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Criticism of the American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman
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Criticism of the American Dream in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Introduction
In most instances, the society has a great influence on the wellbeing of an individual. The ideals and values that are perpetuated by the same often determine the behavior and ideals that are assumed by the individuals that belong to the same. The American dream that encourages pursuit of material success and the need to assume a lifestyle that is better than that of the parents is one social ideology that can be considered to have had significant impacts on the behavior of the Americans. The fact that it is deeply embedded in the social ideals makes it a desirable value to pursue. In his book The Death of a Salesman, Miller prompts the audience to re examine the American dream and the relative values, virtues and ideals. Most importantly, he presents to the audience the adverse effects of the dream as well as its inherent complexities. From his point of view, Miller ascertains that the American dream as just that, a dream and myth that can not be attained. Indeed, it can not be disputed that the American dream has had adverse effects on the lives of the Americans.
In his play, Miller presents Willy Loman who leads a miserable life because of the need to pursue the ideals of the American dream. The society plays a critical role in shaping the social ideals and expects its individuals to assume the same. Hence the lack of material wealth by Loman makes him a laughing stock of the society and as Irving notes, nothing that he says or does is pleases the society (Miller 252). He places great emphasis on attainment of this material wealth in order for him to be held in high regard by the society. However, his thoughts and pursuits are entirely psychological as opposed to practical. In other words, the protagonist lives in an imaginary world in which he believes to have attained the dream. In this consideration, it is certain that he derives his sense of satisfaction from attaining prominence that is solely defined by having material wealth.
According to Frank, Loman aligns his dreams and pursuits to the success presented by the American dream (Frank 176). The relative narcissistic thinking prevents him from appreciating the reality. He instead replaces this with his grandiose dreams that can not be attained because of lack of vital resources and self will. Thus he is compelled to his unattainable dreams that further trigger him to commit suicide. Another misconception that undermines the ability of Loman to live a healthy life is his emphasis on being liked.
In his review, Lois ascertained that he placed great emphasis on the importance of being liked and “believed that it played a critical role in the success of a given business in future” (Lois 273). In this consideration, it can be argued that Loman did not live his life objectively; rather he placed undue emphasis on pleasing other individuals. The worst part of this is that he passed on this misguided belief and encouraged his children by stating “…that a man can end with diamonds here on the basis of being liked” (Miller 79). This belief was perpetuated by the fact that the rich were always liked by a significant percentage of the population. As such, the protagonist was deceived in to believing that this is the same way through which the poor man gets rich.
In this respect, Lois believed that Loman’s undue attention on the need to enhance his personal image is aligned to the American dream (Lois 266). The American dream holds public approval in high regard and expects any individual who attains this to be approved by the public. Approval in this respect is defined by having wealth, living in a good house, attaining credible education and being able to pass on these attributes to one’s children. In addition, successful individuals in light of the American dream needed to be in active employment, whose rewards are sustainable.
The obsession to have material wealth prevents Loman from bringing up his children in a virtuous manner. Coupled with his world of imagination, he dismally fails to inculcate vital virtues in his children and provide the best example for growth and development. This is exemplified when Biff finds him with a woman in a hotel room. Notably, the pride that he had instilled in his son was drained through this incidence. Despite this, he continues to live in a world of imagination and even encourages his sons to steal so that they can attain material wealth. This significantly affects their growth and in future, they are unable to perform farm work in order to earn a decent living.
Notably, the individuals in the society who are considered to have attained the American dream are defined by having significant material wealth. Loman constantly compares himself with his brother Ben who has significant material wealth. Nevertheless, he eliminates any possibility of living with him in order to earn the relative wealth and prestige. This is due to the fact that this would require relocation from the city life and the characteristic ideals of the Americans dream. In particular, he would not have to pay rent, pay for refrigeration as well as his car (Frank 179). Seemingly, these ideals are common in the urban setting. At his point, it can be ascertained that attaining the ideal social conditions requires procedures that are in themselves contradictory.
In his critical review, Lois underscores the reasons that made Loman to cling to his dreams even when they were wrong and misleading (Lois 268). Loman believed that he was an ideal sales man and in future, he would make exorbitant profits. This was regardless of the fact that the present returns from this career were menial and further drove him in the world of desperation. Despite this reality, he did not give up on this self demeaning career but clung to the elusive vision of him attaining success in future. This blocked his creative ability and made it impossible for him to pursue other alternatives that would have been even more rewarding. In this regard, Lois argues that the American dream can be implicated for perpetuating this misleading attitude (Lois 269). Essentially, this concept believed that a child who would be able to follow in the footsteps of his parents would equally achieve economic prosperity. Notably, Loman lacked the power that stems from parental love and guidance. This influenced him to live in a world of fantasy that compromised his capacity to use his abilities effectively.
