Does Online Dating Promotion Vary Across Cultures? A Cross-cultural Analysis of Homepage Advertisements of Online Dating Services in 51 Countries

2021 ◽  
pp. 097325862110600
Author(s):  
Aditi Paul ◽  
Saifuddin Ahmed ◽  
Karolina Zaluski

This study extends our understanding of the influence of culture on advertising within the novel context of online dating. People around the world have come to depend on online dating services (ODSs) to participate in the dating process. Since the norms and expectations of dating are influenced by a country’s cultural values, we expect ODSs to adapt their advertising messages to be congruent with these values. Using the Pollay–Hofstede framework, we examine the relationship between advertising appeals used by 1,003 ODSs from 51 countries and the cultural dimensions of these countries. Results showed that ODS advertisements appealed to people’s need for relationship, friendship, entertainment, sex, status, design and identity. The use of these appeals was congruent with only the individualism/collectivism and uncertainty avoidance cultural dimensions. Based on these results, we argue that ODS’s overwhelming use of culturally incongruent advertising messages can lead to a global transformation and homogenisation of the dating culture.

Author(s):  
Eric César Morales

This chapter examines the moving body as a performance site for cultural values and histories in America. It encourages cross-cultural analysis of structured movement systems that include both dance and nondance, while also examining historical approaches to dance and how dance can serve practical and aesthetic purposes. Dance is a powerful vehicle for understanding folklore since populations around the world transmit their folktales, mythologies, and histories physically—in conjunction with or in lieu of oral storytelling. Attempts to define folk dance and the forms of movement that are included in relation to tradition, mostly from anthropology, are covered and the suggestion is made to develop folkloristic approaches to the subject. This essay locates current conceptualizations of folk, ethnic, and American dance, and it suggests that folkloristics can better analyze dance, specifically narrative dance, through the metaframework of choreopoetics. This is an approach grounded in methexis rather than mimesis that engages with the community-centered aspects of narrative dance, analyzing it as a holistic unit and taking into account the staging, movement, costuming, music, and unseen layers deemed important by a cultural group.


2018 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 968-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burcu Tekeş ◽  
Yeşim Üzümcüoğlu ◽  
Connie Hoe ◽  
Türker Özkan

According to the World Health Organization, obesity is a major public health issue. In 2014, there were more than 600 million obese people around the world. According to the data of the World Health Organization, obesity rates differ among countries. One possible underlying reason of the difference can be culture, more specifically shared cultural values. The strategies and policies regarding obesity were developed; however, the effect of culture is not adequately considered. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between obesity rates of countries, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, Schwartz’s values, and Gross National Income per capita per country. The data consist of obesity ranking (i.e., the percentage of the population with a body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or higher), Gross National Income per capita for each country, and cultural variables (i.e., Hofstede’s cultural dimensions for 54 nations and Schwartz’s cultural values for 57 nations). Hierarchical regression analysis results revealed that Gross National Income per capita was not a significantly related obesity at the aggregated level. Among Hofstede’s dimensions, individualism and uncertainty avoidance were positively associated with obesity, and long-term orientation was negatively associated with obesity. The relationship between Schwartz’s cultural values and obesity was not found to be significant. Findings suggest that Hofstede’s cultural dimensions should be considered when developing national level strategies and campaigns to decrease obesity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salman Saleem ◽  
Jorma Antero Larimo ◽  
Kadi Ummik ◽  
Andres Kuusik

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether Hofstede’s (2001) cultural framework and the value paradox explain the use of appeals in advertising in Estonia. Design/methodology/approach – Hypotheses are drawn in relation to Hofstede’s original four cultural dimensions – power distance, masculinity/femininity, individualism/collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. A sample of 110 print advertisements from four magazines were analyzed using Pollay’s (1983) classification of advertising appeals. Findings – The results show that Estonian advertising reflects paradoxical values related to low power distance and femininity dimensions, and culturally congruent values related to high-uncertainty avoidance and individualism. Practical implications – Findings suggest that cultural values (desired) alone are insufficient to predict the reflection of culture in advertising. Rather, consideration of the discrepancies between the cultural values (desired) and practices (desirable) enables a better explanation of the relationship between society and its advertising. Originality/value – Scholars have shown increasing interest in the consequences of culture on advertising, but the opposing aspect of cultural values and practices has received limited research attention. The paper offers interesting insights regarding the effect of culture and the value paradox on the use of appeals in advertising. Additionally, analyzing the advertising of Eastern Europe is highly important because of the limited research attention that exists with respect to advertising in the region.


