Cultural distance or cultural similarity A study of academic expatriates in the UAE

2022 ◽  
Vol 23 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Roberta Fenech ◽  
Priya Baguant ◽  
Ihab Abdelwahed
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Cultural Similarity ◽  
Academic Expatriates

Presumed cultural similarity paradox

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Vromans ◽  
Marloes van Engen ◽  
Stefan Mol
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Preliminary Test ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Cultural Similarity ◽  
Met Expectations

Purpose – To introduce the presumed cultural similarity paradox as a possible explanation for the findings that adjusting to a culturally similar country is just as difficult as adjusting to a culturally dissimilar country. We provide a conceptual framework, enabling further understanding and research into this phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach – Expatriates moving to a country that shares common characteristics may presume more cultural similarity and easier adjustment than is actually the case. During their stay abroad, expatriates may find that these expectations are not met. While the smaller cultural distance may facilitate adjustment, the undermet expectations inhibit adjustment and performance. Findings – A first preliminary test compared Dutch expatriates in Belgium (culturally similar) and in China (culturally dissimilar). The expectations of cultural similarity and adjustment difficulty of the expatriates in Belgium were significantly more undermet than those of the expatriates in China and this had a negative influence on affective adjustment. The larger cultural distance of China was negatively related to intercultural adjustment. Better adjustment, both affective and intercultural, led to better job performance. Research limitations/implications – Future research should try to replicate and extend our findings to other cultural contexts. Practical implications – Expatriates and their employers must consider and prepare for the increased chance of undermet expectations and the negative consequences this can have on adjustment and job performance, when moving to a culturally similar country. Social implications – Expatriates and their employers must consider and prepare for the increased chance of undermet expectations and the negative consequences this can have on adjustment and job performance, when moving to a culturally similar country. Originality/value – This paper conceptualizes and provide a theoretical framework that should allow future research to empirically test the psychological process that occurs in this paradox, accommodate the contrasting effects of cultural distance and met expectations of cultural similarity and investigate which characteristics of countries lead expatriates to presume more cultural similarity than is the case.

The liminal gaze: Chinese restaurant workers gazing upon Chinese tourists dining in London’s Chinatown

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Moufakkir
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Third Space ◽  
Cultural Hybridity ◽  
Immigrant Workers ◽  
Service Encounter ◽  
Chinese Immigrant ◽  
The Gaze ◽  
Chinese Restaurant ◽  
Chinese Tourists ◽  
Cultural Similarity

By examining the host gaze in a third space, this article proposes “liminal gaze” as a concept to study service encounter in light of liminality and cultural hybridity. The dynamics of gaze is examined through the lens of cultural distance with London’s Chinatown as the study area. Gaze in tourism has mainly been studied in relation to two distant cultures gazing upon each other. The study tries to understand what happens to the gaze when two cultures, which are neither distant or proximate nor identical but in-between here and there, gaze upon each other. The focus is on Chinese immigrant workers (the guesthosters) gazing upon Chinese tourists dining in Chinatown. Chinatown represents a third space where natives, tourists, and guesthosters meet, gaze, and perform. The gaze of the Chinese guesthosters upon their Chinese guests is negative despite their cultural similarity/proximity and norms of behavior rooted in Confucian belief. This finding challenges the postulate of cultural distance. The five themes which strongly emerged from the interviews as gaze moderators, including the perceived “boorish” dining behavior of the guests, power distance, acculturation and hybridization, and the perception of the authenticity of the food served, are explained.

scholarly journals The Impact of Cultural Similarity and Social Network Characteristics on Re-Expatriation Intention Among Self-Initiated Academic Expatriates

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 01
Author(s):  
Gheath Mahmoud Abdel-Rahman ◽  
Subramaniam A/L Sri Ramalu ◽  
Chandrakantan A/L Subramaniam
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Host Country ◽  
Home Country ◽  
International Assignments ◽  
Network Characteristics ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Cultural Similarity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time ◽  
Academic Expatriates

<p>This conceptual paper sheds light on re-expatriation intention among self-initiated academic expatriates who have completed their international assignments, and returned their home country and then intended to re-expatriate to have another experience in the host country by their own initiatives. Cultural similarity and social network characteristics which involve size, closeness and frequency appeared to have a significant impact on the expatriates' decisions to move abroad for the first time. Therefore, these variables are predicted in the study to be associated with their intentions to re-expatriate. Push-pull theory is utilized in this paper to better understanding the impact of cultural similarity and social network characteristics on re-expatriation intention among academic SIEs. Thus, this study contributes to fill the gap in literature by addressing the influence of cultural similarity and social network characteristics on re-expatriation intention.</p>

Coopetition among competitors in global industries: drivers that lead to coopetitive agreements

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Maurizio Garraffo ◽  
Suzanna Lamria Siregar
Keyword(s):  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
Chinese Firms ◽  
Data Accessibility ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Car Industry ◽  
Industry Level ◽  
Cultural Similarity