Loman’s pretence and imagination prevented him from dealing with the complexities that compounded his life. He has been cited to have had a deflated sense of ego that enabled him to perceive the life’s difficulties and challenges from an imaginary perspective. This tendency was further perpetuated by his wife who encouraged his defective way of thinking. For instance, when he complained of a negative response from his customers on the premise that he spoke so much, his wife encouraged him by saying that he is only lively. In this case, this prevented him from mending his ways with regard to marketing. Further, his wife can be considered to have contributed to his immorality because of her failure to provide the much needed emotional encouragement. This is manifested when he confides to the other woman that he does not have anybody to help him shoulder the challenges. In response, the other woman provided him with encouragement and assurance that seemingly made him feel better. In return, this had adverse effects on Biff who vowed not to continue with his education or pursue college.
The compulsive need to pursue the dream also has negative effects on the unity of Loman’s family as it divides the same along women interests. Loman himself is a victim of immorality when he sleeps with another woman in the hotel room. Thus instead of having the warmth and unity that is characteristic of a family, the dream makes the family in this regard to experience immense loss. Happy leaves home and gets his apartment so that he can be able to enjoy his women (Irving 244). Biff on the other hand decides to leave home because of the discoveries that could enable him to attain material wealth. In this respect, it is certain that the efforts employed in the pursuit of the dream compromises the unity of the family as opposed to unifying the same.
The events that force the family members to unite only seek to perpetuate the personal differences and compromise the ability of the same to work together. The fact that the members have differences with regard to material wealth and way of thinking undermines their ability to work together in pursuit of similar goals. It is in this consideration that Irving argues that the urge to provide a social home that offers warmth and acceptance by pursuing the ideals of the dream compromises the ideals of the family, that are basic to its existence (Irving 258). Since the family is the fundamental functional unit of the society, this implies that it is difficult to attain the American dream as the relevant values and virtues compromise the very wellbeing of the society.
Different authors of whom Lois is represented ascertain that the persistence that was exhibited by Loman when pursuing his dreams, regardless of their being faulty can be attributed to the ideals of the American dream. This encourages hard work to attain material wealth and live a better life than the life of the parents. However, it is worth acknowledging that Loman did not have role models from which he could derive his standards. As such, he assumed the ideals of the likes of Singleman who were successful and financially stable even in old age. In addition, the failure to assume an occupation that he had the ability to and persist in business, irrespective of the fact that he did not have the capacity to pursue it effectively can be attributed to the need to pursue the American dream.
The obsession to have material wealth is further extended to Lorman’s future and can be implicated for his committal of suicide. In this respect, it can be posited that his admiration of the funeral of the fellow sales man that was attended by persons from all folks contributed to his desire to die. Irving asserts that the suicide was contributed to by his need to flee from the glaring shame from the society and his desire to reestablish the integrity of his family as well as the his self confidence that has greatly been compromised by his lack of material wealth (Irving 255). The insurance money according to him could accord him the values and respect that Singleman and Ben enjoyed during his burial.
He believes that his ability to go top the dark would enable him to make different adventures and attain wealth in form of diamonds and have a grand funeral. He likens this to Singleman’s funeral and believes that it would surprise Biff. However, his death does not have any positive impact on the welfare of his family. Again, this is a clear indication that the urge to conform to the ideals of the society has negative impacts on the self. In this regard, this cost Loman his life and fundamental family ideals were greatly compromised.
Conclusion
From the analysis, it can be ascertained that the society always has significant effects on the welfare of an individual. As it has come out from the analysis, it is certain that the American dream compelled the protagonist to assume ideals that compromised his wellbeing and ultimately led to his demise. Furthermore, it is certain that the ideals that are perpetuated by the dream are in themselves contradictory and hence their attainment is more of a myth than a reality. In his play The Death of a Salesman, Miller succeeds in relaying to the audience this important message and ascertains that the American dream does not attain its stipulated goals; rather its pursuit has adverse effects on the holistic wellbeing of the citizens.
Works Cited
Ardolino, Frank. “‘I’m not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman!’: The Significance of Names and Numbers in Death of a Salesman.” Journal of Evolutionary Psychology (2002): 174-83.
