Change tolerance, group focus and students' entrepreneurial intentions: does gender matter?

PurposeThis study examines the impact of cultural dimensions on entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) and the mediating role of planned behavior (TPB) determinants between change tolerance (CT), group focus (GF), and EIs for both men and women in the context of international business schools.Design/methodology/approachUsing a quantitative research design, data were collected in France through anonymous questionnaires. The data consisted of responses from 480 business students. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and the bootstrap method with PROCESS macro were used to determine the significance of the mediation effects.FindingsResults reveal the strong impact of CT on the EIs of both men and women through TPB antecedents. They also indicate that GF has an indirect effect on EIs through TPB antecedents for men and an indirect multiple mediation effect on EIs through CT and TPB antecedents for both men and women.Originality/valueThe extended TPB model is original in that it supports both the determinants of planned behavior and cultural dimensions and provides a valuable perspective through its findings on cultural and gender diversity in entrepreneurship.

Genome editing in cereal crops: an overview

Genome-editing technologies offer unprecedented opportunities for crop improvement with superior precision and speed. This review presents an analysis of the current state of genome editing in the major cereal crops- rice, maize, wheat and barley. Genome editing has been used to achieve important agronomic and quality traits in cereals. These include adaptive traits to mitigate the effects of climate change, tolerance to biotic stresses, higher yields, more optimal plant architecture, improved grain quality and nutritional content, and safer products. Not all traits can be achieved through genome editing, and several technical and regulatory challenges need to be overcome for the technology to realize its full potential. Genome editing, however, has already revolutionized cereal crop improvement and is poised to shape future agricultural practices in conjunction with other breeding innovations.

Dialectical Versus Linear Thinking Shapes People’s Anticipation of Climate Change

Dialectical thinking refers to a constellation of beliefs that consist of expectation of change, tolerance of contradiction, and holism. The current research explored whether dialectical thinking would affect people’s anticipation of climate change, which has been propagated globally. Study 1 compared the responses between Chinese participants, representing people from cultures that promote dialectical thinking, and North American participants, representing people from cultures that promote linear thinking. The results showed that Chinese participants demonstrated a stronger non-linear pattern regarding the anticipation of climate change as compared with American participants, in which Chinese participants were more likely to anticipate a stable trend but less likely to anticipate an increasing trend for global warming. Study 2 with a manipulation of dialectical and linear thinking was conducted and provided some generally supportive evidence for the causal relation between dialectical beliefs and the anticipation of climate change. Implications for cross-cultural environmental research and international climate change education programs were discussed.

The Relationship Between Dialectical Beliefs and Proenvironmental Behaviors

Dialectical beliefs emphasize constant change, tolerance of contradiction, and holistic perception. This research examined the relationship between dialectical beliefs and proenvironmental behaviors. Study 1a showed that stronger dialectical beliefs were associated with fewer proenvironmental behaviors among Chinese participants; this result was replicated in Study 1b. To examine the negative relationship between dialectical beliefs and proenvironmental behaviors across cultures, Study 2 recruited both native Chinese and European Americans and replicated the results conceptually by measuring proenvironmental behaviors in a hypothetical shopping scenario. Study 3 provided further generally supportive evidence by considering the influence of both dialectical beliefs and interdependent self-construal on proenvironmental behaviors between native Chinese and European Canadians. Finally, a meta-analysis of the obtained results revealed a weak but significant negative association between dialectical beliefs and proenvironmental behaviors. Theoretical implications for cross-cultural environmental research and practical implications for proenvironmental campaigns were discussed.

Analytic versus Holistic Cognition

This chapter summarizes research on analytic versus holistic thinking, including locus of attention, causal perception, perception of change, tolerance of contradiction, and categorization—constructs that are widely studied in social psychology and other related fields, such as consumer psychology. The chapter also reviews the literature on the Analysis-Holism Scale (AHS): how it was developed and how it differs from scales that measure other cultural differences (e.g., individualism versus collectivism; independent versus interdependent self; dialectical versus linear self). Empirical evidence supporting the validity of the AHS in various cognitive domains is introduced. The chapter concludes with a review of recently published papers in which the AHS has been validated and utilized for various purposes.

Waiting for the real dragon

Southeast Asia is the world’s most diverse and rapidly modernizing region, yet one where modernization theory is challenged (e.g. Bell et al., 1995) and where allegiance to authoritarian regimes appears trenchant (Chang et al., 2013; Dalton and Shin, 2014). Using the AsiaBarometer, I consider the influence of modernization and allegiance on potential democratization by analyzing an established indicator of assertive change: tolerance of homosexuality (Inglehart and Welzel, 2005: Ch. 5, forthcoming). The findings reveal differences between Southeast Asians and the West and between citizens in the Sinic and Indic subregions. Exposure to foreign cultures produces a significant increase in tolerance among Sinicized citizens, but has no meaningful effect on those in Indic states. Patriotism and trust in civil society also boost tolerance among Sinicized citizens, but reduce the probability of tolerance among citizens in Indic states. The strong linkage between sexual tolerance and gender equality driven by social factors and secularism in the West does not manifest in Southeast Asia. While the findings suggest potential for change in the Sinicized region, they underscore the different effects that globalization and allegiance may have on citizens living under Southeast Asia’s variety of regimes.

How We Do Things Around Here. The Polish-Dutch Comparison Of The University Organisational Culture

Analyses and international comparisons of university organisational cultures are rare or even non-existing in management studies. Our paper fills this gap, presenting the results of a pilot study conducted in two units representing a Polish and a Dutch university. The survey has been carried out on a basis of a model and a measuring tool created by the Dutch researcher Aldert P. Dreimüller. Using two dimensions of change tolerance vs. control; and internal vs. external orientation he proposed a typology of four organisational cultures: task, aim, team and process culture. Each type is described with the same set of criteria. The types identified in the course of our survey are interpreted through the lens of the national cultures of the Netherlands and Poland. However, the main result of the study, and thus the main aim of this paper, is a multi-faceted usage and test of the Dreimüller’s tool.