Cultural Awareness Essay

Culture and the environment affect a business in many ways. Culture is not simply a different language, a different shade of skin, or different styles of food. Culture, and the environment in which you are a part of, affect the running of day to day business operations of all companies’ day in and day out. This paper will assess how Linda Myers, from the article, â€Å"The would-be pioneer,† (Green, S. , 2011) was affected by the huge culture shock of working for a global conglomerate from Seoul, South Korea. We will discuss what went wrong with Ms. Myers approach to business, Hofstede’s five dimensions of culture as it pertains to the article, and make some recommendations based on the author’s thoughts. Let’s first start by discussing how culture and environment affect management in an institution. A culture and its environment affect the operations of a business because that culture generates practices based on its environment. To clarify, how a business sets its policies is based on cultural exceptions, like politics, points of view, whatever is considered the â€Å"norm† for that environment. In many cultures, it is also safe to assume that women do not have the same pull as a man in charge. An example of how women are belittled can be women in Middle Eastern countries that are forced to wear veils to cover their faces and walk behind their husbands, not hand in hand like in Western cultures. Politics plays a huge part in how a company runs as well. If a country is firm in the belief that men are the only way to accomplish goals and run the government, then companies under that government will more than likely have the same approach. Many countries still believe that men are superior and don’t quite believe that women should be in the workplace. We have seen American culture change to where women successfully run businesses. These gender based assumptions are inadequate to reality, however, some countries still hold on to those beliefs. For Ms. Myers, being successful in America, did not translate to being successful in South Korea. Although she was an executive, she had many barriers that hindered her from adequately helping the company in the ways that she wanted. Hofstede’s Five Dimensions of Culture  Dr. Geert Hofstede created the first four dimensions of culture in the 1970’s after analyzing statistical data from IBM over the course of many years. In the 1990’s he created the fifth dimension after noticing specific cultural differences in Asian countries and their ties to Confucian philosophy. (www. mindtools. com) The five dimensions are as follows: Power/Distance (PD), Individualism (IDV), Masculinity (MAS), Uncertainty/Avoidance Index (UAI), and Long Term Orientation (LTO). I will only discuss a few of these as they seem more prominent to this case. First, let’s talk about the Power/Distance (PD) dimension as it pertains to Ms. Myers in South Korea. Power/Distance (PD), â€Å"refers to the degree of inequality that exists- and is accepted- among people with and without power. A high PD score indicates that society accepts an unequal distribution of power, and that people understand â€Å"their place† in the system. Low PD means that power is shared and well dispersed. † (www. mindtools. com) As an example from the article, Myers goes on to say, â€Å"there were basically four levels: VP, director, manager, and worker bee. You only talked to people at your level. SK Telecom boasted that they were one of the first Korean cultures to rid themselves of a strictly hierarchal form of running. However, Myers saw that although they said that, they did not embrace that to the fullest. Merely putting something on paper does not constitute practicing the said task. In order for the company to have abolished the hierarchal form of leadership, they would have needed to instill better practices and allow more input from all levels of the company. Masculinity (MAS) refers to how a society views/values the traditional aspects of male versus female roles. This dimension ascertains that men are in the positions of power and women are to be in the home, or hold less valuable roles in the workplace. This example is considered a workplace with high MAS. A workplace with low MAS is considered to have male and female positions; however, those positions work closely together and do not get in the way of the work environment. This traditional view was another obstacle in Ms. Myers’ venture in Korea. The company brought her in to fix their issues with cultural growth, but did not utilize her to the best of her ability. She failed to recognize that the Eastern culture she was working for, did not allow her to have a longer â€Å"leash† like the American/Western companies she had worked for in the past. Uncertainty/Avoidance Index shows how anxiety of workers affects the workplace. High UAI is considered looking for rules and regulations for all situations. There is no â€Å"grey† area and everyone is to operate exactly the same. Low UAI refers to there being less rule writing and more personal growth and interpretation of the conflict or decision. In this article, I would say that SK Telecom had a high UAI however; Ms.  Myers herself was a person working with low UAI. Her anxiety and how she approached situations was not in-tune with the policies and procedures of the company. There were cultural boundaries such as language and expectations that she did not know how to confront. Although she was qualified for the position, she really was not prepared well enough to meet the tasks and policies of the company based on her experiences. The last dimension that really applies to this case is Long Term Orientation or LTO. This refers to how a company values a member’s loyalty/seniority in the company. Men and long time employees have more pull in the workplace. I feel as though SK Telecom valued the opinions of those members who had been with the company for a substantial amount of time. Bringing an outsider in to work, did not work with how the company operated internally. SK Telecom had high LTO and again Myers’ internal operation was with low LTO, a promotion of equality, creativity and individualism. Conclusion In this paper I discussed, The Would-Be Pioneer by Green. We discussed how the cultural differences affected Ms. Myers and how different South Korea is compared to Western culture. We also covered the four of five Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions that applied to the article. We discussed Power/Distance, Masculinity, Uncertainty/Avoidance Index, and Long Term Orientation, all of the factors that played a part in Myers’ failure as a consultant with SK Telecom. In the future, for those who look to work abroad, we should study as much about the culture as possible. We need to understand as much as possible about the work environment in which we work, if we wish to succeed in a foreign government.

