Impact of National Culture on Organisational Principles

Discuss the impact of national culture on organisational principles and behaviour in TWO of the following: China, Japan and/or India. What do you consider to be the most important differences with the West? National culture can be classified as â€Å"the collective mental programming† of a society (Hofstede, 1980). The culture will have great repercussions on the way the way organisations and the different sectors within them are run. Managing them and controlling the human resources will also be dealt with according to the specified culture of the country.It is vital for organisations to understand the culture of different countries that they may be dealing with internationally or have multinational corporations within. This is because the collection of beliefs, habits and traditions within other nations may vary drastically from their own. The Japanese have a strong national culture that affects the way organisations behave and the different principles within them. The natio nal culture is important as it helps structure the culture of organisations. People then know what is acceptable, certain ways to behave and values. They have a number of laws to abide by and for this reason it is very important to follow the culture. A competitive advantage can also be gained as the culture is different to other nations. Children are encouraged to work very hard and it is not about the degree they get but rather how they use what they have learnt and put it into practice that counts. As they are given employment for life in a certain organisation, rather than moving from company to company, they are very hardworking and dedicated. Body postures show respect and bowing for reeting people is common along with gift giving for good effort. If a mistake is made, one does not get in trouble for it as the Japanese simply believe it is a lesson that has been learnt and honesty is key. Teamwork is vital for the Japanese. Countless managers in Japan feel their employees are motivated by working as a team. This is because as they are all working towards the same goal they share many responsibilities and get along well with each other, hence enjoying their job. This is a characteristic of Ouchi’s Theory Z when they are satisfied with their input towards the organisation. Japanese managers believe in consensus and cooperation and use the ‘bottom-up’ rather than the ‘top down’ structure in the decision making process. The hierarchical structure cannot easily be seen as everyone cooperates hugely within the decision making process and dealing with tasks. Managers highlight the need for information to flow throughout the entire organisation be it top or bottom and feel the need for everyone in the organisation to participate. They should be available at all times and readily be enthusiastic to sharing information with the rest of the organisation. The Japanese have been practicing upon many techniques in their organisations which help them in their everyday working lives. Samuel K. M. Ho’s 5-S practice is a procedure which is used to institute quality within the workplace. These five words when translated into English mean organisation, neatness, cleaning, standardisation and discipline. The people of Japan feel if they preserve this quality, it can be used as a good promotional tool. Another well known practice carried out by the Japanese is something called ‘kaizen’, which simply means ‘continuous improvement’. Kaizen is a strategy that aims to involve everyone in the workforce by getting them to think of any improvements for the business frequently. It is a Taylorist approach which helps employees feel recognised and gives responsibility. This is done by carrying out tasks in teams, providing personal discipline and improved morale to the workforce. Quality circles are carried out in which employees give opinions and suggest improvements. The ‘Just In Time Production’ theory is something the Japanese use which is very efficient. It focuses on getting the right material at the right time, at the right place and in the exact amount (Authorstream). This is done in order to save manufacturing costs and has many advantages one of which is it helps prevent stock going out of date as the right amount is produced. So overall, in Japan the national culture affect the organisational principles and behaviour greatly. Organisations expect loyalty, commitment and hard work from the workforce in return for good pay. The culture determines the way in which people are brought up, who is chosen in which organisation and the way people do things in their everyday lives is due to the specified culture. The culture of China varies from region to region within it but overall the culture is homogeneous. The government have been a considerable influence to the culture in organisation as it changes views to suit their needs. There was a cultural revolution from 