Three categories to Aging

Three categories to Aging 1. Introduction What is old? What is ageing? There are three categories for older adults ages, â€Å"young old†, â€Å"old old† and â€Å"oldest old† (Papalia et al., 2009). Young old is suggested as the age from 65 to 74; old old is suggested as the age from 75 to 84 whereas oldest old is suggested as the age of 85 and the above. Ageing is a natural process in which it can be described in two dimensions. Primary aging is the gradual, inevitable process of ageing. It is unavoidable. It occurs throughout years even with efforts/ technology which are used to help to slow the ageing process down. The secondary aging is avoidable, as it results from disease, abuse. For instance, having a healthy lifestyle might help to reduce the risks of entering secondary ageing or delay the entering. In a rapid developing society like Hong Kong, people seem to avoid talking about aging and view ageing as a negative process rather than a natural process. Therefore, ageism becomes one of the social problems in Hong Kong. Traxler has given the definition that if a person or a group of people who are subordinated because of the age by any means (e.g. action, attitude or by an institution) it would be classified as ageism. Ageing situation in Hong Kong According to the U.S. Census Bureau, International Database, the Hong Kong population pyramids 2010 has predicted that the dominant age group would be the 45-49 year-old people in which it would be close to 400 000 among the whole population in Hong Kong. The population of other age groups, 40-44 and 50-54 would be similar and close to the 45-49 group. By 2050, the leading age group would be the 80+ where the female 80+ population would get close to 700 000 while other age groups would remain similar and stay under 300 000 (National Master, 2003). The longevity is one of the possible reasons of the change of the population pyramids with the enhancement on medical technologies, the better prevention or prediction of diseases, the higher standard of living and so on. Ageing is unavoidable and it is an inevitable process for life. Because of this reason, I believe it is important to understand ageing in terms of theories and from that to develop possible solutions to tackle the problem or to smoothen the adaptation of the demographic changes in Hong Kong. Objectives The objectives of this paper are: (1) To overview aging and ageism in terms of different theories, (2) To offer some possible solutions to promote positive images of ageing 2. Theoretical Perspectives Disengagement Theory This is a psychosocial concept to state that older adults will gradually disengage in a society (The Medical Dictionary, 2009). They are said to be inactive and being uninterested towards their possible participation in the society. This theory has bias towards ageism and has given people the negative point of view of aging. Work/ job related disengagement When older adults retire, the primarily disengagement is caused by their functions in society. Some of them stop working when they retire and are said to be â€Å"non-functional† towards the working field. Some would continue their work (part time or full time). However, some older adults that wish to continue their work always suffer in difficult job-seeking process. Employability for them seems to be low or lower in Hong Kong. It might be possible that some of them have accumulated much experience and in return the current wages would not be satisfied for them. It would end up that retirement would become a transition for them with a reduction in their incomes. In contrast, some less educated older adults might not be able to compete with younger jobseekers. Such two diverse reasons could use to explain why the employability for older adults is low. Family relationship related disengagement One of the reasons of the demographic changes would be the delay of marriage and it could possibly delay the life-transitions (Harper, 2004). For example, entering late adulthood later than the expected age, there are people confusing about the term â€Å"middle age† in which they believe that middle age could mean people that are 65+ in age (Papalia et al., 2009)) Because of that reason, there is potential that older adults experience disengagement with their children who leave home. Alternatively, disengagement theory assumes that older adults have a tendency to get involve with people with similar ages forming a so called â€Å"homogenous group† (The Medical Dictionary, 2009). In my own point of view, I would believe that older adults are disengaging and from that new engagement is needed. While engaging with â€Å"new people† in which they are of similar ages with the older adults, they create or regain something that is meaningful or of value to them. There seems to be a contradiction between the assumption of the theory and its pessimistic explanation of ageing. In addition, there is also criticism for disengagement theory as it provides a negative point of view of ageing; it tends to reinforce the stereotypes of older adults. For instances, older adults are useless, inactive, withdrawn, etc (Palmore, 1999). Clinical Frameworks These are represented by medical, biological and naturalist theories. The main emphasize would be that the physical changes on the older adults. The physical changes are referred in term of biological perspectives. The nature of the framework seems not to be focused on the sociological perspective. However, the frameworks highlight a present change or