Stereotypes of Culture Essay Example for Free

Stereotypes of Culture Essay This essay aims to explore benefits and disadvantages for managers to use sophisticated stereotypes. Stereotypes provide international managers an advantage of ‘first guess’ about cultural behaviors in countries and organizations so that they can develop appropriate strategies to cope with cross-cultural problems. However, it causes three drawbacks. If stereotyping is judging a group of people on the basis of theoretical concepts, it will be called ‘sophisticated stereotyping’ (Osland and Bird, 2000). The greatest benefit is sophisticated stereotype offers basic cultural knowledge, and is useful for managers to guess about cultural behavior in a country. Therefore, it is used as assistant tool in building unitary organizational cultures. The tourist firm relied on Hosftede’s framework. Because Japanese are collectivistic while Danish are individualistic, the Danish director had to consider whether provide guidance to Danish staffs or strict control to Japanese staffs, instead using individual competencies for all employees. Another example, the audio-visual firm took a chance of gender differentiation between Denmark and Japan to recruit suitable talents for their Tokyo office because it knows Japanese prefer masculine values. Hence it can say that sophisticated stereotypes can be a helpful weapon in implementing cultural management strategies. In contrast, sophisticated stereotypes cannot capture paradox which is the first disadvantage. In particular, if there are no exact cultures as described, people who depend on generalization studies cultural barriers will get confused. However, people who are acquired with cultural differences via their knowledge and experiences will be able to foresee what is most important and the best thing to do in foreign countries. Second, theoretical studies in national cultures are not sufficient to intercultural business context because international business embraced various cultures across borders. However, such scholars as Hofstede, Hampden-Turner and Trompenaars, Hall have studied in a single-national culture. Furthermore, sophisticated stereotypes do not describe potential cultural changes in intercultural encounters. These scholars had conducted researches for at least 19 years ago. Corporate cultures might change over time as a consequence of changes in perception and modern societies. In this case, national generalizations are useless to fit to intercultural encounters. Thus, managers merely gain insight into multi-cultural management by their experience and new approaches. In conclusion, because of above risks, sophisticated stereotypes merely are useful at the starting point for managers to guess cultural behaviors. Moving beyond sophisticated stereotypes, they need to make incremental changes by using their own knowledge to manage cultural issues.

On Distant View of a Minaret Essay -- essays research papers

In â€Å"Distant View of a Minaret† by Alifa Rifaat, a lonely wife describes life with her husband as â€Å"a world from which she had been excluded† (Rifaat, 1996, p. 256). While a woman paints a picture of a seemingly mundane afternoon, a minaret viewed in the distance provides the reader with vivid symbols of the underlying resignation of expectation and desire she once had for her marriage and her husband. The very first paragraph of the story describes the wife looking at her husband through â€Å"half-closed eyes† and being only â€Å"half-aware of the movements of his body† (Rifaat, 1996, p. 256). While it seems as if the wife is simply depicting waking up from sleep and noticing her husband, immediately upon reading the second paragraph the reader is made aware that the husband and wife are actually having sex. The immediate impression that the reader gets is that this woman is not only not having her needs met and has obviously resigned herself to this type of encounter with her husband by the offhand way she talks about noticing a spider’s web on the ceiling. The bleak tone of this story takes a particularly sad and disturbing tinge when the wife illustrates a scene from early on in her marriage where she tries to get her husband to satisfy her desire and provide her with mutual satisfaction, only to have him rebuke and reprimand her. In fact, the husband responds in such a particularly brusque and hysterical manner that the reader can see how traumatized the wife would have been at ...

Living in a dysfunctional family Essay

â€Å"I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours†. These were the inspiring words of a famous writer and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau that has been etched in my heart as I have envisioned and prepared myself to follow the path that would lead me towards the achievement of my dreams. Living in a dysfunctional family and belonging to the minority are challenges that may either strengthen a person’s character or break a person’s life. Growing up without the full support and presence of my parents was not easy but these circumstances did not dampen my spirit. Instead, being in this situation has awakened my consciousness and I learned to be independent and responsible at an early age. Being the eldest among my siblings, I also became protective and nurturing and I managed to provide a balance between my studies and my responsibilities. At school, I developed a strong interest in subjects like Mathematics, English and History and I have engaged in various sports activities, e. g. soccer, basketball and hockey. Academics and sports have strengthened my mind, body and spirit and have taught me the importance of discipline, team work and camaraderie. In addition, my grandmother, whom I have lived with in the last few years, has instilled the value of obedience, hard work and integrity in my heart. These teachings and qualities will serve as my guiding principle in preparation for a career in law enforcement. Protecting lives and properties and preserving peace are part of my goals in life. I also want to make a difference in the lives of the youth who are lost and who find security in the company of those who violate the law. When I become a law enforcer, I would bridge the gap between my colleagues and the Hispanics and other immigrants so a relationship of trust will be built and strengthened. My entry in the university will not only allow me to interact with people with diverse cultural background. Most importantly, earning a degree in law enforcement will provide me with the skills and knowledge in reaching my dreams and in making a difference in the lives of the youth offenders.

