Culture of Interest: Japan
Theoretical foundations of cultural and cross-cultural analysis: Japan and America

Japan: Mildly collectivist culture

American culture

American: An individualistic culture

Similarities and differences in Japanese and U.S. culture

Potential biases of researcher

Appendix I- Hofstede four Dimensional Theory

Edward Tylor (1832-1917) defines culture as a collection of customs, laws, morals, knowledge, and symbols displayed by a society and its constituting members. Culture is form of collective expression by groups of people. Since the dawn of industrial revolution and later, due to an increased integration of cultures across nations, cross-cultural analysis has assumed much import in scholastic discourse within psychology, anthropology, and psychology. Present study is an endeavor to make a cross-cultural assessment of American and Japanese culture. More differences than similarities have been found in both the cultures. Where Japanese culture fosters Aimai, meaning ambiguity and vagueness, Americans are intolerant to this characteristic. ased on Hofstede's four dimensional theory of cross-cultural analysis, findings regarding…...

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Bibliography

Cardwell, M., & Flanagan, C. (2003). Psychology A2: The complete companion. Nelson Thornes.

Davies, R.J., & Ikeno, O. (2002). The Japanese mind: understanding contemporary Japanese culture. Tuttle Publishing.

DeAngelis, T. (2003). Why we overestimate our competence. Monitor on Psychology, 34(2), 60-64.

Donahue, R.T. (1998). Japanese culture and communication: Critical cultural analysis. University Press of Amer.

Culture and the Work of Lahiri
Focusing questions: After looking at three or four definitions of culture from different dictionaries, what do these definitions have in common? In the United States, some members of ethnic groups who have been in the country for several generations or more may feel distant from their cultures or even without a culture. What are the various factors that account for these feelings?

The Four Definitions of Culture:

"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" (Tamu.edu).

"Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. Today, in the United States as in other countries populated largely by…...

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References

Lahiri, J. Interpreter of Maladies. New York: Houghton Miffin

Americans going to Singapore to entertain the possibility of establishing business there, need to know each of the three cultures prefers to deal.
Religion plays an important part in the cultural life of every country, and a peer-reviewed article in the Journal of International Business Research points out the cultural realities regarding the negotiation styles of Muslim Iranians, Buddhist Taiwanese and Christian Americans. The independent variables in this research -- religion, collectivism, education, age, gender and work experience -- were tested through empirical surveys of the three cultures. The "devotion to religious rules" is far more prevalent among Muslims than among Christians and Buddhist groups (Farazmand, et al., 2011).

hile negotiators should be aware of this cultural fact, this does not mean that any Muslim negotiator would rely more on religion than on "analytical, normative, factual or intuitive negotiation styles"; what matters is the degree of devotion the negotiator has to…...

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Works Cited

Farazmand, Farideh a., Tu, Yu-Te, and Daneefard, Hasan. (2011). Is Religious Culture a Factor

in Negotiation: A Cross-cultural Comparison of Iran, Taiwan and the United States. Journal of International Business Research, 10(1), 27-41.

Osman-Gani, AAhad M., and Tan, Joo-Seng. (2002). Thunderbird International Business Review

44(6), 819-839.

Culture Psych
Culture and Human Psychology: An Examination of Gift-Giving in Different Nations

Culture is a complex phenomenon that evades being defined in terms that are at once comprehensive and concrete -- any entirely firm definition of culture is bound to leave out some elements of some cultures, and any definition that is all-inclusive is necessarily unspecific in certain regards. Put broadly, culture can be thought of as the sum total of popular forms of expression, commonly held values and symbols, familial and political structures, technological advances and levels of utilization, persistent religious/spiritual beliefs, and the hierarchy of needs and manners of meeting those needs that are produced/held by members of any given group of human beings. In other words, culture influences everything humans do, as everything humans do takes place within the context of culture -- a painting, for example, will have a specific meaning within the culture that produced it,…...

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References

Aktipis, C., Cronk, L. & Aguiar, R. (2011). Risk-Pooling and Herd Survival: An Agent-Based Model of a Maasai Gift-Giving System. Human Ecology 39(2): 131-40.

