Jeanette S. Martin

A group decision support system for multicultural and multilingual communication

Abstract A Group Decision Support System (GDSS) can be used to lower or break barriers to group communication that are caused by differences in language and culture among meeting participants. This paper describes typical examples of communication barriers among group members with different cultural and lingual backgrounds and how a GDSS can help with these problems. The paper also describes a prototype GDSS developed at the University of Mississippi that translates among English, German, and Spanish.

The Acculturation of Immigrants to U.S. Organizations: The Case of Muslim Employees.

Questionnaires from 277 Muslim immigrants revealed that most were more inclined to retain their original national culture for their private and/or social lives than to adopt the U.S. national culture. In contrast, most accepted U.S. organizational cultures. Collectivism, religious beliefs and practices, gender, education, and years lived in the United States related to acculturation to the U.S. national culture; national acculturation, collectivism, and perceived discrepancy in work cultures related to acculturation to U.S. organizational cultures. The practical implications of these findings for managers are discussed along with recommended directions for future research.

College student Internet use

Many surveys of World Wide Web and Internet use have been conducted, but few have focused on students at colleges and universities. Here, a case study of 214 undergraduate and graduate students at two universities in the USA, provides a glimpse of how students use a campus information system for e‐mail, downloading movies and music, and other purposes.

Requisite Skills of Business School Graduates: Perceptions of Senior Corporate Executives

Abstract The list of skills required of graduating business students is continually revised to reflect the changing needs of students, academia, and industry. Curriculum changes intended to provide these skills have typically been made by business school faculty and administration in verbal, nonautomated meetings. This article describes an innovative, more effective and efficient method of determining the skills students need and appropriate curriculum changes. Advisory boards at the University of Georgia and the University of Mississippi used group decision support systems to discuss and rank requisite skills of business students. The findings of the two boards provide insights into the changing needs of industry and implications for academic programs.

A group decision support system for multilingual groups

Abstract Communication in multilingual groups is very difficult. Even if all participants in the group know a common language, it may be a first language for some of the group and a second language for others. Communication in such situations is not equal for all group members. A multilingual Group Decision Support System (GDSS) allows all members to communicate in their native languages, eliminating the groups linguistic problems. This paper describes a prototype multilingual GDSS that provides a high degree of translation accuracy while providing other benefits of Group Decision Support Systems, such as anonymity, parallel communication, and automated recording of the discussion.

Communication in the Transition to Self-Directed Work Teams

Although adopting self-directed work teams (SDWTs) presents a challenge, this study shows that subordinates’ perceptions of managers’ influence strategies affect the success of change within organizations. Using data collected over 18 months, this study examined employees’ perceptions of managerial communication used prior to and during the implementation of SDWTs at a manufacturing firm as well as the effect of team and organizational communication on team members’ participation. First, the results indicated that managers who communicated persuasively using “soft” influence tactics in the team development process were perceived to be more effective. Second, team communication was found to have a significant positive effect on team members’ participation. Thus, the findings provide strong support for use of soft influence tactics in managerial communications when implementing SDWTs.

Responsible executive leadership: A moral-identity analysis based on Barnard's conceptualization

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to develop a moral identity perspective on Barnards conceptualization of executive responsibility. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a prospective study design, as an alternative to a transitional grounded approach, to develop a theory-based framework to compare textual patterns in Barnards writings. By using Barnards conceptualization of executive responsibility within the identity control theoretical framework, the paper analyzes the challenges of executive moral identification. Findings – The paper develops a theory-based, yet practical, typology of moral identification of responsible executive leaders. Research limitations/implications – Although this proposed typology appears rather parsimonious, it is recognized that issues of moral behavior are certainly complex, and therefore should be addressed in a requisite manner in future model developments. Originality/value – The paper posits that Barnards conceptualization provides a useful channel to...

CEO blogs: credibility issues

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework and examine critical factors that are likely to influence credibility of a CEOs blog. These factors are categorised not only in terms of the degree to which they are controllable or uncontrollable but also whether or not the CEO may have realistically perceived control over them. The proposed framework for assessment of CEO blog credibility is discussed and practical guidelines provided for top managers on how to assess which factors are pertinent for their circumstances. In the conclusion of this paper, a step-by-step programme for assessing credibility of a CEOs blog is outlined.

Using a bilingual group support system

Differences in language and culture among participants in a meeting can present tremendous barriers to efficient and effective communication. Cultural and lingual barriers are becoming increasingly important issues to international managers as businesses continue to expand globally. This paper describes a group support system (GSS) which reduces many of these lingual and cultural barriers in groups composed of Spanish and English speakers.

A comparison of Malaysian and American groups using a group decision support system

The vast majority of research conducted on Group Decision Support Systems has been based upon groups using the English language. In this paper, we describe a Group Decision Support System developed at the University of Mis sissippi that supports meetings of groups speaking English, German, French, Malay, or any other language which uses the Roman alphabet (including accent marks). A pilot study was conducted comparing American students using English with Malaysian students using alternatively English and Malay. All groups used a Group Decision Support System to exchange comments or solutions regarding the assigned problem. In general, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of production blocking (ease of communica tion), evaluation apprehension (fear of peer criticism), and overall meeting satisfaction in either language. These results support our hypothesis that Group Decision Support Systems can be used effectively regardless of a groups nationality or language.