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Culture in Business
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Culture in Business
Introduction
The ability of a business venture to succeed in its operations in the current diversified environment is depended on its capacity to mainstream the concept of culture in its operations. Since culture incorporates the interplay of various factors pertaining to vocation, language, philosophy, geography and the social aspects pertaining to biological traits of an individual, they directly influence not only values but also the attitudes that are assumed by given individual. A sustainable business venture that is characterized by public approval and consistent performance with respect to profitability certainly incorporates all these concerns in its operations.
It is widely agreed that culture plays an integral role in connecting individuals as well as defining their unique identities. Thus through cultural competitiveness and sensitivity, corporate entities have the ability to initiate and maintain viable relationships in the market. This paper provides an explicit analysis of Australian Woolworth’s limited Company in light of its culture. In particular, it details how the company incorporates the component of biological traits related to culture in manufacturing, distributing and promoting its products to consumers.
Woolworths Limited ventures in extensive retailing in Australia as well as New Zealand. Currently, it is rated the larges food retailer, take away liquor retailer and hotel as well as Poker Machine operator in Australia. Notably, its operations have diverse implications on the welfare of the consumers. It is for this reason that it embeds the concepts of age, race, gender, sexual orientation as well as ethnicity in its consumer directed operations. With respect to age, the company sources it employees from the mature age bracket. In his research, Schein (2009) indicted that this age bracket in Australia is the most underutilized. Further, the company uses a friendly job application process that is reflective of the unique needs of this population (Grant, 2010).
With respect to promotion of products, the company employs strategies that are friendly and acceptable across all ages. During manufacturing of liquor, Penrith (2006) indicates that the company includes vital information regarding the implication of consumption to persons in all age groups. This is also adopted for other products such as cloths and general merchandise. This ensures that decisions undertaken are objective and based on informed thought. Most importantly, their facilities and services in stores and supermarkets address the holistic needs of persons form diverse age groups.
Seemingly, the extensive nature of the company implies that it serves a multi racial population across the country. Likewise, the company ensures that the needs of this population are addressed accordingly. In this regard, alternative information in various languages regarding the use of their product is provided for. In this regard, Schein (2004) appreciates that language differences are characteristic of racial diversity. Furthermore, employment opportunities tend to be open to person from different races. According to Taylor (2005), qualifications and competence, rather than racial orientation is included in the recruitment criteria. Likewise, the company addresses aspects relating to gender in different ways.
To begin with, Block (2009) ascertains that its work force comprises of a significant 55% of women. This ensures that particular concerns of female clients are incorporated in the decision making process. Further, the company undertakes frequent market researches to determine emerging concerns of different genders. Promotion strategies such as advertising refrain from capturing the female gender as being normative. In essence, Geetz (1997) and Kotter (1992) contend that the aspect of gender equality during the distribution and promotion of products is given priority. Also, promotion strategies that the company adopts are reflective of the language and values that are assumed by specific genders. A classic illustration of this pertains to the elimination of an aggressive tone and offensive terms when promoting products used by women (Martin, 2001).
With regard to ethnicity, Australian consumer base is multi ethnic in nature due to immigration. Current practices that seek to address relative concerns include the company’s respect and appreciation of persons from different ethnicities. This is apparent in its workforce that comprises of multiethnic individuals (Cameron & Quinn, 2005; Peterson, 2004). Besides ensuring that the languages employed in promotion and explanation of use of products reflects these, the company has taken practical measures to support various ethnic initiatives. For example, Company data according to Harvard Business Press (2002) shows that the company supports different Catholic learning institutions in the regions that they are located.
By integrating the code of respect for persons of all ethnicities in its company values, Woolworths has succeeded in implementing this aspect in the conduct of its employees. Also, the ethnic needs of the diverse consumer base have been addressed by the company through providing a wide range of products. In this regard, Usunier and Lee (2005) cite that different ethnicities consume varied types of food and related products. For example, the Muslims do not eat pork and Catholics do not eat meat during the period of lent of their religious calendar. The company addresses these concerns by providing respective ethnic groups with a wide range of alternatives products at affordable competitive prices.
