Understanding Global Cultures Chapters 14-16

Understanding Global CulturesChapters 14-16 Scott Bearder,Eric Bulthuis, Kathryn Davis, Eric Launer, Philip Lawson, Destinie Martinez, Raz Sanchez, William Turner, Chandra York

Canada • Population 32 million • 2nd Largest-nation in size

Canada’s Historical Background • 1670: Hudson Bay Company • 1763: Treaty of Paris • 1867: Dominion of Canada • WWI & WWII • 1965: Maple Leaf Flag Officially instated

Egalitarianism & Outlook • Egalitarianism: the doctrine of the equality of mankind and the desirability of political and economic and social equality.

Outlooks of Canadians • Backpacks • Beavers • Canadians are more Diplomatic • Wrong Dish • Good manners/conflict avoidance • Universal Health Care & Social Safety Net

The Canadian Mosaic • Canadians have a strong appreciation of foreign cultures and actively encourage immigration • Canada is known as a “global village” • Influx of immigrants has improved the Canadian economy • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRI-A3vakVg

Canadians as Non-U.S. Americans • Despite a history of cooperation with the United States , many Canadians dislike being mistaken for Americans • Canadians agree that little national pride is a good thing • Non-U.S. American bias, but not anti-American

Canadians as Non-U.S. Americans • It is difficult to be the less prosperous neighbor of the U.S. • Since 1993 U.S. Hockey teams have consistently won the Stanley Cup, hockey’s highest honor, with Canadian players

French Wine • Most well-known grape varieties • More than 5,000 varieties • France is still the leader in wine production • Five principal elements of wine

French Wine: Pureness • A wine’s characteristics are a summation of its past • Vital components • Soil • Climate • Vine type • Viniculturists • Vendage (Harvest period): preoccupation with time. Has to be accurate to get the exact pureness. • Historical difficulties

A Perfect Land France Japan Harmony Business Home Non-confrontational • View their country as special and unique • Perfectionists • Symmetry, balance, and harmony

Historical Roots • Celts/Gauls • Earliest traceable ancestry of the French • Romans took over in 52 BCE (Caesar) • 500 years invasions continued from Germanic tribes • Renaissance and Louis XIV • “L’état, c’estmoi”… “I am the state” • Navy and emergence of culture all over Europe • Widening gap=French Revolution 1789 • Napoleon III • Code Napoleon (still felt today) • World War I • Victory yet tremendous loss • World War II • Hopelessness and disgrace under German occupation

Troubled Years • Phylloxera Vastatrix 1865-1895, all vineyards in France destroyed • Much like this re-routing, the people of France have been replanted over the years. • Louis XIV has been credited with instilling gradeur into French culture and minds. • Cherished universal values • Beacons to the world • Favored, possessors of ideas and values coveted and treasured by the rest of mankind. • “God loves the French the best” • Don’t judge the French immediately without taking into consideration past trial and tribulations they’ve been through.

French Wine: Classification • Through fermentation, wine develops its final personality, blend, and balance. • Four major classes of wine: • Appellation d’OrigineContrôlée • VinsDélimités de QualitéSupérieur • Vins de Pays • Vins de Table • Four major social classes: • Haute bourgeoisie • Petite bourgeoisie • Classes moyennes • Classes populaires

Creating Order • http://youtu.be/M-npsx9Msu8 • http://youtu.be/K8yJ1XZe5LU • Savoir-vivre • Good and bad • “codified” • French vs. U.S. advertising • French Subway system • Introduction order and business status

Cartesian Legacy • Control and refine life due to Descartes • “I think, therefore I am” • Leave nothing unexplained • Presentations given from the heart • Agendas, time factors, and conclusions are not of imortance. • Business importance demonstrated physically • Room layout • Top-down importance

Managerial Style • Top management is tight knit and of higher education • Difficult to move up the corporate ladder • Best wines are equivalent to best presentations • Uncertainty makes business lunches long and implies lack of control in French culture • Things are changing though: • Avg. lunch time 90mins-> 40 mins • Business cafes 200,000 -> 50,000 (despite population growth) • Individual wine consumption 26.5 gallons/year -> 14.5 gallons

Classifying Behavior France Japan High-context culture Simple communication One word has elaborate meaning Group forming culture • High and low context behavior • High: they do not need explicit and/or written communication to understand one another • Low: excessive bureaucratic rules and regulations • Need to know each other adequately enough to engage in business relations • The French smile • Waiters and clerks

Composition • The composition of wine is said to reflect the French • Work and play • Conversational style

Composition • Wine is extraordinary, intricate, and inconstant complex of different ingredients • The same is considered to be said of the French • The French tend to be monochronic

Work & Play • By law the French must devote 5 weeks to vacation • Typically includes all of August • 40% of vacationers migrate to vacation spots such as Cote d’ Azur • Holidays, like food and wine, are taken very seriously • The French tend to prepare carefully and meticulously for them • Weekends tend to be devoted to family matters

Conversational Style • They can be quick to criticize, but this is often only to stimulate discussion • If a conversation is worth beginning, it is worth cultivating into a meaningful discussion • Small mispronunciations have an unnerving effect • Conversation is considered a highly developed art • In conversational circles, there are two very different forms of addressing a person • Tu/Toi is reserved for only the closest friends and family members of the same age or younger • Vous, which is the second-person plural as well as singular, is used on a more formal level. • The wrong usage can spoil a conversation or jeopardize a relationship at an early stage