1966 to 1976 which slightly changed the culture of China because of economic reasons. The previous system hugely converged on philosophy, literature and history but now the national culture has become more open with the world. The main factor of the Chinese culture is politeness. In everyday life, in and out of the workplace politeness determines an individual’s personality. Organisations usually select those who have the best attitude and family are usually giving priority before anyone else. As with Japan, lifetime employment is also the case with China and the organisation become like family to the employee. Respect is very important and the Chinese must ensure they give this at all times in order to prevent the ‘loss of face’. Once someone in China loses face, they are regarded as untrustworthy and lose their dignity along with their self respect. Greetings in China are usually made with the face and the Chinese depend on facial expressions and tone for reputation and respect. As with Japan, teamwork is vital in China as this guarantees good cooperation within the organisation. Gifts are given as recognition of hard work and appreciation and are also used for motivation. Long term relationships are also much more valued rather than quick transactions as the Chinese find it easier to function when they have contacts. This is a more family way of working and is part of Guanxi. Guanxi literally means any type of relationship (Chinese-school) and a favour is usually done for a favour in return. However, he difference from the Japanese culture is in China there are clear levels of hierarchy and people are usually judged according to their status. The seniors will always be given priority and no decisions can be taken upon without their consent. If mistakes are made in China it is regarded as a huge weakness. Confucianism has largely influenced the Chinese. It is a ‘complex system of moral, social, political and religious codes’ (Smith, 1973). It is unequal and values men more than women. There are fewer women in the workforce and they are regarded to have less importance than men. Overall, there are many similarities in both eastern countries, Japan and China, with only a few differences. Every nation has their own culture which makes them different and gives a competitive advantage over others. The people in these nations abide by the certain cultures sustaining them throughout generations. There are many differences in the way national culture impacts organisational principles and behaviour in China and Japan than in the West. In Japan, hierarchies are not so clear whereas they are very clear in China. In Western countries, company structures change depending on which industry is being looked at but the overall hierarchies will still be of importance. In both Japan and China, social relationships mean a lot and people usually get given employment due to family and friends and build them up from there. Once they receive employment within a firm, it is usually lifetime employment and they treat the firm like family. However in Western countries, people are given jobs according to their degree and on a professional level. People switch from company to company and their role moves up if they are top performers. Western countries unlike the Eastern are only concerned with employees on a work basis. This is different to Eastern countries that are judged on both home and work and actions outside the workplace can be severe. Men and women are not looked at differently in the Western countries but in Japan and China are given a lower status and fewer women have top positions within the workforce. When a mistake is made in a Western country it is usually overlooked however in Japan it is counted as part of the learning process and in China it is regarded as a weakness. In Japan, decisions are made by groups of up to one hundred people whereas in Western countries they are finalised by only about ten people. Regardless, decisions are still usually made quicker in the East than they are in the West. Corruption is something that occurs widely in China which causes certain decisions to be taken that benefit the rich making the rich richer and the poor poorer. This does not occur much in Western countries as in the UK, such Cartels exist to reduce corruptive actions. There are many similarities and a few differences between both Western countries, Japan and China that have been listed above. The main difference in culture is the East usually treats their nations more as family and actions inside and outside the work place are something they have to account for. The differences are become fewer though, as these Eastern countries are slowly being influenced by the West because of internationalism.References http://chinese-school.netfirms.com/guanxi.html http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/Nguvananh_07b-311673-time-product-business-english-3-finance-ppt-powerpoint/

