Is Hofstede's cross cultural work outdated ( international human Essay

Is Hofstede's cross cultural work outdated ( international human resources ) - Essay Example In Hofstede’s view, nations have separate cultures which an international business has to adapt to, in order to successfully conduct its business in a particular nation. Hofstede’s five dimensions of culture are defined in terms of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, individualism and long-term orientation. Although Hofstede’s theory of cross cultural dimensions has been subjected to criticisms, his cross cultural dimensions had been of practical applications in the international commerce. However, ever since the advent of globalisation, nations have stopped being watertight compartments with the Hofstede’s cultural dimensions attributable to individual nations in varying degrees having become outdated. It is proposed to place herein evidence based arguments to show that Hofstede’s cultural dimensions for the purpose of international commerce have become irrelevant or outdated in the wake of globalisation. Hofstede attempted to explain that cultures are shaped within nations. But when businesses transcends beyond national boundaries, these cultural dimensions become cultural interconnections. Now globalisation has become the order of the day and irreversible. Cultural attributes are likened to an iceberg in that only very few are visible to the eye. They are language, behaviours, customs, and norms. And traditions, beliefs, priorities, assumptions and values are only perceptible (Parker, 2005 p189). As already well known, Hofstede (1980) arrived at the above said dimensions based on his study of 88,000 employees of IBM from 72 countries. He expanded his study to ten more countries and three regions in his updated version (Hofstede, 2001).At the time of Hofstede’s original work in 1980, the world was not as complicated a place as it is today. In the last three decades, nations have become more permeable and heterogeneous besides undergoing disintegration or dismantlement like Soviet

The Downfall of Communism in Eastern and Central Europe :: Government Essays

The Downfall of Communism in Eastern and Central Europe The shocking fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe in the late eighties was remarkable for both its rapidity and its scope. The specifics of communism's demise varied among nations, but similarities in both the causes and the effects of these revolutions were quite similar. As well, all of the nations involved shared the common goals of implementing democratic systems of government and moving to market economies. In each of these nations, the communist regimes in power were forced to transfer that power to radically different institutions than they were accustomed to. Democracy had been spreading throughout the world for the preceding two decades, but with a very important difference. While previous political transitions had seen similar circumstances, the actual events in question had generally occurred individually. In Europe, on the other hand, the shift from communism was taking place in a different context altogether. The peoples involved were not looking to affect a narrow set of policy reforms; indeed, what was at stake was a hyper-radical shift from the long-held communist ideology to a western blueprint for governmental and economic policy development. The problem inherent in this type of monumental change is that, according to Ulrich K. Preuss, "In almost all the East and Central European countries, the collapse of authoritarian communist rule has released national, ethnic, religious and cultural conflicts which can not be solved by purely economic policies" (47). While tremendous changes are evident in both the governmental and economic arenas in Europe, these changes cannot be assumed to always be "mutually reinforcing" (Preuss 47). Generally it has been theorized that the most successful manner of addressing these many difficulties is the drafting of a constitution. But what is clear is the unsatisfactory ability of a constitution to remedy the problems of nationalism and ethnic differences. Preuss notes that when the constitutional state gained favor in North America, it was founded on the principle of the unitary state; it was not designed to address the lack of national identity which is found throughout Europe - and which is counter to the concept of the constitutional state (48). "Measured in terms of socioeconomic modernization," writes Helga A. Welsh, "Central and Eastern European countries had reached a level that was considered conducive to the emergence of pluralistic policies" (19). It seemed that the sole reason the downfall of communism, as it were, took so long was the veto power of the Soviet Union. According to theories of modernization, the higher the The Downfall of Communism in Eastern and Central Europe :: Government Essays The Downfall of Communism in Eastern and Central Europe The shocking fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe in the late eighties was remarkable for both its rapidity and its scope. The specifics of communism's demise varied among nations, but similarities in both the causes and the effects of these revolutions were quite similar. As well, all of the nations involved shared the common goals of implementing democratic systems of government and moving to market economies. In each of these nations, the communist regimes in power were forced to transfer that power to radically different institutions than they were accustomed to. Democracy had been spreading throughout the world for the preceding two decades, but with a very important difference. While previous political transitions had seen similar circumstances, the actual events in question had generally occurred individually. In Europe, on the other hand, the shift from communism was taking place in a different context altogether. The peoples involved were not looking to affect a narrow set of policy reforms; indeed, what was at stake was a hyper-radical shift from the long-held communist ideology to a western blueprint for governmental and economic policy development. The problem inherent in this type of monumental change is that, according to Ulrich K. Preuss, "In almost all the East and Central European countries, the collapse of authoritarian communist rule has released national, ethnic, religious and cultural conflicts which can not be solved by purely economic policies" (47). While tremendous changes are evident in both the governmental and economic arenas in Europe, these changes cannot be assumed to always be "mutually reinforcing" (Preuss 47). Generally it has been theorized that the most successful manner of addressing these many difficulties is the drafting of a constitution. But what is clear is the unsatisfactory ability of a constitution to remedy the problems of nationalism and ethnic differences. Preuss notes that when the constitutional state gained favor in North America, it was founded on the principle of the unitary state; it was not designed to address the lack of national identity which is found throughout Europe - and which is counter to the concept of the constitutional state (48). "Measured in terms of socioeconomic modernization," writes Helga A. Welsh, "Central and Eastern European countries had reached a level that was considered conducive to the emergence of pluralistic policies" (19). It seemed that the sole reason the downfall of communism, as it were, took so long was the veto power of the Soviet Union. According to theories of modernization, the higher the

