Cultural Differences and People Management Essay

Cultural Differences and People Management - Essay Example This study shall discuss the aspects which make up this cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity. It shall also discuss the aspects of organisational life which are particularly influenced by cross-cultural differences. Body Accomplishing any work with the assistance of other people calls for the engaging flow of data in the workplace. However, in the current diverse work setting this is difficult to accomplish. Managers would often find themselves frustrated by employees who nod at everything they say without manifesting any clear comprehension of the instructions. However, culture is a major part of people’s behaviour on the job (Gardenswarts and Rowe, 2001). It dictates the way people talk with one another, the way they speak, how they manage conflicts, how they relate with the opposite sex or with other religions, and how they participate in office activities. There are various cultural norms which impact on a manager’s reactions, including hierarchy and status; gro ups versus individual orientation; time consciousness; communication; and conflict resolution (Gardenswarts and Rowe, 2001, p. 2). Managers who do not fully understand the impact of culture in the workplace often end up misinterpreting behaviours and creating a culturally divisive workplace. There are four cultural dimensions which apply to any organization. Hofstede (1980) mentions these as: power distance, masculinity/femininity; individualism/collectivism; and uncertainty avoidance. Individualism/collectivism refers to the relations between individuals and groups within the organisation (Hofstede and Bond, 1988). For highly individualistic societies, individuals often do not exist well in the collective setting as easily as those who are in collective societies and they are expected to be fend for themselves and not to consider other people for support. On the other hand, the more collectivist groups are part of a greater group who offer support to one another (Lowe, et.al., 1988 ). These societies function in a group structure in a family setting or large regional communities. The individualist or collective culture in the organisation impacts significantly in the management of the work setting, especially in instances when the culture of the organization or the corporation is individualist (Lowe, et.al., 1988). The burden of making such an environment more engaged in a multicultural set-up is on the manager. Masculinity/femininity within the work setting refers to gender roles in the workplace and how these genders are managed and accommodated in the work setting (Hofstede and Bond, 1988). There may be differences in the values placed on men and women with male values being more assertive and female values being more nurturing. In the workplace, the manager is often faced with issues which relate to gender discrimination, including homophobia (Lowe, et.al., 1988). The demand for the manager in these instances is to make the decisions based on non-gender re lated considerations or gender-based biases. Power distance as a cultural aspect of an organisation is based on â€Å"individual interactions and communication differentials between executive and employee† (Kaskel, 2010, p. 22). Humans have the ability to accept the hierarchical structure of most situations; other times, they cannot accept these situations. Individual interact

English class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

English class - Essay Example Alcohol also served as a source of important nutrients and was widely used for antiseptic and medicinal purpose. Apart from alcohol serving as a nutrient source, it also served as a thirst quencher and played an important function in enhancing the quality of life and enjoyment. In this case, it facilitated relaxation and increased appetite for food. While alcohol has been beneficial to many in the past and even today, alcohol has been misused by a minority of drinkers (United States 43). The misuse of alcohol in most of the countries has necessitated the drafting of laws to regulate the consumption of alcohol. These laws, according to a number of writers and scholars, were drafted with minors in mind. Most of the countries in the world, have Alcoholic Drinks laws that demand a lot of regulations from the stakeholders in the brewing and alcohol consumption sector. All these laws all over the world have one clause in common that, there is a right age to consume alcohol. Majority of cou ntries prefer 18 years and others 17 years. However, the United State of America, puts the minimum age at which one can consume alcohol at 21 years (United States 56). The reasons why the law makers put the minimum alcohol consumption age at 21 years has generated heated debate. ... In this sense, it was clear that, the national law prohibited public possession and purchase of alcoholic beverages but it failed to address the fact that persons under the age of 21 should not drink. This gap came about because â€Å"The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984† defined the term â€Å"public possession,† but indicated that it did not apply in a number of place. The first place was in an established religious function where the minor, was accompanied by a parent or guardian who was 21 years and above. The second case was when alcohol was consumed for medical purposes prescribed by a licensed dentists, physician, nurse, medical institution or hospital (United States 34). The third one was in private clubs and finally, in the lawful employment by a licensed retailer, wholesaler or manufacturer. The law did not achieve its main objective because minors took advantage of the gaps and abused alcohol. The question why the law put the minimum drinking age at 21, was posed to the main lawmakers who drafted the law. Their response was that they aimed to reduce the number of car accidents caused by drunk drivers. The youth have condemned this response and called upon law makers to have put the age at 18 years because at this age, one is mature to make decisions. The United States law on elections put the age at which one can vote to be 18 years. The reason behind the age being 18 years was that an individual was mature enough to make an informed decision. In a similar manner, â€Å" National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984† failed to recognize that the same individual who could make an informed political decision, could also decide whether to drink or not (United States 77). Many arguments