title: Ethical leadership: A multi-study Eastern perspective

authors: Dodamgoda, Nadeeja

abstract: Leadership ethics, shaped by diverse cultures, religious beliefs, and philosophical perspectives, exhibit nuanced differences between Western and Eastern perspectives. Despite these differences, ethical leadership scales predominantly adhere to Western conceptualisations, overlooking the unique cultural nuances of the East. The cultural traditions, philosophical views, and religious beliefs in the Eastern world imply culturally specific ethical leadership characteristics that may not align with Western-centric measures. This underscores the need for a comprehensive conceptualisation and scale development for Eastern Ethical Leadership (EEL) that captures the underlying values specific to the East. Drawing on the culturally implicit leadership theory, this thesis aims to address the following research questions, with an overarching focus on conceptualising and developing a scale for EEL:
(1) What is the current state of ethical leadership literature as it pertains to Eastern countries?
(2) What are the dimensions and measures of ethical leadership which are applicable to Eastern
 countries?
(3) What is the validity of these measures across Eastern countries?
To address these research questions, three major studies were conducted. Initially, a systematic review of literature on EEL was performed, revealing the distinct characteristics of EEL and the cultural and philosophical perspectives that distinguish it from the West. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) framework, the review identified relevant articles from four academic databases, revealing unique dimensions of EEL. These dimensions include leaders' responsibility and concern for long-term sustainability, aspects often overlooked in existing measures. Notably, while some virtues and values align between Eastern and Western philosophical views, past studies predominantly relied on Western theoretical perspectives to interpret ethical leadership. This underscores the need for measures that authentically capture Eastern cultural distinctions, essential for advancing ethical leadership research amidst the East's growing global influence.
The second study reports a qualitative investigation based on interviews with 21 academics across 15 Asian countries to deepen our understanding of EEL characteristics. Thematic analysis of the interview data unveiled culturally specific elements contributing to the conceptualisation of ethical leadership in the East. The findings highlighted the significance of characteristics identified by interviewees, shaped by the societal context of Asian countries. For example, caring for individuals emerges as a crucial characteristic in collectivist societies, along with demonstrating concern for the welfare of the broader community, particularly in regions facing widespread poverty. Furthermore, the perspectives shared by interviewees offer valuable insights that challenge prevalent Western-dominated views on ethical leadership. 
Thirdly, a robust measure for EEL was developed and validated through a rigorous process. This study encompassed item generation based on literature and qualitative interviews, scale purification, cross-cultural validity testing, and an assessment of the psychometric properties of the scale. The developed scale was then applied to examine its impact on employee voice behaviour, serving as a crucial step in testing its nomological validity and providing valuable insights into the practical implications of EEL. The dimensions of EEL identified, including concern for people and concern for wider views, exclusively reflect the cultural nuances of the East and challenge the broad applicability of Western-centric ethical leadership measures, advocating for a more culturally nuanced understanding.
The thesis challenges the prevailing bias in ethical leadership literature towards the West, offering a culturally grounded measure for EEL that enhances conceptual development. The theoretical and practical implications of the scale are discussed, highlighting its potential to bridge the cultural gap in leadership ethics and contribute to the development of a more inclusive and culturally resonant leadership paradigm. Three separate research articles, derived from the systematic review, qualitative study, and scale development, have been submitted to peer-reviewed journals, reflecting the comprehensive approach taken in this endeavour. The outcomes of this research contribute not only to the academic discourse on ethical leadership but also offer practical insights for organisations operating in culturally diverse contexts.

