Cross Culture Management

Posted: November 27th, 2013

Cross Culture Management

Culture basically is defined as people’s possessions, their thoughts and what they do as members of a particular society. These may include material possessions, ideas, values as well as attitudes and every activity that people partake in, as well as their behaviours (Ferraro 2009). Therefore, every culture has its own material objects, ideas, values, and attitudes, as well as its manner of behaviour.

In addition, for an idea or value to be termed as culture, it has to be shared among a number of people in a community or a society. This is because a common culture is shared in order to create a better living environment for every person in the society (Reid 1991). Therefore, Ferraro’s 2010 notion that Culture is everything that people have, think, and do as members of their society can be demonstrated clearly by the lyrics of the song “Interactive Ochre” in various ways.

The song’s lyrics demonstrate the culture of Indigenous Australians who are known to be the first inhabitants of the Australian continent as well as its the nearby islands (Ferraro 1991). These people include the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders making about two point five percent of the whole population of Australia. Australia is known to have great diversity due to different indigenous communities, hence leading to different and unique cultures, language, and customs in every community. These people possess their culture very much in that they like the idea act of sharing and thinking about their fellow people. This is because they have a welfare system that enables meet the needs of every person.

This can be proved through the lyrics of the song “Interactive Ochre” where the authors (Natasha and Taylor) say that people should not make judgments by looking at another’s skin colour; rather, they should try to understand one another as they are not all from the same culture. For instance, people should not judge me just because I have dark skin. It is important that they try to see the values within me, such as my character and my principles. This is because I am also trying to learn from their cultures as well the things that are new to me. This is illustrates the value acting or behaving towards one another despite the culture. I am supposed to treat a stranger with respect, understanding and helping out where possible. Therefore, as Ferraro’s notion illustrates that culture is everything people do, we should try to respect each person’s culture despite the colour, background, religion or gender. The song demonstrates Ferraro’s 2010 notion by claiming that instead of discriminating one another, it is better to show love and embrace each other as individuals.

Generally, culture is learned and not transferred genetically. It is a very important aspect in every person’s life because it influences people’s thoughts and actions. It is easier for people from similar cultures to know that certain issues will affect others due to cultural conditioning (Meadows 2001). This illustrates the virtue of thinking as demonstrated by Ferraro`s notion on culture. This means that everyone should be given an opportunity to learn about but not be discriminated indigenous Australians in terms race and culture.

The ideal is also illustrated in the song’s lyrics where neglecting and discriminating one another are discouraged. For instance, “you may not have noticed but we have been around for a very long time” (Natasha 2004) shows neglecting of others just because they do not belong to one’s culture. Additionally, the lyrics “you might have passed me on the streets and never took time to talk or even share ideas with me” (Natasha 2004) reveal the challenges experienced due to cultural differences where people only think of their cultures and are not ready to associate with those from a different culture. According to this lyrics, it is true thus to say that most people are encouraged to only think about their cultures more than others are.

Reference

Ferraro, G 2009, The Cultural Dimension of International Business, Canada: Pearson Education Canada.

Ferraro, G 1991, Cultural anthropology: an applied perspective, New York, NY: Cengage Learning.

Meadows, M 2001, Voices in the wilderness: images of Aboriginal people in the Australian media, New York, NY: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Natasha, T 2004, Interactive Ochre. Australia: Koori Programs.

Reid, J 1991, The Health of aboriginal Australia, Canada: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.