Complexity theory in public management Research Paper

Complexity theory in public management - Research Paper Example Unfortunately, complexity theory has little been used in public management. In other social sciences, for example economics, evolutionary approach has widely been used instead of complexity theory. The question on whether complexity theory can increase our understanding of the phenomena of public management is intriguing. Weber (2008) says that the public sector has largely been ignored because of its stale and impractical ideas which are only based on the understanding of its existence. Public management has in the recent past crumbled and therefore, its time to replace its proliferation of frameworks, theories and concepts (Weber, 2008). Because of complexities in public management theories, public management has split into many sub-strands, like sociologists, political scientists, economists, and management theorists, who are developing alternative theories that try to explain management in the public sector. Complexity theory and problem resolution Complexity theory helps to addr ess problems of decision making and service delivery in public management. ... Complexity theory has all potentials of addressing the challenges in public policy and management that practitioners face. They are also important in weaving many theoretical strands in management of public sectors into a seamless whole. Early works that have tried to connect public management with complexity theory related concepts wasted by great scholars like Douglas Kiel and Sam Overman among others (Weber, 2008). Public management policy has recognized limitations that they are prune to due to the complexity and diversity of human nature. Decision making is characterized by both practical and theoretical limitations due to rational; thinking and comprehensive protocols. Complexity theory provides the groundwork within which alternative ways of understanding these rationalist protocols and logistics can be recognized. According to Weber, complexity theories may be the only solution that will help increase theory’s coherence and re-invigoration of the discipline across many perspectives that bear these problems in public management. Complex adaptive system is particularly suggested as an essential way of understanding systems that provide an intellectual framework where fresh understanding of the systems of public management can be observed and sought. The multiplicity, non linear interactions and intensity of complexity theory seems to agree with complex adaptive theory. Though their outcomes are rarely fully predictable, they may not serve their purpose well in public management. Emergent order and self- organization concepts seem like characterizations that are reasonable. Effects of complexity theory on management practices in current systems Complexity theory gives the public sector a big room for improving the understanding of public management and

