What are Cultural Differences in Management

Introduction Cultural differences in management are examined by business administrators, psychologists, and even anthropologists. This report is aimed at examining several questions that are related to this topic. In particular, it is necessary to provide a definition of cross-cultural management. Furthermore, one should provide examples that can illustrate the cultural peculiarities of management.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on What are Cultural Differences in Management? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, one should focus on such aspects as the behavior of employees, leadership style, and interactions between people who represent various levels of the workplace hierarchy. Much attention should be paid to the strategies that can help managers to work in a multicultural environment. Overall, business administrators should remember about cultural differences in people’s values, worldviews, or attitudes toward work, risk, achievement and so forth. This knowledge can be derived from various psychological studies. Yet, they should remember that conventional classifications of cultures are not always relevant because individual and cultural values are not necessarily similar. The origins and definition of cultural management The importance of cultural peculiarities began to attract the attention of managers at the time when many American and European companies moved to developing countries. Business administrators understood that many of the conventional techniques could be applied to different business cultures. For example, one can speak about the challenges that American businesses faced in India (Gopalan Stahl 1998, p. 30). These problems gave rise to the development of such a discipline as cross-cultural management. This notion can be defined as the method which enables the management to incorporate the representatives of different cultures in the organization (Thomas 2008). Moreover, this discipline helps managers make sure that cultural differences do not impair the performance of a business. Cultural differences in management Initially, the researchers attempted to construct a model of universal values that can appeal to people who can represent various cultures (Schwartz 1994). For example, Shalom Schwartz (1994) introduces such a model which is based on the empirical findings.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, some authors advocate the idea of creating a global culture in which employees, who have various ethnic or national backgrounds, are accustomed to working with one another (Levy, Taylor, Boyacigiller 2010). Furthermore, researchers speak about the need to maintain the corporate culture which enabled an organization to achieve success (Levy, Taylor, Boyacigiller 2010). The main limitation of this approach is that it d oes not help managers predict the potential difficulties related to cultural differences. This is why modern researchers attempt to construct an alternative approach to this issue. Overall, scholars believe that it is necessary to distinguish various elements of culture, namely values, rituals, or symbols (Kandola 2008, p. 37). These are the main aspects that researchers focus on. In turn, business administrators should understand how these differences in values or attitudes manifest themselves in the workplace (Jackson 2011). The explanations of cultural differences in management closely are based on the model developed by Geert Hofstede (1993). This model implies that there are certain dimensions which characterize a culture. For instance, one can mention uncertainty avoidance, power distance, individualism, or masculinity (Hofstede 1993). In turn, they shape cultural differences in management. For example, in Western companies, managers and employees are more likely to accept ris ks; yet, this behavior is not always displayed by people working in Chinese companies (Hofstede, 1993, p. 90). This issue should be taken into account by people working in companies in which different cultures are represented. For instance, they should remember that some of their initiatives may not be readily supported by their colleagues, but it does not mean that these initiatives are flawed (Hofstede, 1993, p. 90). Moreover, one can speak about power distance. For example, in the United Kingdom, people, who represent various levels in the workplace hierarch, are more likely to treat one another as equals. In contrast, in South Korea, executives and subordinates are more likely to recognize the differences in their position or status. Thus, business administrators should consider these differences in order to avoid such pitfalls as rudeness. Overall, Hofstede’s theory is based on empirical observations, but in the course of several decades, this approach has been modified several times.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on What are Cultural Differences in Management? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are many empirical studies that are aimed at examining the impact of cultural dimensions of management. For instance, business administrators, who come from Western countries, should know that risk-taking in Asian organizations is not always tolerated (Kreiser, Marino, Dickson 2010, p. 978). These studies incorporate the data collected in different business environments. Therefore, managers, who come from American or European companies, should not expect that their subordinates will be willing to take independent steps (Kreiser, Marino, Dickson 2010). This is why these distinctions should not be overlooked. Moreover, managers should take into account that people, who represent different cultures, have different humor styles (Kalliny, Cruthirds, Minor 2006). In many cases, manager s rely on jokes to motivate employees. Yet, some of the jokes can be misunderstood; furthermore, they can be offensive. Additionally, much attention should be paid to leadership qualities. William Judge (2001) believes that leadership strategies differ dramatically across cultures. The comparison of American and Taiwanese CEOs indicates that these professionals have different attitudes toward their professional and personal lives. For example, American CEOs attach importance to achievement and self-of respect, while their Taiwanese counterparts attach more importance to equality, wisdom, and pleasure (Judge 2001, p. 69). This comparison is derived from self-reports of corporate executives. Thus, managers and employees should bear in mind that these executives can set different expectations for their subordinates. Moreover, it is important to remember about the differences in communication styles. In Western business cultures, people are willing to start the most problematic issues a s soon as possible (‘Indirect communication’, 2001). Such behavior can be observed among many managers and employees. In contrast, in China and other Asian countries, one should first start with an indirect question and then proceed to specific tasks (‘Indirect communication’, 2001). Therefore, managers should change the way in which they interact with their colleagues or subordinates.