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www.uvic.cat

Facultat d’Empresa i ComunicacióFacultad de Empresa y ComunicaciónFaculty of Business and Communication

1. Introduction

-Observation, assumptions and (mis)interpretation. -Culture shock

Prof. Joan Masnou

Culture Culture Culture Culture andandandand BusinessBusinessBusinessBusiness

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www.uvic.cat217/02/2010

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www.uvic.cat317/02/2010

“Teachers’ frequent use of corporal punishment discourages students from actively participating in the classroom. Students are expected to sit rigidly in their seats and speak only when spoken to. Conditioned in this way, it’s not surprising they don’t feel free to speak out in the classroom; their shyness, however, should not be mistaken for lack of interest.”

Good or bad?Good or bad?Good or bad?Good or bad?

TitularA student from a Southern European country who has been studying for his PH. D. In Northern Europe for six months.

•I can still remember sitting in the airplane about to start my new life. I was very excited about coming to this country and making new friends. But once I got to the university the first weeks were mostly filled with practical problems. I had expected to get more help with these things. My supervisor was always away on a foreign trip or at meetings. Then after the next weeks I started to get the feeling that the people herewere cold. During the day they never seemed to have time for anything other than working. Contacts with the people from my apartment building were distant and superficial and I didn't know how to change that. The best part of the week was calling home on Saturday nights.

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Then one of the Ph.D. students got married and invited me to the wedding party. That was great. I got to know the people from the office and many others, and we had a lot of fun. They taught me their way of dancing, and I taught them my way. I finally went home thinking, "Now I know how to make friends in this country." But the next Monday morning they acted as if nothing had happened! They just said the usual "hi" in the corridor and went on with their work! I felt cold and lonely. What had I done wrong? Were they showing me I was just an outsider after all?

517/02/2010

Titular• My misery must have shown on my face, because a few days later one of the Ph.D. students I had been dancing with came to me and asked me whether something was the matter. We talked about it and she explained to me that this was normal behaviour and that people made a clear distinction between work time and private time. This conversation made me feel a bit better. Since then, we have talked about these things every now and then, and she and a few others have become good friends. I am doing well now. Work organization is efficient here, and I am making good progress. I have noticed that people do take the time to talk about the content matter of my work when I ask them. I still feel though, that the people here do not make the best of their lives, and I miss the warmth of home.

• (Hofstede, Gert Jan et al. Exploring Culture. Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, 2002

617/02/2010

Titular Facultat d’Empresa i ComunicacióFacultad de Empresa y ComunicaciónFaculty of Business and Communication

2. Culture and cultures2. Culture and cultures2. Culture and cultures2. Culture and cultures

----Meanings of cultureMeanings of cultureMeanings of cultureMeanings of culture-AnalysingAnalysingAnalysingAnalysing culturesculturesculturescultures

Culture Culture Culture Culture andandandand BusinessBusinessBusinessBusiness

TitularMeanings of culture

�“that complex whole which includes knowledge, arts, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” Edward Burnet Tylor, 1871.

� Topical

�“a mental map which guides us in our relations to our surroundings and to other people.” James Downs, 1971.

� Functional

�“...the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another." Geert Hofstede, 1997.

� Mental

817/02/2010Glòria BoschAprenentatge i desenvolupament motor

Facultat d’Empresa i ComunicacióDepartament d’Economia i Empresa

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917/02/2010Glòria BoschAprenentatge i desenvolupament motor

Facultat d’Empresa i ComunicacióDepartament d’Economia i Empresa

““Culture consists of everything on a list of topics, or categorieCulture consists of everything on a list of topics, or categories, such as social s, such as social organization, religion, or economyorganization, religion, or economy””

� Topical

““Culture is social heritage, or tradition, that is passed on to fCulture is social heritage, or tradition, that is passed on to future generationsuture generations””� Historical

““Culture is shared, learned human behaviour, a way of lifeCulture is shared, learned human behaviour, a way of life””� Behavioural

““Culture consists of patterned and interrelated ideas, symbols, oCulture consists of patterned and interrelated ideas, symbols, or behavioursr behaviours””� Structural

““Culture is based on arbitrarily assigned meanings that are shareCulture is based on arbitrarily assigned meanings that are shared by a societyd by a society””� Symbolic

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1017/02/2010Glòria BoschAprenentatge i desenvolupament motor

Facultat d’Empresa i ComunicacióDepartament d’Economia i Empresa

Everything that people

have, think and do

as members of a society

Have� refers to material possessions

Think� refers to values and attitudes

Do � refers to behaviour patternsMaterial

objects

Values

attittu

des

Behavioural

patterns

CULTURE

As members of a society���� a shared phenomenon that is both, learned and transmitted ����language

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1117/02/2010

1. Describe your cultural background. You can describe this as narrowly or as broadly as you like but try to focus on what distinguishes you culturally from others. 2. Of what aspects of your cultural background are you most proud?3. Excluding members of your family, can you think of a member of your cultural group who is a good role model for others in that cultural group?4. Have you ever felt out of place as a result of being different from others? 5. What purpose do generalizations about ‘group members’ serve?

TitularAnalysingAnalysingAnalysingAnalysing cultures (cultures (cultures (cultures (GeertGeertGeertGeert HofstedeHofstedeHofstedeHofstede))))

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Short-term Orientation

Long-term

Orientation

High Uncertainty Avoidance

Low

Uncertainty Avoidance

MasculinityFemininity

High Power DistanceLow Power Distance

IndividualismCollectivism