Purpose The purpose of this study is to focus on a growing strategic approach in global industries: the coopetition. Cooperation among competitors, namely, coopetition, is a strategic guideline in many global industries affected by technological innovation. This study discussed the effect of firm-, inter-firm- and industry-level drivers leading to coopetitive agreements in global industries affected by technological innovation. Design/methodology/approach By using an event history analysis, the authors develop a framework on firm-, inter-firm- and industry-level drivers on the likelihood of each competitor in the industry entering into coopetitive agreements in global competitive contexts. Empirical data are analyzed in five global industries: car industry, telecommunication industry, air transportation industry, bank industry and computer programming services industry. Findings The results of this study suggest that firms’ experience in cooperation (H1) predicts whether a firm will enter a coopetitive agreement. Moreover, the cultural similarity among competitors (H2) predicts whether a firm will enter a coopetitive agreement with a culturally similar competitor, while the total number of competitors already involved in coopetitive agreements (H3) has a low positive effect on the likelihood of a firm to coopete. Finally, the speed of agreements among competitors (H4) and the total number of coopetitive agreements in the industry (H5) (only in the car industry and software industry) are positively related to the chance of a firm entering into a coopetitive agreement. Research limitations/implications First, the authors identified and tested specific drivers of coopetition as a result of the literature review and data accessibility. The results may have omitted some variables able to further explain the event of coopetition. Second, the results of cultural distance versus cultural similarity revealed differences on firms’ behavior according to their different nationality. Chinese firms were the most oriented to deal coopetitive agreements with other Chinese firms, while firms from other countries were progressively less oriented by cultural similarity. These results may lead to studies of the “country of origin effect” on which partners to include in coopeititve agreements or which network of partners to join. Finally, the findings of this study are based on five industries over a specific ten years period of time. Consequently, the results certainly reflect the evolution of these industries over the time period considered. Practical implications The empirical investigation clarifies the relationship between decisions on strategy and competitive dynamics with the decision-making option to coopete. While managers take into account strategic moves against competitors, according to the authors’ investigation, it is valuable to consider coopetitive actions, especially when other competitors are involved in coopetitive agreements and the industry is affected by technological innovation. Moreover, the knowledge of drivers at the firm, inter-firm and industry level affecting coopetition is helpful to identify the weak or strong signals that show the rise and proliferation of coopetition in an industry. Social implications This study highlights the relevance of coopetition as an emerging approach in the competition among firms for developing or exploiting technological innovations. This approach can improve results in technological innovations that can have an impact in sustainability as well as new innovative solutions for social progress. Originality/value In literature, attention has been focused on drivers explaining the growing number of coopetitive agreements in several industries. Some contributions already discussed this topic from the perspective of costs and benefits for players. This study tries to continue to fill this research gap by studying, at firm, inter-firm and industry level, drivers of the likelihood of each competitor in the industry entering into coopetitive agreements in global competitive contexts.

scholarly journals Cultural similarity among coreligionists within and between countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (37) ◽  
pp. e2109650118
Author(s):  
Cindel J. M. White ◽  
Michael Muthukrishna ◽  
Ara Norenzayan
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Religious Tradition ◽  
Fixation Index ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Cultural Evolutionary ◽  
Cultural Similarity

Cultural evolutionary theories suggest that world religions have consolidated beliefs, values, and practices within a superethnic cultural identity. It follows that affiliation with religious traditions would be reliably associated with global variation in cultural traits. To test this hypothesis, we measured cultural distance between religious groups within and between countries, using the Cultural Fixation Index (CFST) applied to the World Values Survey (88 countries, n = 243,118). Individuals who shared a religious tradition and level of commitment to religion were more culturally similar, both within and across countries, than those with different affiliations and levels of religiosity, even after excluding overtly religious values. Moreover, distances between denominations within a world religion echoed shared historical descent. Nonreligious individuals across countries also shared cultural values, offering evidence for the cultural evolution of secularization. While nation-states were a stronger predictor of cultural traits than religious traditions, the cultural similarity of coreligionists remained robust, controlling for demographic characteristics, geographic and linguistic distances between groups, and government restriction on religion. Together, results reveal the pervasive cultural signature of religion and support the role of world religions in sustaining superordinate identities that transcend geographical boundaries.

scholarly journals Worldwide evidence of cultural similarity among co-religionists within and across countries using the World Values Survey

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindel White ◽  
Michael Muthukrishna ◽  
Ara Norenzayan
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Fixation Index ◽  
World Values Survey ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
World Religions ◽  
The World ◽  
Cultural Evolutionary ◽  
Cultural Similarity

Cultural evolutionary theories suggest that world religions have contributed to the expansion of human cooperation, in part by consolidating beliefs, values, and practices within a culturally integrated super-ethnic identity. To test this hypothesis, we measured cultural distance between religious groups within and between countries, using the Cultural Fixation Index (CF_ST) applied to the World Values Survey (88 countries, N=243,118). We found cultural similarity between co-religionists within and across countries: Individuals who shared a religious denomination and level of religiosity were more culturally similar than those with different affiliations and levels of religiosity, even after excluding overtly religious values. Moreover, distances between denominations echoed shared historical descent (e.g., Christian denominations were culturally similar). Non-religious individuals across countries also shared cultural values, suggesting the cultural evolution of secularization. Together, results reveal the pervasive cultural signature of religion and support the role of world religions in sustaining superordinate identities that transcend geographical boundaries.

Revisit the CD Paradox in Entry Model Choice: Toward the Perspective of Strategic Fit

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 86-103
Keyword(s):  
Joint Venture ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Model Choice ◽  
Outward Fdi ◽  
Strategic Fit ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
Technological Competence ◽  
Entry Model ◽  
Wholly Owned Subsidiary ◽  
Strategic Motives

The effect of cultural distance (CD) on the entry mode choice (EMC) has been intensively studied but the empirical results are mixed. This study adopts the strategic fit perspective to examine how firms’ strategic motives and technological ownerships may influence the EMC in face of different cultural distances. Analyzing Taiwanese outward FDI cases from 2004 to 2007, this study found that firms entering the culture-distant countries would choose the wholly-owned subsidiary (WOS) mode when emphasizing more about the protection of technological competence than market expansion, or else would choose the joint-venture (JV) mode when the market expansion is prioritized.

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