Life Without Travel Is a Life Unlived

A Life Without Travel, is a Life Unlived ‘The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page,’ said St Augustine. I’ve always had a love for travel, give me the resources and point me in a direction and I’m there. ? Just the other week, I had the opportunity to visit one of the largest cities in the world: Hong Kong. That opportunity came to me when I was on my way to work. I got phone call from a friend who just found out about a promo for Cebu Air Pacific for flights to Hong Kong. She asked me if I wanted in. Without any hesitation I said yes! Before even knowing when the dates are, I said yes.That was three months ago. I never had any regret for that decision . We left Baguio around midnight for the long trip to the Diosdado Macapagal Airport. We were excited, eager. We didn’t sleep the whole 4 and a half hour trip. Our flight was scheduled 9 am. We arrived 3 hours early. Yeah, were were excited. After that 3 hour wait and a two hour flight, touchdown Hong Kong! It’s funny that the travel from here to the airport was twice as long as compared to the time going to another country. After clearing customs and swooping our packs, the first thing we did was get something called an Octopus card.The octopus card is Hong Kong’s Universal way of paying for transportation fare. It’s very convenient. You just swipe your card and you can hop on anything. Buses, subways, ferries, trams, you name it. So with that we took a super efficient train right into the heart of Hong Kong. After a 30 minute ride and a few stops, We stepped off the air conditioned train and we were instantly awed by what we saw. There are thousands of people out on the streets shopping, eating and drinking and every street is lit up with electric signs and florescent lights with the classic Asian energy.Our first destination , even before dropping off our bags, was Ngong Ping village, the location of the Giant Buddha. The village is a culturally themed attraction with lots arts and music and you really get a feel for their traditions and culture. Visiting the Giant Buddha was the highlight of the experience that can only be reached by climbing up a 300 hundred step hill. The whole experience took the whole day. After that it was time to head into Hong Kong. The actual city of Hong Kong is built on a small island and for new development–the only place to go, is up.The entire city is covered with monster skyscrapers, huge hotels and super-malls. Transportation is super easy, everything is detailed in both Cantonese and English so it would be very hard to get lost. There’s plenty to see here: experiences of endless shopping, big-city nightlife and delicious dim sum are to be had. Visitors can find both colonial history and modern architecture. Its open society allows many different cultures to flourish and you would see a lot of nationalities there. You would not be surprised to see a lot of fellow kababayans walking around.The second day was spent in DisneyLand. Even though people say its one of the smaller Disneylands, I was still impressed. The first time I saw the Disney castle in the horizon I felt like a kid again. We got to ride all the rides, experience all the shows. It much better than I expected, lots to do there, it took up the whole day. The evening fireworks was unforgettable, with each explosion timed perfectly with the music. Everyone had their mouths open. I can say that, even if we’re grown up and all it still is a magical experience. The third day was for Ocean park.This was a fun filled day out and very good value for money! As well as the obvious scary rides. There was a ride there that when you were in strapped to the roller coaster the floor would disappear and have you ride around and around. Unforgettable. We were lucky enough to see the Pandas at feeding time and it was a wonderful experience to be so close to them. I loved the aquarium, where you can see and watch a whole eco system live in there, with thousands of fishes, sting rays, sharks and all kinds of sea life mingle with each other.With live dolphin shows, tons of stuff to see and do. I think this was my favorite place there. Day four was the day we had to go home. As we were leaving the skylines of Hong Kong, I cant shake of the feeling that it was all worth it. Between budgets and busy schedules, it is not always easy to set aside time and plan a getaway. But as Mark Twain has said, â€Å"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So come out of your comfort zone. Explore. Dream. Discover. †