The social network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The social network - Essay Example The dialogues also underline Zuckerberg’s need to belong to one of the prestigious Final Clubs, and his almost rabid obsession. This is strengthened by the success of his friend Eduardo Saverin in getting into Phoenix, one of the exclusive clubs at Harvard. The movie is clearly written from Saverin’s point of view. Thus, the movie alternates between the early days of Facebook [When it was known as ‘The Facebook’] and the independent lawsuits involving Saverin and the Winklevoss twins against Zuckerberg. If the movie had been written from the Winklevoss’ twins perspective, it would perhaps have focused more on the definition of an idea and their allegations that mark Zuckerberg stole their idea. That makes for interesting thought. Did Zuckerberg steal their idea? Or did he improve upon it so substantially that it was something different from their idea? As put by Zuckerberg in the movie, he believes that Facebook was his own product and that the Winklevoss’ team did not have either the competence or imagination to build such a thing. The movie also makes us think about the importance of intellectual property. What was merely an idea in 2004 is now worth billions. Should the Winklevoss team have done something much earlier? Shouldn’t they have filed for restraining orders and injunctive reliefs? Perhaps they should have. However, in that case Facebook would perhaps never have been what it is today. Another important aspect of the film is the analysis of Saverin and Zuckerberg’s relationship with each other. Saverin is portrayed as likeable and someone who tried his best to make Facebook a success. However, it is clear that he does not have control over the frenetic pace with which Facebook develops, and how he ends up losing out to Sean Parker, in terms of Zuckerberg’s affection. At the end Zuckerberg ends up settling with both the parties. However, it would be wrong to castigate Zuckerberg. Mark Zuckerberg

Nuclear generators Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nuclear generators - Term Paper Example The steam is then used to power the turbines that generate power. In nuclear generators, the fuel comes from nuclear fission, which is essentially the breakdown of the nucleus of a heavy atom into two smaller and lighter nuclei. The primary fuel in nuclear generators is uranium, either enriched, in its natural state, or in combination with plutonium. ... This is true for so-called reactors that are based on light-water designs, and the table below details the different types of decay, emitted radiation, and the associated charge, mass and energy (National Academy of Sciences): Table Source: National Academy of Sciences Decay Process Radiation Emitted Mass (amu) Electrical Charge Typical Energy (MeV) Alpha Emission Alpha particle (?) 4 +2 4–9 Beta Emission Beta particle () 0.0005 ?1 0–3 Positron Emission Positron (?+) 0.0005 +1 0–3 Â   Two gamma-rays (?) 0 0 0.51 Electron Capture Characteristic x-ray 0 0 0–0.1 Internal Transition Gamma-ray (?) 0 0 0.1–3 Internal Conversion Converted electron (e?) 0.0005 ?1 0.1–1 Â   Characteristic x-ray 0 0 0.0–1 Neutron Emission Neutron (n) 1 0 0–14 Spontaneous Fission (e.g., Cf-252) Fission products and other radiations — — ?200 Table Source: National Academy of Sciences As earlier discussed, power is generated in nuclear power generators/reactors largely through fission, and largely through the use of two types of radioactive fuels, namely uranium and plutonium, either alone or in combination. The plot below provides what are called yield curves for two fuel types, uranium-235 and plutonium 239, as a function of the mass number (National Academy of Sciences; World Nuclear Association; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory): Graph Source: National Academy of Sciences/CPSMA Fission yields are related to the amount of the element that is generated for every fission reaction that occurs. The yield curve that is generated is basically the same for every kind of known fission reaction, and so the plot above is universalizable and replicable,

Measurement, appreciation, and knowledge are key terms in James's The Essay

Measurement, appreciation, and knowledge are key terms in James's The Beast in the Jungle. How do these w - Essay Example Even when May, on her deathbed told him had the beast had already struck him, he could not make out what the beast was. He had failed to appreciate the importance of May in his life and did not reciprocate her affection. It was only after her death that he gained knowledge of his fate that he was the only man in the world to whom nothing had ever happened. He realized that he had been wasting his life and the doom that had befallen him was actually the loneliness which he had earned because of his futile anticipations of the unknown beast. Marcher failed to measure the vastness of life and never appreciated its significance. He had wasted his life as he always waited for some extraordinary thing to happen to him while not yearning for any. Had he appreciated the value of his life, he would have been a happy man without having regret as his final abode (James). Works Cited James, Henry. The Beast in the Jungle. CreateSpace, 2011.Print.

