Cultural Characteristics

Culture is the way certain people in a certain region run their lives and do things. The region can either be a country, an organization or even a distinct community. Culture is learned by the people who live in the region and includes the values and the norms that the people of the region hold. It also includes the traditions, religion of the people, rituals, artifacts and also beliefs. In management, it is important to take seriously an issue in regards to culture of the region that an organization or an individual plans to market in. Aspects of culture that an individual or company needs to take into account include also the language(s) of the local people and how it will affect the organization and its products or services.

Other issues in regards to culture that have a huge influence on the management marketing include: the religion of the people, the values and attitudes of the host community, social organization, levels of education of most people in terms of literacy levels as well as the laws of the community and their politics (Muehlbacher, Leih & Dahringer, 2006). It is, therefore, important for an organization management to understand all the aspects of culture of certain people so that to ensure that the organization is easily accepted by the host community as well. An organization that has no regard to the culture of the host community cannot be progressive.

Management has a lot of challenges due to the pervasiveness related to managerial work; a lot of work is needed to be done so as to create the effective organizational behavior that has many implications on the organizational as well as managerial level. If a manager does not respect the cultural diversity of all the workers in an organization, then there will be a problem and the company will not be able to work as a team. Human resource is the most important investment in an organization; therefore,, the management has to bring all the staff on board by acknowledging cultural diversity among the employees.

A Native American Employee

A manager who has members of the Native American culture as part of their workforce has to appreciate their rich history. In the past, Native Americans have faced oppression, injustice as well as racism. They were the initial inhabitants of what is modern day United States of America, but a lot of European administrations have failed to regard the Native Americans as being the owners of what is known today as the USA (Spring, 2006). The Native Americans were oppressed, lost a lot of land; their people as well as some of their native languages and culture were destroyed. Their school system was also destroyed and they served as slaves for the Americans and Europeans.

1. Despite the nasty acts that they were subjected to, Native Americans are people who have managed to build resilience with time. They highly value the family, and some are from a matriarchal family system. They have a high fertility rate, and there are few incidences of children born out of wedlock. The women have strong roles both in the family and the society. They show high regard for traditional beliefs that relate to spirituality, wellness, peace and harmony among others. The Native American people also have a specific view of wellness and healing and put emphasis on being in harmony with others and also with themselves. They do not have any religion as spirituality is a way of life to them. Spirituality is integral in all the aspects that concern their way of doing things.
2. A lot of Native Americans attend public schools that are not tribal, but the people have the highest dropout rate amongst the minority groups. They also do not perform well in school, since students who perform well are ridiculed for attempting to act like the white people. In college and University education, Native Americans are below the nation average. Therefore, it is a challenge to see a well-educated Native American.
3. In general, a lot of Native Americans show dislike for other Americans, especially the whites. This is because they feel that they were oppressed by the white due to whom they lost their identity and nation.

A good manager should attempt to appreciate the history of the people and the challenges they face. The manager should talk to the person if they have problems and inform them of the need to work as a team.

A Member of the Muslim Faith Employee

After the September 11^th 2001 terrorist attack in the United States, which were planned and executed by Al-Qaida, which is a terrorist group made of Muslim extremist, a lot of Muslim Americans have faced a lot of cultural challenges.

1. There is a lot of fear and concerns in the United States in regards to the presence of Muslims and their assimilation into the American society. Polls have shown that four out of ten Americans have negative views towards the Islamic faith and the people who worship this faith (Barrett & George, 2005).
2. Also the poll showed that five for every ten Americans feel that Islam faith has a high likelihood of propagating violence. This is despite most of the pollsters admitting that they have very little knowledge in regards to Islam. A lot of Americans are convinced that Muslims pose a serious threat to their security and to the rest of the American society. Many American citizens are anti-Islam and there is clear fear of the Islamic faith.
3. Most Americans also rank people who profess the Islamic faith as being second to the atheist, as being people who do not believe in the vision that other American people have.

There are some assumptions that help or aid in the developing of these fears. One of them is the belief that Muslim people are violent and have tendencies that are anti-democratic. Another assumption is that because of their religion, other values including social and political ones have no meaning to them and they want to force all to be Muslims like them. Due to all these assumptions and stereotyping based on the events and acts of extremists, the Muslim people have faced a lot of opposition in America (Merrell & Whitcomb, 2003).

For a manager, it is important not to accept any form of discrimination based on religion. He/she should ensure that the staff is aware of the need to respect the religious beliefs of others. Also it is important that the people realize that there is no need of classifying people based on the evil activities of a few. The management should also develop a non-discriminative policy that ensures all, including the Muslim staff, is treated well.

A retired 60 years old military individual will exhibit cultural characteristic such as;

1. Due to their military training the individual will have a tendency of paying attention to all details including the minor details.
2. Also the individual have tendencies of being very paranoid on all issues.
3. They are also very good in following orders, this is due to the nature of their former work in the military where all are required to follow orders.

Am a manager one has to be aware of this highly disciplined individuals who due to their military experience are a dependable and hardworking workforce. They could also have social problems if in their military experience had encounters with wars.

A Male Employee from Mexico who is a Naturalized Citizen

1. The Mexican people who have been naturalized are considered to be engaged in criminal activities.
2. Also the Mexican people tend to have many children and live in very bad conditions, as all what they earn they send back to their families in Mexico (Miller, 2007).
3. They are also considered to perform all sorts of odd jobs as a way of earning a living. This has made the people to be believed to be the beast of burden in the American society.

For managers, it is important not to allow such stereotyping to exist among their staff. People should be judged based on their personality and that of a group. There is a need for a policy that addresses issues such as these forms of discrimination and probable bullying.