Karl Marxs Biography

Karl Marxs Biography Introduction Karl Marx was a great German philosopher who lived between 1818 and 1883. Philosophical ideas of Karl Marx revolve around economics, political, and social perspectives of the society. This analytical treatise attempts to explicitly review the philosophical ideas of Karl Marx.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Karl Marx’s Biography specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Karl Marx’s biography Karl Marx was born in 1818 in the town of Prussian Rhineland. During his college education, Marx became an ardent follower of the thought of Young Hegelians which influenced most his works. His philosophy revolved around human society in the elements of class struggle and socialism. As a journalist, he worked for renowned papers such as the Cologne and the New York Tribune, where his columns attracted both criticism and praise in equal measure. Marx died in 1881. Philosophical ideas of Karl Mark Karl Ma rx expressed his sentiments on alienation and pain in the lower class workers imprisonment by the private individuals who have the resources to manipulate and twist social, development, and welfare aspects of the masses in the society. Specifically, the views of Karl Marx on the nature of class struggle, causes and responses to these struggles by the masses were drawn from France during the period of 1848 and 1850. In fact, Marx argued that these private individuals are drawn from the bourgeoisies and the ruling elites in the society. The bourgeoisies are thriving in discrimination and exploitation of labor supply to satisfy their selfishness. Since the bourgeoisies are the masters of labor production tools such as wages, this group, comprising of just a small percent of the society, comfortably sits at the apex of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid and cannot share the huge profits with the actual laborers who are subjected to harsh working conditions to create a surplus fo r their exploitative bosses (Shimp 17). As observed by Marx, the powerful private individuals influence labor laws processes in any country to suit their private needs which he termed as selfish.Advertising Looking for research paper on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Marx described these laws as ‘only good’ when the same meet their opinionated threshold characterized by mere confirmation of their will; which may not necessarily be in line with the will of the underage employees subjected to inhuman work condition with very little and unreasonable pay. Karl Marx further pointed out that the agents of these masses such as labor unions are sometimes compromised to support the selfish course at the expense of the ordinary employees. Marx noted that the exploiters have formalized their definition partial policies in employee welfare and social interaction. The passionate appeals by the exploited proletariats who give ‘free labor’ are ignored by the bias labor policies and internalized corruption among the agents who should regulate these private individuals (Marx 21). Marx’s labor theory of value adopts a very simple approach to describe the type and source of profits in a production activity. Marx suggested that market equilibrium will be reached when market prices and production prices are equal as market competition will conspire to redistribute the excess value. This interaction will ensure that profit would be equalized by the competition. Marx acknowledged the dynamics of the labor market. In the ideal, the segmentation degree is controlled by union and government regulations that are designed to encourage rigidities and drive the costs of labor above the market clearing level. Therefore, the informal sector remains non proportional to reflect on the magnitude of the reforms required. When there is an assigned probability of selection within a spec ific period of time, then the probability of an ingression into formal employment should be a rising experience function in the labor ratios (Marx 11).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Karl Marx’s Biography specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Marx was of the opinion that market equilibrium will be reached when market prices and production prices are equal as market competition will conspire to redistribute the excess value. Thus, increasing the function of production would eventually stabilize the profit rates in any long run production function. Though the approach adopted by Marx was very abstract, he succeeded in extrapolating the factors of product to different labor determinant ratios such as socially standard compulsory labor and the abstract labor to a homogeneous labor called the â€Å"multiple of unskilled labor† (Shimp 22). Karl Mark had bitter sentiments of alienation and pain in lower class imprisonment by the ruling class who have the resources to manipulate and twist social, religious, development, and political aspects of the society. Marx (1859) reflected in the actions of the political class in relation to the ordinary citizens. Marx identified selfishness, definition partial policies, and class systems as propagated by the political classes in capitalist societies (Marx 19). Marx concluded that political revolution is possible if the masses change their perception on labor provision and the laws that imprison them. As a result, he proposed a socialist approach through passionate appeal to the proletariats to rise above the normal way of life and start to question these bias policies and governance of labor which they provide for peanuts (Shimp 18). In a perfectly skewed labor market, Mark argued that wages are supposed to be determined by the cost of production and total output. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The masses are merely spectators of exploi tation as though our hands and minds are imprisoned in the dungeon of social classes. Noting that these bourgeoisies cannot operate and meet their selfish goals minus the labor from the masses, Mark proposed that these ordinary workers could unite and move from mere spectators into agents of quantifiable and desirable change they long to witness (Shimp 19).Advertising Looking for research paper on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion Marx noted that the class struggles were influenced by the economic, social and political disparities between the bourgeoisies and the proletariats in the society. Marx concludes that the only solution to the class struggle is revolution to restore the socialism in the society. This is achievable when the ordinary workers unite and move from mere spectators into agents of quantifiable and desirable change they long to witness. Marx’s theoretical review of historical materialism is applicable in the modern society. The philosopher relates the political, social and religious systems of the past as a result of capitalism. The Marx notes that the building blocks of these systems are inequality, selfishness and vested interest. Apparently, these disparities have continued to promote class struggle in the modern society. The above views are applicable in the modern society because of the fact that development and perception of an individual are greatly influenced by even ts in his or her external environment such as the type of education received, religious doctrines, and the social media of interaction (Shimp 17). At present, these are skewed towards fulfilling selfish ambitions of the minority who are the ruling class in any society. Marx, Karl 1850, The class struggles in France, 1848-1850. PDF file. Web. Marx, Karl 1859, A contribution to the critique of political economy. PDF file. Web. Shimp, Kaleb 2009, The validity of Karl Marx’s theory of historical materialism. Web.