Can Religion Be Studied Academically Essay

The academic study of religion isn’t a means of just learning scriptures or passages from a sacred text like the Bible. It is a more complex process and can be considered multidisciplinary – it can include art, literature, linguistics, history, philosophy, psychology, sociology and much more. Religion can’t be studied without knowing what we are trying to study, and while some would argue it just doesn’t exist, the similarity among the diverse religious belief systems around the world are strong enough to justify a comprehensive field study encompassing the factors listed above, some of which fall into Livingstone’s ‘seven ways of studying religion’. However, to effectively study religion in an academic way, it is important to include critical analysis, which means it is important not to be biased towards your own beliefs. By doing this you can become more culturally aware of other faiths and beliefs, and thus obtain a greater understanding of religions. Literary criticism plays an important role in the academic study of religion. Religion in the theological way is all about the teachings of a particular sacred text. The Bible for Christianity, the Quran for Islam and Sutras for Buddhism, for example, all contain the teachings and laws of the respective religions, which is essentially how people can understand religion in the first place. Livingstone, in his theories on religion, says questions are the key to studying and understanding the meaning of sacred texts. Is it reliable; who was the author; when was it written and where; how has the work been received, interpreted and passed on? These are the questions that need to be answered before a true understanding of religion can be obtained, and who better to answer them than a literary critic, according to Livingstone. The relationship between religion and language also relates to this idea of literary criticism. Language in religion doesn’t often function like it does in everyday life – it is not found at the surface level of words or signs, according to Livingstone. Understanding language and how it is used in religion provides insight, but it also stretches to include the nature and function of language itself. Because of religion’s role in human cultures, it is impossible to comprehend the flow of history without some basic grounding in a variety of religious beliefs. Livingstone says it would appear obvious that the historical study of religion has to do with establishing what role religious experience and ideas play in the lives of individuals and communities. You only have to look at the Bible and see the Old Testament is dated in years ‘before Christ’. Livingstone gives an example of the Protestant Reformation. The causes of the Protestant Reformation have been a topic of contention among historians, and the debate illustrates both the importance of history in gaining a fuller understanding of that event in western history, and the difficulties in proposing a single casual explanation in history. But the notion of history and religion can be put a little more simply – religious traditions provide structure to the world and provides people with a sense of where they fit in, which in turn affects choices today, for example decisions about politics. The philosophical scrutiny of religion is one of the oldest and most instructive ways of examining religious experience and belief, according to Livingstone. In this century philosophy’s relation to religion is to analyse the uses of religious language and to test its logical status and meaning. It asks whether a religious expression is simply performing an action or evoking the emotions. Livingstone says philosophers believe much of the problems with religion stem from these confusing uses of language. Over the centuries and spanning different continents, the notion of philosophy has remained significant in several religious traditions, which emphasises the importance of it in an educational way – In India, philosophy has remained associated with historical developments in Hinduism and the same goes for Buddhism in Asia. The way in which religion interacts within a social dimension is also a significant element to studying religion. Sociologist, Max Weber, demonstrated that certain forms of social life and behaviour could deeply reflect the religious belief and practice of society. For example: Weber analysed how the new Protestant ethic, which came with the Reformation of the 16th century, proved to be decisive in shaping the spirit of modern capitalist society. All religions have a concept of what it means to be a member of a religious society, how it should function, how it should be organised, and how the society relates to the outside world. Therefore it is important to have an understanding of the sociology behind religion, especially in the instance that culture and religion become hard to distinguish between. It is understood that religions offer critiques of contemporary society based on concepts of an ideal society and must understand the connection between sacred and secular power and the political and religious institutions representing each. This is where a study of sociology and anthropology become important for religion. The relationship between religious and violent conflict is well known. It can be argued that religions are inclined to be absolutist, meaning they don’t allow for the validity of other religions. This discourages the discussions and negotiations and compromises needed to resolve differences of opinion peacefully, which can then have an effect on society itself. Without compromises, it can sometimes erupt into violence – so in terms of the importance of studying religion, it is ideal to know the interconnection between sociology and religion to understand why and how conflicts, for example, can sometimes occur. And then there’s the psychology behind the importance of studying religion. One of the early workers in this particular field was William James. He explored the psychological dimensions of phenomena as conversion, mysticism and saintliness. Livingstone says the connection between psychology and religion is perhaps the most closely associated with great figures in psychoanalysis. He also uses an example of Gordon Allport’s work, who studied the relationship between religion and prejudice. He says studies such as Allport’s show the value of psychological studies in revealing the potential effect of forms of religion on social relations and behaviours. Allport particularly discovered that there were different correlations between prejudice and types of being religious, what he referred to as extrinsic and intrinsic religions. This particular study into psychology and religion is significant because it can warn us against making too-simple correlation between prejudice and religion, according to Livingstone. In addition to Livingstone’s ideas behind studying religion, there are other factors that intertwine, like art, for example. No one can view art without noticing the influence of religion. Every religion provides ideas, tales, cultural symbols, and concepts vital to creating art. It can be argued that without the cultural resources available today that have been created by religions, some art would be impossible to create or even understand. It isn’t particularly essential for making art, but religion’s role culturally makes the connection stronger. In conclusion, it is difficult to seriously or substantively critique religion if it’s not understood. It is for this reason that an understanding language critique, sociology, history, psychology and philosophy, for example, is so important. Livingstone says the academic study of religion can help people to see religion as a whole. These scholarly views and disciplines can help people to see aspects of their own religions that they may be blind to, which in turn can help prosper more appreciation for various religious traditions.