Cheal, D. (2011). "Showing them you love them": gift giving and the dialectic of intimacy. The Sociological Review 35(1): 150-69.

Minowa, Y., Khomenko, O. & Belk, R. (2010). Social Change and Gendered Gift-Giving Rituals: A Historical Analysis of Valentine's Day in Japan. Journal of Macromarketing 31(1): 44-56.

Culture pervasiveness and the difficulty of defining it is one of the reasons why it is attributed for many merger failures. The problem considered in this study was the unstable operating environment that existed following the acquisition of INTEC Engineering by Worley Parsons which was likely caused by differences in organizational cultures. WorleyParsons acquired SEA Engineering in 2007 and INTEC Engineering April 2008 and combined these organizations to form INTECSEA. The capabilities found in these organizations were needed for WorleyParsons ability to facilitate a comprehensive solution for their clients working in deep waters. However, one year on and INTEC's entire management team resigned and staff retention remains a major issue. To understand why this trend is occurring, this analysis will review and apply theory to the transition process to the case of INTECSEA and provide insights to the causes by identifying the effects.
Contents

Introduction

Problem Statement

2.1 Background 5

2.2 Where it all started…...

Culture is quite a broad term and encompasses a lot of different things. The oldest way of describing a culture is basically talking about the different aspects linked to it. This means that the oldest way includes the mention of the music, sculpture, literature and paintings of that certain kind of culture. It has been noted that a culture of a region becomes more prominent and profound if it is carried out and exhibited by the intellectual and the upper class. (Skelton & Allen, 1999) Another way of looking at culture is by considering what the majority of people are doing or how they are carrying out their own life.
This brings us to talking about the second aspect of culture. This is merely the way of life of the people living in a certain area. This sort of culture can even be used to describe animals if one thinks about…...

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References

Mead, M. (1955). Cultural patterns and technical change. New York: Mentor Books.

Skelton, T., and Allen, T. (1999). Culture and global change. London: Routledge.

Sumner, W. (1906). Folkways. Boston: Ginn and Company. Boston: Ginn and Company

Culture of a Nursing Home
In order to qualify as a culture, a group or subgroup of people needs to have sufficient characteristics to differentiate it from the surrounding society. This paper examines a nursing home in the community in order to determine whether the people at the nursing home constitute their own culture. The paper examines whether their rituals, physical space, artifacts, social habits, music, and arts are sufficient to establish the nursing home as a culture separate and distinct from the overriding culture in the area. Furthermore, it examines the role that the various members of the nursing home community play in forming and continuing the culture.

Of all the aspects of the nursing home environment that differentiate it from the prevailing culture outside of the nursing home, the element of control is probably the most defining of it as a culture. The residents of a nursing home are all…...

In the more informal and low-context culture of United States, closer physical contact and more intimate exchanging of personal information is accepted between strangers. If individuals violate these rules of symbolic communication -- for example, if a Japanese subordinate playfully jokes with his or her boss, or a person in an American office never volunteers personal information about his or her personal life, that person may be viewed as possibly 'suspect' or strange.

Although culture may be occasionally viewed simply as "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," this locates culture in the past, as a repository of knowledge, rather than locating it a contemporary context of human behavior and constantly evolving symbolic language (Choudhury…...

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Works Cited

Choudhury. "Culture." January 8, 2009.  http://www.tamu.edu/classes/cosc/choudhury/culture.html

Culture Cuisine in Australia
"Australia is one of seven continents and constitutes most of the Pacific region, both in terms of size and population." (Compton & Warren 2008, P 126). The indigenous people influence food and Australian culture and people immigrated into Australia from other part of the world. Typically, multicultural influx of the people from other part of the world settling in Australia greatly influences the contemporary Australian cuisine.

Objective of this paper is to discuss culture cuisine in Australia. The paper uses cultural capital theory and theory of social differentiation to discuss how cuisine has been used to establish hierarchy in Australia.

Cultural influence on Australia Cuisine

Concept of culture is the social norms, custom, morals, belief and traits guiding people conduct within a society. On the other hand, "food culture is the ensemble of shared knowledge, attitudes and practices that people bring to selecting, preparing and eating food. It exhibits in…...

