Key Elements That Define A Culture

By Author: Henry Ford
Total Articles: 189
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The 3 key elements of a culture that affect the day to day life of human beings are values, beliefs and behavioral norms (Macionis, 2000). Ethnocentrism is the existence of the belief that ones ethnic group is more superior to the others. It leads to misrepresenting others since one looks at other people’s culture through the eyes of his or her own culture.

How do attitudes, values, customs and beliefs shape culture?
Values are those things that a particular community feels are important and these things are highly prized by that particular community. Since these are things that an individual of a particular community consider extremely worthwhile, they are bound to continue doing those particular things and in doing this they will be defining and shaping a culture. Beliefs are those things that an individual holds and accepts emotionally as true. A belief is a conviction that these particular things are inherently true. Beliefs are not subject to rational arguments. Whatever an individual holds to be true will shape the culture that he or she will follow. Attitudes can be defined as the way that people respond ...
... to situations and to other people. Attitudes are manifest through behavior and they are based on assumptions, beliefs and values that the individual holds. This affects culture in that there is no standard way on how one should react towards situation. The way one chooses to react will shape his or her culture (Margaret, et al, 2006).

How does a company overcome ethnocentricity?
In order for a company to overcome ethnocentricity it must understand other cultures and be sensitive to them. It must recognize all the distinctive characteristics of its workers and its customers. It should also welcome and encourage different view from other cultures when it makes its decisions and policies. It should establish, recognize and appreciate the differences that exist in its workers and its customers. Frequent forums that discuss the important role of every worker in the company regardless of his or her ethnicity should be held (Barrett, 1976).

Effective strategies for a global company to adapt to a local culture
For a company to adapt to local culture, it must understand all the aspects of that culture in order to avoid cultural conflicts. One way that a company can achieve this is through global branding of its product. This involves producing a worldwide product that suits all cultures. Also it can produce a product that suits the cultures of a particular country. Usually this product will differ very slightly with the original product. This can be achieved by reorganization of the production and branding sectors of the company so that the produced products fits to the local culture and are readily acceptable by that community (Nakra, 2006).

The elements of a culture that a company that a company must be aware of.
Though some aspects of a culture are open, there are those that are hidden. The hidden aspects include beliefs, values and attitudes. These aspects are the key elements that define a culture. It is therefore important for a company to establish these hidden aspects of a culture in order for it to understand a certain culture. Other elements that define a culture are symbols, language, norms, taboos, technology, artifacts, laws, folkways and values (Macionis, 2000). A company should be aware of these in order for it to operate profitably. This is because aspects like gestures which may be benign in some culture may be an insult in other cultures. There are some phrases as well that may be seem normal in one culture but considered an offence in other cultures.

Attitude and culture
Attitude defines the behavior of an individual. The way that an individual behaves while at work will become the culture of that particular person. The way individual views leisure, the consciousness towards time, how he or she views change and family, his or her religion will impact a permanent attitude towards these things and this will become his or her attitude. The attitude towards religion will determine whether one is committed towards religious affairs or not.

Impact of communication on culture
Communication is usually interactive and it influences the way we relate to one another. Because of the many cultural differences that exist, there is usually an element of miscommunication and this leads to cultural misunderstanding. It is therefore to initiate positive communications both verbal and non verbal for a better cultural understanding. All the communication that takes place can be said to be cultural.

What impact does the physical environment have on culture?
The physical environment includes the overall setting, and the natural and man made settings present in the locality of a community. It has a great impact in that it influences the kind of food and diet that is available in a particular culture, the shelter that is required and the kind of weather that one is likely to experience.

How are education and technology linked to culture?
The kind, level and type of education and technology that a particular group of people are exposed to will determine their culture. Those groups that are less exposed to technology and education tend to retain the old and repressive cultures e.g. the place of women in a society. The groups of people who are well exposed to education and technology adapt a kind of culture that is less conservative.

Media and culture
The mass media is used for disseminating information, coverage of news and features and for marketing. What they media present shape the public opinion but also the public judges how the media covers the stories. The media shapes culture through advertising of products like alcohol in such a way that it appears to be a fun and good beverage. This will lead to development of a culture that is alcoholic.

Impact of politics on international companies
Political stability is important for any company to operate effectively. The legal system of a country may lead to monopolization, privatization or deregulation of companies which affects competition. The negative impacts of instability are frequent attacks of the business premises e.g. by the militia, poor economy that destroys the business environment. Government taxation on these countries may increase and hence they may not be able to operate effectively. The positive impacts are that a good political system will provide incentives to woo investors and the good economy that exists is beneficial for business.

Importance of cultural awareness
It is important for international companies investing in other counties to have culture awareness. This is because factors like behaviors, time consciousness, etiquette and social practices that these companies consider to be the professional behaviors in their mother countries may be seen as arrogance, aggression or insensitivity in the cultures of the countries that they are going to invest. The investor will therefore be seen as insensitive and may be unwelcome. By understanding other people’s culture, these companies can develop a perfect relationship in their work place that is free of cultural conflict (Hampden et al, 2003)

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