Ethnic Differences Between Ethnic Cultures

The graduate may encounter several issues unless he/she is well prepared and have studied the country’s culture. As the graduate arrives to Asia he/she will discover the difference in the language. Not everyone will speak the English language, as well as written words and or a map. The graduate wll encounter people staring and pointing, because he/ she will look different; will receive attention from the public (Rodgers).

Everyone has a different way of life, whether it be by the way you talk, dress, or eat. Or maybe how you dance, sing, and perform. These aspects of everyday life is called culture. Everybody in the world has a culture, but not all cultures are the same from person to person. In the book, The Miles Between, a group of teens, who attend a boarding school, have a different way of life than I do. Even though there is many differences between our cultures, there are still some similarities peeping through all the differences.

A variety of key cultural differences shape the behaviors and attitudes within both the United States and Japan. Key cultural differences as defined by the Hofstede model, such an individualistic society versus a collective society, short term orientation versus long term orientation, as well as direct communication style versus indirect communication style. This paper will focus on the key cultural difference within business communication styles of both. Then, it will conclude with analyzing any adjustments that would need to be made in order to conduct business in Japan.

Cultural Differences and CommunicationMrs. Gemma Nowakis a 73-year-old widower, with a 41-year-old sonwho hasbeen trying to care for her mother since her husband had died. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her son. Shespeaks English enough to understand a little, she spent herlife working as a seamstress since she was a 12-year-old girl. She has developed some hearing issuesandis wearing a hearing aid on her left ear. Her dominant language is Polish, so her sontends to translate for his motherwhen it is needed. Mrs. Nowakcame into the clinic today at the request of her son, who came in with her. Shetends to be stubborn and old fashioned when it comes to medical treatment. She believes that she can treat illness withonly natural herbs and teas, but not medicines, only Tylenol to alleviate some discomfort or pain but none other,and this medication of course is sold over the counter.

After the proclamation of the Jewish state of Israel in the Palestinian territory on May 14, 1948 and the extensive territory gained by the Jews following Israel’s formation, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven out of their homes, and their home country as the Jews continued to immigrate to their newly founded state. The introduction of the massive Jewish population into the Palestinian territory, in which Jewish peoples practiced their religion but assimilated to many Palestinian customs, created a secondary Palestinian culture, known to the outside world as the Israeli Culture. For the amount of cultural and religious practices these two territories have in common, the fighting that exists there today not only lacks empathy for the enemy side due to factors of education, government, and media outlets, but the conflict seems to be a never-ending cycle of violence breeding generations of hate and intolerance, rather than generations of peace and harmony. The different aspects of culture that these two countries embody have molded not only two distinct peoples, but also two distinct sides that have similarities but fail to see eye to eye.

Israel is a very interesting country in which to observe the role of Judaism in politics since it is strikingly different than most Western democracies (Goldberg, 2003). Discussions of democratic transformations have frequently been complicated by disagreements over the meaning of democracy. Most Political scientists characterize democracy as procedural, measured by the transparency and fairness of the essential procedures governing the election and behavior of government officials. Although some see this definition as incomplete, arguing democracy should be substantive. Substantive Democracy requires not only fair elections and proper government procedures but also fair government policy outcomes (Handelman, Chapter 2). While the way in which Israel is run makes it considerably to few a democracy, its population groups are particularly non-Western.

In a recent Guttman Report, fifty seven percent of Israeli’s identify as either “ultra-orthodox, religious, [or] traditional,” while forty three percent identify as “secular.” Furthermore, sixty one percent of Israeli Jews contend with the fact that Reform and Conservative movements should be equal to the movements of their Orthodox counterparts. Specifically, as the reform movement continuously grows within Israel, the gap in the different groups ideological and philosophical interpretations is beginning to open.

As a country in the midst of a long brutal civil war with the Palestinians, with doubt of a quick resolution even through the signing of a truce with the Hamas, Israel retains the potential for economic greatness through its main exports of metal products, biomedical and electronic equipment, and polished diamond cutting expertise. In addition, Israel’s export strength comes from its production of software, telecommunications and semiconductor development (Comparative Agenda, 2014). The strength of Israel’s government demonstrates accountability in its practices to overshadow accusations of corruption among members of its parliament. Israel participation among multiple memberships throughout world trade initiatives demonstrates

