The cultural differences in our society greatly affect our way of living on a daily basis. Because of this it is important to learn the different societies and cultures so we understand and respect them. The purpose of this essay is to compare two countries and explain their differences or similarities. I have chosen to compare Australia and Jamaica. The two dimensions I have chosen to discuss are power distance and individualism/collectivism. The first dimension I would like to discuss is power distance. Power distance is the fact that individuals in their society are not equal. Jamaica’s has a low score of 45. This means that power is decentralized and in the workforce managers are dependent on their team members. Australia has an even lower score of 36. This is a hierarchy system. It means that the managers should always be available and they depend on their teams for their expertise. It is expected that you should seek advice from your manager and other employees for information. …show more content…
Individualism is oriented around being independent instead of being associated with a group. Australia has a high score for individualism of 90. This means that are a highly individualist society and people look after themselves and their families. In the business world, people are supposed to have the initiative to work independently and promotion is based on how well you have done. Jamaica has a low score of 39 which means their country is collectivistic society. In collectivistic society all decisions benefit all people. This society recommends strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for their group. In the business world, the decision to hire or promote someone is decided on based on the employee’s in a
In using the Health Organization’s Health data in providing two countries to compare would be the United States and Jamaica. In the data that was provided the Jamaica would have the highest rate of diseases than United States? In the HIV data Jamaica rank high with the deaths 105.4 in baseline where in the United States the deaths are low 5.4 in baseline. It shows that in the United Stated they have come up a great amount of research to try to control the problem with the widespread of HIV disease, and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle while living with the disease.
Individualism is having our own thoughts, our own lives, and our own bodies. I believe that, that is super important for us human beings. There is a great quote that I came across on individualism by a man named Douglass, I don’t honestly want to put all of that here but there is a part of it where he says “I am myself; you are yourself; we are two distinct persons, equal persons.” I think in all honestly this completely sums up individualism. We are all our own people, which is how we should be living, with our own lives (all according to individualism of
There are a lot of different countries in the world. Some have many similarities and some have few similarities. English is the international language and everyone should try and learn this language if they want to communicate with the rest of the world. Most people think of the United Kingdom and the United States of America, as the english speaking countries. This is not the only English-speaking countries, with English as the national language. In this text I will take a closer look at a country that has english as the national language. I will look at the differences and similarities that this country has with The United Kingdom. The country is surprisingly small and has a population of approximately 3 million people. It is a small island and the largest English-speaking country in the Caribbean. It was a British colony from 1665 to 1962 and that is probably one of the reasons why most of the people there speak english. The country i am talking about is obviously Jamaica.
Individualism is the idea that a person’s life belongs to them and that they have an absolute right to live it as they sees fit. The people of modern society have the right to pursue the values of their choosing. As an individual we have our own opinions, this gives us the freedom to expand our life in ways we couldn’t
For the last century, individualism vs. collectivism has been a political conflict in America. What is collectivism and individualism you might ask, well collectivism is briefly defined as a group of people working together to give priority over individuals. On the other hand, individualism can be defined as a theory of favoring freedom over collective individuals and working to benefit his/her own self. Although the two seem very different, they also share many similar characteristics.
Collectivism is the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual (Merriam-Webster). Those who believe in collectivism think having society working towards the same goal or outcome is the most productive. Supporters of this theory feel it creates harmony and a sense of belonging (Andrews 1). Collective societies tend to be dependent on others in the group or institutions to meet their needs. Members of a collective society expect absolute loyalty to the group and have a “we” mentality (Andrews 1). As Ray Bradbury pointed out in Fahrenheit 451, when a collective society is present, “...they all say the same things and nobody says anything different from anyone else.” (31) The individual has no self-identity and is lost to the group. Although aspects of this argument are enticing, it ultimately fails to be a stronger argument because individual responsibility nor moral responsibility is present. There is no incentive for any individual to step up because everyone receives the same reward. Through collaboration and collective thoughts are great tools, we must remember that the original thought was generated by the individual and he or she should benefit from
Individualism in today’s society is the “belief that each person is unique, special, and a ‘basic unit of nature’.” The individualism concept puts an
Looking at the chart the first dimension of culture plotted is individualism-collectivism. This dimension addresses how people define themselves and their relationships with others. Cultures that fall on the individualism side of the continuum share four characteristics. First, such cultures consider the individual to be the most important entity in any social setting. Second, individualistic cultures stress independence rather than dependence. Third, individualistic cultures reward individual achievement. The last characteristic is; individualistic cultures value each individual’s uniqueness.
Meanwhile in collective societies they prioritise their decisions for good of the group above their own personal goals. In a business context collective societies will work better in groups with people they have a personal relationship with. While individualist societies can work well as individuals and in groups with people they do not know. This allows for quicker decision making but not knowing a colleague on a personal level may lead to less active participation. Collective mentality takes more time but more options are analysed in more depth which in some circumstances is more effective but less time efficient.
The country that I chose to conduct a culture analysis on is Jamaica. Jamaica is a third world country located in North America and the 3rd largest island in the Caribbean Sea. There is a 2.5 million population, which equally divided between urban and rural areas. The country runs approximately 146 miles long and varies between 21- 52 miles wide. The climate is tropical and its main tourist attraction is their beautiful beaches. The capital of Jamaica is Kingston, which has a population of more than 645,000. Kingston is the chief port of Jamaica and is along the southeastern coast of the island. It is covered by the “Blue Mountains”, which is thickly covered which tree ferns. The Blue Mountains experiences an average of 200 inches of rain annually, resulting in topsoil erosion and an abundance of streams. Peasants nurture coffee, usually grown on large plantations, in the valleys of the mountains. It is amongst the most expensive coffees in the world and is exported mainly to Japan.
The individualism vs. collectivism index was developed by Professor Geert Hofstede. The index helps to identify “the degree to which people in a society are integrated into groups.” In other words the concept of “I” vs. “We” in society.
Internet speeds in Australia, the country that are not very good, yet the are very wealthy it’s also below many other countries that are very bad and complaints governments rollout of broadband services. In this article you will learn the differences in Australian and American technology, arts, and recreation. I researched Australian recreation and according to culturegrams lots of australians like the outside like parks and barbecuing on the weekends. Also a large number of public parks have enclosures for dogs where they can run around without a leash, but in america most of their leisure time is spent watching tv.
Individualism-> when you value the freedom and worth of the individual, sometimes over the security and harmony of the group or a belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue of self-reliance and personal independence
1) An individualist is considered to be someone with personality and character, someone who is not easily intimidated by social pressure or customs, someone with a personal opinion and a singular view of the world. Because modern society finds it important that people think independently, decide autonomously and take personal initiatives, the concept of individualism has acquired a positive connotation. However, individualism is also linked with the tendency to withdraw from social life and turn in towards oneself.
First, Individualism vs. Collectivism. Individualism is the social function of the relative likelihood of a free and individual means only take care of themselves and their families. By contrast, collectivism is the tendency of social functions relatively tight where each individual to identify themselves as a group with loyalty not need to be asked. The main problem of this dimension is the degree of interdependence of individuals in a