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Nevertheless, such studies are primarily based on the experiences of separate business administrators, but such arguments should not be generalized. This is one of the limitations that should be overlooked because it can diminish the validity of research. Apart from that, managers should take into account that employees from various countries respond to stressors in different ways (Dbaibo Harb 2010, p. 19). For example, Lebanese employees are not likely to experience stress if they see that their values do not coincide with the values of their co-workers (Dbaibo Harb 2010). In turn, managers should try to emulate the behavior of these people. For instance, they should attach importance to communication style and etiquette. This is one of the suggestions that can be of some use to managers. While discussing the cultural differences in management, researchers focus on various aspects. For example, Joyce Osland and Allan Bird focus on the need to re-evaluate the validity of cultural stereotyping (2000, p. 65). In particular, these researchers critique the validity of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and provide examples contradict this theory. For instance, they mention that Japanese managers can take risky decisions, even despite their alleged uncertainty avoidance (Osland Bird 2000, p. 65). Thus, one should pay more attention to the context in which a specific behavior is displayed. One should not suppose that individuals always follow cultural patterns of behavior. Although the scholars do not conduct an empirical study, they provide many valuable observations regarding cross-cultural differences and stereotypes. Moreover, business administrators should keep in mind that cultures are not homogeneous (McSweeney 2002, p. 113). The behavior of employees strongly depends on their age or gender (McSweeney 2002, p. 113). Therefore, one should not suppose that conventional classifications of different business cultures are always accurate. Admittedly, there i s a significant overlap between personal and cultural values (Fischer Poortinga 2012, p. 167). Yet, one should not forget that cultures can evolve with time passing. This is one of the main issues that can be distinguished since it is critical for avoiding various pitfalls such as stereotyping. Discussion Overall, each of the articles can throw light on the peculiarities of cultural differences in management. It is possible to identify three approaches. One of them is premised on the idea that a management can create a universal business culture that can be shared by every employee. The second framework implies that there are cultural dimensions which can be accurately measured. Thus, it is possible to predict the behavior of people and minimize the risk of misunderstanding. In turn, many authors suggest that cultural and personal values may not be similar. Such researchers do not overlook the findings of anthropologists or psychologists who show that there are certain values or at titudes which are typical of a certain culture. However, they almost set stress on such variables as age, sex, or linguistic competence of employees. They advocate such policies as on-site cultural training of expatriates, critical evaluation of stereotypes about various countries, or the use of empirical studies related to various business cultures (Osland Bird 2000). Moreover, managers should reflect on the impact of context on the behavior of a person. This approach can help a business to develop the most effective approaches to cross-cultural management. Conclusion Overall, the examples discussed in this paper shows that the work of managers is strongly shaped by cultural environment of a country. These differences can be explained to people’s attitudes toward risk, power distance, uncertainty, and other factors. Moreover, managers should pay attention to people’s perception of stress and the things that motivate them. Yet, they should also remember that cultures are not static, and individual behavior may not be consistent with the dominant stereotypes about a culture. Such stereotypes can also be dangerous because they can prevent managers from understanding the behavior of employees. These are the main issues that should be taken into account. References Dbaibo, D Harb, C 2010, ‘Values and Justice as Predictors of Perceived Stress in Lebanese Organisational Settings’, Applied Psychology, vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 1-19. Fischer, R Poortinga, Y 2012, ‘Are cultural values the same as the values of individuals? An examination of similarities in personal, social, and cultural value structures’, International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 157-170. Gopalan, S Stahl, A 1998, ‘Application of American Management Theories and Practices to the Indian Business Environment: Understanding the Impact of National Culture’, American Business Review, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 30-41. Hofstede, G 1993 ‘Cultural constraints in management theories’, Academy of Management Executive, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 81-94. Jackson, T 2011, ‘Journal of Organizational Change Management Emerald Article: From cultural values to cross-cultural interfaces: Hofstede goes to Africa’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 532-558. Judge, W 2001, ‘Is a Leader’s Character Culture-Bound or Culture-Free? An Empirical Comparison of the Character Traits of American and Taiwanese CEOs’, Journal of Leadership Organizational Studies, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 65-80. ‘Indirect communication and indirect leadership in Asia’ 2001, GlobThink, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1-4. Levy, O, Taylor, S Boyacigiller, N 2010, Global expansion dilutes winning corporate Cultures, http://www.financialpost.com/Global+expansion+dilutes+winning+corporate+cultures/3459637/story.html. Kalliny, M, Cruthirds, K, Minor, M 2006, ‘Differences between American, Egyp tian and Lebanese Humor Styles Implications for International Management’, International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 121-134. Kandola, B 2008, â€Å"Understanding cultural differences in global organizations’, Cultural Intelligence, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 37-38. Kreiser, P, Marino, L, Dickson, P 2010, ‘Cultural Influences on Entrepreneurial Orientation: The Impact of National Culture on Risk Taking and Proactiveness in SMEs’, ETP, vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 959-983. McSweeney, B 2002, ‘Hofstede’s model of national cultural differences and their consequences: Atriumph of faith – a failure of analysis’, Human Relations, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 89-118. Osland, J Bird, A 2000, ‘Beyond sophisticated stereotyping: Cultural sense-making in context’, Academy of Management Executives, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 65-77. Schwartz, S 1994, ‘Are There Universal Aspects in the Structure and Contents of Human Values? ’, Journal of Social Issues, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 19-45. Thomas, D 2008, Cross-Cultural Management: Essential Concepts, SAGE Publications, New York. This report on What are Cultural Differences in Management? was written and submitted by user DeaconFrost to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