text: Ethical leadership: A multi-study Eastern perspective Leadership ethics, shaped by diverse cultures, religious beliefs, and philosophical perspectives, exhibit nuanced differences between Western and Eastern perspectives. Despite these differences, ethical leadership scales predominantly adhere to Western conceptualisations, overlooking the unique cultural nuances of the East. The cultural traditions, philosophical views, and religious beliefs in the Eastern world imply culturally specific ethical leadership characteristics that may not align with Western-centric measures. This underscores the need for a comprehensive conceptualisation and scale development for Eastern Ethical Leadership (EEL) that captures the underlying values specific to the East. Drawing on the culturally implicit leadership theory, this thesis aims to address the following research questions, with an overarching focus on conceptualising and developing a scale for EEL:
(1) What is the current state of ethical leadership literature as it pertains to Eastern countries?
(2) What are the dimensions and measures of ethical leadership which are applicable to Eastern
 countries?
(3) What is the validity of these measures across Eastern countries?
To address these research questions, three major studies were conducted. Initially, a systematic review of literature on EEL was performed, revealing the distinct characteristics of EEL and the cultural and philosophical perspectives that distinguish it from the West. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) framework, the review identified relevant articles from four academic databases, revealing unique dimensions of EEL. These dimensions include leaders' responsibility and concern for long-term sustainability, aspects often overlooked in existing measures. Notably, while some virtues and values align between Eastern and Western philosophical views, past studies predominantly relied on Western theoretical perspectives to interpret ethical leadership. This underscores the need for measures that authentically capture Eastern cultural distinctions, essential for advancing ethical leadership research amidst the East's growing global influence.
The second study reports a qualitative investigation based on interviews with 21 academics across 15 Asian countries to deepen our understanding of EEL characteristics. Thematic analysis of the interview data unveiled culturally specific elements contributing to the conceptualisation of ethical leadership in the East. The findings highlighted the significance of characteristics identified by interviewees, shaped by the societal context of Asian countries. For example, caring for individuals emerges as a crucial characteristic in collectivist societies, along with demonstrating concern for the welfare of the broader community, particularly in regions facing widespread poverty. Furthermore, the perspectives shared by interviewees offer valuable insights that challenge prevalent Western-dominated views on ethical leadership. 
Thirdly, a robust measure for EEL was developed and validated through a rigorous process. This study encompassed item generation based on literature and qualitative interviews, scale purification, cross-cultural validity testing, and an assessment of the psychometric properties of the scale. The developed scale was then applied to examine its impact on employee voice behaviour, serving as a crucial step in testing its nomological validity and providing valuable insights into the practical implications of EEL. The dimensions of EEL identified, including concern for people and concern for wider views, exclusively reflect the cultural nuances of the East and challenge the broad applicability of Western-centric ethical leadership measures, advocating for a more culturally nuanced understanding.
The thesis challenges the prevailing bias in ethical leadership literature towards the West, offering a culturally grounded measure for EEL that enhances conceptual development. The theoretical and practical implications of the scale are discussed, highlighting its potential to bridge the cultural gap in leadership ethics and contribute to the development of a more inclusive and culturally resonant leadership paradigm. Three separate research articles, derived from the systematic review, qualitative study, and scale development, have been submitted to peer-reviewed journals, reflecting the comprehensive approach taken in this endeavour. The outcomes of this research contribute not only to the academic discourse on ethical leadership but also offer practical insights for organisations operating in culturally diverse contexts.

year: 2024-10-15

title: Adhesion GPCRs are widely expressed throughout the subsections of the gastrointestinal tract

authors: Badiali, Luca

abstract: Background: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent one of the largest families of transmembrane receptors and the most common drug target. The Adhesion subfamily is the second largest one of GPCRs and its several members are known to mediate neural development and immune system functioning through cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. The distribution of these receptors has not been characterized in detail in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Here we present the first comprehensive anatomical profiling of mRNA expression of all 30 Adhesion GPCRs in the rat GI tract divided into twelve subsegments. Methods: Using RT-qPCR, we studied the expression of Adhesion GPCRs in the esophagus, the corpus and antrum of the stomach, the proximal and distal parts of the duodenum, ileum, jejunum and colon, and the cecum. Results: We found that twenty-one Adhesion GPCRs (70%) had a widespread (expressed in five or more segments) or ubiquitous (expressed in eleven or more segments) distribution, seven (23%) were restricted to a few segments of the GI tract and two were not expressed in any segment. Most notably, almost all Group III members were ubiquitously expressed, while the restricted expression was characteristic for the majority of group VII members, hinting at more specific/localized roles for some of these receptors. Conclusions: Overall, the distribution of Adhesion GPCRs points to their important role in GI tract functioning and defines them as a potentially crucial target for pharmacological interventions. © 2012 Badiali et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