Arthur, Miller. Death of a Salesman. USA: Penguin Classics, 1996.
Jacobson, Irving. “Family Dreams in Death of a Salesman.” American Literature, 47.2 (1975): 247-58.
Tyson, Lois. “The Psychological Politics of the American Dream: ‘Death of a Salesman’ and the Case for an Existential Dialectics.” Essays in Literature 19.2 (1992): 260-80
Critically interrogating natural or common sense ways of knowing and being
Critically interrogating natural or common sense ways of knowing and being
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With the evolution of man, different beliefs and practices have come up. Create philosophers and thinkers have come up with different ideologies about life. That is through critical thinking and analysis on different matters in life. Long time ago people believed in the existence of a powerful being, more powerful than human being. This is clearly seen in the hierarchy of being where God is considered to be the highest and more powerful. However, in today’s society, everything that is done is human centered (Wolfreys, 2006). That is different theories have come up to show that human beings have involved themselves in critical thinking to come up with these theories about their origin and way of life. General principles have resulted to coming up of different ideas.
Different political philosophers such as Jeremy Bentham and John Locke have come up with different theories. Issues that they tried to address in these theories majorly concerned the idea of personal freedom. Racism is one of the issues that these philosophers tried to address. In our society today, especially in the United States of America racism has been an issue of concern (Howard & Dei, 2008). Thus, many different theories were developed to show how Black Americans evolved. That is why they were discriminated in all arenas for instance in schools and jobs.
Some of the theories and ideologies have been founded in dichotomous logic. That means different things determine how we think and behave. The main purpose of the critics is to enlighten humanism on a number of concepts about life. Some of the philosophers such as Judith Butler use different concepts such as performativity. In which she says that, things have changed in today’s society as a result of postmodernism. Some of the things that she mentions in her ideology are the use of computers which has greatly affected how we think (Shotwell, 2011).
Critical thinking is interlinked with common sense. For you to critically think, and come up with an ideology, you must use your common sense. Thus, common sense is related to critical thinking. Common sense will mostly be determined by the knowledge that one has on different issues in life. Karl Marx one of the philosophers aimed at transforming Europe on the issue of social class. Karl Marx focused sociological organization of labor where he said that; capitalist will result to forced labor (Wolfreys, 2006). Thus he was against it and developed an ideology on communism.
In the recent past, people accepted doctrines without reasoning. As a result of that, dictatorship took the greatest part. However, as time went by people became more enlightened on different aspects of life and started fighting for their rights. These issues included gender, sexuality, and race. In humanism, individuals believe that, every individual is supposed to be free on every issue in life. That is why some of the philosophers emphases on freedom of expression and speech (Shotwell, 2011). Through the freedom of expression and speech people are able to express themselves on different aspects of life. They are able to fight for their rights, providing an arena for freedom of expression and expression of ideas.
Jurgen Habermas a philosopher takes a common sense position by saying that, all human beings share a common characteristic. Thus, through reasoning together we are able to come up with a decision. Human beings are always aimed at thinking critically in order to come up with a final decision which is for the betterment of the world. Through use of common sense people are able to come up with solutions on different issues surrounding them (Howard & Dei, 2008).
Notably, darkness happens as a result of absence of sunlight in the same way, reason is the negation of emotion. Postmodernism is as a result of humanism a theory that has been developed by various philosophers. Cultural studies theory encompasses several theories that have been brought up by different philosophers. These theories focus on the nature and common sense. They focus on the historical foundations of different communities. Although, we may say that, people become leaders in a society as a result of natural traits in some of the cases it may not be the case. It is important to understand that, philosophers used their common sense to come up with the cultural studies theories.
In most of the communities, common sense is linked with conservative political ideas. Thus, ideas on political matters come up as a result of use of common sense. Leaders such as Adolf Hitler lead people through use of dictatorship. Considering his background we may say that, leadership was not an inborn natural trait but the environment modeled him to become a leader that is through the use of his common sense. Additionally, issues on common sense arise on gender inequality. Some of the people discriminate women saying that, they are not able to thing rationally because of they are women. However, that is not the case women are able to come up with great ideas once they are given leadership positions, they are able to carry out activities which men cannot (Shotwell, 2011).