While vs. Whilst

While vs. Whilst While vs. Whilst While vs. Whilst By Maeve Maddox A reader asks: what is the difference between while and whilst? Both while and whilst have been in the language for a very long time. While was in use in Old English; whilst is a Middle English development of while. As conjunctions they are interchangeable in meaning, but whilst has not survived in standard American English. I waited whilst Mugabe delivered what he thought were his pearls of wisdom I waited while breakfast was finished. To the American ear whilst sounds quaint. Some British and Canadian speakers think it sounds literary or old-fashioned, but many British speakers prefer it to while. Here are some quotations from newspapers: Why do flies gather inside a room, whilst bees and butterflies somehow avoid the open door or window? Jill Shimwell, Bebington(www.theguardian.com) has become the first major casualty of England’s World Cup campaign after dislocating his right shoulder while running near the team’s base on the Gulf of Finland. The England manager suffered the injury while jogging (www.theguardian.com) sheriff’s deputies in Kansas who were shot while transporting inmates from a jail to a court hearing on Friday died of their injuries, the police in Kansas City, (www.nytimes.com) agency that takes custody of children separated from their parents, have said that the children will not be reunited while their parents remain in custody. But reunification demands will increase as more parents are released from (www.latimes.com) See Among vs Amongst Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and NumeralsBody Parts as Tools of MeasurementWhen Is a Question Not a Question?

