DAN Management

This paper addresses the health care system from a global perspective and the importance of human resources management (HRM) in improving overall patient health outcomes and delivery of health care services. We explored the published literature and collected data through secondary sources. Various key success factors emerge that clearly affect health care practices and human resources management. This paper will reveal how human resources management is essential to any health care system and how it can improve health care models. Challenges in the health care systems in Canada, the United States of America and various developing countries are examined, with suggestions for ways to overcome these problems through the proper implementation of human resources management practices. Comparing and contrasting selected countries allowed a deeper understanding of the practical and crucial role of human resources management in health care. Proper management of human resources is critical in ...

The globalization of the marketplace and how this process is shaping the cultural characteristics of people around the world is arguably the most critical issue facing international marketing managers today. Powerful forces such as capitalism, global transport, communications, marketing and advertising, and transnational cosmopolitanism are interacting to dissolve the boundaries across national cultures and economies and in the eyes of some, accelerating the emergence of a homogeneous global consumer culture. The conventional method of using countries as the cultural unit of analysis or as a basis for market segmentation, is increasingly ill-advised, given that most of the world's countries are already multicultural and growing ever more so, and even within relatively homogeneous nations, individuals vary substantially in the extent to which they identify with, adhere to, and practice cultural norms. Many researchers argue that increasing globalization is reducing the homogeneity of consumer behaviors within countries, while increasing communalities across countries. Despite the importance of and widespread sociological discourse on this topic, (1) a scarcity of studies exists that have simultaneously considered both global and local cultural influences on consumer behavior, and (2) a scale for measuring how individuals acquire and become a part of this emerging global consumer culture is lacking. This article focuses on the development and validation of a multidimensional scale for the measurement of acculturation to global consumer culture, and is part of a larger international study examining the complex interaction and contextual nature of local and global cultural influences on consumer behavior. The article concludes with a proposed research paradigm intended to model such phenomena.

Understanding the differential impact of globalization on culture-the most profound shaper of consumption-is fundamentally important. This research examines the linkages of cultural globalization (acculturation to global consumer culture, AGCC), (Lebanese) ethnic identity (LEID), religiosity (REL), individual-level (Schwartz) and consumption-related values (materialism and consumer ethnocentrism, MAT/CET) and numerous consumption behaviors; contrasting coexisting religious groups. A negative AGCC-LEID relationship exists for Muslims, whereas for Christians the two cultural forces are independent. Common across groups, religiosity and CET positively associate with LEID, and MAT positively associates with AGCC. Other relationships are religious-specific. The AGCC-LEID relationship across different behaviors yields four distinctive acculturation patterns.

Globalization, driven by worldwide flows of media, migration and technologies, is shaping people's lives and modifying behaviors. Increasingly, people live in a global ecumene, which describes a process of cultural synchronization resulting in the emergence of a global consumer culture (GCC). Drawing from a sample of Dutch consumers, this study considers the presence and consequences of the interplay of global and local cultural forces on a variety of consumption behaviors. The Dutch population

This study examines patterns of cultural adaptation of an ethnic minority as manifested in consumption of traditional ethnic and mainstream culture foods. A survey, containing multiple measures of several ethnic identification and acculturation dimensions, along with consumption frequencies of both traditional and mainstream culture foods, was administered to a sample of ethnic Lebanese residing in a predominately French-speaking urban area. The results confirm that ethnic identity and acculturation are distinct processes, providing strong support for dual process models of cultural adaptation. A series of structural equation models linking the twin cultural influences to the consumption of traditional home and mainstream host food categories found little support for the linearity assumption between cultural adaptation and consumption behavior. Rather, the relationship between ethnic identity, acculturation, and consumption behaviors appears to be far more complex, and specific to the food category under consideration. Mapping these patterns of cultural adaptation, we articulate a new typology, relating the extent and particular combinations that home and host cultural influences impact consumption behavior.

Understanding consumers' allocation of environmental responsibility to external forces (i.e., those perceived to be beyond their direct control) is important yet under-researched. This paper examines how these external attributions affect consumers' pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). A model of external environmental locus of control (i.e., external-ELOC) is tested, consisting of two superordinate dimensions: powerful-others (encapsulating corporate and government responsibility facets) and chance/fate (incorporating God/higher-power and natural earth-cycle facets). The two higher-order factors negatively associate; such that consumers ascribing environmental responsibility to powerful-others engage in PEBs; whereas those attributing environmental change to chance/ fate typically do not. The results inform practical and public policy implications; pinpointing ways for corporations and governments to target their pro-environmental efforts and to sway consumers who share in the ecological burden.

This study explores the underlying determinants of in-store information search for a Christmas clothing gift, focusing specifically on cross-cultural differences. A self-administered survey, containing personality, situational, demographic, and search behavior measures, was distributed to a sample of actual consumers residing in 3 countries: Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed 3 distinct and reliable in-store search behaviors (macro, micro, and salesclerk help); exploratory factor analyses revealed 23 independent factors (13 personality and 10 situational). Country sample differences were assessed using chi-square tests, ANOVAs, MANCOVAs, multiple regression analyses, and Chow tests. Cross-national differences were found with respect to the relationships/importance of the various search antecedents to in-store search behaviors. Other observed be

Marketers recognize the vital role played by market mavens in terms of their broad marketplace knowledge and ability to persuade others. Theorists have advanced that normative pressures explain the influence of market mavens, and have urged researchers to consider cultural values and social identities as antecedents of market mavenism. We submit that vertical and horizontal dimensions of individualism-collectivism inform consumers' strength of identification with ethnicity and identification with global consumer culture which, in turn, affect market mavenism. These relationships are contrasted for Chinese living in China (n = 502) with those born in China but living abroad in France (n = 229). Our findings demonstrate that individualism-collectivism affects mavenism primarily indirectly, via identification with global consumer culture.

