Zoekresultaten

Oasistan: an intercultural role-playing simulation game to recognize cultural dimensions

Aim. Although cultural dimensions theory is a topical strand of quantitative cultural research, few intercultural simulation games use it. We present the design and review of the application of OASISTAN, an intercultural role-playing simulation game that is specifically based on cultural dimensions theory. Method. OASISTAN was first designed in 1999 for use in Master’s courses on cross-cultural management at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, attracting 20-23 year old students with a Bachelor degree in engineering and from various cultural backgrounds. Since its first design the game has been played approximately 45 times at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and three times at Harbin Institute of Technology in China in the years 2006-2008. We reviewed their experiences designing and facilitating OASISTAN since 1999. Results. The game has a no-tech role-play design and revolves around the geopolitically complex region of the Caspian Sea, specifically the fictional country of ‘Oasistan’. The game consists of students forming small teams of Oasistani, Western and non-Western public/private actors collaborating with each other to try and reach the common goal of oil exploration and production in this country. In total 15-30 students were involved. We found that OASISTAN allowed its players not only to intensely experience the difficulty and awkwardness of being confronted with cultural differences, but also to interpret and understand these differences through cultural dimensions. Students who played OASISTAN identified ten out of the 12 dimensions by Maleki and De Jong. The two dimensions that students were not able to identify are uncertainty avoidance and collaborativeness. Conclusion. OASISTAN shows how a game design field (i.e., intercultural simulation gaming) can be reinvigorated in light of new or updated scientific theories pertaining to the field’s subject matter (i.e., cultural dimensions). Several opportunities for future research are identified.

Customer value in a credence service context

accepted abstract Quis14 conference Field findings show that value dimensions in legal services are functional, social and emotional. The last category emerges not only within but also outside the interaction with the lawyer. Recommendation of others or the trackrecord of lawyers for example, which play a role before or after the service, contribute to emotional values like trust and reassurance and help clients to reduce the perceived purchase risk, which is inherent to the nature of credence services. Also due to the credential character of legal services we conclude that not only professional skills but also service aspects as client involvement play an important role in the emergence of value because professional skills are difficult to judge even by routine buyers.

Could cultural differences play a role in the performance of Chinese students in oral communication classes at the Tourism Academy of the NHTV University of Applied Sciences?

Reference points

We need mental and physical reference points. We need physical reference points such as signposts to show us which way to go, for example to the airport or the hospital, and we need reference points to show us where we are. Why? If you don’t know where you are, it’s quite a difficult job to find your way, thus landmarks and “lieux de memoire” play an important role in our lives.

Why conservation scientists should re‐embrace their ecocentric roots

We address the explicit ecocentric roots of conservation science and the support of a growing number of conservationists for ecocentric natural value. Although ecosystem‐services arguments may play an important role in stemming the biodiversity crisis, a true transformation of humanity's relationship with nature ought to be based in part on ecocentric valuation. Conservation scientists have played a leading role in initiating this transformation, and they ought to continue to do so. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13067 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/

Psychiatrists Harnessing Lived Experiences: a Risky Business?

Many mental health professionals have also used mental health services. What role should their personal experience play in their clinical practice - if any? - a commentary