The society has changed as a result of the change in leadership strategies. People come up with different ideologies in regard to leadership styles and organization of the community structure. The different ideologies include communist and capitalists. This came up as a result of different people who shared the same ideas on the organization of the community. There is a need to satisfy the needs of different people in the society. Capitalist is focused on human alienation and mistreating members of the society for the sake of few members in the society. Thus, people came up with communist to ensure that, every member in the society is treated equally. This is because every person has a right of expression and speech to enable him comes up with different ways of survival in the society we are living.
In a nutshell, critical interrogation on different theories enables us to appreciate every person and their roles in the society. That is why Karl Marx ideology on the use of common sense is referred to as social philosophy. This is because it simply outlines how the society views life and their views on different aspects of life. Common sense in addition comes up as a result of social reality (Howard & Dei, 2008). This simply means common sense enables people to gain knowledge thus becoming intellects. Common sense is an important field that should be taken into consideration on various aspects of life. That is why some of the philosophers suggest that it should be a sixth sense to be studied.
References
Howard, P. S. S., & Dei, G. J. S. (2008). Crash politics and antiracism: Interrogations of liberal race discourse. New York: Peter Lang.
Shotwell, A. (2011). Knowing otherwise: Race, gender, and implicit understanding. University Park, Pa: Pennsylvania State University Press.
Wolfreys, J. (2006). Modern British and Irish criticism and theory: A critical guide. Edinburgh: Edinburgh Univ. Press.
Critically assess the reward practices used within ABC MSC and suggest how the differences in practice between local staff
Critically assess the reward practices used within ABC MSC and suggest how the differences in practice between local staff and expatriates might be addressed taking cultural considerations into practice
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Introduction
Employee motivation is one of the techniques that ABC MSC ought to employ to ensure optimal productivity. Although there are diverse techniques that could be used to motivate employees, the efficacy and applicability of the technique depends on the organization and the industry in which it operates. No matter what type of technique that ABC MSC chooses to adopt, based on the observations of Johansson, 1997, the technique must be one that incorporates components that affect the social component of the employees. This means that for the technique to succeed, it must affect their communication, sense of belonging to a team and relationship cutting across all the levels of staff. Based on the analysis of ABC MSC, employee rewards is not at the core of the organization. As at the present, the local staff and compensation services do not include medical benefits to cover close family members (Foong & Richardson, 2008). In addition, the absence of training department in the corporate division to offer more training for managers so that they might uplift their managerial techniques is not in place currently (Foong & Richardson, 2008).
Reward practices used
Motivation is the activation of goal-oriented behaviour. It is usually used as a tool to getting results. According to Koch 2001, a delicate balance of communication, incentives and structures are necessary in motivating others. ABS MSC uses both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation methods. Intrinsic motivation is described as the motivation that is driven by an interest in the task itself. This form of motivation exists within the individual and does not rely on external pressure. On the other hand, according to Alon 2004, extrinsic motivation originates from outside the individual. An example of extrinsic motivation is rewards like grades and money or coercion and punishment. Koch 2001 described motivation as being entrenched in the essential need to reduce physical pain and increase pleasure. In addition, specific needs such as eating and resting may be included as the foundation of motivation. In most cases, motivation is confused with concepts such as preference or optimism.
Direct rewards
For instance, between 2000 and 2005, the transport allowances were increased from RM200 to RM220. Human beings’ behaviours are influenced by their wants and desires are among the motivation methods employed by ABS MSC. The needs are numerous and as such they are arranged in order of importance starting from the basic to the complex. Tylecote 2004 says, one cannot advance to the next level of needs before the lower level is minimally fulfilled. In the case study, ABS MSC has moved from the basic needs like salary to secondary ones like car parking allowances. Although ABC MSC does not offer direct monetary awards, for example higher wages or salaries, the strategy employed to retain the existing employees is spread on areas like transport allowances, cell phone, car parking allowances among other. This has been as a retention strategy.
Fair treatments
According to Davis et al (1992) people are more likely to be motivated when they feel fairly treated as in ABS MSC. Moreover, when one feel unfairly treated they may become de-motivated. ABS MSC’s motivation declines because of the sense of inequality that has been going on. This sense of fairness depends on the comparison the employees make between their rewards with the ratio received by others considered to be in the same working conditions. ABS MSC recognizes or appreciates the facts that variable factors do affect individual’s assessment and perception of their association with work their work. Although at times the management ignores the requirements of the employees. The working environment has been favourable and this has been acting as a motivation factor for the employees.
