What do you understand by the term national culture Cultural Essay

What do you understand by the term national culture Cultural Differences and People Management - Essay Example As a result of that, it is inevitable for such companies to keep a diverse workforce for business success. French rightly pointed out that â€Å"In international ventures diversity is not an option – it is automatically part of the package† (French, 2010, p.84). Diverse workforce helps companies to reduce labour cost and exploit the expertise of cheap labour force available in overseas countries. However, management of diverse or multicultural workforce is not easy as the management of a single cultural workforce. Multicultural workforce often creates many challenges to the managers because of their contrasting interests. One of the major concerns created by international business or diverse workforce management is with respect to national culture. Since national culture of people from different countries varies immensely, it is difficult for the managers or executives to manage a diverse workforce effectively. Geert Hofstede and Trompenaars are some of the scholars who studied about the influence of national culture on cross cultural business management. This paper analyses the theories proposed by Hofstede and Trompenaars to know more about national culture and its implications on international business management. ... For example, some cultures believe that killing of the enemies of their culture as a sacred act whereas other cultures believe that killing of even enemies is a sin. Same way some cultures believe that there is nothing wrong in keeping more than one wife whereas other cultures believe in marital relationships with only one woman at a time. It is not necessary that the perceptions of Chinese people about work be the same as that of the perceptions of Americans or Europeans. Chinese people are leading a mechanic life because of the autocratic administration whereas Americans and Europeans are leading much liberal life because of the democratic administrations prevailing in those regions. In short, national culture is a term associated with beliefs, values, norms, behaviour, political and social environments, etc. â€Å"Some cultures put more emphasis on universal commitments (like honesty) while others put more weight on loyalty to particular people and relationships† (Ghemawat and Reiche.2011, p.2). For example, people from some cultures are ready to tell lies in courts to save the life of their friends. On the other hand, people from some other cultures may not tell lies even for saving the life of their friend. Even though many scholars conducted extensive researches o know the importance of national culture in the management of diverse workforce or international business, the works of Hofstede and Trompenaars seem to be extremely important. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions According to Hofstede, â€Å"Culture is the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from others† (Hofstede, n.d.). It should be noted that a person behaves and believes in a particular way because of the actions of his mind. For example, it

Atermath of Katrina, Returning to a Workplace Essay

Atermath of Katrina, Returning to a Workplace - Essay Example My primary concern as an Industrial Hygienist deputed to clean up the hospital in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina would be to prevent or control the spread of infectious diseases such as diarrhea, flu, cold and TB. Because as evidence from similar natural catastrophes suggests, the people returning to New Orleans are likely to suffer from these diseases in the immediate aftermath of Katrina. Gastroenteritis is also likely to be prevalent. Hence I would order my team and also avail of services from other disaster relief personnel and design an basic hygiene awareness program for the hospital. For example, proper hand-washing techniques will be demonstrated to all concerned. Along with practical demonstrations, I would make posters, fliers and email postings to reiterate the proper technique of hand washing. I would place bottles of Gel hand sanitizers at important access points within the hospital. Other infectious diseases that I would try to prevent or control include rashes and skin infections. Once any of these diseases is identified in the surrounding population, it is imperative that diseased individuals are separated from the crowd so as to stop further spread. All the beds and chairs within the hospital will be scanned for fomites. It is advisable to remove soiled cots, mattresses and bed spreads from the premises. (Chew, et. al, 2006) I would also be concerned about the mold and endotoxin levels in the hospital environment. I will involve the two technicians in my team to bring samples and perform tests for ascertaining mold and endotoxin levels. It is imperative that they wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as respirators. The advice would be to wear elastomeric respirators. Alongside mold and endotoxin level measurement, I would implement the process of deconstruction, which entails removal of soiled and muddied carpets, removal of