How students should have an year off before college ( research paper ) Essay

How students should have an year off before college ( research paper ) - Essay Example The reasons for which will be discussed in this paper. However, prior to discussing these privileges, I will first present the possible drawbacks of a college gap year that was not properly planned and thought out by the parents and student. Yes, even for all the perceived benefits of the gap year, there are also negative effects or reasons for doing so. Let's put it this way, Hollywood has produced one too many movies about teenage high school graduates who go backpacking through Europe for all the wrong reasons. Taking a gap year does not mean that a high school graduate should party up a storm and insist in spending it in Europe when the parental units may not be able to afford it. This is not a movie like Eurotrip. Spending a year in Europe just to party is not an economical thing to do. The plane ticket is expensive enough without parents having to shoulder the cost of the child â€Å"exploring† the wrong side of Europe through parties that make the kid stay up late and s leep all day. Nothing remotely related to learning can be gained from that. Some kids also opt to take a year off from school when he is not accepted into his chosen university. The excuse becomes that the gap year is necessary in order to help him prepare to try and gain acceptance into the same university or college next year. A college application rejection is not the end of the world that one should wallow in for a whole year. There is no discounting the fact that getting rejected by any school one submitted an application to is quite upsetting. But the point of getting into college is just that. One learns to deal with rejection and go on with life. By opting to take a year out of the educational system, the student only makes matter worse for himself. Taking a year off will not guarantee that there will be an admission in his future. However, opting to attend a â€Å"safety school† will at least guarantee that the student can try to get a transfer application accepted t he next semester or the next year, depending upon how the grades look for that student. Finally, the biggest mistake a student can make is considering a gap year simply because it will look good on his resume. Just because your college resume might look a little thin on the experience and volunteer side does not mean that there is nothing in it for a decent school board to consider. Those are not the defining moments of your high school career. Instead, what college boards really look for are the good grades and passing marks relevant to the application you put in. The most important question is if a student, without a gap year experience to include in his resume, still has the credentials to make the grade for the college department of his choice (Katz, Gillian â€Å"3 Great Reasons to Take a Gap Year and 3 Bad Reasons to take a Gap Year†). Now, taking into consideration all of the wrong reasons for a student and parents to give in to the lure of a gap year. There must be so me truly good benefits from taking all 365 days off from school. Otherwise it would not be a very big deal for the others who have already successfully taken and used their gap year to advantageous results. Remember that the high school senior year is the most grueling of all high school years. The senior year is the academic year that concentrates on the general college subjects that are per-requisites to

Are organizations rational Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Are organizations rational - Assignment Example ncy and reliability of the system (Miller, 2012).  The desire to achieve efficiency forms the major part of rationality and organisation is considered as a mechanism where different parts are used to achieve the desired results. Since managers work towards achieving the best results, rationality is based on the efficiency of systems to achieve the desired outcome. This paper attempts to reveal how organisations show rationality in the decisions that are made in management level and the rationality of organisation through its independence and formation. Rational system involves two main elements that include goal specificity and formalisation. Rationality in organisations is related to formalisation of activities and decisions that form the daily systems of the organisation. This means that the organisation behaviour is shaped by standardisation and regulation of all activities in the organisation to achieve efficiency (Sapru, 2011). Through formalisation, stable expectations in production and results acts as the main focus of the company and this is one of the preconditions of rationality. An organisation offers an environment where employees are expected to perform to achieve certain goals and objectives of the company through a formal system thus resulting to rationality. It is therefore important to note that many organisations are rational owing to the fact that they operate with an objective to achieve desired results through formalised principles that are not based on emotions or superstitious beliefs (Catino, 2013).   Goal specificity involves the fact that organisations are formed for a specific objective or goal. Organisations focus on certain goals as their main purpose of operation. Specific goals are used as equipment for supporting rational behaviour in an organisation where they provide guidelines on the structural design, and this points on what specific tasks need to be carried out to ensure great performance and how to allocate resources to

Role of Un in Peace Keeping Essay Example for Free

Role of Un in Peace Keeping Essay In addition to maintaining peace and security, peacekeepers are increasingly charged with assisting in political processes, reforming judicial systems, training law enforcement and police forces, disarming and reintegrating former combatants, supporting the return of internally displaced persons and refugees. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the UN official languages. However, UN is facing criticism regarding corruption and abuse and some other things. Conclusion:- UN has a great effect on international peace. But, there are some arguments regarding contribution of military forces from different countries. To change the world, it need to change itself too. Its better if it has its own military force. United Nations has an organization called UN Security Council that is responsible for peacekeeping. Five members of this team are permanent members while ten are chosen every 2 years. Peacemaking was introduces at the end of cold war and has undergone immense changes. It keeps evolving to meet the political demands