sometimes viewed as an issue by people the higher life expectancies. Dozois has stated that the advancement of medicine have led to greater longevity. When people have noticed the change in proportion of older adults over the population in the last century, ageism is worsen (2006). People raise concerns and accentuate that older adults are non-productive. Non-productive in this case claims that older adults consume lots of resources but in return they do not contribute toward what they have consumed. The large number of non-productive people might affect the society (mainly the economic side) in which the vast majority people would con sider as a concern (Dozois, 2006) Relating such frameworks to Hong Kong, some people believe that the government would need to pay more attention to the aging society. As a result, the welfare system in Hong Kong might experience a high demand situation in the coming next 10 years onward while the Hong Kong population is changing. Simultaneously, when Hong Kong is facing so many different economic crises, the rapidly evolving economic relationships with China and other countries, ageing would serve as a factor that affects the Hong Kong economy. In the future, the government might need to increase tax rate when dealing with the large population of older adults who are eligible to applying the old age allowance (OAA) in Hong Kong as one of the social welfare services. Consequently, the society might put forward a more negative image for the older adults in Hong Kong. It is like a circular causality to boost ageism. Activity Theory In my opinion, activity theory is the opposite of the disengagement theory as it describe ageing in a much more positive viewpoint. It basically says that how a person is being constructed in two major focused sources, (1) What they do and (2) The roles they have in their lives (Roy and Russel, 2005). Similar to disengagement theory, activity theory claimed that people â€Å"give up† or â€Å"force to give up† roles as they age. When they retire from work, when they lose their partners, drop out of professional, clubs, unions and so on. Those are the parts that holding a person together as w whole. The sudden changes cause by the retirement might become the cue of why older adults would reduce their sense of identity. According to the humanistic theory, there are two selves, the actual self and the ideal self (Nolen-Hoeksema et al., 2009). The actual self is referred as how people understand one person in which the person recognize himself or herself from his/her surrounding and some personal perspectives. The ideal self is what the person wants himself or herself to be. The reduced sense of identity might be caused by the changing or losing of roles enlarge the discrepancy between the actual self and the ideal self. Roy and Russel suggest that activity theory should come to place that older adult should engage in activities (E.g. joining clubs or developing new hobbies). Older adults could develop new roles to substitute or replace those old and force-to-be-given-up roles. The theory has concluded the importance of late life activities in which to restore, maintain or enhance the well-being of the older adults (2005). Rather than pinpointing the negative impact of ageing like disengagement theory, the activity theory could be served as evidence on why there is a need to promote the community participation for older adults Exchange Theory The exchange theory simply states that people should end the relationship with another person if nothing can be gained or exchanged from that person. This theory has shown its capitalistic point of view. The assumption of the theory is that people operate in order to gain material or non-material rewards and also people would try to keep the gained benefits (Moberg, 2001). There are many exchanges in which that could affect ones 3Ps (3Ps are referred as power, prestige and possessions). The 3Ps are the three element derived from the social stratification. Social goods might not be concrete like material possessions, but also including other abstract items like psychological satisfaction and experiential pleasure (Moberg, 2001). Older adults that could afford their own living could have relatives that would want to rely on them and putting the relatives or family in a dependent situation. Accordingly, those older adults seem to keep their personal power in which they could influence on others as well as controlling their own activities with their affordability such as financial wealth. They provide e.g. financial support to the relatives in return to keep their power. Older adults that could not provide valuable things to their family or relatives might gain only little power within or outside the family. As they lose the power because of being a lower class, when they retire, they would find fulfilling the 3Ps as a hard process for them in which they are said to be oppressed because of social stratification. They would have nothing to exchange. Some hidden older adults in Hong Kong could well be a case of losing the 3Ps. 3. Possible Solutions to tackle the current situation Extend the retirement ages Providing chances according to the demographic changes There is no statutory retirement age in Hong Kong but people that turning to their middle age would find it hard to seek for a job, so do the older adults. To provide more changes and focus on promoting job opportunities for older adults could reduce chances for older adults to suffer in poverty and financial difficulties. Moreover, it