ROLE OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN CONTEMPORARY WORLD. DRESS CODE IN AMERICA. PRESENTED BY: 1. M. UMAR – 14-NTU-01992. M. HAMZA TAHIR – 14-NTU-02003. IQRASH HAIDER -14-NTU-01944. SHEROZ AKHTAR KHAN - 14-NTU-01965. SAAD SOHAIL – 14-NTU-01916. TAUSEEF ABBAS-14-NTU-0171

OUTLINE:

• What is Culture?• How Culture is Effected? And it’s Impact on Modern World• Dimensions Varying Culture & Their Effects • Problems Caused By Cultural Differences• Dress Code in America • Conclusions • Reference’s

WHAT IS CULTURE? ROLE OF CULTURE IN PRODUCING DIFFERENCES IN MODERN WORLD.

• Culture: The lifestyle, background, traditions, habits, social Interaction, attitude of people towards work, culture, religion etc. are all the characteristics that basically characterize a particular society or a nation.

• How Culture is effected and what is it’s impact on Modern World?

These parameters of culture are responsible for the proper functioning and behavior of people in a society or nation.

And these are the points that basically produces the diversity among people and in the society. E.g.:

i. In U.S making eye contact, while having a conversation is taken as a positive impression.

ii. Whereas, in Asian Countries making eye contact with elders, relatives & Parents is considered as negative attitude and impression.

iii. In Asia, specifically in India & Pak giving/lending money with left hand is considered superstitious or a misfortune. While in Western culture people simply don’t bother it.

CHARACTERISTICS THAT PRODUCES EFFECTS ON SOCIETY/CULTURE:

• High Context Vs Low Context

• Individualism and Collectivism

• Past, Present & Future Orientation

• Quality of Time

• Power Distance

HIGH CONTEXT VS LOW CONTEXT:• Low Context Culture:

i. Précised Conversation

ii. Message is Easy to pick and Understand

iii. Have Solid Meaning

iv. Less no words are used for information

v. Low Context Culture Include Anglos, Germans and other western cultures.• Examples:

a. Business/Office meetings, conferences, seminars are kind of events where the speaker/sender is bound to use very explicit, solid and technical words to share his thoughts and ideas. It mostly occurs in Low Context Environment.

b. Japanese find western's to be offensively blunt.

c. Germans feels that French people provide no direction in explaining their ideas/thoughts.

HIGH CONTEXT VS LOW CONTEXT:• High Context Culture:

i. Bulk of Words are used.

ii. Unclear/ Improper meaning of the words.

iii. Unprecise information/ Long Talk

iv. Difficult for the listener to understand.

v. High Context Cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French.

• Examples:

a. Family can be an example of high context environment, in which the sender just freely talks without the restriction of solid meaningful or technical/formal words.

b. Westerners find Japanese people to be secretive & devious.

c. Whereas, French feel that Germans insult their intelligence by explaining the obvious.

INDIVIDUALISM AND COLLECTIVISM:

• Individualism:i. Self Responsible/ Self Convictedii. Mentally Strongiii. Takes Challenges Independentlyiv. Self Made v. Doesn't rely on external helpvi. Give more importance to their personal goals & Achievementsvii. Always mind their own businessviii. Visualize things• Anglo(White People) Cultures are considered to be individualist. E.g. In Western Culture much privacy is provided to their children in their teenage. In Individualist culture majority of the people get separate or send their parents to foster home

for caretaking.

INDIVIDUALISM AND COLLECTIVISM:• Collectivism:

i. People are conservative

ii. Many people are dependent on each other in the society

iii. Rely on external Help

iv. Manage/Workout things in groups

v. Unable to Improvise

vi. People have a positive/supportive and helping attitude towards each other in the society

• Many of the Asian Cultures are collectivist.

E.g. Not much freedom or privacy is provided to the children in teenage by their parents in Asia.

In Asia people look after their parents when they get old and their responsibilities are dependent on them.

PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE ORIENTATION:

• Past Oriented:

Past Oriented people are bound to the standards & Activities that are set/developed by their elders

They look at the past for guidance, hope, motivation, inspiration & direction

People are very conservative, not willing to modify

They taught their youth to learn from their elders and make them their role models

They dwells on their past memories

Past oriented cultures include Chinese, Spanish/ Latin American etc.

