International and Intercultural Communication Essay Example for Free

International and Intercultural Communication Essay International and Intercultural Communications have been of great interest to the Hofstede Centre for many years. In fact Geert Hofstede’s dimensions of culture have been the most widely disseminated of all theories. Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions are, â€Å"1) Power Distance, 2) Individualism or Collectivism, 3) Masculinity-Femininity, 4) Uncertainty Avoidance, and 5) Short or Long Term Orientation.† (Donald Baack, 2012, Chapter 2.4). â€Å"Professor Geert Hofstede conducted one of the most comprehensive studies of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture. He analyzed a large database of employee value scores collected within IBM between 1967 and 1973. The data covered more than 70 countries, from which Hofstede first used the 40 countries with the largest groups of respondents and afterwards extended the analysis to 50 countries and 3 regions.† (The Hofstede Center, n.d.). In the next few pages I will compare the similarities and differences in scores between the countries of Croatia and Slovenia in relation to Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions as well as provide a scenario involving two organizations, one located in each country and their business practices relating to the different cultural perspectives. In the dimension of Power-Distance Croatia scores high with a score of 73 which means the people accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification. In this type of society people expect to be told what to do and this is accepted as the norm. (Hofstede Centre, n.d.). Slovenia also scored high in the dimension of Power-Distance with a score of 71. What this displays is two of the former eastern European countries, are very similar in their societal beliefs in hierarchal order and the populace was still routed in a culture where subordinates do as they are told by the boss and the boss is an aut ocrat in the bigger sense. In the second of the  five cultural dimensions Individualism or Collectivism, Croatia scored 33 which are considered a collectivistic society. â€Å"This is manifest in a close long-term commitment to the member group, be that a family, extended family, or extended relationships. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount, and over-rides most other societal rules and regulations. The society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group. In collectivist societies offence leads to shame and loss of face, employer/employee relationships are perceived in moral terms (like a family link); hiring and promotion decisions take account of the employee’s in-group, management is the management of groups.† (The Hofstede Centre, n.d.). Slovenia, had a score of 27 is also considered a collectivistic society just like we saw in Croatia. Once again the two bordering countries are nearly identical in their collectivist societie s. Our third dimension of Masculinity-Femininity resulted in a score of 40. With this score they are considered a relatively feminine society. Feminine societies focus on the theory of work to live. In a feminine society it is also common for managers to seek consensus. Even with such a disparity in scores and Slovenia’s’ score of 19 on this dimension, they too are considered more of a feminine society. Like the culture of Croatia they work to live and the people value things like equality, solidarity and pleasure in their working lives. â€Å"Conflicts are resolved by compromise and negotiation. Incentives such as free time and flexibility are favored. Focus is on well-being, status is not shown.† (The Hofstede Centre, n.d.). The fourth dimension of Uncertainty Avoidance resulted in a score of 80 signifying a very high preference for avoiding uncertainty. As stated in the Hofstede report, â€Å"Countries exhibiting high uncertainty avoidance maintain rigid codes o f belief and behavior and are intolerant of unorthodox behavior and ideas. In these cultures there is an emotional need for rules (even if the rules never seem to work) time is money, people have an inner urge to be busy and work hard, precision and punctuality are the norm, innovation may be resisted, security is an important element in individual motivation.† (The Hofstede Centre, n.d.). Slovenia also scored quite high with an 88 signifying they too choose to avoid uncertainty and need rules regardless of the effectiveness of them. Our final dimension is the dimension of Short or Long Term Orientation. In the comparison statistics this is referred to as  pragmatism and indulgence. Croatia achieved scores of 58 and 33 respectively. These figures indicate that the Croatian society believe truth is dependent on situations, context of what is said and the time. â€Å"They show an ability to adapt traditions easily to changed conditions, a strong propensity to save and invest thriftiness, and perseverance in achieving results.† (The Hofstede Cen tre, n.d.). The 33 score received for indulgence is an indication of a restrained country. â€Å"Societies with a low score in this dimension have a tendency to cynicism and pessimism. Also, in contrast to indulgent societies, restrained societies do not put much emphasis on leisure time and control the gratification of their desires. People with this orientation have the perception that their actions are restrained by social norms and feel that indulging themselves is somewhat wrong.† (The Hofstede Centre, n.d.). Slovenia had scores of 49 in pragmatism and 48 in indulgence. These scores both result in no clear preference for one or the other. As I have demonstrated by comparing the results for these two countries, bordering countries can be quite similar in some aspects of International and Intercultural Communications but quite different in others. As an example if I opened a car repair business or franchise in these two countries and expected them to work together some of the things I could expect is, they both would struggle with working together since they both prefer autocratic leaders and operate under the concept of being told what to do. What this means to me is that regardless if I am physically there with them or providing communication from afar they will execute all actions to benefit the business in a positive manner. These societies rely on face and losing face through failure is not an option they accept easily. In contrast to this is they both enjoy the benefits of family time, strong ties to immediate and extended family (the organization), managers often seek consensus and conflict is resolved through compromise and negotiation. This later part about conflict resolution is because both societies are feministic in nature and as we all know, women are often times more level headed and less apt to fly off the hand le over little issues that can be resolved in an agreeable manner when thought out and discussed properly. This could be beneficial or difficult since us Americans believe in more time at work than time with family in today’s working environment. I believe this is an instance where I would need to adjust my work ethic in order to  gain more from these two countries in keeping with their societal beliefs and standards. From my perception of Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions is that two companies in these two countries of Croatia and Slovenia would work very well together and in fact complement one another nicely, leading to great success for the organization. What I have done in the past few pages is to demonstrate the similarities and differences in scores between the countries of Croatia and Slovenia in relation to Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions as well as provided you with the scenario involving two organizations, one located in each country and their business practices relating to the different cultural perspectives. I believe Hofstede’s five dimens ions were quite relevant when originally complied and are still quite relevant today. References Baack, D., Management Communication, 2012. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUBUS600.12.1 Mind Tools Ltd, 1996-2014. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_66.htm The Hofstede Centre, National Cultural Dimensions, n.d. Retrieved from http://geert-hofstede.com/national-culture.html The Hofstede Centre, National Cultural Dimensions, n.d. Retrieved from http://geert-hofstede.com/croatia.html

