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Give examples of how different cultural management styles can influence leadership and decision-making in various cultures
Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Intercultural Communication
Give examples of how different cultural management styles can influence leadership and decision-making in various cultures, and what implication this has on people in the business field.
Management style and leadership differ depending on the country that where they are applied. However, there are some similarities in the method of conducting business because cultural influence can connect diverse business strategies. The local culture has a vital role to play in determining global management. People living in Romania often view the management style practiced in Netherlands as being weak. In Romania, the prevailing leadership style is extremely authoritative, unlike in the United States where it is less formal. Calling people by their first name in America is a friendly gesture, but in Germany or France, this is considered to be quite a rude behavior. Latin countries view the American level of punctuality as being pushy and at times, Americans view the Latin sense of time as being unresponsive or lazy. The Germans and British have different planning styles when it comes to future events. Germans tend to increase planning activities, while the British reduce their staff when planning for events in the future.
In different countries, managers have certain roles that are determined by their nations’ cultural characteristic. For example, the most common role model for a head of a company in Germany is a coalition builder, while in Japan and France it is a consensus builder, and a military general respectively. In China, it is the head of the family and lastly in the United States, it is the CEO. Technology progress, high mobility, political changes, and market globalization has influenced changes in management styles (Neelankavil & Mathur & Zhang 136). It is therefore important that people in the field of business to establish ways of being culturally adaptable. They have to learn about the culture of the people that they intend to do business with in the future. This will ensure that business is conducted in the most effective way in order to ensure that all parties involved benefit.
A resort hotel chain is opening a hotel in Saudi Arabia. It is designed to accommodate visitors from other countries as well as local Saudi business executives. To advertise in the magazines in the Mideast, the hotel chain plans to use one of its ads that promote its property in Atlanta. This ad shows a man and woman in their thirties, sitting near a pool, in their bathing suits and “toasting” each other with cocktail glasses to imply “We’re having a good time in this paradise-like environment.” Do you anticipate any problems in running this ad in the new location?
Saudi Arabia has a lucrative business environment especially for westerners. However, the foreigners should be able to deal with the various cultural differences. In this case, since the new resort is aimed at attracting American customers as well as Saudi customers, it must be accommodating to both cultures. Saudi Arabia is a strict Muslim nation whereas the United States has many religions such as Christianity and even Islam; in addition to being open minded about many diverse issues. However, in America, the advertisement by the Saudi resort will not receive criticism because people are used to such advertisements. In Saudi Arabia, the advertisement would create a lot of controversy since people would highly criticize its content (Reed 88).
The interaction between women and men in Saudi Arabia is limited quite severely and the advertisement has promoted the interaction between the two parties. Furthermore, in the Saudi culture, women are not allowed to expose their bodies in public; hence, the advertisement would be viewed as being against its culture. People in Saudi would respond negatively to the advertisement because it goes against the traditions of the Saudi who have a lot of respect for their culture. Additionally, the resort will eventually not have operations in Saudi Arabia because it has disrespected the Saudi traditions (Reed 95). Therefore, the advertisement should be specifically changed to suit the culture of the Saudi people. This shows that cultures are different and people should have intercultural communication skills that will allow them to interact with each other effectively.
Work Cited
Neelankavil, James & Mathur, A. & Zhang, Y. Determinants of managerial performance: A cross-cultural comparison of the perceptions of middle-level managers in four countries. Journal of International Business Studies 31.1(2000): 136.
Reed, Mildred. Understanding cultural differences. Maine: Intercultural Press, Inc, 1990.Print.
Institution (5)
The effectiveness of Abstinence Programs
Name
Institution
Date
The effectiveness of Abstinence Programs
Early sexual activity among teenagers is something that has attracted the attention of the nation as its effects can be seen in terms of early teen pregnancies, increase in sexually transmitted diseases, indulgence in behaviors such as smoking and alcoholism and emotional and psychological problems. This led to the formation of abstinence programs of which some of them have been incorporated into the school’s curriculum. Sexual education is majorly divided into two categories; comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only programs. Comprehensive sex education involves providing information that is medically correct including the use of contraceptives and condoms. Abstinence education programs on the other hand advocate for abstinence as the only way of preventing pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases/infections. These programs educate on the effects of early sexual activity, personalities and responsibilities, children born out of wedlock and how to withstand peer pressure. This paper will analyze the different programs such as comprehensive risk, teenage pregnancy rates, and other school programs that serve a similar purpose. It will also analyze how effective these programs have been in reducing teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted programs.