can also extend the older adults engagement with the society and rejecting the clinical framework that older adults could not contribute to the society. Hopefully, it could help to change the biased perception of ageing and it might help Hong Kong to adapt the demographic changes. Information technology (IT) for older adults Getting older adults to involve Possible work could be done in IT with older adults that could serve as a diversification as it is society oriented or situational. With the support from the activity theory, there is a need to get the older adults to be involved. However, with the changing society, it has become a heavily technology-based society. Isolating the older adults might not be the best solution and it has also deteriorated ageism in Hong Kong. As a result, IT should be considered and be served as a tool to help the older adults to regain their identity in the society. Lets start with introducing two existing technologies: a. Personal Emergency Link One of the popular technologies that are related to older adults in Hong Kong would be the â€Å"Personal Emergency Link (PE link)†. Such technology has been used since 1996. The service operates by connecting the PE link users through a so-called advanced communication system to a 24-hour PE link centre. By pressing the portable remote trigger, the PE link users would be connected and be able to talk to someone in the PE link call centre. In addition, the medical history of the user would be saved within the PE link organisation database and would send to the hospital when there is an emergency. However, such service can only be used at home and only benefit to those that can afford or can apply for funding. This service is not universal and might act as a burden for older adults in Hong Kong. If such service could not cover the vast majority of older adults in Hong Kong, how do we evaluate the effectiveness of such service? Furthermore, as the PE link could only use at home, it cannot help when the older adults go out. It also requires the pressing action in order to help notifying the people in the PE link call centre. b. Global Positioning System Global Positioning System (GPS) is well-known among the mobile users as GPS is integrated into the mobile phone for ease of search different locations. Recently, there is investigation of GPS in Hong Kong. Assisted Global Positioning System based (AGPS-based) Elderly tracking system is being implemented in Hong Kong in an experimental level (Wong et al., 2009). Such system utilizes the mature technology GPS in order to track and position a person in outdoor environment. In this experimental stage, the tested older individual needs to carry the device out with them in which some of the participants would find it â€Å"awkward†. Further development of such technology is needed with possible integration of AGPS-based elderly tracking system within the mobile phone. In addition, there is a need to improve its usability in indoor settings (Wong et al., 2009). Both systems have shown how technology could help to improve older adults lives and there are many different assistive technologies to help improving older adults lives. But how we could make older adults participate in the IT-based communication society that is one of the dimensions that social worker should need to consider. It seems that the two technologies have their advantages and disadvantages; however they alert the society, the government or the people that it is very important to have careful planning when dealing with older adults. Whats more, sometimes, it is essential to change older adults perception towards ageing as well as the general public. To compete with the fast growing technology, the perception shaping towards â€Å"IT for older adults† would need to be studies to allow useful means of intervention. However, it takes time for the society to be â€Å"reshaped†. With the possible increasing uses of internet in the future, social security for older adults could become a concern. Older adults might become a target for crimes in which they might expose their personal information. A long-term approach of applying IT for older adults might be more suitable with proper education with any safety issues. There is always difficult to have a balance between the advantages and disadvantages of technology. â€Å"IT for older adults† might become a future trend in Hong Kong with the ageing society and the need of the evolving information society. However, the cooperation between the government, social workers, older adults and any other stakeholders would be challenging. It is important to understand and to update the knowledge while implementing programmes as well as developing some unique technologies for older adults in Hong Kong. Last but not least, to assess the possible issues or problems that could cause by the advancement of IT. Social workers should try to intervene in different levels and understand their responsibilities in helping older adults to establish social networks or their status in the information society. Referred to the social stratifications, the three elements are crucial and one of them would be the status. The status that would be established in the information society might have an important effect in confirming older adults social status in the society. Consequently, to redefine older adults as worthies as other people in different age group and to reduce the possible status declining situation. Micro level Counselling online, in which internet would become a platform