Holland Theory and Application Essay

John Holland made his mark from 1953-1556 while working at Vocational Counseling Service in Perry Point Veterans Hospital followed by his work as the Director of Research for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. His work at these two organizations leads to the first edition of Vocational Preference Inventory. In 1959, John Holland was published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology for his vocational theory (Gottfredson & Johnstun, 2009). He established his theory of matching people to vocations in the world of work. Although the trait and factor approach was established in 1909, John Holland took it a step further using the Army as his model (Bolles & Figler, 1999). John Holland was quoted, â€Å"I am a psychologist who pays attention to the obvious† (Bolles & Figler, 1999, p. 63). This was the theme of his theory. Holland theory is about the fit of the individual to the work environment. Some clients will be better suited for certain working environments and poorly matched to others (Anderson & Vandehey, 2012). The Holland theory is based on identification of people environment, skills, and values leading into six occupational categories known as ‘RIASEC’ (realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional) (Bolles & Figler, 1999). Although each category is consider a unaltered type of personality most clients will not fit into just one type. Holland’s theory assigns them a set of two or three of the types (Anderson & Vandehey, 2012). The first of Holland’s types, realistic, are clients who have athletic or mechanical ability, work with objects, machines, tools, plants, animals and the outdoors. Realistic client will be competent in reading blue prints, repair of furniture, making mechanical types of drawings, using special instruments such as a voltmeter, and will also have good math and mechanical backgrounds. They will also have interests in woodwork, metal work, and easily work with tools. Some realistic occupations would include radio operator, civil engineer, machinist, or piano tuner (Bolles & Figler, 1999). The next type, investigative, will be clients who like to observe, learn, analyze, investigative, solve problems or evaluate in general. Their proficiencies include scientific and technical training using a slide rule or microscope, using a logarithmic table, describes white blood cells by their uses, interpret chemical formulas, and understand the workings of a vacuum tube. These clients readily enjoy scientific books, lab work, chemistry, math puzzles, and normally take several classes in physics, math, and biology. Investigative job opportunities could be physician, math teacher, lab technician, or oceanographer (Bolles & Figler, 1999). The artistic clients, Holland’s third type, are innovating or intuitive thinkers, like to work in unrestrictive environments, and tend to be extremely creative or imaginative. Skills for creative people would contain playing a musical instrument, choir, designing, creating photography or art, or read/write poetry. Artistic types, according to Holland, would enjoy sketching, attending plays, taking an art class, or reading popular fiction. Occupations for these clients can be drama coach, advertising executive, photographer, or foreign language interpreter (Bolles & Figler, 1999). Holland’s fourth types of clients, social, like to work with people by informing, helping, training, or are skilled with words. These clients will feel competent with peers older than them, easily plan a school or church function, and are good judge of others personalities. They will belong to clubs, write letters, attend sports events, go to parties, help others with personal problems, and like to meet new people. Director of social services, employment representative, counselor, recreation administrator, and Foreign Service officer are a few of the occupations well suited for a social Holland code (Bolles & Figler, 1999). Enterprising, Holland’s fifth code, are comprised of clients that a people-influencing, leaders, persuaders, or economic goal friendly. They easily sell, influence others, give pep talks, meet important people, and discuss politics. In college or high school these clients were elected to office, organized clubs, debated, supervised the work of others, or acted as a spokesperson for a cause. They become bankers, personnel recruiters, labor arbitrators, insurance managers, and small business owners (Bolles & Figler, 1999). The conventional is the last of Holland’s types. Conventional types like to work with data and carrying out in detailed instructions. They have the ability to file correspondence, work in office setting, type 40 words per minute, use shorthand, post credits and debits, and keep accurate records. They may have done bookkeeping, operated business machines, written business letters, or maintain neat records and files. Conventational types are often employed as accountants, credit managers, payroll clerks, bookkeepers, library assistants or personnel secretary (Bolles & Figler, 1999). Holland realized that not every client would fit into a type nice and neatly hence the Holland two or three codes are established in order to have a person in a job that would give work satisfaction. They are several resources available to clients and counselors to aid in discovering a client’s RIASEC code. The Self-Directed Search (SDS) was first published in 1970 and was development by John Holland. The advantage of this assessment is that it is intended for the college or adult setting. The written version not only includes the assessment but also Holland’s Occupation Finder (OF) booklet for a counselor to use with their clients. Holland also created a seven page booklet, You and Your Career, that can be used to enhance the SDS and OF with suggestions for effective career planning (Reardon & Lumsden, 2002). Later, Holland, with Amy Powell, created SDS Career Explorer designed for middle school students along with his booklet Exploring Your Future with the SDS. Along with the assessment are several tools for educators and students alike. Holland, along with several other colleagues, has expanded the abilities of instruments to include measures for stability, environment, and additional resource to ensure understanding of the instruments and proper use and application (Reardon & Lumsden, 2002). In my world of career counseling, I apply Holland’s theory of putting the right client into the best fit for client. I agree with his theory that if a client is not using the skills or interests that they enjoy that will have poor performance. This ultimately in my opinion leads to job hopping, lack of self-efficacy, and depression. I have the advantage of money on my side and we use the program Discover for most assessments. However, I do not always jump to test. By having knowledge of Holland theory and his types and code match through counselor I am able to get a client to find their career goals on their own without test. With my â€Å"type† of client they do not want to sit through testing no matter how short it is, they already have to study for their current jobs, college classes, and advancement exams. I try to incorporate Holland’s theory daily which can have its drawbacks. They occupation that my client would be good at may not have openings or worse the Navy does not have it, so I try help them compromise with community service or college course that would satisfy their needs. Over the last ten years, I have learned that I am not the answer person more like their vessel to maintenance phase of their transition cycles (Anderson & Vandehey, 2002). I could not trade in the feeling of when I see them finally figure out what they want to do when the grow up.