The present study seeks to examine the factors affecting information search of heads of households in purchasing an outbound package tour. A sample of 60 academics and non-academics in the field of tourism was chosen. Sampling methods were judgmental and snowball sampling. In order to gather data, we used a semi-structured interview. Thematic analysis was applied for data analysis, and the collected data were codified and analyzed under four main categories. The findings showed that personality traits of heads of households, their preference for sole decision-makin g over collective decision-making, their motivation for providing family satisfaction, their motivation for taking better advantage of opportunities and their familiarity with the travel destination were among influencing personal factors. Familial demographic factors, social class, and family's familiarity with the travel destination were among influencing familial factors. Situational factors included social factors, travel importance and time constraints; and travel agents factor encompassed their reliability.

Culture is the principal explanation of consumer behavior disparities across countries, and so research on the impact of globalization on culture is essential. Comparing Chileans and Canadians, we examine the roles played by strength of national identity (NID) and acculturation to global consumer culture (AGCC) on consumption. These multifaceted cultural constructs are linked to 54 behaviors related to eight product categories, and two dispositions, consumer ethnocentrism (CET) and materialism (MAT). Multigroup SEM analysis confirms a chiefly invariant measurement model. A positive AGCC-MAT linkage is confirmed for both countries, whereas the identity to ethnocentrism link is positive only for Chileans. Four distinct acculturation patterns are manifest according to the combined effects of NID/AGCC on behaviors. These vary considerably across product categories and often between countries. Culture's impact on consumption behavior is greatest for food products-a culture-bound category-and weakest for appliances.

Purpose A first objective is to add insight into how constructs of ethnocentrism, xenocentrism and cosmopolitanism relate to each other. Knowledge of how these constructs overlap or work together in affecting consumer preferences will offer global marketers insights for designing appropriate marketing strategies. The second objective is to extend this knowledge by examining the correspondence of these three constructs to a nomological network of dispositional concepts pertinent for product positioning and market segmentation. The third objective is to empirically examine the extent to which the measures, construct structure and associative relationships are robust in different national research settings. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Surveying British and American consumers, this study examines and analyzes the correspondence of these identity-relevant constructs within a nomological net of pertinent concepts: consciousness-of-kind, global consu...

Evidence for the presence of the global consumer culture (GCC) is substantial. The present paper contributes to this body of research by providing a longitudinal perspective emphasizing the presence, antecedents, and consequences of the GCC within the Netherlands, examining how the interplay between the local and global cultures evolves. While we found evidence that the Dutch are increasingly acculturating to the GCC, the global and local cultural forces seem to impact consumption behaviors consistently over time: NEID positively associates with the consumption of products traditionally bounded to local culture (e.g. local food and clothing), whereas the positive role of AGCC figures prominently with behaviors bound by global or foreign cultural conventions (e.g. electronics and luxuries). The expanded nomological network considers the relationships of AGCC and NEID to various demographic/cultural precursors and dispositional outcomes.

Globalization is shaping culture, modifying value systems, affecting social identities, and ultimately, altering the dispositions and behaviors of consumers worldwide. With more than 400 citations to date, Cleveland and Laroche's (2007) publication, which applied social identity and acculturation theories to the study of global consumer culture (GCC), is recognized as one of the defining works on the subject of marketplace globalization. Beyond the theoretical contributions, this research provided, for the first time, a multidimensional scale for measuring how individuals acquire and become a part of the emerging GCC (acculturation to the GCC, or AGCC). This paper (1) reviews the debates surrounding the effects of globalization on consumer behavior, (2) summarizes the extant applications of the AGCC framework and its constituents across numerous settings, and (3) outlines an agenda for future research on GCC.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which personal values, moral foundations and gender-role identities affect, in sequence, consumers' constructions of their ethnocentric and cosmopolitan orientations. Achieving a better understanding of the psychological makeup of consumer ethnocentrism and cosmopolitanism should help managers better design international market segmentation and brand positioning strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe study's conceptual framework is anchored in attitude and values theories, and focuses on the social categorizations that consumers make and how these contribute to the formation of their ethnocentric and cosmopolitan orientations. Drawing data from consumers living in five European countries, we test our theoretical conjectures through structural equation modeling approaches, including multigroup analysis at the country level, as well as the identification and scrutiny of potential pan-European consumer segments.Fin...

The growth of online transactions coincides with the rise of cyber-criminals’ intent on stealing consumers’ personal and financial data. This fosters fear of online identity theft (FOIT), which in turn may lead to changes in consumer behavior and negatively affect e-business performance. This research aims to identify empirically derived segments of FOIT-prone consumers. Using a large sample of online shoppers, four distinct clusters are identified—‘less fearful shoppers’, ‘strong fear but ignoring shoppers’, ‘fearless shoppers’, and ‘fearful shoppers’. The clusters differ significantly with respect to primary cluster variables as well as numerous secondary cluster variables. The relevance of FOIT for segmenting online consumers and theoretical implications for IS research are discussed.