The status of the Arab minority (Palestinian Arab) in Israel has been a persistent question since the 1948 war, or as the Arab minority identifies it, “Al-Nakba” or “Catastrophe.” While Israel self-identifies as the nation state of the Jewish people, approximately twenty percent of people within its borders identify as Arab — yet, it often unclear what their rights and roles are in a state that has historically discriminated against them and treated them as second class citizens.The fight for collective rights has been a decades long struggle, hindered in part due to the divisions within the Arab community, which is made up of Druze, Christians, Bedouins, and Muslims, groups with different political interests and priorities. The lack of unification has kept them from gaining collective rights or significant political clout within Israel. Thus, to this day, Arab citizens are disproportionately impoverished, unemployed, and uneducated compared to their Israeli peers. However, the path to a solution is complicated by both external and internal Israeli security concerns and a desire to maintain the character of a Jewish State. Thus, while the alienated Palestinian minority poses a legitimate challenge to the future of Israel, the status quo is unlikely to change. Since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the Arab minority has been subject to policies and attitudes, in the name of Israel’s security, that have engendered inequality, discrimination, and divisions

In this study, the data being gathered was analyzed. The data was taken from the survey tests from 81 participants. Since there were a total of 81, 47 were males representing roughly 58% of the respondents, and the remaining over 40% were female. Those participants were drawn from various ethnicities that would include Asian, Black American, White Caucasian, and American Indian. According to Brunner (2005), he confirmed that “subjects of any studies that would relate to cultural differences and cultural diversity would include those people who belonged to their ethnic origins” (p. 28). Consequently, those participants were equally drawn from different countries in the world to participate in the study (p. 28). A majority of the respondents could speak English and Arabic, which represented 74.39% and 75.61% of language proficiency respectively. It revealed in the study that Korean was the least spoken language among respondents at 1.22%. In fact, the age range that most participants fell under was between 18 and 24 years followed by 25 – 30 years, which was amounting to 48.78% and 39.02% respectively.

Using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions of individualism/collectivism, context, chronemics, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, masculinity/femininity, and long-term/short-term orientation can help to compare and contrast America and Israel. America is located mainly in the Northern Hemisphere in the continent of North America. Israel is located in Asia, which is located in the Eastern and Northern Hemisphere. There are many things you will find similar when talking about two countries, but also plenty of differences. For example, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions along with the ethnicities, nationalities, race, religions, and the norms of each country.

There are many cultures around the world, each with a unique set of characteristics. For example, I identify myself as a Korean-American. Education and family is valued over the individual. We hold the superstition that shaking one’s leg means shaking away one’s luck. As a Korean-American, we believe that our elders should be respected. For example, when we see an elder, we bow and say hello. Birthday celebrations for immediate family members and relatives include eating seaweed soup to promote health. Growing up in a Korean-American household, my family did not talk and discuss mental health. However, my family showed a lot of verbal and non-verbal affection with one another. This is one kind of culture. Culture is denoted as “a system of values, beliefs, ways of thinking, routines, rituals, and institutions established by a group or population … provides ways of looking at the world … determines patterns of feelings and behavior in everyday life” (Brooks, 2013, p. 34). Two cultural models are used in order to categorize cultures into one group or the other.

A group of people tied to a place is a nationality. Ethnicity is similar to nationality. The American nationality includes any citizen, born or immigrated and became a citizen, of the United States. Immigrants consider ethnicity more important than nationality. Violate conflicts can be a result of confusion between nationality and ethnicity.

The final major difference between cultures has to do with their economic system. There are three worldviews on how we make money: dependent, independent, and interdependent. In an agricultural economy or dependent worldview, there is a great discrepancy between the peasant class and the elite ruling class. The masses are more reliant on family and village groups, and they believe putting the group first is beneficial for society as a whole. The downfall is that because of the oppression of the ruling class, people lack personal choice to make their own decisions and chase their dreams. Next is an industrial economy or independent worldview. Because a society is more manufacturing-based, success in the workplace is what’s needed. People are more in control of their own lives, put their own goals first, are more competitive, demand equality, take risks, and use a direct communication style. It provides for greater personal power and freedom, but can leave others behind in the desire to succeed. Rounding out the economic systems is a post-industrial economy or interdependent worldview. This is best described as a mix of the previous two economies. On the surface, some values and customs seem similar to a dependent worldview, that is, people work together to achieve greater good for the company and society as a whole. But they are aware of their individuality and independence. They aren’t dependent on the group for survival, but choose to team up and work with others to have

I believe students should understand and appreciate cultural differences in their own country and throughout the world. By giving students the opportunity of being exposed to different cultural traditions and values is helping prepare the students for citizenship in a multicultural democracy. When a student attends a school that has a diverse population this allows for the child to develop a greater understanding of the perspectives of children form different cultural background. Cultural diversity enhances the school experience by giving students the opportunity to value other students lives and identities in a variety of ways. By allowing the students to explore culture, this lets them know how much they may have in common and how others may see the world very differently compared to their classroom. This can also teach students how to understand culture and help establish relationships with people from cultures that are different than their own.