Effects of a short-term linguistic class on communication competence of international nurses: implications for practice, policy, and research

International nurses face a host of challenges in their transition and adaptation to the U.S. health care environment. Language and communication barriers have been ranked consistently as a top concern by employers, regulatory agencies, and international nurses themselves. Researchers in this study examined the effects of a 10-week linguistic class on the reduction of phonologic errors affecting foreign accent in a sample of international nurses. The linguistic course appeared to be effective in improving the international nurses' linguistic competence by reducing their phonologic errors significantly. Moreover, the intervention narrowed the linguistic gap between international nurses from non-English and English-speaking countries. Findings from this study have important implications for practice, policy, and research regarding quality of care, as well as for the transition, job satisfaction, and retention of international nurses.     

The impacts of advanced information and communication technologies on international actors and the international system

New infomation and communication technologies have the potential to play a significant role in changing today's major international actors and in shaping the international system that is emerging after the end of the Cold War. This paper assesses the impacts that secen different information and communication technologies may have on specific types of actors in the international system, including states international governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations. The paper then assesses the impact that these technologies might be expected to have on the international system itself.     

浅谈提升黑龙江省文化产业国际竞争力

文化产业作为知识、信息以及技术三者结合的产物,正在逐渐成为全球经济发展的新增长点。黑龙江省作为一个拥有文化资源的大省,具有发展文化产业的优势。但是,长期以来,由于地理位置、经济水平、历史文化等因素的制约,使得文化产业起步较晚,与发达国家和国内先进省市相比,黑龙江省的文化产业明显处于劣势地位,没有竞争力。因此,以文化产业竞争力为研究对象,揭示制约文化产业发展的影响因素,旨在加强黑龙江省文化产业的良性发展,为黑龙江省的文化产业快速提高国际竞争力提供思路和对策。     

The influence of cultural distance on the volatility of the international stock market

Along with the development of cultural dimensions and cultural distance, the influence of cultural variables on the stock market is attracting more and more attention. In this study, we propose an improved gravity model to examine the relationship between culture and the volatility of the international stock market. Firstly, based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory, a model of the impact of cultural dimensions on the volatility of the national stock market is presented. Secondly, cultural distance is incorporated into the extended gravity model. Then, models of the impact of cultural distance on fluctuations in the international stock market and on foreign securities investment are proposed. Finally, the results of case studies using samples of national stock market indices indicate that different cultural dimensions have different influences on the volatility of national stock markets. The smaller the cultural distance between countries, the more similar the level of volatility in those countries' stock markets. Greater cultural similarity promotes increased securities investment between countries.     

Cultural lag and international communication The Case of Japan

In this special first issue contribution by Dr. Nagai in his capacity of Supervisory Editor of this new Journal, attention is given to the often neglected influence of the cultural lag on communications and its impact on economic policies and international relations.     

Neckties in the tropics: a model of international trade and cultural diversity

Abstract .  Some cultural goods are consumed socially and are characterized by the same consumption network externalities as languages. Also, producers of new cultural goods in any one country draw on the stock of ideas generated by previous cultural production in all countries. For such goods, costless trade and communication tend to lead to the dominance of one cultural style, increasing utility in the short run but reducing quality and welfare in the long run. Increasing protection while keeping communication costs low may stimulate production of cultural goods that are 'compatible' with the dominant style, adding little to the stock of usable ideas.     

A closer look at the determinants of international migration: decomposing cultural distance

Using a modified gravity model and three measures of cultural distance, we employ the zero-inflated negative binomial estimation technique to examine the impact of cultural distance on international migration flows. We confirm the finding of prior studies that there exists a negative relationship between composite measures of cultural distance and immigrant flows. Extending the literature, we decompose our composite cultural distance measures into their component dimensions to examine potential variability in the influences of individual dimensions on international migration. We find the cultural dimensions that reflect individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and perceived gender roles are typically more influential in determining immigrant flows than are other cultural dimensions.     

浅议小邹鲁文化地位形成与义乌国际贸易综合改革试点建设

义乌自古文化昌盛、文人辈出,素有"小邹鲁"之称。义乌在滚滚历史潮流的文化积淀中逐步形成了代代相承的耕读家风,从而造就了"勤耕好学、刚正勇为、诚信包容"的义乌精神和鸡毛换糖的"拨浪鼓文化"。改革开放之初,在"小邹鲁"文化的催生下,义乌突破体制机制限制,率先在全国设立小商品流通市场。通过30多年的壮大发展,如今义乌正以其独特的文化魅力和敢为人先的人文精神,奠定了其蜚声海内外的国际性小商品市场地位和全国第十个、浙江省第一个综合改革配套试验区。     

西方国家发展援助评价的原则及实践

西方国家一般都相当重视利用评价手段管理对外援助，在实践过程中各国均形成了各自的管理模式。1992年经合组织发展援助委员会制订了成员国援助项目评价的统一原则，旨在使各国的援助机构在评价管理和评价方法上达成共识，分享经验教训，推进提高援助项目评价的管理水平，进而改善援助效果。目前西方各国的援助评价管理根据“原则”不断完善，具体做法上仍各具特色。在我国加入WTO之际，了解西方的管理方法，或洋为中用，或方便沟通，应是有所裨益的。本文将归纳分析发展援助评价的原则、功能及其与实践结合的现状和趋势。评价原则1.援助…     

Evaluation of a peer support program for staff nurses

IMPACT (Interactional Meetings--Peers Working And Caring Together) is a task-oriented, voluntary, peer-support program for staff nurses. Evaluation data suggest the program is a cost-effective method for developing and retaining nurses in the hospital.     

