Elite Female Business Students in China and Norway: Job‐Related Values and Preferences

The focus of this paper is on the work‐related values, preferences, and future expectations among female students at two elite business schools in China and Norway. The paper argues that while gender theory predicts no significant differences between these two groups, both cultural and economic development theory imply fundamental differences. The overall picture we get from this study is mixed, in that while both cultural dimensions and economic development dimensions generally have a significant impact on the variations in job‐related values between the selected Chinese and Norwegian female business students, there are also commonalities that are ascribable to gender. That is, while there clearly are differences between the two groups there are also a number of significant similarities.     

Measuring Distributive Justice Preferences of Finnish University Students via the State Budget

We measure the distributive justice preferences of students within eight departments in the faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Turku, Finland. We use the Finnish government's annual budget and its specific appropriations as a proxy to measure the students' underlying preferences. We test whether the type of studies of the respondents is associated with the preferences one has for increases or decreases on specific programmes financed via the budget. Students of economics preferred more money for technological investments and research, as well as for “law and order” programmes. They wanted much less spending for subsidies of any sort. On the other hand, those in social—type disciplines, preferred the opposite, that is, less funding for technology‐related programmes and more money for pensions and subsidies.     

The development of a perceived masculinity scale

This essay posits that masculinity can be usefully understood from a communication perspective, and it specifically defines masculinity as a social and symbolic construct. In this view, the meanings and associations attributed to masculinity are a product of the enduring images and characteristics people have ascribed and assigned to men in groups over time. Based upon a survey of contemporary published research regarding masculinity, it is concluded that masculinity is now a multidimensional construct which attributes ten traits to people viewed as masculine which are examined in terms of: (1) physiological energy; (2) physical characteristics; (3) gender‐related sociocultural roles; (4) idealized gender; (5) gender preferences; (6) subjective gender‐identity; (7) gender‐related age identity; (8) gender‐related racial and national identities; (9) lust; and, (10) male eroticism. Specific questionnaires used to measure these dimensions are reviewed, and based on the responses of 562 subjects, the reliability and validity of one of these questionnaires is examined in detail. The essay concludes by recommending the use of the Perceived Masculinity Questionnaire 47, and it outlines some of the uses that can be made of a Perceived Masculinity Scale, especially some potential classroom uses.     

Multilingual language use and television exposure and preferences: The case of Belize 1

This paper discusses the relationship between the language use patterns of multilinguals and their media preferences and exposure. Specifically, it examines the language behavior of multilinguals in Belize where television is available in both English and Spanish. A survey of Belizean high school students conducted in both languages, asked about their sociolinguistic patterns and media preferences and exposure. The results indicate that the frequency of a particular language's use correlates with preferences for and exposure to television in that language. This relationship is more pronounced when specific cultural programming is considered.     

Factors Influencing M.S.W. Students' Interest in Clinical Practice

This study utilizes linear and log‐linear stochastic models to examine the impact that a variety of variables (including graduate education) have on M.S.W. students' desires to work in clinical practice. Data was collected biannually (between 1992 and 1998) from a complete population sample of all students entering and exiting accredited graduate programs of social work in California (n = 5,793). The influences of past practice experiences, professional motivations, socio‐demographic characteristics, ideological affiliations, and education and training experiences while a graduate students were all examined. Findings suggest that there is tremendous commonality in the variability of interest toward doing clinical practice among all student groups both before and after the completion of graduate studies. Male and female students, students of varied ethnic, social class and political identifications/affiliations, along with students of varied ages did not differ in their desire or interest to engage in clinical practice. The desire to prepare for private practice had the strongest influence—that was maintained over the course of their education—on students' interests in clinical social work. Desires to work with the poor were not associated with students' desires to be clinicians who wish to apply their trade across a wide variety of problems and populations.     

Expectations and acculturation: Further unpacking of adjustment mechanisms within the Russian-speaking community in Montreal

Recent years have witnessed a significant growth in the Russian-speaking community in Montreal, Canada. However, little is currently known about the predictors of psychological adjustment in immigrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU). In this study we explored the expectations that this group of immigrants (N = 271) hoped to fulfill in their adopted society, the extent to which these expectations have been fulfilled, and the impact of fulfilled expectations on psychological adjustment. We found that the degree of fulfilled expectations was significantly associated with better psychological adjustment independent of personality traits, language proficiency, and acculturation. These findings contribute to the literature on cross-cultural adaptation of immigrants from the FSU and highlight the potential importance of expectations for the study of acculturation more generally.     

基于异质性偏好的中国城镇居民消费结构研究

对消费者行为的传统研究是建立在"代表者行为"假设基础上的。它的一个明显特征是消费者偏好是同质的。但这与现实不符。为了能更准确地刻画不同特征的消费者偏好,本研究根据 Jorgenson(1982)的异质性消费加总理论,建立了中国的异质性偏好消费模型,并在此基础上深入研究了不同人口特征的中国城镇居民的消费结构。     

Effects of celebrity-organization congruence on audience attitudes,preferences, and credibility ratings for goodwill ambassadors

This study examined the effects of congruence between an organization and its goodwill ambassador in terms of audience attitudes and preferences regarding the organization and the ambassador's own perceived credibility. The analysis showed that audience attitudes and preferences toward the organization and goodwill ambassador's credibility ratings were, generally, more positive with higher levels of celebrity-organization congruence. Comparison of the ambassador's perceived credibility before and after exposure to the campaign showed a significant decline for low congruence, and either no statistical difference or a negative effect for high congruence. The results suggest a need for both the organization and the potential ambassador to take into account the level of congruence, the former when considering the effect with the public from using a celebrity as an ambassador, and the latter when considering his or her personal image management. Theoretical and managerial implications as well as directions for future research are discussed.     

Social support perceptions,network characteristics,and international student adjustment

Two hundred seventy-six international students reported their perceptions of social support from multiple sources (i.e., friends, family, institution, and significant other) as predictors of three facets of cross-cultural adjustment (i.e., general, interaction, and school-related adjustment). In addition, this study explored the incremental effects of cultural diversity and social network size on adjustment by asking international students to report members of their social network that they rely on for instrumental (i.e., task-oriented) and socio-emotional (i.e., relationship-oriented) support. Findings showed that certain sources of social support (i.e., friends and institution) were more strongly related to adjustment than others. Moreover, cultural diversity and the presence of host-nationals in student’s socio-emotional support network were significant predictors of cross-cultural adjustment. This demonstrates the importance of promoting initiatives that encourage host-national and sojourner interactions and diverse relationships within higher education to benefit cross-cultural adjustment.