Reginald Worthley

Cultural Intelligence: Understanding Behaviors that Serve People’s Goals

Cultural intelligence has various meanings that can be looked on as complementary. On one hand, it refers to behaviors that are considered intelligent from the point of view of people in specific cultures. Such behaviors can include quick application of previously learned information in some cultures, getting along with kin in other cultures, and slow and deliberate consideration of alternative courses of action in still other cultures. On the other hand, cultural intelligence can also refer to the traits and skills of people who adjust quickly, with minimal stress, when they interact extensively in cultures other than the ones where they were socialized. The two uses of the term are related because people who want to be sensitive to other scan examine intelligence as it is defined and demonstrated in other cultures and can make adjustments in their own behaviors during their cross-cultural experiences.

Cross‐cultural Colour Comparisons: Global Marketers Beware!

The Luscher colour test is used to compare colour associations in China, South Korea, Japan and the United States. Respondents were asked which colour they associate with words such as expensive, happy, love and dependable. They were also asked to relate the colours to countries, such as Italy and France; institutions, such as restaurants and theatres; and product packages, such as a soft drink label and a box of headache remedy. The findings show that, while some colours seem to show cross‐cultural consistency, other colours, such as purple and grey, hold opposite meanings in different cultures.

Evolving Perceptions of Japanese Workplace Motivation An Employee-Manager Comparison

This research effort specifically examines perceptions of workplace motivation in Japan between employees and managers while highlighting results that are somewhat counterintuitive to the traditional western perception of Japanese ethnography. Specifically, we find some evidence for a potentially shifting movement toward a self-orientation with more emphasis on lifetime employability over lifetime employment. During a period when incremental efficiencies are arguably more important than ever for the Japanese economy, practitioners therein stand to maintain the highest level of productivity by better understanding exactly how workforce motivation is currently evolving rather than relying on potentially dated assumptions. Specifically this effort advances cross cultural management studies by blending insight from past American research and theory with current research on Japan - which allows the additional benefit of comparing traditional Japanese cultural platforms to potentially more modern, dynamic realities. In partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Human Resource Solutions, a survey was undertaken in the metropolitan Tokyo area that examined motivation of the Japanese worker using the two-factor Herzberg model, which seems to be valid in Japan. The study indicates that there has been a movement from a more traditional, collective/company orientation toward more self-orientation. The study also demonstrates that Japanese managers seem to have an acceptable understanding of what motivates employees but that there is still room for improvement.

Transnational Advertising-to-Sales Ratios: Do They Follow the Rules?

Data obtained from 484 advertisers in 15 countries follow some of the propositions of Farris and Albion (1981) regarding advertising-to-sales (A/S) ratios. In agreement with the proposed rules, transnational A/S ratios were higher (a) for brands with smaller market shares and (b) for non-durable products (beers, cigarettes, petrol, detergents, pain relievers, shampoos, soft drinks, toothpastes) than durable products (cars, cameras, televisions, watches). The results were inconclusive regarding the relationship of A/S ratios with product price, frequency of purchase, and market size. There was no support for the proposition that larger numbers of brands are associated with higher A/S ratios.

A Comparative Study of Risk Appraisal: A New Look at Risk Assessment in Different Countries

This study examines perceived risk data from the U.S., China, Japan, and South Korea. These data are then compared with similar results collected from previous studies. Psychometric scaling scores from Burkino Faso (a West African Country), France, Norway, and Hungary have been analyzed and compared with results from our study. The data reveal certain risk events like nuclear weapons, war, and AIDS to have high perceived risks in all countries. These data also show that many of the events have dissimilar perceived risks in different countries. The conclusions also show some countries have higher over all levels of perceive risk (South Korea) while others like the United States display generally lower values.

Culture Typing versus Sample Specific Accuracy: An Examination of Uncertainty Avoidance, Power Distance, and Individualism for Business Professionals in the U.S. and Canada.

Comparative cultural closeness between Canada and the U.S. established in part by the Hofstede (1980) study continues to influence some business research efforts that assume cultural parity between the two nations. Sampling business professionals, evidence emerges that cautions assuming cultural parity between Canada and the U.S. based on typical and selected Anglo culture type dimensions. Contributing as an updated empirical test of the Anglo culture type assumption between the two nations, uncertainty avoidance was higher in the U.S. sample and varied more by country than by individual characteristics or by an indication of professional discipline type.

ADAPTABILITY AND CHANGE IN JAPANESE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE: A LONGITUDINAL INQUIRY INTO THE BANKING INDUSTRY – THROUGH THE BUBBLE ECONOMY AND BEYOND

Japanese organizations have been forced to re-evaluate their management systems in light of recent economic and competitive pressures. Much can be learned about the adjustments of the Japanese management mindset, and a more competitive Japan may emerge as a result of successful adaptation. This study makes a longitudinal examination of the dynamic nature of management practices and thinking in the Japanese banking industry. Pressures on key industries in Japan during this time, e.g. the financial sector, provide insight into how adaptable Japanese institutions might be. The study finds important areas of meaningful change, supporting a crossvergence approach.