Tugan-Baranovskii's vision of an international socialist economy

This article examines a hitherto neglected book published in 1918 by M. I. Tugan-Baranovskii, which is devoted to outlining his vision of an international socialist economy. It focuses on Tugan's approach to economic planning, money and prices in socialism, and the new international economic order. It is shown that Tugan attempted to assimilate marginalism into his vision of planning, and was more flexible than the Bolsheviks in adapting socialist economics to the task at hand. The reception of Tugan's approach is also briefly sketched, as is the context of the socialist calculation debate.     

On the welfare benefits of an international currency

Is it beneficial for a country's currency to be used internationally? And, if so, can we quantify the benefit? Since the emergence of the euro, there has been great interest in the consequences of a transfer of the dollar's premier international role to the euro. This paper presents a novel model-based approach towards assessing the welfare benefits associated with the international use of a country's currency. Apart from the familiar benefits associated with seigniorage, residents of the issuing country experience an increase in the purchasing power of their currency both at home and abroad. In the calibration exercise carried out in this paper, we find the benefits of an international currency to be quantitatively significant. The welfare gain for the Euro area in having the euro internationally used ranges from 1.9% to 2.3% of consumption depending on relative inflation rates. The rest of the world is not indifferent as to which currency circulates as the dominant international currency. Conditional on their currency not being used internationally, their preference is for the dominant international currency to be the one with the lowest inflation rate.     

The stability likelihood of an international climate agreement

Results derived from empirical analyses on the stability of climate coalitions are usually very sensitive to the large uncertainties associated with the benefits and costs of climate policies. This paper provides the methodology of Stability Likelihood (SL) that links uncertainties about benefits and costs of climate change to the stability of coalitions. We show that the concept of SL improves upon the robustness and interpretation of stability analyses. Moreover, our numerical application qualifies conclusions from a recent strand of literature based on stylised models with ex-ante symmetric players that learning has a negative impact on the success of coalition formation in context of uncertainty.      

The effect of unemployment on labour productivity: an international comparative analysis

This is a comparative empirical analysis of the effect of unemployment - via a ‘work-intensity effect’ and/or a ‘workplace-innovation effect’ - on manufacturing productivity growth in eight advanced capitalist economies. My econometric results confirm earlier findings of positive work-intensity and workplace-innovation effects of unemployment on productivity growth in the United States; but I do not obtain similarly strong results for the other countries, and in Germany and Sweden I find evidence of negative unemployment effects. My findings are consistent with the comparative hypothesis that the sign and strength of unemployment effects on productivity growth will vary negatively with the degree to which a country's socioeconomic environment is characterized by cooperative capital-labour relations and worker security.     

Demand for skills in Canada: the role of foreign outsourcing and information‐communication technology

Abstract. One of the defining features of the Canadian Economy in the last two decades has been an increasing wage gap between the more skilled and the less skilled workers. Over the same period, there have been dramatic increases in expenditures on information and communication technologies (ICT) and in purchases of foreign intermediate inputs. This raises an obvious and important question: what is the role of ICT and foreign outsourcing in the increased demand for skilled workers? Using 84 Canadian manufacturing industries over 1981–96, we find that both ICT and foreign outsourcing are important contributors to the demand for skills. JEL classification: F16 O33     

The development of factor productivity in an international comparison

Zusammenfassung Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die Entwicklung des realen Outputs in sechs OECD-Staaten für den Zeitraum von 1965 bis 1979 verglichen. Dabei zeigt sich für alle untersuchten Länder eine deutliche Wachstumsverlangsamung seit 1973 im Vergleich zu den vorangegangenen Jahren. Innerhalb beider Perioden weisen die nationalen Wachstumsraten erhebliche Unterschiede auf, seit 1973 ist allerdings ein Trend zur Vereinheitlichung auf einem relativ niedrigen Niveau feststellbar.Dabei soll die Entwicklung der Produktionsfaktoren Arbeit und Kapital entsprechend dem Ansatz vonDenison (1967) Aufschluß geben, inwieweit Änderungen bzw. unterschiedliche Entwicklungen des Faktoreinsatzes die Divergenzen in den Wachstumsraten der Outputs erklären können. Zu diesem Zweck werden Arbeits- und Kapitaleinsatzindizes berechnet, in denen verschiedene Qualitätsänderungen nach Möglichkeit schon berücksichtigt sind, und mit ihren relativen durchschnittlichen Einkommensanteilen gewichtet zu einem gesamten Inputindex addiert.

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We are indebted toH. Gutierrez-Rieger, M. Kager, E. Nowotny, G. Orosel, I. Schmoranz, and a referee for helpful comments and suggestions at various stages of our research. Special thanks go toA. Rahman who has authorized us to produce this short presentation of our joint research.     

Theory of cultural capital: Productive use of an unproductive activity

Cultural capital is the term suggested to explain the phenomena that seemingly productivity-irrelevant cultural activities may lead to better economic outcome for individuals. A simple model is proposed to explain the emergence of cultural capital. The cost of acquiring a cultural attribute plays a role in the emergence of cultural capital. The importance of cultural capital is compared between two groups distinguished by a natural attribute. The cultural capital in the economically worse-performing group is more elitist in the sense that a smaller proportion of individuals acquire it due to the higher attainment costs. Welfare implications are also investigated.