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References

Bannerman, C. (2011)."Making Australian Food History." Australian Humanities Review - Issue 51.

Compton, L. & Warren, C (2008). "e-Food & Technology Book 2." Oxford University Press. Food Technology.UK.

Goody, J. (1982). "Cooking, Cuisine and Class": A Study in Comparative Sociology.

Cambridge UP.

Culture Industry
The cultural industries may be described as the "industrially produced commercial entertainment -- broadcasting, film, publishing, recorded music -- as distinct from the subsidised "arts" -- visual and performing arts, museums and galleries" Galloway & Dunlop 18). Films/movies, radio and publications compose a system which is homogeneous in every sense. The media that is technological in nature also demonstrates a standardization and homogeneity. The aim of the television is to synthesize both film and radio. This is the reason why the culture industry is developing at a very fast rate and this progression has directed this industry to predominant impacts. Cultural products are important for the reason that they bear identity, ethics/principles and help a society to advance economically and socially. When people of a society make endeavors to preserve and promote their cultural diversity, such attempts encourage the development of cultural industries (Horkheimer & Adorno 95). However, there…...

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References

Benjamin, W. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. USA: Prism Key Press, 2010. Print.

Blakley, J. "Entertainment Goes Global: Mass Culture in a Transforming World."Western Cape. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. .

Galloway, S. & Dunlop, S. "A Critique Of Definitions Of The Cultural And Creative Industries In Public Policy." International Journal of Cultural Policy 13.1 (2007): 17-31. NKNU. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. .

Hesmondalgh, D, and A. C Pratt. "Cultural industries and Cultural Policy."International Journal of Cultural Policy 11.1 (2005): 1-14. Print.

Culture Health Care
Culture is a very difficult and slippery term in today's vocabulary. Culture is always changing and moving towards new preferences and attitudes that shape its followers' belief structures. Health care is a part of culture and different segments of society have different approaches towards this idea. The purpose of this essay is to highlight the differences of all cultures in perceptions of health and health care. In this essay I will identify the principles of cross-cultural communication and explain how any cultural difference could become obstacles in affecting the communication between patients and their health care providers.

Before discussing the nature of culture on health care it is important to define what this term means. estern culture is a hybrid of many other cultures. Scaling down, American culture can also be localized into distinct segments of appropriate behavior. Race, ethnic heritage and religion all compose the ideals behind culture,…...

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Works Cited

Singer, M. & Kassim-Kakha, S. (2003). A Strategy to Reduce Cross-cultural Miscommunication and Increase the Likelihood of Improving Health Outcomes. Academic Medicine, 78, 6. June 2003, 577-588. Retrieved from 08_Strategy_Reduce_Cross-cultural_Miscommunication.pdfhttp://www.ph.ucla.edu/hs/HS_200B_W08_Class_webpage/Readings_01-25-

Skelton, J. et al. (2001). Cross-cultural communication in medicine: questions for educators. Medical Education 2001, 35;257-261. Retrieved from http://www.torontomeds.com/ghe/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Session-2_Skelton.pdf

Culture Element Makes a Nation Distinct
How cultural differences affect an international negotiation

Gesteland (2002 p. 33) cites that understanding how culture is powerful in the outcomes and negotiation process is the first step in any international negotiations. Cultural differences shape the behaviours and perceptions of various parties in negotiation especially in the preparation stage. A company pursuing an international joint venture requires identifying an international company for negotiations. Managers who are quite knowledgeable about the role of culture in international negotiations will choose a target company with much effort and care. Negotiating with a company featuring a similar cultural background is easy. Moreover, it needs less time to establish rapport. This minimizes any chances of encountering misunderstanding. Negotiating with a business with a different cultural background requires managers to exercise absolute preparation thus making them hesitant to initiate the first move. Thus, in international negotiations, cultural differences are likely to have…...

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Bibliography

Gesteland, R.R., 2002, Cross-cultural business behavior: Marketing, negotiating, sourcing and managing across cultures. Copenhagen [u.a.: Copenhagen Business School Press.

