Cultural theory in use: the intersection of structure,process and communication in business practice

• Examining and understanding the culture of 200+ countries to determine how business is conducted in those countries is a daunting and overwhelming prospect. By combining theories of culture, it is possible to create a Classification Of Cultures Model using Time, Task and Relationship concepts. However, this model does not suggest how to adapt when conducting business in a particular political/economic environment. Continua of cultural elements related to conducting business are created based upon structural elements, process elements and communication elements. Combining the continua with the Classification of Cultures Model creates the Global Business Process Model. This framework is a way to capture the array of cultures, identify similarities and differences in business practices, and provide a starting point for creating adaptive strategies and behaviours.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The malleability of attitudes toward the police: immediate effects of the viewing of police use of force videos

Purpose: To examine whether videos of controversial police interventions shape individual opinion and, consequently, if attitudes towards use of force are malleable in the short-term. Methodology: A self-administered survey was conducted among 248 undergraduate students as part of a larger project on attitudes towards police use of force. Two groups of respondents were asked general questions about the police: one group was shown fictional videos of controversial police interventions just prior to completing the questionnaire; the other was not. Findings: Results strongly suggest that videos of police interventions have significant effects on reported opinions about use of force: the group that watched the videos was more likely to report that the police frequently use force. Implications: The wide distribution of images by police organizations might have unexpected adverse effects on public attitudes.     

Women in Law Enforcement and Police Use of Deadly Force

We test the hypothesis that law enforcement agencies that have a larger share of female officers should experience lower rates of police use of deadly force. We use the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics 2013 survey of police and sheriff departments (N?=?1,983). We measure police-involved violence as the number of civilians killed by law enforcement officers from 2013 through 2015 as reported by the website Mapping Police Violence. Using a variety of empirical estimators to take into consideration the structure of the distribution of police-caused deaths, we find consistent results that a higher share of female officers is associated with a higher likelihood of police-caused deaths. These results are consistent with prior findings within the literature and implies that in order to “fit in” with their male counterparts female officers will use coercive tactics to the same extent.     

Exogenous Lipoid Pneumonia as a Contributory Factor in a Drug‐related Death

Postmortem investigation often reveals various conditions, which may or may not have played a part in the death of the individual. The case of a 32‐year‐old woman is reported, with a long history of drug addiction. She was found dead in her bed. The autopsy revealed diffuse pulmonary edema with congestion of the lungs, brain, liver, and spleen. Microscopic examination of the lungs showed multiple intra‐alveolar and interstitial foamy macrophages and extracellular fat droplets surrounded by polynuclear giant cells. Death was attributed to acute polydrug intoxication. As microscopic examination had revealed severe pulmonary lesions, lipoid pneumonia was considered as a contributing factor to death. Lipoid pneumonia is an uncommon entity with the characteristic radiograph features and histologic findings of alveoli filled with vacuolated, lipid‐laden histiocytes. It can be either exogenous or endogenous in cause, based on the source of the lipid. Exogenous lipoid pneumonia usually results from aspiration or inhalation of fat‐like material, such as mineral oil or petroleum‐based lubricants and decongestants, resulting in pulmonary inflammatory reactions.     

Sudden Death Due to Undiagnosed Rheumatic Heart Disease in a Child

We report the case of a 5‐year‐old boy who died from complications of rheumatic heart disease with atypical presentation. He was hospitalized for recent inflammatory and neurological symptoms. He was diagnosed with viral encephalitis. He died the day after he was discharged. The macroscopic autopsy findings were unremarkable. Histology revealed typical rheumatic heart disease. Neuropathology showed cerebral infarction due to an embolic event linked with the rheumatic valvulitis. The cause of death was determined as heart failure due to rheumatic heart disease secondary to an undiagnosed acute rheumatic fever. It is related to an autoimmune response to infection with group A streptococcus. It mainly affects children in developing countries. In our case, viral encephalitis was consistent with the medical history and the proper diagnosis was made on histological analysis. Forensic pathologists should consider this diagnosis facing a sudden unexpected death in childhood, even in industrialized countries.