Making Friends • Don’t rush the process and allow quality to improve over time. • Whereas the Americans tend to have many small conversations with a number of people, the French prefer fewer conversations on much deeper levels • Smiling at someone you don’t know and saying hello is frequently considered provocative, not friendly • Family bonds are strengthened by eating weekend meals and taking extended holidays together • Although the French can be very romantic about love, the concept of marriage and children tends to be approached in a businesslike manner

Women’s Role • French women see themselves, and are regarded as the equals of men – equal but different • Presented with opportunities to play the same roles as men, women have shied away from doing so • Until 1964, wives had to obtain her husband’s permission to open a bank account, run a shop, or get a passport • The women’s liberation movement has been relatively slow in France. Like superior wines of France, its growth will be patient and organized

French Education • Strictly controlled by government • Grade advancement is based on what skills they attain • 30 days of school year are exam days • 35 hours of school a week – shortest school year • Growth is directed towards certain diploma • Teachers make decisions that guide paths

French Education • Social status determines children’s opportunities • Educational opportunities are constrained • People pursue education in the United States

Japan Education • Grade advancement is automatic • Upper Secondary education is voluntary • 98% of students advance • School year begins in April • Some schools hold classes on Saturdays

Friendships • French take very seriously • Growth is very slow and carefully chosen • Critical of how the U.S. values friendships • French are cautious when dealing with foreign business colleagues • Careful not to overexpose themselves

Health & Fitness • Jumped on health craze that is sweeping across America and Europe • Jogging is on the rise • Tobacco is now seen as unchic • Wine consumption has decreased

Economy • 75% of Frances energy is provided by nuclear power • Provides 98% of citizens with medical care and benefits • Income is guaranteed to citizens over 65 • Pension is equal to average wage • Mothers and babies get free care to boost birth rates

Evolving Culture • 1 out of 12 people are foreigners • 1 out of 20 is a Muslim • Grants citizenship to those born on French soil • Prejudice to foreigners

American Football Football is a cultural metaphor for understanding US Americans and US business behavior -Football has now passed baseball as Americas real pastime • Football viewing should be mandatory • Super Bowl Sunday has replaced Christmas • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-sXaPcjBKs

The Tailgate Party • Outdoor party involving barbecue grills, beer, food, and soda. • Complete strangers unified at tailgates. • Tailgates happen no matter time or conditions. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ENZQzavQfY&feature=related

Pre-Game & Halftime Entertainment • Non stop entertainment during football games even when the game has not started or is in a time out • Bands in college football • Musical stars involved in the NFL halftime

Strategy & War • All the aspects of football typify the American culture. • Strategy is fundamental in football, war, and American business. • Owners, coaches, players, even fans are compared to some aspect of war. • Business plans linked to football strategies.

Selection, the Training Camp, and Complex Plays/the Playbook • Selection and training are the keys to success in business as in football. • Specialized teams in football and business

Individualized Specialized Achievement Within the Team Structure • Americans are group oriented. • Emphasis on group does not mean that everyone receives the same rewards or compensation • Salary's of CEO’s and QBs • Americans believe in equality of opportunity but not equality of outcomes • U.S. citizens far less likely to agree that it is important for government to guarantee that no one is in need. • More likely to agree that governments role is to provide freedom to pursue goals.

Cont’d • Football is team sport but the individual is glorified and celebrated. • All football major trophies are named after individuals who have contributed to the sport. • Individualism in football seems to be unsurpassed then in any other team sport. (similar to U.S. being the most individualist nation)

Extreme Specialization • Professional football teams are multimillion-dollar corporations subdivided into departments and divisions • Coaches, medics, statisticians, marketing consultants, etc…. • Even though football’s rules and regulations are changing their basic values and ideals stay the same • Much like U.S. society • Esteemed innovators • Bill Walsh (west coast offense) • Bill Gates (Microsoft)

Competition as a Goal • U.S. Football has many rules protecting the game, so does America in protecting businesses in anti-trust laws • Each geographical region specialized in one area • Northeast: manufacturing • Midwest: agriculture • West: raising cattle • Each region battled for competitive advantages within each other ex. English and Irish • Checks and balances

Technology and Tools/Openness to Change • NFL: weight machines, cameras, and specialized equipment • America historically short on labor and long on raw materials • Fads in society and in football

Aggression, High Risks, and Unpredictable Outcomes • According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (most widely used personality scale) 75% of males and females are extroverted and aggressive in personal relations • Speed dating in America • And why women watch The Bachelor according to Washington Post columnist Paul Fahri

Survival of the Fittest/Huddling • Social Darwinism • Survival of the fittest • The unpredictable nature of football relates to many people’s daily lives and professional careers • Huddling • No other sport in the world has something like this • The melting pot • Ex in business world: Wal-Mark morning meetings

Manufacturing System • ASM- American system of manufacturing • Simplicity of design • Standardization of parts • Large-scale output

Academic Competitiveness • Numbers have huge impact on decision making • Standardized tests • Aptitude tests

Saving Time • The reason we have standardized tests • We are generally in a rush • Such as a football huddle

Football & Perfection • “We are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect.” • Vince Lombardi • This is what immigrants think of America

Nationalist Beliefs • Super bowl- World Championship • U.S. Americans believe that their country is the safest • Facts do not support such a conclusion

Religion • 400,000 churches in U.S. • 68% of U.S. members of a church

Understanding Global Cultures Chapters 14-16