for older adults to express their opinions and to find social worker to talk to. There is no doubt that some older adults tend not to seek for help from social workers as sometimes they believe that social workers are working for those that are in poverty or disables. Some older adults do not understand the nature of social work profession. By using IT, social workers might be able to develop a more diverse social function in the society. Mezzo level IT programmes for older adults could allow older adults to have access to computers and also to build up social networks through the use of computers as well as being involved in the classes satisfying the description of activity theory. In addition, older adults who join the IT programmes would exchange something of valuable to them, for example new relationship (friendships). Macro level Social worker might need to consider and assess the accessibility of IT to older adults. Because of that, social workers would need to understand and equip themselves with the up-to-dated technologies. In addition, there is a need for better communication between social workers and the Hong Kong government, because when the society is changing and developing into an â€Å"information society†, there is a need for the government to consider evolving the welfare. By developing welfare services with IT for the older adults, social workers might need to raise the importance of this new concept. Social Movement and Social Campaign Changing the stereotyped perceptions Following the previous part the macro level intervention for IT, social workers should act as a helping professional to help organising social movement to fight for the welfare for older adults. At the same time, they should highlight the importance of such movement or campaign to the government and the general public. It is not only the responsibility of the government to provide adequate resources to the older adults; it is also the responsibility for the society. The Hong Kong society seems to neglect the special needs of older adults with the limited facilities that the society has provided for older adults. I believe by changing the perceptions and consolidate the understanding of demographic change and ageing to the general public, the awareness could be raised. Social movement and social campaign could serve as a form of community education and a catalyst to influence policy development in Hong Kong. 4. Conclusion Theories help to explain ageism however they could also be served as an emphasis of ageism and providing the negative image of ageing. Social workers should always equip themselves with related theories to understand such inequality in a long term perspective. Furthermore, social workers should also have up-to-date information on such social phenomenon which allows them to integrate theories with current situations. Consequently, social workers would provide precise or related intervention. For this paper, one of the main conclusions is that social workers in Hong Kong should try to change the present negative perception of ageing for both the older adults and the general public as a primary step to solve ageism. Providing job opportunities for older adults, integrating older adults with IT as well as organising social movement and campaign could be some possible area in which social worker could work on cooperating with theories. 5. References Currey, R. (2008). Ageism in healthcare: Time for a change. Aging Well, 1(1), 16. Dozois, E. (2006). Ageism: A review of the literature . Alberta: Word on the Street Consulting Ltd.. Harper, S. (2004), Families in Ageing Societies A Multi-Disciplinary Approach. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 4th December 2009 from http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/0199251169.001.0001 Moberg, D. (2001). Aging and spirituality: Spiritual dimensions of aging theory, research, practice, and policy. Binghamton, New York: Haworth Pastoral Press. National Master (2003). Hong Kong Population Pyramid 1990 2050. Retrieved 1st December, 2009 from http://www.nationmaster.com/country/hk-hong-kong/Age-_distribution Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Fredrickson, B.L., Loftus, G.R., Wagenaar, W.A., (2009) Atkinson and Hilgards Introduction to Psychology (15th ed.). Thomson: Wadsworth. Palmore, E. . (1999). Ageism: Negative Positive. Springer Publishing Company. Papalia, D.E., Olds, S.W., Feldman, R.D. Gross, D. (2009). Human Development (11th ed.). McGrawHill, Boston Roy, H., Russel, C. (2005). The encyclopedia of aging and the elderly. MedRounds Publications. The Medical Dictionary. (2009). Disengagement Theory. Retrieved October 22, 2009 from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/disengagement+theory. Traxler, A. J. (1980). Lets get gerontologized: Developing a sensitivity to aging. The multi-purpose senior center concept: A training manual for practitioners working with the aging. Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Aging. Wolf, L. (1998). Ageism: An introduction. Retrieved 30th October, 2009 from http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/ageism.html Wong, A. K. S., Woo, T. K., Lee, A. T., Xiao, X., Luk, V. W., (2009). An AGPS-Based Elderly Tracking System. Retrieved 1st December, 2009 from http://www.ece.ust.hk/~vincentl/paper/3-agps-elderly-icufn.pdf Youth Rights Network. (2007). Ageism. Retrieved 30th October, 2009 from http://www.youthrights.net/index.php?title=Ageism

Short Paper: Cultural Communication