Also worth acknowledging is the fact that the Australian client base is characterized by different health needs. The International Business Publications (2004) ascertains that it constitutes the disabled, the deaf and those affected with terminal illnesses. Woolworths has also taken different measures to provide for the needs of these populations. For instance, part of its employees has learnt sign language and can communicate with the deaf with ease (North & Toews, 1998). Moreover, they offer guides services within their stores to help the blind and other disabled personalities. Most importantly, they provide a wide range of products for this segment of the population. Equally important has been the ability of the company to cater for the needs of the gay, lesbians, trans-gendered and bisexual personalities. This according to Thomas and Inkson (2004) is reflected in their attitudes during interaction with these individuals.
Conclusion
Culture is an important aspect that sustainable business ventures incorporate in their operations. As it has come out form the study, Woolworths has successfully incorporated relative concerns in its operations. Indeed, aspects of gender, age, race, health, ethnicity and sexual orientation have been accorded utmost priority. Promotion strategies such as advertising are not only effective but also culturally sensitive. By providing a wide range of products, Woolworths ensures that it offers the client a variety of products and services from which they can choose from. This cultural competitiveness can be used to explain why the company is successful and very stable.
References
Block, R. (2009). Corporate Australia: Histories in Sound in the Oral History Collection in the State Library of New South Wales. The Oral Association of Australia Journal, 31, 21-29.
Cameron, K. & Quinn, R. (2005). Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture: Based on Competing Values Framework. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Geetz, C. (1997). The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books.
Grant, R. (2010). Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Text & Cases. London: John Wiley & Sons.
Harvard Business Press. (2002). Harvard Business Review on Culture and Change. Harvard: Harvard Business Press.
International Business Publications (2004). Australia Business Intelligent Report. London: International Business Publications
Kotter, J. (1992). Corporate Culture and Performance. New York: The Free Press.
Martin, J. (2001). Organizational Culture: Mapping the Terrain. New York: Sage Publications.
North, P. & Toews, B. (1998). Succeed in Business: Australia. Singapore: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company.
Penrith, D. (2006). Starting a Business in Australia. USA: Vacation
Peterson, B. (2004). Cultural Intelligence: A Guide to Working with People from other Cultures. USA: Intercultural Press.
Schein, E. (2004). Organizational Culture and Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Schein, E. (2009). The Corporate Culture Survival Guide. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Taylor, C. (2005). Walking the Talk. USA: Random House Business Books.
Thomas, D. & Inkson, K. (2004). Cultural Intelligence: People Skills for Global Business. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Usunier, J. & Lee, J. (2005). Marketing Across Cultures. London: Prentice Hall.
Jennie Gerhardt
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The Unjust Treatment of Characters in Jennie Gerhardt
Introduction
Jennie Gerhardt is a novel authored by Theodore Dreiser that was first published in 1911. Dreiser tells a tale of an unhappy woman from the working class who faces and accepts various adversities in life. Circumstances force her into becoming the mistress of two powerful and wealthy men to help her family get out of the impoverished conditions.
Thesis statement: This text is an analysis of the unjust treatment of the characters in Theodore Dreiser’s novel Jennie Gerhardt including Jennie Gerhardt, Wilhelmina Vesta, and Mrs. Gerhardt, and William Gerhardt.
Body Paragraph 1-Jennie Gerhardt
Gets romantically involved with Senator George Brander
Brander dies of heart attack leaving her pregnant
Gets involved with Lester, but his family oppose their relationship
Her daughter dies tragically from typhoid fever.
Body Paragraph 2-Vesta
An illegitimate daughter
Her father dies tragically from heart attack
Jennie hides her existence from Lester
Dies of typhoid
Body Paragraph 3-Jennie’s mother (Mrs. Gerhardt)
Hardworking yet poor
Works as a maid with Jennie
Body Paragraph 4-William Gerhardt
His children besides Jennie abandon him
Hardworking glass blower but still poor
Dies of old age in the care of Jenny
Conclusion
Thesis restatement: Jenny Gerhardt, Wilhelmina Vesta, Mrs. Gerhardt, and William Gerhardt are some of the characters that go through unjust treatment in Theodore Dreiser’s novel Jennie Gerhardt.
Culture High Culture
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Culture: High Culture
Introduction
The term culture has several meanings that are attached to it. There are however, three basic usages of this term: first is the high culture, which involves the a societies taste in humanities, social etiquette and fine arts; secondly, culture could be considered to be a pattern that is integrated in the knowledge of human beings, their beliefs and behavior that mostly depends on the thoughts, practices and the lessons the society provides; and finally, culture could be considered to entail the values, attitudes, practices and goals that characterize a given, community, society or organizational group (Muller, A. (2005).
