Hofstede's cultural dimensions in the GCC countries: An empirical investigation

Managerial values are not the same across the world. Therefore, Multinational Corporations may be making costly decisions if they assume that corporate policies will receive the same attention, understanding or acceptance in their branches over the world. This paper applies Hofstede's four cultural dimensions to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. It also compares Hofstede's results with regard to these four cultural dimensions with our findings. The results of this study show that countries change. They reemphasize the concept that ethnocentric management theories have been untenable. This implies the necessity that Multinational Corporations should study the culture of the country they plan to do business with before starting the negotiations process that precedes the operations in that country and also to monitor changes in the life style of these countries over time. When Multinational Corporations become aware of the international workforce management and the differences between different cultures, they will save themselves costly troubles, loss of qualified personnel as well as loosing international customers. Therefore, it is important for Multinational Corporations to utilize management theories available to them through research and experience.The program leading to this article was supported in part by a grant from KFUPM.     

Bayesian Methods for Missing Covariates in Cure Rate Models

We propose methods for Bayesian inference for missing covariate data with a novel class of semi-parametric survival models with a cure fraction. We allow the missing covariates to be either categorical or continuous and specify a parametric distribution for the covariates that is written as a sequence of one dimensional conditional distributions. We assume that the missing covariates are missing at random (MAR) throughout. We propose an informative class of joint prior distributions for the regression coefficients and the parameters arising from the covariate distributions. The proposed class of priors are shown to be useful in recovering information on the missing covariates especially in situations where the missing data fraction is large. Properties of the proposed prior and resulting posterior distributions are examined. Also, model checking techniques are proposed for sensitivity analyses and for checking the goodness of fit of a particular model. Specifically, we extend the Conditional Predictive Ordinate (CPO) statistic to assess goodness of fit in the presence of missing covariate data. Computational techniques using the Gibbs sampler are implemented. A real data set involving a melanoma cancer clinical trial is examined to demonstrate the methodology.     

Estimating Benchmark Exposure for Air Particulate Matter Using Latent Class Models

We performed benchmark exposure (BME) calculations for particulate matter when multiple dichotomous outcome variables are involved using latent class modeling techniques and generated separate results for both the extra risk and additional risk. The use of latent class models in this study is advantageous because it combined several outcomes into just two classes (namely, a high‐risk class and a low‐risk class) and compared these two classes to obtain the BME levels. This novel approach addresses a key problem in risk estimation—namely, the multiple comparisons problem, where separate regression models are fitted for each outcome variable and the reference exposure will rely on the results of the best‐fitting model. Because of the complex nature of the estimation process, the bootstrap approach was used to estimate the reference exposure level, thereby reducing uncertainty in the obtained values. The methodology developed in this article was applied to environmental data by identifying unmeasured class membership (e.g., morbidity vs. no morbidity class) among infants in utero using observed characteristics that included low birth weight, preterm birth, and small for gestational age.     

Governance structures of socially complex knowledge flows: Exchange, entitlement and gifts

The intangible aspects of knowledge transfer in multinational corporations (MNCs) continue to be a crucial area of research in social science research and raise the issue of knowledge governance structures. The purpose of this conceptual note is twofold. Firstly, we believe that there is more than one governance structure for successful knowledge transfers and flows. We provide a typology of three governance structures: “exchange,” “entitlement,” “gifts.” Secondly, most MNCs will need to take advantage of all three or a combination of these three socially complex governance structures.     

Robust decisions in power system investments

The Turkish electrical system has been studied, particularly for the near term investment programme. The objective of the study was to determine the most likely investment alternatives for the next ten-year period, from a cost effectiveness point of view. A dynamic linear programming model was used in representing the national energy system, with special emphasis on the electricity sector. Hydro, coal, nuclear and oil-fired power plants as well as their interconnection investments were modelled. A 27-year planning horizon was defined. The scenario approach was utilized in establishing the effects of different factors, such as foreign currency requirements of projects, nuclear plant costs and nuclear fuel costs, demand growth rates for electricity as well as other fuels, availability of foreign currency and skilled manpower, and the development rates of coal mines, coal power plants and nuclear power plants. After analyzing the results of 24 different scenarios, robust plans for developing the power system are suggested. Other investments that are subject to the realization of certain conditions are also indicated.     

On expected sample range from heterogeneous symmetric distributions

It is shown that for independent (but not necessarily identically distributed) random variables with distributions symmetric about the respective medians (means), the expected value of the sample range is a minimum when these means are all equal.     

Conceptualization of power sharing between partners in couple relationships: a scale development study in Turkey

In this study, the Power Sharing in Couple Relationships Scale (PSCRS) was developed to measure the distribution of power as experienced by individuals in heterosexual marriages or cohabiting relationships. Three sets of participants partook in the study: 27 individuals were in the pilot group; 400 individuals (female = 200, male = 200) were in the exploratory factor analysis group and 242 persons (female = 139, male = 103) were in the confirmatory factor analysis group. Factor analyses resulted in a structure consisting of 30 items and five dimensions, namely, friendship, power over, reactivity to relational stress, openness to influence, and making a relational claim. Results showed evidence for satisfactory psychometric properties.     

Sustaining Small Entrepreneurs Through a Microcredit Program in Penang,Malaysia: A Case Study

Microcredit has been recognized as one of the most efficient tools for alleviating poverty by the United Nations considering its significant contribution in terms of job creation and revenue generation for governments. Microcredit programs can change the lives of people and revitalize communities in the world’s poorest as well as the richest countries. This study looks at 350 entrepreneurs who joined the scheme of various microcredit programs in Penang, Malaysia. In this study, findings have been obtained that show that microcredit loans have successfully increased entrepreneur income, have positive impacts on business, and fulfill basic needs of entrepreneurs.     

The New Toll on Higher Education and the UK Student Revolts of 2010–2011

This profile gives an overview of the student protests and university occupations of the winter of 2010–2011 against the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government's higher education bill. In particular, the lifting of the cap on annual higher education tuition fees to £9000 pa was widely perceived by students (and lecturers) as unjust, unfair and a very real barrier to higher education. In order to understand the political dynamics of these student mobilisations, I argue both that we need to consider the network structure that exists on university campuses and how it facilitates political mobilisations, and to see the protests as a moral economy directed against a new toll on higher education.