International Business - Cultural Differences Essay

International Business - Cultural Differences - Essay Example With specific reference to HRM and marketing, this essay will examine the potential problems which a UK owned hotel, operating in China and Russia, among numerous other countries, may confront. In order to understand the challenges which the UK-owned hotel may confront in the management of its operations in China and Russia, it is important to begin with a clarification of the implications of the culture construct. The reason is that since culture has been identified as the source of challenges, it is necessary to know why and how it can function as a challenge to cross-cultural management for the purposes of constructively confronting and resolving these challenges. As an ever-present force of concern to all social sciences, culture represents an abstract and extremely complex construct. Attempts by scholars to define culture have resulted in countless definitions. For example, in their seminal study on culture, Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1952) identified more than 160 definitions of culture. Although there is probably no single best definition of culture, the main thread running through the numerous definitions of culture, as noted by Hall (2004) is that the construct of culture appears to have the following characteristics: Culture is multidimensional and interrelated. ... Culture is multidimensional and interrelated. It consists of a number of common and interdependent elements such as beliefs and attitudes, values and norms. All aspects of culture are deeply connected with one another; to change one part is to change the whole. It is the interaction of various elements of culture that results in cultural distinctiveness. Culture is shared by the members of a social group and defines the boundaries between different groups. Culture is adaptive. Culture and its values, though enduring in the short term, do change over time. Cultural meanings are not static, but constantly in motion. Culture continues to evolve through constant embellishment and adaptation to both physical and social environments. Culture includes both conscious and unconscious values, and other meaningful symbols that shape human behaviour. Cultural differences are not necessarily visible, especially to people who remain embedded in one cultural environment. It takes a prolonged stay abroad and mingling with the locals to recognize the numerous and often subtle and hidden differences in various cultures. In sum, culture provides people with a sense of identity and an understanding of appropriate behaviour within a soda1 group. It has pervasive and profound impacts on virtually all aspects of human life. For instance, Harris and Moran (2005, pp. 206-211) have identified ten important areas pertaining to human values, attitudes. and behaviours that are directly influenced by culture: Sense of self and space; Communication and language; Dress and appearance; Food and feeding habits; Time and time consciousness; Relationships; Values and norms; Beliefs and attitudes; Mental process and learning; Work

Child Prostitution in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Child Prostitution in India - Essay Example This paper is a critical evaluation of child prostitution in India as well as ways through which the dilemma can be resolved. Child Prostitution in India India is categorized as one of the most highly populated countries in the world, with majority of its citizens suffering from abject poverty. Statistics indicate that more than 300 million out of the total population of approximately 944 580 000 people are living below poverty line, as per early 1990’s reports (Shephered 62). This ratio has definitely increased based on the fact that the total population has increased significantly to hit the 1 billion mark, making it the second most populous country after China. Out of this population, 25% is believed to be living in urban areas, which is a recipe for the establishment of informal residential areas that are unsafe and unhealthy for bringing up children. Due to these factors, families have been trying all methods to make ends meet and this has resulted to numerous cases of ch ild abuse, who are introduced to child labor and prostitution at a tender age (Sahni 12). Child prostitution may be defined as the involvement of children below the age of 18, depending on the legal definition of an adult in a country or society. It is prohibited in most of the countries around the world, even in those that legalize prostitution but there is a tendency in India whereby the locals are comfortable and in fact, some sources indicate that parents, who are supposed to offer protection to these children, are the main perpetrators of this heinous activity (Sahni 39). The girl child is given little significance in most of Indian societies who view them as sex tools such that they are even sexually abused by immediate members of the family such as the father, brothers among others. Some sources indicate that this habit begins in the marital bed, where couples incorporate their children in their sexual activities and sometimes, they are ‘loaned’ to neighbors for the same purposes. Mothers are said to use masturbation as a technique to send their female children to sleep and to enhance masculinity in boys, which is according to observers (DeMause 21). By the time they reach the age of 5 or 6, these children are already aware of their sexuality and thereby will go ahead to practice what they have been experiencing at the hands of their parents. On the other hand, child prostitution in India has been observed as being motivated by cultural and religious practices by the society rather than poverty as with other third world countries. An example is the tradition whereby young girls are offered as sacrifices to gods, in a practice known as Devdasi and which is widely accepted in majority of Indian cultures. Once these girls are relocated to the temples, they become what are widely referred to as religious prostitutes, who sleep around with different priests (Gathia 51). However, this kind of prostitution is different as it does not have the comm ercial aspect in it. This is to imply that these girls are not compensated for their services and as such, they are more of sex slaves as they are not allowed to make their own decisions on how to control their sexual activities especially choosing preferred clients. Despite the banning of this tradition in 1982, the society has continued to practice it, insisting that observing the restriction would amount to