. Similarly, weak associations were found between the three interpersonal factors and superior-subordinate communication behaviour. Some practical and theoretical implications are offered. An evaluation of the study and recommendation for further research are also given.

The development and operation of the effective interpersonal relationship skills relevant to career development problems from staff assessment at an industrial research laboratory

This study concerns the application of a model of effective interpersonal relationships to problems arising from staff assessment at I.C.I. Ltd. Corporate Laboratory between 1972 and 1974. In collaboration with academic and industrial supervision, the study commenced with a survey of management and supervisor opinions about the effectiveness of current staff (work) relationships, with particular reference to the problem of recognising and developing creative potential. This survey emphasised a need to improve the relationships between staff in the staff assessment context. A survey of research into creativity emphasised the importance of the interpersonal environment for obtaining creative behaviour in an organisation context. A further survey of theories of how inter­personal behaviour related to personal creativity (therapeutic psychology) provided a model of effective interpersonal behaviour (Carkhuff, 1969) that could be applied to the organisation context of staff assessment. The objective of the project was redefined as a need to improve the conditions of interpersonal behaviour in relation to certain (career development) problems arising from staff assessment practices. In order to demonstrate the application of the model of effective interpersonal behaviour, the research student recorded interviews between himself and members of staff designed to develop and operate the dimensions of the model. Different samples of staff were used to develop the 'facilitative' and the 'action oriented' dimensions of bahaviour, and then for the operation of a helping programme (based on vocational guidance tests). These interactions have been analysed, according to the scales of measurement in the model ana the results are presented in case study form in this thesis. At each stage of the project, results and conclusions were presented to the sponsoring organisation (e.g. industrial supervisor) in order to assess their (subjective) opinion of relevance to the organ­ isation. Finally, recommendations on further actions towards general improvement of the work relationships in the laboratory were presented in a brief report to the sponsor.

Global marketing of industrial products:are interpersonal relationships always critical?

The present paper examines the issue of whether interpersonal relationships are critical for global marketing of industrial products. The fields of relationship marketing, IMP group research, sales research, and network theory have stressed the importance of interpersonal relationships in the business-to-business or industrial marketing context. In contrast to this emphasis on interpersonal relationships, we argue that industrial firms can both conceive and enhance marketing strategies based on developing high quality and consistent processes, products, services or outcomes (consistent processes and outcomes). Such strategies are especially important given the fact that developing interpersonal relationships is expensive due to their reliance on frequent and/or face-to-face communications. In this paper, we examine industry and country contexts that lead to the choice of alternative industrial product marketing strategies and highlight some future research directions and managerial implications.

Employee perceptions of interpersonal justice:the moderating role of attachment and cultural values

This study investigated the moderating role of national culture in the relationship between attachment orientations and employee perceptions of interpersonal justice. Three hundred and forty individuals from countries categorized (by GLOBE) as either low collectivistic ‘Anglo’ (e.g. UK, Australia, US; N = 205) or high collectivistic ‘South Asian’ (e.g. India, Malaysia, Indonesia; N = 135), responded to an online questionnaire. Attachment anxiety and avoidance were negatively related to perceptions of interpersonal justice, as expected, but against expectations the direct relationship between attachment orientations and interpersonal justice did not differ between cultures. However, supplementary analysis revealed a significant 3-way interaction. When attachment anxiety was high, avoidance was a stronger predictor of interpersonal justice perceptions but the direction of this association differed by culture. The findings suggest the importance of fit between employee attachment orientations and cultural relational values in the workplace. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Selection & development of short-term project team members:developmental stability as an indicator of interpersonal skills

Short-term project teams do not have the advantage of prior performance or long-term membership to facilitate development of effective team performance. Research suggests interpersonal skills are crucial to success but this is under researched longitudinally. Evolutionary psychology can provide a lens to explain how people develop differing levels of interpersonal skills via the relationship between fluctuating asymmetry and pro-social behaviours. This research aims to investigate the relationship between fluctuating asymmetry and interpersonal skills, the impact of training and to further the evolutionary psychology field by embedding research in a real-world context as opposed to solely in laboratory or student settings.