Good Management
ABS MSC has four strong management practices that act as a motivation. The lifetime employment, seniority-based earnings, promotion systems, ABS MSC welfare services and enterprise unionism are the core strengths of ABS MSC. People are motivated by things that they desire, that they know how to get and that they believe they have the ability to achieve. Individuals have the tendency to select the behavioural option with the greatest motivation forces. The motivation force for an action is a function of three perceptions namely expectancy, valance and instrumentality. Johansson 1997 simplifies the terms as, the expectancy that one’s behaviour will lead to the desired performance, the value that an individual places on the rewards, and the belief that one will receive a greater reward if they meet the performance expectations. Since the motivation force is the product of three perceptions, a zero value of any perception will result into a zero for the whole equation. In the case given, ABS MSC has the expectancy that customer satisfaction ratings will go up (Koch, 2001).
Achievable goals
A goal is the aim of an action, for instance, to achieve a specific standard of proficiency. Moreover, a goal is key tool in getting one motivated. The best goal setting method is called S.M.A.R.T, which assumes that a goal should be specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and time bound (Tylecote, 2004). During the appraisal interview, ABS MSC employees are motivated to work because of the goals, the company sets. ABS MSC wants to increase customer satisfaction in the coming year and understands that this can only be achieved by satisfying the different needs of the numerous stakeholders in the projects. This has been another motivating factor in ABS MSC.
From the discussion above it is clear that employee motivation is driven by numerous desires, needs like money, security and individual satisfaction. In addition, there is the personal internal drive to do a certain task or take part in an organizational change. Employees need to be motivated towards achieving the organizational goals. Various models like the one discussed above, have tried to explain how employees are motivated. However, mere pay rise initiatives seem to be insufficient in improving the company’s performance. Using the intrinsic motivation concept may lead to organizational goals being attained (Tylecote, 2004). The intrinsic motivation challenges the concept that people often do something for external rewards.
Looking at the program used by ABC MSC, the effectiveness of the program can be evaluated on a scorecard based on the above points. First, the program recognizes the importance of going beyond pay-check. The program is likely to succeed given its recognition of various aspects that relate to group dynamics. By incorporating the go-cart racing, the ABC MSC employees are placed in a better position to appreciate the spirit of teamwork and give them the sense of belonging. It also has an impact on the employees’ sense of belonging and brings to them the spirit of communicating at various levels of staff. It can further be observed that the program stands high chances of success because it fosters a spirit of mutual assistance (Foong & Richardson, 2008). This is very important as the employees get a chance to be served by their supervisors and higher-level management and suggest how the differences in practice between local staff and expatriates might be addressed taking cultural considerations into practice.
The differences in practice between local staff and expatriates might be addressed
The performance of workers or employees of ABC MSC is as critical to its success as is the planning and execution of its strategies, objectives, vision and mission. In order to understand and bring about the synchronization between the ways the members of ABC MSC function in accordance to its objectives is by understanding not only how their performances are analysed and managed but practice between local staff and expatriates as well. An attempt has been made to understand the concept of team performance, performance management and their significance in the success of ABC MSC and its vision, mission and objectives. The process of managing the organizational diversity will also help in enhancing organizational flexibility. The changes to organizational culture and management systems needed for managing diversity will impact other areas of the Management (Tylecote, 2004).
In the past, various organizational psychologists plus other researchers have given more recognition to the effects of race and cultural difference in an organization. Given that in most cases, the social cultures are embedded in the organizations and people do bring their cultures to the workplace, the organization performance and communications tend to change as new employees are slotted in.
Changing people and their cultures
All successful changes entail changing people and their cultures. Change in people and their cultures entail changing the people’s mind-set and the way they behave subject to given condition or in referring or working with other employees. People change concern just a few workers, such as sending a handful of middle managers to a training course to enhance their leadership skills. Cultural change pertains to the organization as a whole (Lee, 2002).
Training and development
Training can be one of the best approaches for changing people’s mind-sets. ABS MSC might decide to offer training programs to large blocks of employees on subjects such as teamwork, diversity, emotional intelligence, quality circles, communication skills, or participative managements. For instance, successful organizations have provided training and development opportunities for all the workers, particularly giving emphasis to the training and development of managers with the idea that they might or will change their behaviours or attitudes towards one another (Kumar et al. 1994). The behaviour and attitudes of few mangers have ended up influencing the whole organization therefore leading to the change in the whole organization or the companies, which have employed the strategy.