Running Head: Short Paper Cultural Communication; Copyright (c) – Lopamudra Chakraborty – no portion of this article can be copied reproduced or distributed without prior authorization of the author. Author: Lopamudra(Lopa) Chakraborty M5A1: Short Paper Cultural Communication Business Communications 08/3/2012 Cultural Communication Introduction â€Å"The reasonable person adapts himself to the world, while the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. † – George Bernard Shaw Intercultural communication between people is an integral attribute of the human society development.The modern world is developing towards globalization. In this regard, the issues about the role and the place of international communication become an integral part of life both for the humankind in general, as well as for the individual (Shokina & Nishev, 2009). The art of business communication has evolved as globalization has set disparate businesses cultures of the world on a collision course. Emerging economies have begun to integrate the business cultures of traditional powerhouse nations into their businesses, and they have been leaving traces of their own culture wherever they go.The impact of cultural diversity on business communication has widespread implications–from corporate boardrooms to employee break-rooms–and small business owners can benefit from gaining an understanding of the eccentricities of all cultures to which they are exposed (Ingram, 2012). As mentioned by Hynes, it is extremely important to become familiar with intercultural business practices for three reasons. First, is the tremendous increases in international trade caused by vertical specialization or global supply chains.Second is the direct investment of foreign based companies. In the US, for example, the direct investment of foreign based companies grew from $9 billion in 1966 to more than $414 billion in 2008. A third reason to learn about intercultural business communication us the increasing likelihood that you will work with or for someone who is not a native born U. S. Citizen. According to the US Census Bereau, 13% of the workforce was a non- 2 Cultural Communication native US citizen in 2000 (Hynes, 2011). That number has increased dramatically in the last decade.These are some of the reasons that underline the importance of cross-cultural communications. With the advent of globalization, research on cross cultural organizational behavior has become a pathway to understand the dynamics of multicultural domestic and international workplaces. In fact successful organizations of the 21st century require leaders who understand culturally diverse work environment and can work effectively with different cultures that have varying work ethics, norms and business protocols (HR Magazine, SHRM, 2008).In addition, there are other world issues that enhances the importance of cross-cultural communication, for e. g. emergenc e of the digital age, ease and speed of international travel, formation and expansion of regional trade associations (like NAFTA, EU, GATT, ASEAN) and growth of international professional associations (Beaman, 2005). To become culturally competent, the first step is to have a solid understanding of one’s own values and how they shape the cultural identity. Within this process it is also important to realize that different culture exhibit different values.Cross cultural management researchers and theorist like Hofstede, Hall and Trompenaars have developed cultural value dimensions often within the realm of comparing national cultures (HR Magazine, SHRM, 2008). Countries like US who are heavily dependent on the global economy must understand their own culture and how it shapes their communication with other cultures. 3 Cultural Communication Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the US business communication protocol and how it affects the cross communication with other culture.In responding to this short paper on cultural communication, the attempt is to discuss and elaborate on the following factors: 1. What are some typical U. S. business communication protocols? 2. How would these protocols create challenges, for example, in communicating with someone from a collective culture? 3. What are recommendations you would offer for decreasing the potential of communication misunderstandings? Background In the past, it may have been commonplace for entrepreneurs and corporate managers to develop their own unique communication style for dealing with customers, business partners and suppliers.Today, however, managers must take the time to study the cultural eccentricities of their business counterparts before attempting to make contact with people in other countries or from other subcultures. The Texas oil tycoon, for example, has to understand that grabbing his Chinese partner's hand in a firm handshake is not a good idea but that a slight bow and smile are the appropriate form of greeting. Verbal communication and body language are more important than ever in international business dealings because innocent hand gestures, mannerisms or even posture can cause a rift between culturally diverse business partners.The diversity of culturally distinct managers has been melding slowly as globalization and Westernization give managers extensive experience in different cultures (Ingram, 2012). 4 Cultural Communication Globalization: ? The percent of the U. S. population that is foreign born has grown from 4. 8% in 1970 to 6. 2% in 1980 to 7. 