The focus therefore is on how distinctly several people around the world are represented. Culture is therefore the way people live. It is manifested in numerous concepts such as literature, music, sculpture and paintings, film and theater and the lifestyles of the people. The aspect of culture that this paper deals with is the one that evolved in the nineteenth century, that is the refinement or betterment of an individual mostly through education and eventually the satisfaction of his ideals and aspirations as an individual and wholesomely as a nation, what is commonly known as the High Culture. It should be understood from the onset that high culture is not necessarily elitist. Over the years it has found its way into the general populace and other classes of people to whom it was impossible to be accessed.
Just like so many cultural concepts cross the societal demarcations and blend or enter into different classes, so has this concept done. As a consequence, this paper discusses not only the development of this aspect of our lives and cultures but also the influence other aspects of the society and the nation have had on it and thereby changed, developed or improved it.
High Culture
This is a term that is used in several academic ways and discourses most commonly to describe a set of products that are an aspect of a given culture, especially the arts, that are considered with high regard by a given cultural group. It is what would be referred to as the elitist culture of the intelligentsia or the aristocracy and is the complete opposite of popular or low culture, the one for the masses. It should however be noted that this does not mean that these two categories are always in conflict.
This concept was introduced by Mathew Arnold in his book Culture and Anarchy (1869) where he stated that to understand culture is to know what is best that has been thought and said in the world. He thus saw it as a pointer for political and moral good, a view that has remained widely uncontested by several other views over time. This concept is considered as a necessary and fundamental aspect of any complete culture while in America it is mostly associated with literature.
Much of this concept is usually associated with what is sometimes referred to as High Art. Other than literature, high art includes visual arts, music, performing arts which have now evolved to include cinema and other forms of art that derive from these ones. Most of these products are associated with the wealthy urban based societies whose sophistication marked the civilizations of the years passed. The Western understanding of what is high culture may be tied to the Renaissance and the years that followed, however, this is not entirely the case as there are several other places where the conditions that contributed to this aspect existed in other times and places such as ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, India, Persia and several other Middle Eastern regions at different times and eras.
In order to understand this cultural concept, it would be good to divorce it from the ideas and ideologies of elitism. This is because there are times it is more pronounced in the wider and general public than it is in the very much educated bourgeoisie to whom the culture is highly connected. Take for example the move by most countries to establish concert halls and museums that would be accessible to the public in general. Moreover, personalities such as Leon Trotsky of Russia, Lord Reith of Britain, and several others from America and the western world as a whole have really opened up the several elements of what was previously a characteristic of the elite such as classical music, fine art and literary classics.
High Culture and Modernism
Access to higher education has spread this culture to several other groups and made high art and ultimately high culture an aspect and an objective of academia. Liberal arts in institutions of higher learning have promoted this cultural concept of the elite and made it accessible to the general populace even though there are times there have been attempts to divorce this concept of art from the cultural concept with which it has always been associated with over the years. For example in Europe, governments have tried to reduce the costs of accessing and experiencing this concept by funding operas and museums; establishing ballet companies, public broadcasters and orchestras or giving them subsidies. This is regardless of the fact that sometimes it is not the mass market that is intended for the benefits that arise.
This cultural concept has provided political platforms for nationalists like Ernest Renan, a political theorist who perceived it as a fundamental component of establishing a national identity. Gellner in his book Nations and Nationalism (1983) describe this concept as “…a literate codified culture that permits context free communication.”
All in all, this concept of high culture has managed to maintain its distinct characteristics from the broader influences of the society by separating “taste” which is associated with appreciation of fine food, etiquette and military service and honor. It still maintains the codes that the society and cultures that are dominantly practicing it and have over the years that are not always accessible to the masses or people considered to belong to a class that is lower.
Reference
Muller, A. (2005). Concepts of Culture: Art, Politics, and Society. Calgary: University of Calgary Press
Arnold, M. (1869). Culture and Anarchy: An Essay in Political and Social Criticism. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Gellner, E. (2006). Nations and Nationalism. 2nd Ed., Malden: Wiley-Blackwell