Abstract
In her paper, "A Comparative Analysis of Website Expressions of National Culture and Mediation," Paule Salerno-O'Shea identifies what the official websites of the National Ombudsman in Ireland and France reveal about mediation in those national cultures. The way both national mediators are portrayed indicates how mediation is represented at the national level: 1) these institutions were created by acts emanating from national representative assemblies; 2) the ombudspersons are nominated by representatives of the nation (in Ireland, the appointment is made by the president upon resolution passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas [Parliament] and in France by a presidential decree during a Conseil des Ministres; and 3) these institutions/people deal with both the public service of the country in which they operate and act for the benefit of the people of those countries. The comparative readings of the websites is enriched by the use of Hofstede's dimensions, namely the notions of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism-collectivism, and masculinity-femininity. Salerno-O'Shea highlights discrepancies between national character as expressed by Hofstede and national characteristics found on the websites.
Recommended Citation
Salerno-O'Shea, Paule.
"A Comparative Analysis of Website Expressions of National Culture and Mediation."
CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture
8.2
(2006):
<https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.1305>
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