9% in 1990 and over 9% in 2000 ( (Ferraro, 2002). ? The U. S. has the fourth largest Spanish-speaking population in the world. E. g. , More than 60% of the people in Miami speak Spanish as their first language (Ferraro, 2002). 60% of companies will increase their global presence in the coming three years (ADP Survey, 2002). ? A large number of corporations receive more than half of their sales f rom foreign markets. ? E. g. , Coca Cola sells more of its product in Japan than in the U. S. (Ferraro, 2002). Senior executives say that the ability to manage the business on a global basis is a top priority (ADP Survey, 2002). ? All of these changes are facilitating the cross border movement of people, goods, and data, bringing more and more cultures into contact with one another and increasing the potential for cross-cultural conflict. What is new about the global economy is the scale and the speed with which innovations, borrowings (maladies! ), etc. are spreading. Given this background, the purpose of this discussion is to highlight and explain some of the major cultural value dimensions in the United States and how it impacts when commutating with other cultures with differing business communication protocols. 5 Cultural Communication Findings Understanding what shapes US Business Communication protocol: There are several dimensions to the US business communication protocol.Th ese business communication protocols are shaped and formed by the Culture of the organization and of the society. â€Å"Domestic business organizations can be viewed as ‘mini-cultures’ (composed of different people with different roles, statuses, and value systems) that operate within the wider national context (Ferraro, 2002). † Culture is defined as a set of values and beliefs with learned behaviors shared within a particular society. Culture provides identity and belonging. Culture is everywhere starting from language to communication styles, history, religion, norms, values and symbolism (HR Magazine, SHRM, 2008).One of the most extensive studies of cultural differences was conducted by Geert Hofstede. Based on his findings, there are six major dimensions of national culture that are discussed below(Hynes, 2012). An understanding of these cultural dimensions is necessary to explain what shapes the US business communication protocols. Power Distance: Power dis tance indicates the extent to which a society accepts the fact the power in the institutions and organizations is distributed unequally (Hynes, 2011).Britain, Philippines and Mexico have high power distance where the managers and leaders are almost viewed like autocrats and there is a lot of disparity in power between higher and lower ranks. United States has a culture with low power distance. The manager is seen to have a little more power than the subordinate and is addressed by the first name, takes her place in the line and manages by communicating using an equalitarian communication strategy. 6 Cultural Communication Uncertainty Avoidance: Relates to the degree to which a society feels threatened by uncertain and ambiguous situation(Hynes , 2011).It tries to avoid uncertainties by having a strict formal rules and not allowing odd ideas or beliefs to prevail for example countries like Germany, England and Pakistan. United States have weak uncertainty avoidance and are open to ne w ideas and beliefs. Individualism/Collectivism: Individualism refers to a loose knit social framework in which people are expected to take care of themselves and their immediate family, example United States. Collectivism refers to a society with a tight social network where people are distinguished between in-groups and outgroups, example -.Japan, Masculinity/Feminity: expresses the extent to which dominant values in the society are masculine for example assertiveness, acquisition of money etc (Hynes, 2011). United States has a masculine type culture but Finland has a more feminine type culture. High Context/Low Context: First coined by Edward Hall, in a high context culture, communication is internalized and happens in the physical context or environment. Lot of importance is given to non-verbal communication. Japan and China are examples of High Context Culture.United States on the other hand has a low context culture where a lot of importance is given to the vebal cues and spok en words. Monochronic/Polychronic: In a monochromic culture such as United States Germany, times is valued as money and time is measured by the clock, multi tasking, be punctual and time management are valued in this culture. In a polychornic culture like India and Spain, time is linear and events are not measured by the clock. Punctuality is not of much importance in this culture. As you can imagine the frustration 7 Cultural Communication f a manager who does not understand this in United States dealing with someone in India when there is a project deadline to be met in a timely manner. Business Communication Protocol in the United States: ? Informal and Friendly communication: Since US has a low power distance type culture, communication in the workplace is typically informal and friendly. Employees refer to their managers by their first names. People tend to not wait to be introduced, will begin to speak with strangers as they stand in a queue, sit next to each other at an event , etc.Because if their informality and friendliness they appear to be pretty direct in their communication. When doing a business dealing or communicating with someone from high power distance type culture, the American has to be mindful of the fact that their informality is not