i bus chapter 4

ethical systems

a coherent collection of beliefs about the right way to behave in society -most ethical systems are a product of religions -confucianism

religion

a system of shared beliefs and rituals concerned with the realm of the sacred -christianity, islam, hinduism, buddhism -higher religious beliefs stimulate economic growth because they help to sustain aspects of individual behavior that leads to higher productivity

caste system

a system of social stratification in which social position is determined by the family into which a person is born, and change in that position is usually not possible during an individual's lifetime-carries specific occupations

class system

a system of social stratification in which social status is determined by the family into which a person is born and by subsequent socioeconomic achievements -mobility between classes is possible -British class system less mobility than many other western societies-accents and education

culture

a system of values and norms that are shared among a group of people and that when taken together constitute a design for living -defined by hofstede and namenwirth and weber -many levels-cultures may embrace several nations (Islam) and one nation may have many cultures (USA)

class consciousness

a tendency for individuals to perceive themselves in terms of their class background -thus, shapes their relationships with members of other classes -hostility between classes cause antagonistic relationships between management and labor force--leads to lack of cooperation and high level of industrial disruption which raises the costs of production in countries with significant class divisions, making it more difficult for companies to establish a competitive advantage in the global economy

values

abstract ideas about what a society believes to be good, right, and desirable -shared assumptions of about how things ought to be -provide the context within which a society's norms are established and justified -reflected in the political and economic systems of a society

group

an association of two or more individuals who have a shared sense of identity and who interact with each other in structured way on the basis of a common set of expectations about each other's behavior -human social life is group life -social media

social structure

basic social organization of a society Cultural differences based on: -the degree to which the basic unit of a social organization is the individual, as opposed to the group -the degree to which a society is stratified into classes or castes

uncertainty avoidance

extent to which cultures socialize members to accept ambiguous situations and to tolerate uncertainty -high-place premium on job security, career patterns retirement benefits-strong need for rules and regulations -low-greater readiness to take risks and less emotional resistance to change

individualism v collectivism

focusing on the relationship between the individual and his fellows-in individualistic societies, the ties between individuals are loose and individual achievement is highly values -in collectivism societies, ties between individuals are tight, people are born into collectives, such as extended families, and everyone is supposed to look after the interests of his collective

society

group of people who share a common set of values and norms -not necessarily one country -may be several societies in one nation, each with its own culture

social strata

hierarchical social categories often based on family background, occupation, and income -defined on the basis of socioeconomic characteristics such as family background, occupation, and income -individuals are born into a particle stratum-they become a member of the social category to which their parents belong-high strata have more opportunities- Societies social strata differ in two ways: 1. with regard to the degree of mobility between social strata 2. with regard to the significance attached to social strata in business contexts

masculinity vs femininity

relationship between gender and work roles -masculine cultures-sex roles are sharply differentiated and traditional masculine values such as achievement and the effective exercise of power determine cultural ideals -feminine-sex roles are less sharply distinguished-little differentiation is made between men and women in the same job

norms

social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behavior in particular situations -social rules that govern people's actions toward one another subdivided into two categories: 1. folkways: the routine conventions of everyday life-actions of little moral significance -social conventions-how people are expected to behave-not serious if violated -rituals and symbolic behavior-most visible manifestations of a culture and constitute the outward expression of deeper values 2. Mores: norms seen as central to the functioning of a society and its social life -more widely observed norms-have greater moral significance-more significant than folkways -some are enacted into laws i.e. incest

long term vs short term orientation

the extent to which a culture programs its citizens to accept delayed gratification of their material, social, and emotional needs-it captures attitudes toward time, persistence, ordering by status, protection of face, respect for tradition, and reciprocation of gifts and favors -values derived by confucian teachings

social mobility

the extent to which individuals can move out of the social strata into which they are born

power distance

theory of how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities-high power distance cultures are found in countries that let inequalities grow over time into inequality of power and wealth; low power distance cultures are found in societies that try to downplay such inequalities

cross cultural literacy

understanding how the culture of a country affects the way business is practiced -an understanding of how cultural differences across and within nations can affect the way business is practiced

education

-cultural values and norms taught in schools, directly and indirectly -a determinant of national competitive advantage -important factor guiding the location choices of international businesses-businesses more likely to outsource and base production facilities in educated countries -good index of the kind of products that might sell in a country and the the of promotional material that should be used

The individual

-emphasized in western societies -in US, finds expression in an admiration of rugged individualism, entrepreneurship, and innovation--increased entrepreneurial activity -finds expression in a high degree of managerial mobility between companies--building "personal brand"-may be good for resumes, bad for companies--lack of loyalty and commitment to an individual company and the tendency to move on for a better offer can result in managers who have good general skills bit lack the knowledge, experience, and network of interpersonal contacts that come from years of working in the same company -h/e managers are exposed to different ways of doing business

the group

-primary unit of social organizations in other societies-japan social status based on standing of the group the individual belongs to--becomes a deeply emotional attachment and all important in one's life -discourages managers and workers from moving from company to company-managers and workers build up knowledge, experience, and a network of interpersonal business contacts which can help managers perform their jobs more effectively and achieve cooperation with others -lack of dynamism and entrepreneurship

Language

-spoken-language shapes the way people perceive the world and helps define culture--different cultures typically have different languages--english is most widely spoken language, but mandarin is the mother tongue of largest amount of people english is the language of international business Unspoken--gestures mean different things in different cultures--personal space differs among cultures-latins stand closer together than americans

determinants of culture

-values and norms of a culture evolve over time in response to -prevailing political and economic philosophies -the social structure of a society -dominant religion, language and education

social strata based on 4 principles:

1. social stratification is a trait of society, not a reflection of individual differences 2. social stratification carries over a generation to the next generation 3. social stratification is generally universal but variable 4. social stratification involves not just inequality but also beliefs