what?? :: essays research papers

whatsz going on ?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recently there was a major breakthrough in scientific research – the mapping of all DNA in a human gene has been complete. A couple of years ago, this seemed to be an impossible task for scientists to accomplish. All this scientific advancement leads us to believe that the day when the human being will be cloned is not far away. Human cloning has always been an issue of controversy, be it in ethical or moral terms. This issue shakes us all to our very souls. For humans to consider the cloning of one another forces them all to question the very concepts of right and wrong. The cloning of any species, whether they are human or non-human, is ethically and morally wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recently there was a major breakthrough in scientific research – the mapping of all DNA in a human gene has been complete. A couple of years ago, this seemed to be an impossible task for scientists to accomplish. All this scientific advancement leads us to believe that the day when the human being will be cloned is not far away. Human cloning has always been an issue of controversy, be it in ethical or moral terms. This issue shakes us all to our very souls. For humans to consider the cloning of one another forces them all to question the very concepts of right and wrong. The cloning of any species, whether they are human or non-human, is ethically and morally wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recently there was a major breakthrough in scientific research – the mapping of all DNA in a human gene has been complete. A couple of years ago, this seemed to be an impossible task for scientists to accomplish. All this scientific advancement leads us to believe that the day when the human being will be cloned is not far away.

The dramatic structure in the form of racism Essay

The play ‘Fences’ is a thoroughgoing hit that is generally considered as his biggest success commercially. The dramatic structures of the play are evident. First, there is the use Fences: the play was not named Fences simply because of the major backdrop of building a fence in the backyard of the Maxson’s but rather; the author utilizes fences figuratively and as a literacy tool. Moreover, the relationships in the play are built and broken in the same backyard during the building process of the fence. The call to build the fence is considered as a foundation to Rose’s character whose request to build the fence posters here to the audience as loving and caring. Bono explains Rose’s character as, â€Å"Some people build fences to keep people out and other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you.† On the other hand, Troy and Cory consider the building project as a thing for and reluctantly take part in the project. Bono further figuratively uses fences as a tool to indicate Troy’s mannerisms of cheating on his wife just are pushing Rose away just like fences serve the purpose of keeping people off. The reluctance on Troy’s part to partake in the building process of the fence illustrates a man who is unwilling to hold his family together. The end of the play shows a complete fence which similarly demonstrates the unity of a family that was previously broken. Secondly, the devil is cast by Troy in his stories and presents the devil as a character whose purpose is to frustrate his family and further the devil illustrates the struggles Troy experiences in life. For instance in scene 1:1, the author presents Troy’s tale of a long struggle with the Devil thus admonishing his thoughts as being rooted in the most absurd of ideas. Retrospectively, he tells another story where he turns a white man into the Devil. In lieu of the same use of the Devil in the play, Troy thinks of the devil not as imaginary being but gives it life by equating it to a human being in his stories. Towards the end of the play, we see Troy’s thoughts on the Devil being replicated in his bad luck in life and what curtails and degrades his dreams throughout the play he considers racism as his Devil. There is also the dramatic structure in the form of racism. In Act One, we are presented with Troy’s and Bono’s lives whose childhoods have are rounded in the tales of difficult fathers in the upbringing in Lyons. The painful memories of their live reflect on the relationship that Troy and Cory have in the play. In consideration to how Troy was treated in his childhood years, he felt and saw it fit to bestow responsibilities onto Cory at an early age, his perception of the black child was that they should strive by all means to ensure they come at the of the food chain irrespective of the conditions was being presented with. Considering the fact that Troy was discriminated upon during his baseball years, he is afraid that his son will go through the same and he cannot allow what happened to him be experienced by his son. This shows that during Troy’s time, it was difficult for a black to succeed in sport and educational activities irrespective of how successful t hey were in doing undertaking an idea to anything worthwhile. It is because of these insecurities that he moves to Cory’s football coach to prevent him from playing football so as not to secure him a sport scholarship for college. Reference Wilson , August. Fences. London: Paw Prints, 2008. Source document