...in international business one must be knowledgeable in other cultures. This includes knowing cultural beliefs: a set of learned interpretations that form the basis for cultural members to decide what is and what is not logical and correct. Cultural values which is what a culture regards as good or bad, right or wrong, valuable or worthless, appropriate or inappropriate, etc. Cultural norms consist of things such as greeting behaviors, what is considered good manners, and how to gain someone’s attention. And social practices tie it all together, because it is the outward manifestation of beliefs, values and norms; consisting of the typical behavior patterns that individuals of a specific culture follow (Intercultural Communication, n.d.). Italy is an Italian speaking country in south central Europe, it is beautiful not only for its landscape but for its history and culture. Rome has been religious and political center of western civilization as the capital of the Roman Empire. Italy is dubbed as the world’s “living art gallery” because you are always surrounded by magnificent pieces of art. Sculptures and paintings from some of the most brilliant artists in history were made and are found in Italy (World Explorer). Ninety percent of the population in Italy is Roman Catholic; therefore most of the cultural in Italy is based around the Church and the love for art. This could make it very difficult for another culture to feel comfortable in Italy and be able to communicate if they...
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...Puerto Rico The definition of culture is “is a series of visual manifestations and interactions with the environment that make a region and/or a group of people different from the rest of the world” (Rivera, 2011). Living in the West Side of Buffalo my entire life I have been surrounded by many different cultures. Most of my very good friends are Puerto Rican and I have learned a lot about their culture from being around them. It’s always nice to experience others traditions who are different from your own. Many believe that Spaniards from Spain and Puerto Ricans are all the same. They are absolutely not the same and anybody from Spain and Puerto Rico will tell you that. There are many religions on the island, but the main religion in Puerto Rico which is practiced is the Catholic faith. “Catholicism holds the majority with 85% of the population” ("Puertorico.com," 2004). A huge custom in the Puerto Rican culture is a Quinceañera. Both sexes celebrate but it is more for the girls than the boys. The main differences between Spaniards and Puerto Ricans are the language they speak. Although they both speak Spanish, they do not speak the same Spanish. Spaniards Spanish tend to be more complex and proper. In schools in America we learn Spaniard Spanish. Puerto Ricans speak a much less complicated Spanish that has a hint of slang and too many adds or subtracts letters from words. There are minor differences between the food of Spaniards and Puerto Ricans, but not much. Puerto...
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...2015 Concept Paper on Culture Culture. What defines culture by the way? Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving. The meaning says it all. But, as for me, culture is communication, and communication is culture. It is something, or either one way of expressing the lifestyle or the way of living of a certain group of people. Culture is more likely a language, where all people who are involved with it understands each other, because they are used to it for a long period of time. I came from the province of Pampanga, a province located in the Central Luzon, as my parents does too. And of course, all things there captures my mind, but one thing captured me the most, and that is the culture of the province. One significant, remarkable sign of Pampanga is having nice people who has the ability to cook unique food, or dishes rather, deliciously imponderable. And because of that, Pampanga is known as the “Culinary Capital of the Philippines”. And it is so much fun hearing about that, that many tourist was attracted to visit the province for their remarkable cooking. As I’ve said earlier, my parents came from Pampanga, so it is not that surprising that they know some of the cultures of the province...
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...Dag Hammarsköld once said, “The present moment is significant, not as the bridge between past and future, but by reason of its contents, which can fill our emptiness and become ours, if we are capable of receiving them.” The Swedish culture is a lot like this quote, they take advantage of every moment that passes even if it’s not so significant, focus on the present not the past or the future. In Sweden there is a high preference for a loosely-knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of themselves and their immediate families. In individualistic societies the employers and employees relationship is a contract based on mutual advantage, hiring and promotion and the decisions are supposed to be based on merit only. The Swedish culture is more of a low-context culture, meaning they place less emphasis on personal relationships and more emphasis on verbalized, explicit explanations. Swedish individuals make criticism private for distinction. They believe when you make criticism public it is embarrassing. Also, Sweden is a low-distance culture, where the power is evenly distributed throughout the citizens. In Sweden a person is expected to select friends and romantic partners not on the basis of class or culture but on the basis of such individual factors as personality, and appearance. Swedish individuals are expected to confront friends, their partner, and even their supervisor assertively; it’s based on a general feeling of equality that is consistent...