Essay --

Kevin Cherry Animal Welfare and Rights There has recently been a lot of dispute between those who believe in animal welfare and those who believe in animal rights. Most farm animals today are raised in confinement on huge manufacturing systems that are more like factories than farms. Animal welfare is based on the belief that animals can contribute to humans by providing us with food, work, and entertainment. It also ensures that humans who work with animals follow those moral obligations to provide the animal well-being. Animal rights on the other hand is based on the belief that animals should have the same or similar rights to humans. Animal rights activists believe that humans have no right to use animals at all, no matter how humane their operations are. Animals have always played an important role in agriculture. Much concern for animal welfare is based on the belief that animals have the ability to feel and perceive what is happening to them. This is why it is considered that attention should be paid to their well-being. While the killing of animals for food does not n...

Junk Food Essay

Fast food , the type of food changed our lives. It’s fast, it’s easy to prepare, it’s easy to eat, and it’s cheap. It’s for everyone. It’s for the poor and the non-poor. It’s for students, for managers, for actors, for factory workers, for criminals, for priests†¦ today it seems like fast food was always around and it is not possible to imagine a world without fast food. Even countries like Japan, which has a traditional diet of rice, fish, vegetables and soy products, accepted fast food into their worlds. The biggest help of this growing is advertisement. Fast food advertisements are mainly focusing on television, magazines, billboards and Internet. One of the most powerful ways of advertising fast food is product placement. Product Plac/ement is a term defined as â€Å"the practice of integrating specific products and brands into filmed e/ntertainment. † Product placement was always evolved into the billion-dollar market of Hollywood. As the costs keep increasing for producing movies, studios become ready to make connections with big corporations, which are willing to place their products in a big, particular film. These big connections have big payments. For example â€Å"direct payments for product placement (for instance in License to Kill Phillip Morris Tobacco paid $350,000 for Bond to smoke a Lark cigarette). † Another good example is, In the biggest co-marketing deal in film history, Coca-Cola paid Ј95 million to the producers of Harry Potter for the right o use the film’s logo on it’s cans in what will become a series of films; the first Harry Potter film cost Ј75 million. It went on general release on November 2001 and is expected to be shown on a thousand screens in the UK. The movie was like the big bang as expected. Harry Potter products everywhere sold in huge amounts and consumers attacked to any product of the movie letting the industry behind the scenes to gain more power. Today all major US film studios seeking for brands to place into a film they are producing. Studios don’t pay to the brand owner but the benefits of product placement advertisement are so big to the product name and the film itself that each side promotes the other. Even some smaller studios are seeking for product placement. These movies usually require the product owners to pay television and billboard advertisements. A small film cannot afford these types of advertisements but product placement can. Eric Schlosser is the author who has written about the fast food industry and he presents many of his findings in the book â€Å"Fast Food Nation†. However, his book is not merely an expose of the fast food industry but is even more a consideration of how the fast food industry has shaped and defined American society in America and for other nations as America exports its fast food culture to others. Schlosser describes a great deal of American culture to the fast food mentality, and he finds that globalization is taking the fast food culture around the world at a rapid rate. Schlosser addresses a number of specific issues related to food production and distribution. He connects the social order of a society to the kind of food it eats and the way it eats that food, with American society very much defined by the fast food culture that has developed. Schlosser tends to represent the theory stressing the importance of interdependence among all behavior patterns and institutions within a social system, as can be seen from how he connects fast food to other social processes and institutions. The icon that represents fast food culture for most people is McDonald’s, though