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Approaches to Scale Development in Chinese Management Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Jiing-Lih Farh ,
Albert A. Cannella Jr  and
Cynthia Lee
Translated by
樊景立  and
李镩壁
Jiing-Lih Farh
Affiliation:
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China
Albert A. Cannella Jr
Affiliation:
Arizona State University, USA
Cynthia Lee
Affiliation:
Northeastern University, USA
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Abstract

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We classify survey scales or measures currently used in Chinese management research along two dimensions - the source of the scale and expectations about its cultural specificity. Based on these two dimensions, we differentiate four approaches to scale development: translation, adaptation, de-contextualization, and contextualization. We describe the key assumptions, strengths and limitations of each approach and their roles in Chinese management research. We illustrate the four approaches by commenting on the five articles in this special issue.

Keywords

scale developmentChinese management contextstranslationadaptationcontextualizationde-contextualization量表开发华人管理情景翻译改编去情景化情景化
Type
From the Guest Editors
Information
Management and Organization Review , Volume 2 , Issue 3 , November 2006 , pp. 301 - 318
Copyright
Copyright © International Association for Chinese Management Research 2006

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