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...Writing Assignment Three All cultures add a twist to their food that make it unique them. These cultures could be Asian, Italian, American, etc. and it is evident that other cultures enjoy their food by all of the restaurants that serve their distinctive style of cuisine. During this paper I am going talk about Mexican culture and what seasonings, flavors, and spices they use and why their culture loves to use them in their diet. The decision to talk about Mexican culture’s type of food and the ingredients that they entail came from the fact that I know as much about Mexican food culture as I do American. Being from Texas, you will have a mixture of both in your community. For example, in our local café, the most popular item on the menu...
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...Nontraditional Culture Paper By PSY 450 Michele Wagner April 14, 2014 Traditional and nontraditional culture paper America versus Indian culture Around the world, there are numerous cultures that are traditional and nontraditional. Traditional cultures are rules, beliefs, values of rural and non-industrialized group in which their practice is very strict and are non-willing for any social change or innovation (Shiraev & Levy, 2010). Nontraditional cultures are grounded on more modern views and are willing for any modification mostly base on technology, science and media (Shiraev & Levy, 2010. Comparing and contrasting American and Indian cultures would facilitate to identify the traditional and nontraditional values, belief and behaviors among these two cultures Similar Values in Indian and American Cultures Despite being on opposite sides of the world, some values are shared between Indian and American culture. One similar value is the importance placed on religion or faith. While religion is more prominent in Indian culture, it is also present in American culture as it’s seen in the constant battles for keeping the name “God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, in the phrase “In God We Trust,” on American currency, and open discussion of faith. On the other hand, in India pictures and statues of deities are commonly seen, worship takes place openly, and religious expression in fashion and accessories is more prevalent. Another shared value between the two cultures is the...
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...Organizational Structure and Culture Paper NUR 492 October 21, 2013 Tisa Carlisle Organizational Structure and Culture Paper This paper will review the organizational structure and culture of Palmetto Health, an acute care hospital located in Columbia, South Carolina. The focus will be on the medical-surgical unit. The paper will review the type of organizational structure and how communication is affected by the social and cultural aspects of this hospital. Also discussed is how Palmetto Health provides client-centered care to accomplish their mission statement, “To be remembered by each patient as providing the care and compassion we want for our families and ourselves” (Palmetto Health, 2013). Type of Organizational Structure The type of organizational structure used at Palmetto Health is a hybrid structure. This organizational structure, as it grows, organizes both self-contained units and functional units into a hybrid organization (Sullivan & Decker, 2009). This hybrid structure improves alignment between corporate and service goals. The hybrid structure also encourages better adaptation to the environment while maintaining its efficiency. A weakness of the hybrid structure is conflict between top administration and managers. Managers often resent administrators’ intrusions into what they see as their area of responsibility. Over time, these organizations tend to accumulate large corporate staff to oversee divisions in an attempt to coordinate service...
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...A humbling laughing matter On our pastoral counseling practicum class I learned many things while in Cuba, from topics that spanned culture, politics, and society. However, the two topics that interested me the most had to be the daily living of the Cuban people and my personal development as a counselor in a intercultural settings. In addition to that, I must say that within our group grace was prevalent in ways I have never experience before. Looking back I can definitely say that if there was any topic that I learned the most about while abroad I would have to say that topic would have to be myself. You see, the Cuban people have been in this situation for a very long time, and as even the Cubans say, I rather laugh at the situation them to be preoccupied. A situation of limitations and even lack of the very things they need on the daily basis, such as food, medicine and clothing among other things. Whereas in the USA, where there are no limitations the...
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...How do I define my culture? This is a very thoughtful question… I was born and raised in Mexico, I am family oriented person, I feel more comfortable speaking my own language (Spanish) mostly when I express my feelings, I love Mexican food, and of course I love my country. I like to visit my family in Mexico and fill up my cup, get recharged (Enculturation) and come back to the US. Even though, there are many things that connect me with the Mexican culture, I cannot identify myself as 100% Mexican. There are some aspects of the Mexican culture that I cannot relate to, such as impunctuality, people not respecting the driving laws, and closed minded mentality (e.g. marriage between male and female, males have to be the providers in the household,...
