bc ii - session 1, 2 - culture, gender and ethical issues in communication
TRANSCRIPT
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Culture, Gender and Ethical
Issues in Communication
Sessions 1, 2
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Objective
What is culture? What is the relevance of culture in business or
market?
What is the nature of the relation betweenculture and market/business?
Is the relation one of conflict/resistance? Or
Is it one of convergence?
Does culture shape the market? Or the other
way round.
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What is Culture?
Even though there cannot be anysimple/definite answer, culture can be broadly
conceptualized as -
Set of convictions, framework ofunderstanding and perception, and code of
conduct of a group over a considerable period
of time.
Simply it is how we lived (time past), how we
live (time present) and how we wish to live
(time future).
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What is Culture?
Essentially the culture regulates the relationbetween the individual and the larger group in
which he resides.
For e.g. an individual will be a part of a grouponly when he follows the common norms of
the group.
Thus culture helps in creating shared identity.
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What is Culture?
Additionally one of the most important elementof any culture is change.
Our way of living, our beliefs, even the way we
dress ,eat or talk changes over time and they arepart of larger shift in a cultural paradigm.
Even though this change is not visible instantly,
we may ask, why or how does this change take
place?
The two vital elements that facilitate change are
Choice and conflict
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What is Culture? Conflict and Change
A change takes place only when there is atension or conflict between the belief systemof the past and the changing reality andexperiences of the present.
Conflict is almost always followed by animplicit choice in favor of the demands of thepresent reality.
Almost all cultures continuously experiencedifferent kinds of conflict and thus evolve andalter itself over time.
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What is Culture? Conflict and Change
The controversies surrounding the film TheDirty Picture can serve as an example of this
conflict.
Age-old belief system about morality, womanhood etc
vs Changing notions of morality and womanhood that
is less judgmental and appreciates boldness.
The recognition of a national award to the actor is also
an implicit choice in favor of change
Also relevant are the various legislations that try to
protect women against any harassment at workplace
and home ,etc.
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What is Culture? Conflict and Change
It is important to remember that governmentand judiciary play significant role in bringing
about long-term change.
Also cultures which are heterogeneous andmore open to alternative belief system change
more often than those which are
homogeneous and closed.
India (diverse, historically heterogeneous) and Saudi
Arabia.
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The relevance of culture in business and market
Understanding culture is relevant becauseGreater cross cultural interactions in recent years
Continuous expansion of business and market across
nations and across communities ( Ikea opening stores inSaudi Arabia for instance)
Continuous migration of workforce and labor.
Culture and market are no longer separate or insular
but are interconnected
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The relevance of culture in business and market
What are the factors behind these expansionsin the recent decades?
The fall of the Berlin wall in 1988 signaling the fall of
communismThe disintegration of Soviet Union signaling a new
economic and social paradigm
Economic reforms in countries like India bringing inopen economy.
Significant change in the mindset of people- the desirefor a better living-better in terms of material comfort.
Hence the constant expansion of need.
need is driven both by market and by culture.
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How Does Market interact With culture
Advertising diapers in the USA and Japan bythe same company
A best selling diaper brand in USA somehow
could not penetrate Japanese marketEssentially the were same commercial to
advertise the product - the only difference
was mother and child featured in thecommercial was Japanese
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Market and Culture
While investigating the reasons behind sluggishresponse it was found out that Japanese mothersdid not respond to the core message of thecommercial which was
This diaper would save time for mothers who aremostly employed.
Japanese mothers are mostly housewives andtherefore the core message was not effective.
The company, while launching and promoting theproduct failed to understand the basic culturaldifference between USA and Japan.
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Conflict
This can be an example of a resistance to a
product - not because of its quality but -
because of the interpretation of usefulness of
a product driven by cultural difference.
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Convergence
Just after Sepoy Mutiny in India, for strategicreasons in defense and thus to have betterconnectivity the British Raj undertook a
massive plan to construct railways in India This project was partly funded by British
citizens at 5% perpetuity
This definitely helped the British monarchy tomaintain law and order and to sendreinforcements
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Convergence
However following was the unintended
consequence
Creation of a pan Indian national identity
The Railways remain the most potent symbol of
the nation to this day
This is an example of how a market initiates a
cultural sensibility.
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Conflict and Convergence
A conflict arising due to cultural difference
may force market to adapt to different culture
Convergence: Market is the driving force
behind the creation of a cultural paradigm
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Further Questions
The recent controversies surrounding Ikeas
advertising in Saudi Arabia: an example of
conflict or convergence?
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Gender and Communication
What is gender?
Why the issue of gender relation is important
in business and business communication?
Relation between language and gender?
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What is Gender?
Male and female is biologically determined
Gender masculine and feminine is socially
determined depending on the role
traditionally played by the male and female insociety
Social perception of male = bread earner,
protection (warrior) Female = raising and nurturing family
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Gender, Business and Organisation
Traditionally in primitive economies (likeagrarian economy), gender was nothing more
than a division of labour; partly because of the
nature of the job With time it turned into a hierarchy
Post-industrialisation, technology helped
many jobs to become typically gender neutral However, technology has not yet substituted
the role of motherhood
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Gender, Business and Organisation
Therefore the role of women as mothers vs asprofessionals remain as the central tension to
this day in workplace, business etc.
Existing gender stereotypes create acommunication barrier in organisations
Though professional communication should
ideally be gender neutral, most often that isnot the case
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Gender and Communication Barrier
Instances
What should the mode/style of
communication in a predominantly male
workforce headed by a woman superior The conventional wisdom of think manager, think
male
What should be mode/style of communicationwhen the boss is a male and there are few
female subordinates?
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Gender and Communication Barrier
The efficacy and limits of informalcommunication in previous two scenarios
For instance the informal style of
communication (pat on the back forappreciation of a good work, decision making
over a cup of coffee)may not work well for a
male boss and a female subordinate or vice-versa
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Gender, Communication and Market
The engagement of the market
Refer to the already mentioned case of Saudi
Ikea
Ikea airbrushed the figure of the mother from itsadvertisement following the religious and cultural
norms of Saudi Arabia
Should a company abide by its declaredmarketing principles irrespective of cultural
differences, especially with relation to gender
or should it adapt?
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Language and Gender
English language which reflects and createssocial norms is obviously not gender neutral
All men are equal
Man is born free
Housewives
There is an attempt to make language more
gender neutral Homemaker not Housewives
Workforce not manpower
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Ethical Communication
The attempt to encourage gender neutralvocabulary in organisations stems from an
ethical concern to reduce marked male
dominance
Tampering information which is intended for
public domain that often influence decision
making is the basic form of unethical
communication
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Ethical Communication
Pharmaceutical companies often suppresspart of the findings of clinical trial and release
the part which help them obtain clearance
from drug controllers
Insider trading: private communication often
precedes public communication for monetary
benefit
Enron: tampered with the balance sheet