One of the problematic features of the "skills discourse" is the view that skills are decontextualized bits of knowledge and disposition. Instead, how skills such as communication are defined and used are shaped by cultural, political, and situational factors. In this article, we integrate theory from communication studies, critical…

Shows that long before it translates into actual behavior, the content and forms that romance assumes in the postmodern nexus of media and the market shape children's romantic imagination. Explores how children's imagined vision of romance moved from one molded by media to one characterized by a tension between what media promised and their…

Examines the effects of using organizational spokespersons of ethnic backgrounds similar to or different from possible stakeholders of a multinational organization. Finds that the degree to which undergraduate students identified with his or her own ethnic group affected spokesperson similarity ratings. Discusses implications for multinational…

Uses university students to reevaluate the theory of universal value structure as developed by S. Schwartz and the Individualism-Collectivism syndromes as proposed by H. Triandis and others. Concludes that both concepts have acceptance in an intercultural setting. Reveals several anomalies that need further investigation. Addresses the importance…

This study elaborates the cultural categories of meanings used by seventh-graders at a junior high school to describe their teachers. It examines the common expressions students used in open-ended interviews to describe their teachers and their experience within these teachers' classes. A semantic structure that underlies the terms that students…

To evaluate the significance of matching Hispanic "consumers" to Hispanic "experts," a series of three studies investigated counselor preferences among lower division Hispanic and Anglo students, students' preference for counselors' directive, non-directive, or neutral communication styles, and patterns in students'…