Abstinence education programs have proven effective in reducing early sexual activity. Supporters of abstinence education claim that exposing teenagers to these programs reduce the probability of them engaging in their first sexual activity. This, in turn, delays the chances of them getting early pregnancies and other diseases. One such program is the Virginity pledge program where teens between grade 7 and 12 pledge to remain virgins until marriage (Rector, 2019). A study that was done to determine the effectiveness of this program showed that teenagers who participated in this program were at a lower risk of engaging in early sexual activities. However, despite such programs, teen pregnancies are still frequent and often affect the teen parents, their education and social-economic life and even the emotional and psychological health. In her article, “Preventing Teen Pregnancy: The Impact of Dolls, Abstinence, and Sex Education” (Langford, 2015), gives statistics which show that in 2015, the USA recorded a total 220,000 teen pregnancies. This was narrowed down to 2 pregnancies in every 100 girls. This can be explained by the fact that abstinence education programs only claim that abstinence is the only way that youths and adolescents can protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. They do emphasize on the failures of medical measures such as the use of condoms and contraceptives. Teenagers end up having limited or no information on things that could save their lives. They are also pre-exposed to dangers of contracting deadly diseases such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which is responsible for causing cervical cancer. Moreover, teenage pregnancies result in most students stopping their education to take care of their children. Cases of these pregnancies in areas that are of a lower social-economic class further result in challenges in bringing up the child and creates a continuum of the cycle of poverty in such places.
Abstinence-only education programs cannot be entirely relied on in reducing sexual activities in teenagers, hence the need for comprehensive risk reduction of STD and HIV programs. Given that the abstinence programs fail to educate on alternatives to protecting themselves in sexual activities, comprehensive programs need to be incorporated as well to ensure that teenagers do not make decisions out of ignorance. Studies have shown that as teenagers grow older, there are higher chances of them engaging in sexual activities. They, therefore, need complete information on the dangers of it as well as alternatives in protecting themselves. Comprehensive risk programs can also take place in school programs as well as in community organized programs. Setting up of these programs resulted from the observation that adolescents were more vulnerable to acquiring diseases like AIDS. Therefore, education alone was not enough to guarantee their protection. This prompted the start of these programs that teach on the risks involved and methods of protecting themselves. The programs have so far proved to be more effective in behavior change among teenagers with regard to sexual activity. These behavior changes include a reduction in the frequency of engagement in sexual activities, number of partners, reducing sexual activity and the rate of unprotected sexual activity (Lindberg, Maddow-Zimet, & Boonstra, 2016). Moreover, the use of contraceptives has also gone high reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies. In a study that was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of comprehensive risk programs, it was found that schools that had implemented comprehensive risk programs recorded lower rates of teenage pregnancies as compared to schools that relied on abstinence programs alone.
Moreover, it is important to note that comprehensive risk programs have been effective in changing behaviors of students as they are more aware of the risks and hence understand the responsibilities that come with sexual activity. School intervention programs such as the distribution of condoms and education on how to use them are some of the measures that have been employed by schools to ensure their students do not engage in risky sexual behavior. They also claim that the implementation of such programs does not encourage engagement in sexual activity but rather practically teaches students on responsibility and how to take care of themselves. Comprehensive risk programs have also proven to better in creating awareness on the spread of HIV/AIDS as they are more engaging and do not tend to withhold information.
Another way of ensuring effectiveness in abstinence education programs is tailoring school programs that educate students on sexual activities from an early age. Children tend to be curious, and while it may be the role of parents to educate them on sex, the school pays a significant part in it as they tend to spend most of their time there. Most adolescents start school before initiating sexual activities. It becomes crucial that they are educated on the same thing before they start engaging in sex to ensure their social and health safety. The broadness of the content in these programs could vary as they move higher in their grades. When this is used together with abstinence education and comprehensive risk education, children will be more informed and will approach the subject and its consequences with reason and caution.
Additionally, schools that are located in areas that are characterized by poverty have high chances of their teenagers engaging in early sexual activity. This can be attributed to the fact that the levels of exposure in such areas are much lower compared to schools located in areas of high earning. A similar trend is witnessed in teenagers who come from disorganized families and have to rely on schools to educate on most things about social life. Therefore, it is essential for the school to start such programs at an early age to ensure that the probability of engaging in risky sexual behaviors is reduced as well as unwanted pregnancies.
Creators of these programs should know the consequences that come with teens engaging in early sexual activities as well as the dangers of not practicing safe sex. The policies and content that they create should be structured around these aspects of adolescent lives (Eldredge et al., 2016). Abstinence-only education programs serve to delay the participation in sexual activities, but it does not teach students on the risks involved when they choose to engage. This leaves teenagers exposed and ignorant, something which can be covered by integrating comprehensive risks education programs. Some of the risks that are discussed in comprehensive risk reduction programs are sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, early pregnancies, high-risk behaviors such as drug and substance abuse and physical and emotional challenges. However, the effect of behavioral abstinence programs cannot be ignored as it continually forms a platform where teens can engage professional and teachers on matters concerning sex. Some of the abstinence programs that have proved effective in reducing sexual activities include; Teen Aid Family Life education Project, Project Taking Charge, Operation Keepsake and Abstinence by Choice among others (Rector, 2019). These programs have formed the basis of other programs and their effectiveness in the subject. They are therefore useful in reducing teenage pregnancies and risks of contracting diseases among others by ensuring that teens are delayed in initiating sexual activities.