Good People… Are Good Because They’re Come to Wisdom Through Failure

According to the critical lens by William Saroyan, â€Å"Good people†¦ are good because they’re come to wisdom through failure. † In other words that a person can learn from mistakes and become a better person. Two literary works that agree with this statement are The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. The novel by William Golding, The Lord of the Flies reveals with a person can learn from mistakes and become a better person. The setting took place on an uninhabited island. Ralph was characterized as the oldest of the boys, handsome, and confident. Piggy can be characterized as the logic on the island. Jack Merridew an aggressive boy who became the leader of the tribe after Ralph’s failure. Piggy trying to preach the rules to everyone and Roger rolls a boulder at him and kills him. Ralph witnessed Piggy’s death and ran away. From this point on Ralph discovered through Piggy’s death, that it was useless trying to reason with Jack’s tribe. Ralph ran and hides from them. As a result, Ralph learned through Piggy’s mistakes and stayed alive. William Saroyan implies that a person can learn from mistakes and become a better person. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey reveals with the statement. We can learn from mistakes and become a better person. The story takes place in a mental institution in the Pacific Northwest. The narrator of the novel is chief Bromden, also known as chief Broom; a half staff assumes is deaf and dumb. Randall Patrick McMurphy is a new patient who came from a work farm. He suggested a party, but got cought by the Big Nurse. He received a lobotomy. Chief learned from McMurphy. At the end, he escaped the hospital and returning to society to battle the combine. In both novels The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey reveal the statement that we can learn from mistakes and become a better person. Both main characters learn from other mistakes and become a better person.

How does spa facilities aid in treatment for mental health patiences Essay

How does spa facilities aid in treatment for mental health patiences - Essay Example As a result, this will lead to a reduction in activity in hypothalamic- pituitary- adrenal (HPA) axis, which is the part of the brains that serves the function of governing stress response (McCray, 2009, 102). However, there are no conclusive results as to whether can actually be used in mental health treatment as different studies have come up with different results on this matter. However, it is safe to assume that yoga offers an acute benefit for patients suffering from depression. The only problem that makes yoga a little hard to incorporate is the fact that it is rather a cultural phenomenon which makes it hard for people to distinguish between the facts about yoga and mere hype. As much as physicians recommend the use of yoga in treating mental illnesses such as depression, it is recommended that the patient combines it with supervision from a trained therapist who can monitor the performance and warn against any negative effects that may occur as a result. Aerobic exercises such as swimming has over time been proved to improve mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. The sudden improvements in the moods of the patients can be attributed to the exercise-induced increase in blood circulation in the brain which will consequently affect the hypothalamic pituitary- adrenal (HPA) axis, which in turn affects the psychologic reactivity to stress. The other associated benefits with swimming include distraction, social interaction and self-efficacy. As much as structured programs are best suited for patients suffering from serious mental illnesses, lifestyle alterations that are mostly focused on buildup and enhancement of moderate-intensity activity throughout the patient’s day can be most effective for patients with mild cases of mental illnesses such as depression (Ridge, 2009, 28). Swimming for about 30 minutes three times a week is more than enough to help with treating mental patients suffering from depression. Physical exercise has

Identifying and Managing Project Risk Assignment

Identifying and Managing Project Risk - Assignment Example This is implemented using a project plan. The project I was tasked to manage was to create a stock management system for a proprietor who sells computers and other accessories. The appreciation of risk management assists in getting the knowledge of the occurrence and probabilities of certain risks, planning for them and mitigation techniques to counter them. Risk management takes the step towards managing risks through selection, implementation, and control measures. This creates assurance and confidence in the project team in the event of any uncertain events occurring. Risk management has enabled the creation of control measures in the project that was being created for the proprietor. Knowledge of risk enabled the creation of proper feedback mechanisms for the user of the system such that any problems encountered are directly communicated to the project team through the provided means. The project implementation encountered several surprise events that I will mention. This being an I.T system being built on an I.T environment, the users of the system is always bound to change requirements or the scope of the project. In this case, the proprietor had asked for a system that manages the data he uses, later he noticed that he needs some analytical tools that he did not mention. That had to be accommodated by the project team in the allocated time for a change in requirements. As we discussed the project requirements, there were no provisions for the security of the system by the user, which the project team identified. This prompted consultations with the proprietor about the importance of a secure system and this was handled effectively. This actually enhanced the user and developer communication for the effectiveness of the system.  