Author(s):  
Beatrice A. Dimba ◽  
Robert Rugimbana

Orientation: This article investigates the question, of whether culture really matters in implementing international strategic human resource management (SHRM) practices.Research purpose: Specifically, this study sought to investigate the extent to which employee cultural orientations moderate the link between SHRM practices and firm performance in large foreign manufacturing multinational companies in Kenya. Motivation for the study: Large foreign multinational companies have generally applied SHRM practices without adaptation when trying to improve employee performance even though resource based perspectives argue for the consideration of employees’ cultural orientations. Research design, approach and method: SHRM practices were conceptualised as independent variables measured through distinct practices. Organisational performance as a dependent variable was measured using constructs of image, interpersonal relations, and product quality. Cultural dimensions adopted for this study were power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism or collectivism, and masculinity or femininity. The above conceptual framework was tested by the use of both quantitative and qualitative techniques with data from fifty (50) large foreign multinational companies operating in Kenya. Main findings: Findings indicated that the relationship between SHRM practices and firm performance depend to a greater extent on employee cultural orientations when power distance is considered. Power distance (PD) refers to the extent of people accepting that power in institutions and organisations when distributed unequally. The greater the PD, the greater the acceptance of this inequality. Practical/managerial implications: The study supported the notion that the relationship between SHRM practices and firm performance is moderated by power distance through motivation but not by the other three bipolar dimensions namely, Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity or Femininity and Individualism or Collectivism. Contribution/value-add: This is the first large-scale empirical article that has focused on the moderating role of employees’ cultural orientations in large foreign manufacturing companies operating in Kenya.


Author(s):  
TAM PHAM

Advertising is increasingly important in every corner of the world.  It has become an indispensable part for both producers and consumers in modern society to boost the production and consumption of the products. To succeed in advertising, one component advertisers cannot ignore is cultural values because they are one of the determinants of customers’ behavior. Of the cultural dimensions, individualism and collectivism are considered the most important one. This study, therefore, sets the light on an overview of how individualism and collectivism is manifested in advertising in term of advertising themes, advertising creative tactics and linguistic advertising features in empirical studies. It then specifies what have and has not been done on the topic alike so that anyone interested in the field will find the gaps for their future research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-160
Author(s):  
Maria A. Myakinchenko

The article discusses aspects of the relationship between Fyodor Dostoevsky and his nephew Aleksandr Karepin as well as their reflection in the writer's work. The peculiarities of the nature and character of Aleksandr Karepin are briefly described; he was a very peculiar and not completely mentally healthy person, who served as the prototype for various, in fact, diametrically opposed in spiritual terms heroes – Pavel Trusotsky from “The Eternal Husband” and Prince Myshkin from the novel “The Idiot”. The article concludes that the use of different, sometimes opposite personality traits of the prototype when creating images of the heroes of the works was a feature of the creative method of Fyodor Dostoevsky. In addition, Aleksandr Karepin's mental illness and the oddities in his behaviour allowed the writer to think out in different ways and build not only the image of a hero with certain features of the prototype, but also the attitude of the world around him to this character, which in turn illustrates the diseases of society.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gladys Esinu Abiew ◽  
Eugene Okyere-Kwakye ◽  
Florence Yaa Akyia Ellis

Purpose Underpinned by the information processing theory, this study aims to investigate the relationship between functional diversity and team innovation by examining the moderating role of some selected cultural dimensions (power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity-femininity) in the relationship between functional diversity and innovation. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research method was used using a structured questionnaire as a tool to collect data from 251 respondents drawn from research institutions in Ghana. Data was analysed using simple regression and hierarchical multiple regression. In addition, a structural equation model was used to conduct confirmatory factor analyses to examine whether the variables in the hypothesized model for the study captured distinct constructs that the variables were designed to measure. Findings The study revealed that functional diversity was positively related to team innovation. The study also found that functionally diverse groups are more innovative when they exhibit low uncertainty avoidance, femininity and low power distance. Practical implications These findings suggest that practices such as team communication, honesty, respect and trust would foster team unity and commitment, which would enable members to share diverse expertise towards the creation and execution of new ideas and improvement of productivity in the country. Originality/value The study examined the relationship between functional diversity and team innovation by examining the moderating role of some selected cultural dimensions (power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity-femininity) in the relationship between functional diversity and innovation.


Author(s):  
Kanji Kitamura

This chapter deals with the simple yet important question of whether national culture matters in today's rapidly globalizing world. This study explores the automobile sectors in Japan and the USA and examines the relevance to the cultural constructs of individualism/collectivism, time orientation, and uncertainty avoidance. To maximize research confidence with limited resources, it triangulates its qualitative findings and the literature concepts generated from quantitative research. The grounded findings include the connection between business practices and cultural values, the interrelated nature of cultural dimensions, and a clarification of the cultural construct of uncertainty avoidance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-370
Author(s):  
Markus Mättö ◽  
Mervi Niskanen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether religion or national culture can explain previously observed cross-country variation in trade credit. Design/methodology/approach Using the firm-level SME data from 35 European countries, religion and cultural factors of Hofstede and Schwartz, the authors provide new evidence on the determinants of the cross-country variation in trade credit. Findings The results indicate that religion and national culture are associated with trade credit. The authors find that the levels of trade credit are higher in Catholic countries than in Protestant ones and that peoples’ religiousness has an impact on trade credit only in Catholic countries. The authors also find that Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, such as power distance and uncertainty avoidance, are positively associated with trade credit. Practical implications Overall, authors’ findings indicate that religion and national culture are important determinants of trade credit management, and that the association between commonly used cultural values and trade credit depends on the religious, legal, and financial environment. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to research the relationship between national culture and trade credit.


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