Hendon, D.W., Hendon, R.A., & Herbig, P.A., 2006, Cross cultural business negotiations. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Quorum Books.

Primecz, H., Romani, L., & Sackmann, S., 2011, Cross-cultural management in practice: Culture and negotiated meanings. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Culture Identification
The culture that I am studying is that of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiians are Polynesians who migrated to the Hawaiian islands several centuries prior to European arrival on those islands. The Hawaiians are believed to have originated from the Marquesas and later the present-day island of a'aitea, which was originally known as Havai'i -- the migrants brought the name with them to their new home. The Hawaiians were one of many groups to have settled migrated from a'aitea, including the Maori and apa Nui, and are therefore strongly related by cultural tradition to other Polynesian groups. Hawaiian culture is also influenced by interaction with Europeans, starting with British explorer James Cook. After originally aligning themselves with the British, the Hawaiian islands were eventually absorbed into the United States, further altering native Hawaiian culture, which has developed in the context of both its Polynesian traditions and its present sociocultural circumstances.…...

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References

Davis, F. (1995). The Hawaiian alternative to the one-drop rule. From American mixed race. Rowan & Littlefield Publishers.

Greene. (2001). Overview of Hawaiian prehistory. National Parks Service. Retrieved June 10, 2014 from  http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/kona/history1h.htm 

Kana'iaupuni, S., Malone, N. & Ishibashi, K. (2005). Income and poverty among native Hawaiians. PASE. Retrieved June 10, 2014 from  http://www.ksbe.edu/spi/pdfs/reports/demography_well-being/05_06_5.pdf 

No author. (2014). Key terms and concepts. LCC. Retrieved June 10, 2014 from http://www.laguardia.edu/intercultural/key_terms.htm#3

Negotiations can also differ in strategy when dealing with gender differences. In a highly-feminine society, the idea that a product or service is "readily available" could work against the seller/owner, since it gives the impression that nobody 'wants' that product or service. A highly-coveted product or service is one that is not readily available. Take, as an example, the high demand for Hermes bags among its female patrons. Customers have to register months before a new Hermes bag is released, and the fact that reservations are sometimes available only to selected clientele (depending on frequency of purchase, ability to purchase the bags, and prestige) make these bag highly coveted. In effect, Hermes can demand any price for any new bag because of this psyche of 'scarcity' (limited supply) marketed to its female customers.

In collectivist societies, it is not unusual that a negotiator will encounter "shadow negotiations," wherein secret discussions are…...

Culture a multifaceted concept, navigating cultural boundaries constructs borders a challenge managers. Globalisation brought significant challenges notions cultures monolithic easily conceptualised. For managers, understanding motivations, values, behaviours employees globe a complex undertaking.
Globalization has generated much controversy in business environments as managers started to experience more and more problems as a result of foreign influences affecting their companies. Organizational culture is an important concept when considering this situation and this is reflected by the fact that an increasing number of managers have decided to restructure their strategies in order to be able to accomplish their goals with little to no impediments. "Globalization would require from large business firms highly skilled managers to cope with the challenges and responsibilities of the so-called global market." (Guedes & Faria, p. 21) Managers in the present practically need to consider a much wider range of factors as they focus on devising innovative strategies. Market and…...

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Works cited:

Guedes, A.L., and Faria, A., (2007), Globalization and International Management: In Search of an Interdisciplinary Approach, [Online], Available:  http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bar/v4n2/v4n2a03.pdf 

[15 Jun 2013]

Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D., and Hoskinsson, R.E., (2012), "Strategic Management Cases: Competitiveness and Globalization, 10th ed.," (Cengage Learning, 01.01.2012)

To write a journal about Wampanoag, you need to know about the people and the area. You can find information on that here: http://www.indians.org/articles/wampanoag-indians.html. If you're supposed to write personal experience and immerse yourself in the culture, as if you were one of them, you'll want to think carefully about what it would feel like to be a part of that community and the time period. Consider what types of activities you would do, and the kinds of things that might matter to you. That will help make your journal well thought out, realistic, and believable.....

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