• Present Oriented:

Not bound to their past memories

Mostly people are flexible, they adapt/modify themselves according to the situation.

They forget about the past, only worry about the moment in the present

Present Oriented Cultures include British, Netherland, Turkey, Australia etc.

PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE ORIENTATION:

• Future Oriented Culture:

Future Oriented people are optimistic, visionary & organize things quickly & effectively

They primarily focus on their present moment's to materialize the visions of future.

Future oriented cultures mostly include:

America, Japan, Brazil etc.

QUALITY OF TIME:

Attitude for time differ from culture to culture.

• In Western Culture:

Time is valuable

Key to Success

In countries like Japan, USA & British there is no relaxation for time. The meeting appointment is immediately canceled/postponed if it is not held on schedule.

• Is Asian Culture:

Time is not considered as resource

For them time is infinite

Being late for an appointment or a business meeting can be acceptable in Asia and Arabic Countries & the meetings are continued without any issue.

Unlike in Japan or America, it is not unusual for trains in India/Pakistan to be late for several hours or even a full day late without creating any stress and turmoil.

POWER DISTANCE:• Power Distance is another valuable point/character that produces diversity/ difference in the society/culture:

Following points are related to power distance that produces an impact of diversity in the society:

i. Dominancy

ii. Aggressiveness

iii. Strength/Power/Authority

iv. Designation/Rank

v. Status

vi. Inferiority Complexes

vii. Personality etc.

Are the quantities that different people possesses in different societies and these quantities produces a factor of power/dominancy that discriminates people from each other. e.g.:

a. In western Culture, superiors and subordinates often interact socially as equals. Whereas , in Asian Culture the social interaction is completely different between two different designated persons.

b. Double Standard is less in westerner culture as compared to Asian Cultures.

PROBLEMS CAUSED BY CULTURAL DIFFERENCES:

• A Canadian conducting business in Kuwait is surprised when his meeting with a high-ranking official is not held in a closed office and is constantly interrupted. He starts wondering if the official is as important as he had been led to believe, and he starts to doubt how seriously his business is being taken

• A Japanese businessman wants to tell his Norwegian client that he is uninterested in a particular sale. So he says "That will be very difficult." The Norwegian eagerly asks how he can help. The Japanese is mystified. To him, saying that something is difficult is a polite way of saying "No way in hell!”

DRESS CODE IN AMERICA•Dress Code: What you are allowed and not allowed to wear.

E.g.

In some jobs there is a certain uniform you are required to wear.

Black suit for waiter or waitress.

In private schools there is specific uniform for the students.

In America People wear different cloths are wear on different occasions:

•Formal Occasions:

• In business, meetings, ceremonies & formal parties the usual dress code is:

•A full suit  by a dress shirt and tie

•Wear white shirts with French cuffs, along with silk ties, cufflinks and handkerchiefs.

•Casual Occasions:

• In Casual Parties, school, colleges & for outdoor:

•Washed denims, Shorts, Trousers, T-shirts, Causal Shirts, running shoes, tennis socks, Khakis, and open toed footwear etc.

•Night Wear:

•Blanket sleeper, nightgown , nightshirt, nightcap & pajamas etc.

CONCLUSIONS

• Cultural differences can produce both positive and negative impact on society, but it depends upon the people living in a society is that how they approach different cultures. Every culture has its own religions, language, traditions, rituals, ethnicity etc. But living in a multicultural society, we should try to modify/adapt ourselves to the framework of different cultures present in the society. Because a society/country having people of different cultures are basically responsible for managing, organizing, streaming, coordinating business, meetings & International Organizations etc. they should had to build mutual understanding & coherence among each other, and try to resolve the cultural communicational barrier between them.

REFERENCE’S

• https://www.bows-n-ties.com/mens-fashion-tips/mens-business-dress-codes-in-the-us/

• https://www.gwu.edu/~umpleby/recent_papers/2003_cross_cultural_differences_managin_international_projects_anbari_khilkhanova_romanova_umpleby.htm

• https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080111215740AAM4wRJ

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/14/weird-cultural-differences_n_3875360.html

• http://jml2012.indexcopernicus.com/fulltxt.php?ICID=935280