Business Cross Cultures Essay

The in a gamyer place oblige is about a western suburb of Sydney, c eithered Greenacre. The article, competently named What happened to the suburb I used to know is a reflection and compend of the past and current status of the suburb and how, over time it has changed from what was draw as a home to a minefield, or a battlefield, or a refuge of drug dealers, criminals, drive-by shooters and terror (Roberts, 2013). This report depart hash out and explore a enumerate of theoretical principles and topics of cross- heathenish man termment in the everyday life of Australians living in this suburb, through such(prenominal) theories and topics as Obergs six-month cycle of finishing shock, Cultural dimensions- Ethnocentrism/stereotyping/parochialism, Hofstedes value dimensions theory, as well as Harriss and Morans cultural profiles. Obergs six-month cycle of culture shockObergs theory identifies 4 major stages of cultural shock and explains the typical transition process for a fo reigner adjusting to a peeled county/culture. beneath is a list of the stages and a brief description for each-1. Honeymoon- minor problems will be over looked, with the tempestuousness and anticipation of learning new things. This phase can last from a few days, up to a month. 2. Crisis/ soldiersility- the new environment begins to seem little idealistic and can therefore lead to focusing upon the negative aspects of the host res publica. This period is characterised by frustration, and confusion and typically lasts up to two/ tercet months. 3. Adjustment/humour- a respect, understanding and a bring forward adjustment to the local anesthetic culture occurs, and with this a change in attitude toward the new environment- occurs rough the four/five month mark. 4. Mastery/honour- acceptance of the new culture, a feel of eagerness to help some other integrate and even absorbs the habits of the new society which in turn makes him feel secure and develops a sense of dual cultural identity (biculturalism)- occurs in the 6-12 month time frame.The article focuses on the perspective of the writer and his experiences, however it does explore some of the above stages. In particular, it is apparent in Roberts recount of his memories of his parents, in the commission that they stamp the foreigners to be wogs, unless they were Asian which were dirty (Roberts, 2013). This stereotype has evidently been infused in the culture and attitude towards the foreigners and due to this it appears that the hatful seem to be stuck in the crisis/ uncongeniality stage of Obergs culture shock. Roberts recounts that they were just told this hostility was multiculturalism (and this) was the justification of all things hard to accept (Roberts, 2013).Furtherto a greater extent, they were told that this was just part and parcel of the greater good, of the vernal Australia, of the emergence of alternative cultures its just a settling-in process (Roberts, 2013)- potentially moving tow ard the adjustment period. However, this was over 50 years ago and it appears non a lot has changed with this drive-by shooting culture, which seemingly still has a menage grasp on the suburb, with local residents living in permanent solicitude of reprisals (Roberts, 2013). Cultural dimensions/effectsCulture is made up of a number of dimensions and each has its effect on the culture as a whole. Below is a list of dimensions that collectively make up a culture- godliness Languages Education Economic system Norms Values Social stratificationThe magnanimous religion in Greenacre is Islam, with 38.9% of the surveyed people identifying that as their religion. Furthermore, 73.6% of the population was born foreign and 42.2% of the population speaks Arabic as their first language (statistics gathered from count 2011). These statistics are indicative of the general population indoors Greenacre and as a result of this, the impending culture that was formed because of it- little Lebanon, with all the belabor features from a failed country to a new one (Roberts, 2013).Religion is such a fundamental part of these peoples lives, and eventually underlies both their moral and respectable norms and in turn has a dramatic affect on how their overall culture is formed. In Greenacre, 36.1% of people were attending an developmental institution. Of these, 27.6% were in primary school, 23.6% in secondary school and 18.8% in a tertiary or technical institution. Evidently, from these statistics there isnt a huge amount of the population continuing onto further education after high school. This may be a contributing factor to the increased crime rates, as this age group turn to alternative methods of income and ways of applying themselves ( non necessarily in a autocratic manner).It is evident through the above statistics and the article, that the overseas culture has imbedded itself within the suburb and as a result, so too has ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is an a ttitude whereby doing things their way is the only way, no matter the situation. Unfortunately, this subculture that has subsequently developed within Greenacre, has die somewhat of a dominant part of the overall culture and has more than likely prevented the progression/transition through Obergs cycle of cultural shock.Although it is very apparent that ethnocentrism is rife within Greenacre, so too is parochialism. Parochialism is where people from the host nation (in this case Australia), expect people from a nonher country to fall into the same patterns and behaviours as them- which isnt plausible, at least not fully. Because of this, it proves difficult for a subculture/society, such as that in Greenacre, to become by of the greater culture of Australia and can be unfairly stereotyped. Stereotyping, particularly in a social context, is unfortunately inevitable.Hofstedes value dimensions theory/ Harris and Morans cultural profiles Furthermore, Hofstedes value dimensions theory discusses- in this case, a high-altitude of- uncertainty avoidance and the extent in which the feel threatened by ambiguous situations. Although this isnt highly prevalent in Australia, it is however relevant to this situation, as there are signs of high levels of violence and misconduct (in the eyeball of the law). This demographic of people in like manner has a high level of collectivism, as they have heavy focus on family/ religion (nepotism) and also high external locus of control. They also tend to have more of a masculine skew to their culture, with assertiveness, materialism and a lack of concern for other (Christopher and Dersky, 2012). RecommendationsDue to the situation exponentially becoming worse, it is recommended that the local and state governments cater a number of induction/education seminars on Australian culture, to service in the transition into Australian life. Another recommendation would be to succeed information days (in the local area and at high schoo ls) for universities/TAFEs to foster high school students to further their education- resulting in them applying themselves in a positive fashion, rather than turning to violence due to lack of mental stimulation, which will then lead to gainful employment. This would not only assist immigrants in the gradual transition into the local culture, but also would facilitate their acceptance within the greater community and encourage the youth further their education and community involvement.By proactively aiding in this transition and encouraging the youth to further educate themselves, it may reduce the amount of conflict between cultures and also hasten the cycle of culture shock, described by Oberg- ultimately resulting in a happier community. And not resulting like it did for Peter Roberts, having to move to a safe haven on the north side- looking back not in anger, but disbelief (Roberts, 2013). ConclusionThis article depicts how cultures can ofttimes not mix well together and fur thermore how if it isnt managed efficiently and effectively it can lead to devastating consequences. Although this is an extreme case, with shootings, rapes and general discriminating behaviour, it shows that if the transition isnt properly managed how far it can go wrong. finished the explanation, analysis and use of theoretical principles and relevant cross cultural focus topics, it is clear that people can make a relatively smooth-spoken transition into a new culture and society, if it is managed efficiently and effectively. This would occur not only in the situation that has been exemplified in the article, but also in a within a business context- where it is markedly more important.