Cultural Considerations
Global Imperative in the Novels of Tom Robbins: Politics, Aesthetics, Psychology
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Russell Reising
The novels of Tom Robbins all present various forms of a globalized perspective, insisting that all parochial notions of self, other, and systems give way to expansive and integrative merging with comprehensive, if not transcendent, understandings of our places in the world. Robbins suggests three primary arenas within which this globalizing imperative must be enacted, politics, aesthetics, and psychology. Robbins's works eschew any narrow sense of national boundaries, aesthetic conservatism, and psychological isolation/alienation. Drawing on countercultural political energies, avant-gard creativity, and psychedelic experimentation, Robbins, to draw on the famous lyrics from Sly and the Family Stone, "wants to take us higher." This talk will analyze such moments from Robbins's work, while also drawing extensively on the long-standing friendship and many discussions of these issues shared by Robbins and presenter, Russell Reising.
Feng Shui: Business Generator or Common Sense?
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Madeleine Ogilvie, Maria Ryan, Danny Ng, Erwei Xiang
Traditional rituals are often used to define culture and provide characteristics of a country's idiosyncrasies and stereotypes; however as the world moves to a more global marketplace these behaviours may be no longer bound by the borders that define them. Traditions either die and morph into a more standardised global business behaviour, or, disperse so they are no longer contained by the boundaries of their inception. This paper introduces findings from a qualitative study into the lingering and often growing use of Feng Shui in contemporary business. Chinese restaurants from across four countries are examined to demonstrate the lingering impact these lost traditions have on daily business practice and the importance they play in the creation of value for the business owners who practice them. Restaurant owners from China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, and Australia demonstrate how these ritualistic behaviours bring them value and the importance the Feng Shui Master plays as the new management consultant in South East Asia.
A Cross-cultural Analysis of Perceived Consumer Satisfaction of McDonald's
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Asma Ahmed Laroussi, Juan Miguel Alcántara-Pilar, María Eugenia Rodríguez-López
The fast food restaurant, McDonald‘s, maintains a product line, type of service given, and aesthetics in its establishments, which remains unchanged worldwide. However, it is interesting to explore if the cultural factor of McDonald‘s customers, affects the formation of their experiential value, taking into account the various aspects related to the product and the service. This work analyzes the value of the McDonald‘s customer experience, distinguishing between four different nationalities, including Spanish, Turkish, Bulgarian, and Italian. It also looks at which aspects, evaluated by the customer, have greater weight in their satisfaction. The results will be able to improve McDonald‘s business focus, in terms of allocating resources for customer satisfaction and setting guidelines and strategies to better serve customers in the different countries addressed in this study.