Organization development
The organizational development is a planned systematic process of change that uses behavioural science knowledge and techniques to improve an organization’s health and effectiveness through its ability to adapt to the environment, improve internal relationships, and increase leaning and problem-solving capabilities (Erramilli, 2000). It focuses on the human and social aspects of the organization and works to change attitudes and relationships among the workers and managers and therefore assisting them to strengthen the company’s capacity for adapting and renewal.
It is evident that the employees will always communicate how she or he changed as a result of adapting to the company standards and requirements. ABC MSC literature typically aims at general concepts for example models, and issue such as communication, interpersonal, group and leadership skills that enhance managerial competence (Garrett, 2007). Managers, administrators, and organizational employees are required to obtain a range of skills and competencies that will increase organizational effectiveness, performance, and productivity. For the managers and administrators should be able to create supportive and effective communication systems, and enhance job performance through effective motivation. Managers also ought to understand and use power and influence while learning to create processes to improve effective group decision making (Gidengil, 1999). Moreover, they should be able to foster leadership capability while managing conflicts and assigning authority and duties to various people and departments.
As the workplace becomes more diverse, it is important that the aforementioned factors be understood from a wider perspective (cultural). There is a considerable evidenced to assert that people from various cultural groups perceive the world and attribute meaning to events and experience differently. Thus, self-awareness, communication patterns, decision making, support systems and motivation various with people from different cultural backgrounds. In addressing the cultural difference between the employees in ABC MSC, the knowledge of the skills set is essential (Erramilli, 2000). It is thus important to understand individual’s personality and human development processes. Understanding of the bias of people’s attitudes, perception, problem-solving techniques, and behaviours is essential as the employee is the core unit of the organization. Moreover, knowledge of individual processes and functionalities are to be enhanced with the information of interpersonal and group processes, especially because an organization requires work to be done in groups by people who interact with one another (Dow, 2000). It is as a result of group interaction that issues concerning communication and flow of information, such as how group members in the organization and between groups interact and then form attitudes and perceptions.
Language
Language being the most basic and multifaceted issues for the teams or groups in ABC MSC, it should be addressed. In most cases, it is downplayed or overlooked altogether. Team members should possess varying degrees of competency in and comfort levels with the language aggregated by the use of such technologies as telephone and video-conferencing (Wood & Robertson, 2000). As exposure to and interaction among the team members will give these difficulties less significant over time, it is important that team members to ware that initially their accents can cause misunderstandings (Alon, 2004). The managers have a role in ensuring that the ethics and set rules (including the language used) are in place.
It is within the framework of an organization’s culture that the aforementioned driving forces are addressed; that is how and in what ways an organization copes with or responds to the legal, moral and performance issue associated with addressing cultural issues (Chetty & Campbell-Hunt, 2004). The culture of the organization will also determine how and from what perspective it will address cultural issues.
Cultural Assumptions
Regardless of the strategy and techniques used by the manger, it is always important to assume the cultural differences and cultural diversities of the various employees and employ the universal tone. The universal perspective on culture places emphasis on human similarities, whereas group differences are deemphasized. The fundamental assumption of the universal perspectives is that all people are basically human and therefore equal. Therefore, cultural differences are housed in personality and understood only from this vantage point. The universal perspective also closely resembles the colour-blind vision of all people living in harmony wherein closely differences are of little or no relevance (Cavusgil, 2001). Secondly, the ubiquitous approach should also be employed. The approach holds that all differences associated with group membership are salient. All forms of social or group membership are cultural. According to this perspective, differences in cultural groups are acknowledged, but less awareness exists regarding the influences of the dominant culture on the various groups (Ziller & Phibbs, 2003). The organizational culture of ubiquitous organization would be expected to mimic the culture of society and its structure. Thus, separation of people from different cultures and groups would not occur.
Tradition
The traditional perspective defines culture as a country, which means a common language, values, beliefs, ritual and other aspects. When the organization or ABS MSC for this instance employs the technique, the cultural differences between the various members would be bridged. The assumption of the traditional perspective is that shared language, geography, and customs are the basis of culture. The obstacles to effectiveness arise from conflicts in worldviews and perceptions about what is important in terms of relationships, thought processes, and language. Therefore, leaders need to be cognizant sources of cultural conflict in assumption and values (Czinkota, 2001).
In conclusion, moving companies towards the objective of increased capacity to address and cope with cultural differences is difficult. The mangers therefore have great task in seeing that the cultural differences between the different cultural groups in an organization is bridged as possible.
Bibliography
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