perceived as rudeness. They have to be careful as not to cross the line. Following is an example of difference in communication between British and American. The British uses a more indirect approach to communication while the American uses a more direct approach (Beaman, 2005).American/British Differences (Source: the Navigator Jan/Feb 2003) ? ? ? ? ? ? American: â€Å"Jack will blow his top. † British: â€Å"Our chairman might tend to disagree. † American: â€Å"You’re talking bullshit. † British: â€Å"I’m not quite with you on that one. † American: â€Å"You gotta be kidding. † British: â€Å"Hm, that’s an interesting idea. † 8 Cultural Commu nication As is evident from the above example, both culture has a distinct approach so when an American is communicating with the British, they have to be careful as not coming across as rude. Meeting and Greeting – the American way: Americans usually prefers a strong handshake, a casual hello and use first name when introducing someone. Though handshake is a practice that is used across the world in a business setting, the pressure used may vary. The high pressure grip may be a positive thing for an American but may be too aggressive for an Asian. In a business meeting, an American is direct, assertive, giving and taking feedback is considered positive and they confront when necessary.However when dealing with a Japanese they have to realize that the later’s approach is indirect, they avoid confrontation and strive to develop harmonious and trusting business relationships. ? Dress: What is considered appropriate business attire varies by geographic region, day of the week and industry. In general, people in the East dress more formally, while people in the West are known for being a bit more casual. Executives usually dress formally regardless of which part of the country they are in. Casual Friday is common in many companies. High technology companies often wear casual clothes every day. Other non-verbal cues: With regards to space, Americans maintain a spatial distance of 4 feet with strangers. They should be aware that some Arab countries speak almost face-to-face which may feel like encroaching on a personnal space to an American. Americans belong to a low context type culture and more 9 Cultural Communication verbal and articulate than some of the other high-context cultures like Japan and China. This sometimes can be a challenge when communicating and understanding appropriate non-verbal communication. Americans do not like silence and try to fill it with small talk.Chinese or Japanese on the other hand appear shy as they don’t spea k out of turn. If an Asian is taking too long ot answer a question it is probably because they are thoughtful not because they do not know the answer. Americans do use certain gestures to supplement their verbal communication like OK, time out, wave etc. However they have to be aware that some gestures that have one meaning in America may have a complete different and sometimes negative connotation in another culture. A nod which may indicate no to an American may mean yes when done by an Indian.It is safe to stick with universal gestures and try to refrain from others if you are not sure what it means for the other culture. ? Language: A language’s vocabulary contains large numbers of words that reflect the technologies, occupations, and values important to the culture. Americans tend to use a lot of baseball colloquialism in their language. For example, â€Å"he threw me a curve ball,† â€Å"you are way off base,† â€Å"She fielded my question well,† â €Å"I want to touch all bases,† etc. Business need to be aware when certain languages are translated to another language, the entire meaning may change.For example, Chevrolet came out with a car â€Å"Nova† that they marketed in United States. The car sold well in the in so they decided to market it in Mexico. However the Ad campaign was a big failure there and they realized that the reason for that was Nova when translated to Spanish means â€Å"No go. (Beaman, 10 Cultural Communication 2005)† Understanding the appropriateness of translations when doing business with other cultures is very important. Recommendations To be a good intercultural communicator, one has to avoid some of the pitfalls mentioned above.Additionally, taking cognizance and imbibing the following practices will decrease communication misunderstanding. 1. Moving from Ethno-centrism to Ethno-relativism : This model was deisgned by Bennett. It simple means that one has to move away from denial , defensiveness and minimization (which are the three stages of ethnocentrism) to acceptance, adaptation and integration (ethno-relativism). 2. Non-Defensiveness – One has to be open to criticism and non-defensive about their culture to be a good intercultural communicator. 3.Curious and Brave: One has to be genuinely curious, brave and interested in knowing about other cultures. 4. Emphatic, Understanding and non-judgmental: It is possible ot be objective and open minded if you show these qualities. You cannot learn and be aware if you are not open minded or understanding. 5. Patience: Patience is one of the best virtues if you plan on being a good intercultural communicator. You cannot learn about another culture in one day and it is better to prepare yourself and be patient when you are trying to learn and communicate with another culture. . Genuinely personable: This cannot be faked. You really have to develop a liking for people of other culture (Hynes, 2011). 