Definition and Examples of Associative Meaning

Definition and Examples of Associative Meaning In semantics, associative meaning refers to the particular qualities or characteristics beyond the denotative meaning that people commonly think of (correctly or incorrectly) in relation to a word or phrase. Also known as  expressive meaning and stylistic meaning. In Semantics: The Study of Meaning (1974), British linguist Geoffrey Leech introduced the term associative meaning to refer to the various types of meaning that are distinct from denotation (or conceptual meaning): connotative, thematic, social, effective, reflective, and collocative. See Examples and Observations below. Also, see: Conceptual MeaningConnotationFigurative MeaningGlittering GeneralitiesMeaningPolysemyReflected MeaningSemanticsSemantic TransparencyStipulative DefinitionSubtextSynonymy Examples and Observations A good example of a common noun with an almost universal associative meaning is nurse. Most people automatically associate nurse with woman. This unconscious association is so widespread that the term male nurse has had to be coined to counteract its effect.(Sndor Hervey and Ian Higgins, Thinking French Translation: A Course in Translation Method, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2002)Cultural and Personal AssociationsA word can sweep by your ear and by its very sound suggest hidden meanings, preconscious association. Listen to these words: blood, tranquil, democracy. You know what they mean literally but you have associations with those words that are cultural, as well as your own personal associations.(Rita Mae Brown, Starting From Scratch. Bantam, 1988)Pig[W]hen some people hear the word pig they think of a particularly dirty and unhygienic animal. These associations are largely mistaken, at least in comparison with most other farm animals (although their association with various cultural tradi tions and related emotional responses are real enough), so we would probably not include these properties in the connotations of the word. But the associative meaning of a word often has very powerful communicative and argumentative consequences, so it is important to mention this aspect of meaning.(Jerome E. Bickenbach and Jacqueline M. Davies, Good Reasons for Better Arguments: An Introduction to the Skills and Values of Critical Thinking. Broadview Press, 1998) Conceptual Meaning and Associative MeaningWe can . . . make a broad distinction between conceptual meaning and associative meaning. Conceptual meaning covers those basic, essential components of meaning that are conveyed by the literal use of a word. It is the type of meaning that dictionaries are designed to describe. Some of the basic components of a word like needle in English might include thin, sharp, steel instrument. These components would be part of the conceptual meaning of needle. However, different people might have different associations or connotations attached to a word like needle. They might associate it with pain, or illness, or blood, or drugs, or thread, or knitting, or hard to find (especially in a haystack), and these associations may differ from one person to the next. These types of associations are not treated as part of the words conceptual meaning. . . .Poets, songwriters, novelists, literary critics, advertisers, and lovers may all be interested in how word s can evoke certain aspects of associative meaning, but in linguistic semantics, were more concerned with trying to analyze conceptual meaning.(George Yule, The Study of Language, 4th ed. Cambridge University Press, 2010) The Lighter Side of Associative MeaningMichael Bluth: What do you think of when you hear the word, Sudden Valley?George Michael Bluth: Salad dressing, I think. But for some reason, I dont want to eat it.Michael Bluth: Right. But Paradise Gardens?George Michael Bluth: Yeah. Okay, I can see marinating a chicken in that.(Jason Bateman and Michael Cera in Switch Hitter. Arrested Development, 2005)

WHY IS CHINA AND THE COMMUNIST PARTY PRESENTIND THE HISTORY OF ZHENGS Essay

WHY IS CHINA AND THE COMMUNIST PARTY PRESENTIND THE HISTORY OF ZHENGS HE'S EXPEDITIONS POSITIVELY TODAY & DO YOU THINK CHINA CAN REPRSENT A ONE SIDED INTERPRETA - Essay Example There have been attempts to place Zheng He as predicting the emergence of China as a world power in the modern day. Several efforts by the Communist Party early suggest that it wants â€Å"to signal to its own people that it has recaptured past glory, while reassuring foreign countries that China can be strong and non-threatening at the same time.† (Kahn) However, the Chinese efforts to present a one sided interpretation of the explorer cannot be justified in this modern age of improved international cooperation among the world nations. It would be more advantageous for every nation to provide factual evidences to historical events and China, certainly, needs to present the objective facts in their attempt to make a better image of their fast. Historical facts and figures cannot be misinterpreted by any nation for its vested interest as there is no monopoly for any particular individual or nation over the truths of the past. The present criticisms by several intellectuals of the various parts of the world against the Chinese efforts to present a one sided interpretation of Zheng He indicates the same. In conclusion, while China has every right to have a pleasing image about its present and past, this cannot be at the cost of historical