References
Rector, R. (2019). The Effectiveness of Abstinence Education Programs in Reducing Sexual Activity Among Youth. Retrieved from https://www.heritage.org/education/report/the-effectiveness-abstinence-education-programs-reducing-sexual-activity-among
Globerman, J., Mitra, S., Gogolishvili, D., Rueda, S., Schoffel, L., & Gangbar, K. et al. (2017). HIV/STI prevention interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Open Medicine, 12(1). doi: 10.1515/med-2017-0064
Langford, A. (2015). Preventing Teen Pregnancy: The Impact of Dolls, Abstinence, and Sex Education | National Center for Health Research. Retrieved from http://www.center4research.org/preventing-teen-pregnancy-impact-dolls-abstinence-sex-education/
Eldredge, L. K. B., Markham, C. M., Ruiter, R. A., Kok, G., Fernandez, M. E., & Parcel, G. S. (2016). Planning health promotion programs: an intervention mapping approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Lindberg, L. D., Maddow-Zimet, I., & Boonstra, H. (2016). Changes in adolescents’ receipt of sex education, 2006–2013. Journal of Adolescent Health, 58(6), 621-627.
Girl Scouts
Author
Tutor
Course
Date
Introduction
Michael Smith,
1245, Kingsway,
New Jersey.
11th September 2012
The Board,
357, Kingsway Street,
New Jersey.
Girl Scouts
It is an honor, and a privilege to be part of you, and even participate in making the decision as to the non-governmental organization that is worth receiving our grant.
Before I make a suggestion on the organization which I think deserves this grant, I wish to draw your attention to the main idea behind giving this grant. It is easy to look around and find quite a number of groups that would do with a grant. They have impressive curricula vita, ambitious plans, as well as well-prepared goals and objectives. While all these factors may point at the appropriateness of the organization as a recipient for the grant, it is worth noting that the organizations may have invested tremendously in public relations, all in an effort to look impressive on the outside while the inside may be rotten. In essence, our grant has to be guided by the effectiveness and efficiency of the NGO in meeting its goals, as well as the impact that the group has had in the past and present. The effectiveness of a group can be deduced from its past performance as far as the impact on the society is concerned. In essence, we can always tell the nature of these organizations by looking at their performance. This is what has guided my suggestion that the grant is given to the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey.
One of the key or main reasons for selecting this organization is the impact that girl scouts have on the society as a whole. There exists an adage that says that when you help a woman, you will have helped an entire society. This is an acknowledgement of the fact that the actions or success of a woman reverberates in the entire society, in which case women are bound to have a greater impact on the society than men. In a study conducted on some of the most influential women in America, it was recognized that 64 percent of the women had been girl scouts. This is quite a large percentage. As much as they may not incorporate the ability to do exploits like other NGOs, it goes without saying that investing in these young girls goes a long way in safeguarding a future that is better than we think.
First, it is notable that the girl scouting experience impacts positively on the ability of these girls to work with other people. In this same study, a whopping 82 percent attested to this fact, a figure that rises to 93 percent for individuals who spent more than five years in the girl scouts organization. Most of the respondents attested to the fact that the organization helps girls to find their social and personal identities. The girls learn invaluable skills in creating, sharing activities, as well as imagination. This underlines the fact that the organization has lived up to its mission statement, which is “Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place”. It aims at delivering premier leadership experience for young girls from Northern New Jersey and focusing its resources on the varied challenges that the state faces, so as to produce inspiring and visionary leaders for the community, both in the present and future. Obviously, the organization has produced quite a large number of visionary and inspiring women who are leading the way for the entire society in various levels.
The same research noted that the girl scouting experience positively affected the girls’ moral values. It goes without saying that one of the most horrifying and worrying trends is the deterioration of moral values among young people. I believe that we have spent quite a lot of time lamenting about the causes of this deterioration, as well as its impacts. Very few people talk about solutions, or even take the necessary step in trying to change the course of things. I believe that we should take action and invest in these girls. This experience imparts in them communication skills, honesty, truth, and integrity, all of which shape the people that they become in the future. Many women involved in the study opined that the girl-scouting experience was their introduction to issues such as environmental consciousness.
On the same note, girl scouting experience impacts positively on the volunteer activities of these women in the later years. Scholars opine that the girl scouts experience directly results in a need to participate in volunteer activities. It goes without saying that the state needs volunteers who have an innate desire to help and assist in improving or alleviating the conditions of people. In essence, this grant will go a long way in nurturing volunteers who will make a different in the lives of generations to come.
These reasons convince me that the best institution to invest the grant on is the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey. It is worth noting that, these reasons do not ignore the fact that the organization has been extremely trustworthy with its money as it can account for every single cent that has passed through its hands. It is also registered with IRS and has its requisite forms filled with the IRS. I believe that giving the grant to the organization is a step in the right investment, in the future.