The Souls of Black Folk by Du Bois Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Souls of Black Folk by Du Bois - Term Paper Example He says in the book, "One hesitates, therefore, to criticize a life which beginning with so little, has done so much. And yet the time is come when one may speak in all sincerity and utter courtesy of the mistakes and shortcomings of Mr. Washington's career as well as of his triumphs, without being captious or envious and without forgetting that it is easier to do ill than well in the world† (Documenting the American South). Starting with the issue of education, Washington had given the proposal of providing industrial education to blacks in order to alleviate their position in the society. Du Bois, however, held different views and criticized this proposal by saying that the education provided to blacks should not be industrial; rather, it should be one which would form leaders and educators in the black community. He believed that this would prove to be beneficial in the long run and I believe he is right in stating this. The black community needed people from among them who would continue to work for the rights of the blacks, rather than people who would only benefit their own surroundings. Education for African Americans would not only make the social position of people better but also improve the views that others held about blacks. As Du Bois believed, educating the African American would also remove any misconceptions about the black race and would help people recognize the contribution they were making to the society. Du Bois is also critical of Washington as he seems to promote the idea of submissiveness of blacks to the whites’ system. He does this by recommending that blacks give up three major privileges that make them a significant part of the society: political power, i.e. the right to vote, civil rights and higher education. Without these things, it is not possible for African Americans to make economic progress and grow as a society. Without such rights, African Americans would not be able to look at themselves in a respectful way, let alone having others do so. Without an identity of their own, they would not be able to break out of their own shell and move higher up in the society; rather, they will remain submissive all their lives. Washington was focused more on peacefully co-existing in a society dominated by the whites while Du Bois wanted to break this dominance and lead the African American community towards social, political and economic advancement. The policies of Washington seemed that he appeased the white status quo, instead of improving that of the blacks. This was evident through the fact that he believed that the African Americans should retain their status as farmers, work on cash crops and continue living in the south. He discouraged them from moving up north and demanding civil rights. This makes us doubtful of his ability as a leader, as he did not try to improve the position of his people but rather helped them adjust to their circumstances. Du Bois criticized his views as he believed tha t blacks needed education, not economics, to prosper. With higher education, there would be higher paying jobs and hence a stronger position in the society coupled with economic equality and parity. This was put into words by Du Bois in the following quote: "If we make money the object of maintaining, we shall develop

International economical and political environment Essay

International economical and political environment - Essay Example infrastructure, including enterprise storage and server technology, networking products and resources, and software that optimizes business technology investments; personal computing and other access devices, and imaging and printing-related products and services (HP, 2010a). It has currently gone through a significant management reshuffling at the top level (Business Week, 2010), which has courted several controversies putting the company in a tight spot over a range of critical issues and serious concerns have been raised on various aspects of management ranging from sustaining the current market position to expanding and diversifying its portfolio. The change in the top level management i.e. the internal environment coupled with the changes in external environment are posing fresh challenges to the technology giant, which are discussed in the following section. Currently HP faces stringent competition from its rivals such as Dell, Oracle and IBM who are competing for a greater market share. Dell and HP are fierce rivals in the hardware segment while Oracle continues to give tough competition in the software division. Moreover, the rapidly changing technological environment is posing newer challenges. The market for HP’s products is changing drastically in tandem with the rapidly changing consumer taste and preferences. According to Robin Purohit – the General Manger and Vice President of HP’s software products: Moreover, HP is steadily entering into the software business which has strong rivals such as Oracle. HP has a large portfolio of products, primarily dealing in hardware and such a transformation might affect its profitability in other stronger segments of its business. While Oracle on the other hand, has a strong business presence in the market especially in the software segment. Furthermore, there is a significant rise in the Asian PC markets which is eating away the market share of top firms. Although HP continues to lead this market segment,