Merchant of Venice Comparison of the Marriage Plot and...

It is worthwhile to take a close look at the marriage and trial plots in The Merchant of Venice. The antagonists of the respective plots have similar goals; they seek access to power and privilege. However, the types of power they seek is very different. The methods they use of gaining power are also differ. Bassanio succeeds with his intent, but Shylock fails. Focusing on the before mentioned plots, one may draw some conclusions concerning the reasons of success and failure in this play. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Let us look at the marriage plot. Already in I,i Bassanio reveals his plans of wooing Portia. He describes his undertaking as a quest; her sunny locks/ Hang on her temples like a†¦show more content†¦And if he fails in his quest, he is barred from the company of Portia and he is barred from access to the elite. But Bassanio does not fail. So what were the means to his success? Again, according to Whigham, Bassanio succeeds because he is (consciously or subconsciously) aware of the language and outer credentials of style that Portia relates to. Bassanio shares Portias assumptions and views of the world, and is therefore able to choose the right casket by using their shared credentials of style. By denouncing gold and silver Bassanio gains access to gold and silver (i.e. the wealth of Portia). By scorning choices based on style, he uses a certain mode of style to get what he wants. His rhetoric and his goals are not exactly in concord, but he gets what he wants; wealth and access to the elite. If we look at the trial plot, it is quite clear that Shylock also wants power. But he does not want to be included into Christian society, he seeks power over it. His reasons, although obscure to the Venetians of the play, are not incomprehensible. Antonio has tried to ruin his business (I, iii, 39-40) and in view of the treatment he has been given of the Christians of the play (I, iii, 106-123), it is natural that he might find his position somewhat undeserving and even worthy of revenge. Shylocks means of getting in power are different than Bassanios. Shylock is trying to defeat the system by using the system. He does not want toShow MoreRelatedSympathizing with Shylock in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice1596 Words   |  7 PagesSympathizing with Shylock in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice In the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare creates an atmosphere throughout the play, which causes the audience to sympathize with Shylock. Shakespeare uses key events, and dialogue to influence the audience. At the time Shakespeare wrote his plays, and they were performed, the contemporary audience would have mainly consisted of Christians. Jews were often persecuted, as they were the minority.Read MoreA Picatrix Miscellany52019 Words   |  209 Pagesmake a digression on overt and covert meaning and the relation of this distinction to the psychology of cognition. The various ways of knowing God are given as an example. Parts of the argument are to be found in a minor work by al-Gazzà ¢là ®. The comparison, frequent in Islamic literature, between the incomprehensibility of God and the intolerable brilliance of light, is used by way of illustration (pp.177-79). This is followed by speculation as to the reason why, of the twenty-eight letters of the