text: Adhesion GPCRs are widely expressed throughout the subsections of the gastrointestinal tract Background: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent one of the largest families of transmembrane receptors and the most common drug target. The Adhesion subfamily is the second largest one of GPCRs and its several members are known to mediate neural development and immune system functioning through cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. The distribution of these receptors has not been characterized in detail in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Here we present the first comprehensive anatomical profiling of mRNA expression of all 30 Adhesion GPCRs in the rat GI tract divided into twelve subsegments. Methods: Using RT-qPCR, we studied the expression of Adhesion GPCRs in the esophagus, the corpus and antrum of the stomach, the proximal and distal parts of the duodenum, ileum, jejunum and colon, and the cecum. Results: We found that twenty-one Adhesion GPCRs (70%) had a widespread (expressed in five or more segments) or ubiquitous (expressed in eleven or more segments) distribution, seven (23%) were restricted to a few segments of the GI tract and two were not expressed in any segment. Most notably, almost all Group III members were ubiquitously expressed, while the restricted expression was characteristic for the majority of group VII members, hinting at more specific/localized roles for some of these receptors. Conclusions: Overall, the distribution of Adhesion GPCRs points to their important role in GI tract functioning and defines them as a potentially crucial target for pharmacological interventions. © 2012 Badiali et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

year: 2012

title: Social consequences of Tūhoe migration: Voices from home in Te Urewera

authors: Nikora, Linda Waimarie

subjects: age effects

abstract: A previous study by Nikora, Guerin, Rua & Te Awekotuku (2004) of the social consequences of Tūhoe moving to the Waikato region found employment and a tertiary education to be the primary motivators. Tūhoe ‘movers’ remained in contact with those who remain in Te Urewera and retained a wish to return to their tribal homelands if presented with work opportunities or upon retirement. Through 29 intensive conversational interviews conducted by Tūhoe community researchers with Tūhoe people we explored the social consequences of migration upon those who had remained ‘at home’. Most participants recognised and strongly supported ‘movers’ to better themselves and find successful futures but hoped that they would one day return. An emerging theme was an apparent age-distribution gap of people between about 20 and 50 years of age in the Tuhoe homelands. This is concerning for a number of reasons.  The ‘age gap’ may potentially bring about a) a lack of good role-models for younger children; b) a lack of people to help out with heavy work; c) a gap in people to sustain traditional teaching models for children, and d) a lack of qualified people in trades and professions. The age gap also means that a whole middle-aged group that in other communities might be contributing funds for capital expenditures are not present in the community.

text: Social consequences of Tūhoe migration: Voices from home in Te Urewera A previous study by Nikora, Guerin, Rua & Te Awekotuku (2004) of the social consequences of Tūhoe moving to the Waikato region found employment and a tertiary education to be the primary motivators. Tūhoe ‘movers’ remained in contact with those who remain in Te Urewera and retained a wish to return to their tribal homelands if presented with work opportunities or upon retirement. Through 29 intensive conversational interviews conducted by Tūhoe community researchers with Tūhoe people we explored the social consequences of migration upon those who had remained ‘at home’. Most participants recognised and strongly supported ‘movers’ to better themselves and find successful futures but hoped that they would one day return. An emerging theme was an apparent age-distribution gap of people between about 20 and 50 years of age in the Tuhoe homelands. This is concerning for a number of reasons.  The ‘age gap’ may potentially bring about a) a lack of good role-models for younger children; b) a lack of people to help out with heavy work; c) a gap in people to sustain traditional teaching models for children, and d) a lack of qualified people in trades and professions. The age gap also means that a whole middle-aged group that in other communities might be contributing funds for capital expenditures are not present in the community.

year: 2008