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...Cajun Culture Louisiana is a state with many traditions. The history of Cajuns is important and shares a lot of information about their culture and how they made their way of life. The Cajuns taught how to live off the land, and made things with what they had. The state is part pioneer, plantation, farmstead, and fisherman's camp. Overtime Cajuns have taken in and been affected by a wide array of cultures in the area. “Indians provided the model for what is now called the pirogue, a boat associated today with Cajun culture” (Comeaux). The classic dugout pirogue was only 14ft long and light enough to be carried by one individual. Traditional boatbuilding took place in small villages located in the watery frontiers of south Louisiana. It...
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...Small Project 2 Culture means to cultivate, and comes from the Latin colere. Culture is generally all that complexity of ideas and actions that includes knowledge, art, beliefs, law, morals, customs and all the habits and skills acquired by man, not only in family, but also for being part of a society as a member. Each country has its own culture, which is influenced by several factors. Brazilian culture is marked by cheerfulness and joy, and this is also reflected in the music, in the case of Samba, which is also part of Brazilian culture. Taking that into consideration, we can say that many past cultures played a significant role in the whole world to create the cultures that we are currently making part of. The main characteristic of culture...
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...In analyzing the Chile’s cultural dimension, it was exciting learning about all the social differences that distinctively identify the Chilean culture. While communication is universal throughout the world, the Chilean population primarily speaks Spanish along with other native languages spoken by the locals, opposed to the primary language of English spoken in the United States (US). Important to highlight is that in the Chilean culture some business agreements occur over casual conversation, and not in written form, it’s a verbal agreement that is honored, opposed to how business agreements are handled in the US, where contracts have to be a formal document (Kelm, 2011). Furthermore, religion in Chile and the US are similar in that a high...
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...Popular American Culture Paper Marie Loggia-Kee SOC/105 July 18, 2011 University of Phoenix Popular American Culture Paper When we talk about American Pop Culture, we are talking about society today, and how it has made a difference from the past. Culture is defined appreciating good music, food, and art. We see culture in our everyday lives; we eat, breathe, and speak culture in our homes. People become used to what is consider the new style. In our modern world, others refuse to participate. American Pop Culture is defined as culture that refers to the knowledge and customs of a specific group during a specific period of time, and simultaneously reflects and influences behaviors (Petracca & Sorapure, 2007). With the media changing through the years, our social habits have changed drastically for some, and not for others. For example I used to write letters to my family overseas, and now we email each other or use Facebook to keep in touch with all the updates within our family. Technology has gotten better throughout the years. With new technologies, everyone wants to be involved with in. Another great example of new technology is researching. We used to go to libraries to research on a book, product, or person. Now we are able to do it online in the comfort of our own homes. We also get to shop online which is another great example of pop culture. American pop culture has influenced our lives in many ways, like fashion for instance. Some of us like the new trend...
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...Popular American Culture Paper By. Jackie Thompson Soc. 105 June 7, 2012 Professor Susan Kessler American Pop Culture Culture is something that is learned from birth, it affects the way a person looks at themselves, and their surroundings. Someone’s culture influences their preference in music, food, clothing, hair styles, parenting skills, social skills, and the way someone reacts to their environment. Pop culture is everywhere we look from television, radio, magazines, billboards, newspapers, family, friends, co-workers, professors, and classmates all of these things influences our lives in one way or another. It influences the way we behave in public, what we say, and the way we react to our giving surroundings in a specific time period, which is forever changing depending on what society finds acceptable at that point in time. Three trends in today’s American culture, starting with the biggest is reality TV, such as “Keeping up with the Kardashians”, “Jersey Shore”, “The Bachelor”, and “Teen Mom”. These reality shows have became a huge hit here in America, being able to watch these peoples personal issues play out right before your eyes is fascinating to some and boring to other. The second major trend would be the body modification, such as tattoos and or piercings. I believe that people are enjoying decorating their bodies not only to make themselves even more unique, but to express their own personality. Thirdly there is the large variety of music in today’s...
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...Culture has been developed over time, molded by generations, and shared in the growth of life. Art, clothing, language, religion, literature, and customs all play a fatal part in people’s diverse cultural values, from all corners of the earth. Sharing culture usually inhabits the same area of the world. By doing so most values and beliefs carry on for generations. It provides a sense of unity with the groups creating traditions values and beliefs. Experience is what carries culture through generations. Adopting old traditions and customs propagate culture. Culture is earned throughout a life time nobody is simply born with it. Gradually changing over time, some traditions, beliefs, and rituals are pushed to the wayside....
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