Determining HRIS Needs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Determining HRIS Needs - Research Paper Example Though the adoption of technology in HR department has exhibited a whole range of advantages in managing firms’ human resource, technological advancement equally poses a wide range of challenges that span ethical, financial as well as legal implications. Technological advancement within the field of HR presupposes higher skills for the staff. Moreover, the staff in the firm wholesomely expects higher levels of accessing data than was the case before adopting the HRIS. This therefore shows that in adoption of these systems, there is a need for proper future planning. There may be some requirements for changes in technology or government regulations in the future, which in the event of unpreparedness may adversely affect the firm. Such planning needs are: need for caution in incorporating the ever-dynamic social media as tools of recruitment. New applications as well as legislations keep showing up hence the need for a better system that would accommodate the dynamics. There is the need to adopt systems that can easily expansion and reporting requirements as stipulated by different legislations and government regulations, as this will always keep changing. Taking caution on the use of hosted approaches through which firms rent services from other service providers or unreliable software. Technological advancement may face out the software in use thus lending the organization helpless. While taking long range planning for these HRIS, an organization should also be aware of the changing trends within the HR practices where records are showing that managers are adopting HR systems through which analysis of individual employee performance can be monitored and evaluated. This will assist in the choice for the most appropriate systems to minimize costs of revising and changing. Finally, long range planning will take into account transparency challenges where the system adopted should ascertain confidentiality of personal information. This is especially important with the technological awareness that is currently exhibited (Johnson and Gueutal, nd, 4-6). HRIS requires periodical analysis. There are the advantages that make the methods more appropriate than others. However, it is worth noting that the methods exhibit major setbacks and can thus not ascertain accurate measurements. Error-some data may result from the drawbacks that are associated with data collection faults associated go these methods. Apart from the limitation of time, both focus group as well as the interview method is limited in costs, human resource requirements and language barrier (U.S. General Accounting Office, 1991, 40-66). On matters of costs, interviews as well as the focus groups require the services of one on one questioning for the purpose of focus groups while the interviews may be over the communication media as well as the one on one interview. These two cases require a lot of funding as compared to other methods as the secondary data. In relation to human re source, the interview method and the focus group methods both require the services of competent personnel. In the instance of poor personnel, the data collected is inaccurate while the reverse is true. On matters of language, it is seen as a critical disadvantage because the two methods of collecting data requires some form of communication; either written or better still the oral communication. In the instance of differences in language, communication would not take place and in the process, no data at all will be collected. From the above analysis, the

Tale Of Genji Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tale Of Genji - Essay Example Art and literature flourished in Japan even in ancient times. Japanese writings showed that ancient Japanese placed great premium on culture such as painting, poetry, prose, music, dramatic performances and all genres of literature. Ancient writers and artists i.e. poets, musicians, painters were then hailed as an elite group who were notches above the rest and special groups of people to be venerated and esteemed with high regard. And such writings showed that these predilections and love for art and literature even pre-dated that of European and American passion for art and literature. However, it had been claimed that most of these writings were mere oral literature because the Japanese failed to independently devise their own kind of syllabaric script and thus failed to find a means of recording their language. Thus, most of this oral literature perished (Keene 19). It was only when the Japanese (and the Koreans, too) discovered the Chinese Kanji script, the ancient Chinese metho d of writing that the Japanese were able to put into writing the works of their writers who then described the high level of culture in ancient Japan (Snowling & Hulme 23). Yet, many of this oral literature were luckily integrated into Japan’s first known surviving book, the Kojiki or â€Å"Record of Ancient Matters†. This book featured poetry, songs, myths, legends, customs and traditions, language and ancient Japanese history (Chamberlain i,ii).