11 Cultura l Communication 7. Facilitation with language: If you plan on spending a lot of time communicating with other culture, it may be a good idea to try and learn the language. A good deal of communication is lost in translation. Sometimes taking the interest to learn the language shows to the person you are communicating with that you mean business and are genuinely interested in them.Conclusion The purpose of this paper was to discuss about why intercultural and cross cultural communication was important, the cultural dimensions that shapes the US business communication protocols, how it impacts us when communicating with other culture and recommendation of improving communication misunderstanding. The paper touched upon factors like globalization which was one of the main reason intercultural communications was important. When discussing culture, the paper discussed about Hofstede’s six dimensions.The various types of US business protocols including communication approach, meet ing and greeting, dress, other non verbal communication and language were discussed. Finally the paper made seven recommendations to follow to be a good intercultural communicator and minimize misunderstanding. In closing, when conducting business internationally, entrepreneurs learn that cultures have different expectations and protocols when it comes to meetings and interpersonal discussions. To be a successful in your business and be a good cultural communicator it is important to embrace these differences. 2 Cultural Communication References Bibliogrpahy: ADP Survey. (2002). ADP Survey. Beaman, K. C. -f. (2005). Cross Culture Communication in the workplace. Retrieved from The Jeitosa Group INC website: http://www. jeitosa. com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/12/Cross-cultural-communication-in-the-workplace_Apr2005. pdf Ferraro, G. P. (2002). The Cultural Dimension of International Business, 5th Edition. pearson. HR Magazine, SHRM. (2008, September). Selected Cross Cultural factors in Hum an Resources Management. Retrieved from Excelsior College virtual library, ebscohost. com: www. ehis. bscohost. com. vlib. excelsior. edu/eds/ Hynes, G. E. (2011). Business Communications, Strategies and Application. McGrawHill Irwin. Ingram, D. (2012). The impact of Cultural Diversity in Business Communication. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness. chron. com/impact-cultural-diversity-businesscommunication-3047. html: www. smallbusiness. chron. com Shokina, L. , & Nishev, A. (2009). Cross-Cultural Blog, Intercultural communication in the context of Globalization. Retrieved from http://www. stanford. edu/group/ccr/blog/2009/04/intercultural_communication_in. h tml: www. stanford. edu 13

Application of Leadership Skills

Application of Leadership Concepts When faced with challenge of conflicting timing, my team tried to use the negotiation process to negotiate with our client. We offered incentives like planning activities to entertainment them between their clients dismissal time and the time the youths could come and we focus on meeting their needs which was the lack of transport, by offering to finding alternative transport. My team and I displayed two out of five personalities in the big 5 model during our crisis.They were currency and openness to experience. After our client pulled out, we had high-energy level and determination in finding another organization to work with us. For example, we sourced and called many other organizations. In addition, we were also flexible and intelligent in tweaking our original project and coming up with alternative ideas to solve the problems we were facing. For example changing a day event to a night event because the youths were only able to execute the proje ct in the evening.When coming up with alternative solutions and back-up plans, my team adopted the assuage-receiving process in which we listened to everybody suggestions, analyses them critically and shared honest feedback on the feasibility of each other's ideas. This proved that the team did not group think. Throughout the process, we bared in mind the need to be open to feedbacks and criticisms, which allowed us to be more effective. Although there were functional conflicts during the process, the leader and the rest of the members would act as the mediator where collaboration instead of avoiding, competition and accommodating is encouraged.We are a self-managed team. This is evident when we share and rotate leadership responsibilities in the different areas. For example, some people was in charged of communications with external organization, while others where in charged of administrative matter. My team was generally effective as a group in solving the problem that we faced. There was no social loafing as everyone stepped up and undertook responsibilities when needed to.Members took the initiative to take lead in different areas, which meant that there has to be strong team cohesion and high task interdependence, because each member was responsible of each area they handled and has to be relied upon by other members for overall input. The team also displayed positive interpersonal relationship through support, collaboration, trust, open and honest communication between team members during critics, feedbacks and difficult times. There was an overall Job satisfaction and members enjoyed being on the team. This is shown by the enthusiasm of team members when coming up with solutions when

Education For The Everyday Student Essay - 1533 Words

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