the fast food culture developed long before the creation of that restaurant chain. Schlosser considers the impact of such fast-food chains but also considers the primacy of the hamburger in the American diet and some of the dangers it poses. McDonald’s reliance on hamburger is a questionable item for a steady diet in a more health conscious age, and interferes with local customs and food in different parts of the world. Schlosser addresses this issue from several perspectives, beginning with a consideration of how safe the meat really is, not only on the basis of nutritional value but also on the basis of additives, preservatives, diseases, and even potential radioactivity. Some beef is considered questionable, and much of it makes its way through the USDA to school cafeterias Napoleon Bonaparte once said, †A man’s palate can, in time, become accustomed to anything. † While this French emperor may have had some difficulty like the Battle of Waterloo, he certainly has hit the nail on the head this time. The food industry has evolved in ways that may not be distinguishable to the human palate, but hopefully remain distinguishable to the human conscience. With all the options now available to industrial leaders, citizens must be sure to keep them from abusing their powers and continuing to harm employees, animals, and consumers. The best ways are to promote public discourse, to act as the industrial ‘watchdog,’ and to make the most of the power of the consumer†¦ the almighty dollar. Fast Food Industry Name: Course: InstructorÐ ²Ãâ€šÃ¢â€ž ¢s name: Date: Abstract This paper on Fast food industry covers a detailed exploration of the fast food industry to in order to identify new emerging issues in the field of fast foods industry. The paper also significantly projects about the future rends of this economy that is growing tremendously fast. It identifies fast food in a specific region or nation and provides sequence details about that particular market. Experts with experience in economics, politics, and the restaurant industry can be involved in the projections of fast food industry analysis. Health concerns From the time fast foods services were established the chain gangs have intensely emerged throughout the preceding decades. The values of nutrition in fast food providers as well as in the provisions made have diminished as the demand for convenience exploded throughout America. This is due to the many health effects than advantages that those who access these services pose. It has been noted that eating frequently at fast food products leads teens and young adults to gain more weight. This emerging lifestyle poses an increased risk of developing insulin resistance to those practicing it, according to the recent study of National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

Smoking Is The Risks To Teenagers Essay - 1626 Words

Smoking: The Risks to Teens Millions of Americans all over the world make the hasty decision to try their first cigarette before the legal age. Many kids think smoking looks like a cool and exciting new experience to try, but they do not realize how smoking takes a toll on not only the body, but everyone and everything around them. Unfortunately, the choice to smoke as teens impacts the rest of their life. Many adolescents start smoking before the legal age. In high school, teens feel like they need to fit in with a certain crowd. They feel like the only way to have fun is to smoke and drink with their friends and should not do their homework or even going to school because their friends do not go. If someone attends a new school and does†¦show more content†¦Smoking causes other teens to look at them funny and appear as someone they do not want to hang around with. Smoking can cause yellow teeth, wrinkles on the face, and stained hands. It can also make hair, breath, and clothes stink. When stepping into a room where someone had smoked, the smell will most likely stick around for a long time until the room is cleaned or sprayed with some freshener (Not Smoking, 2015). When teens make the decision to smoke, it will cause them to have many physical characteristics that can make them look unappealing. Not only does smoking make people look unattractive, but it can have long lasting effects on the skin and body as well. If someone continues to smoke for a long time, it can hurt their lungs, teeth, skin, and voice. When they smoke, the lungs will fill with the bad smoke, and it will make it hard to breathe. It will also cause the teeth to rot and even possibly fall out. After a long time of smoking, the skin will start to wrinkle and have a leather-styled texture. 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