Theories.

According to Gannon, which requirements should fulfill any cultural metaphor?

The first one is to capture in one image the cultural mindset of a nation, at the same time that provides a framework that incorporate relevant cultural dimensions previously identified for the country. And finally, Move beyond the dimensional approach to capture the values, attitudes and behaviors of the culture otherwise ignored.

 

Is it okay if I consider a whole country as a Low or High context country?

No, not always a  complete country is obligatory a High or a Low context country, for instance, Anglos are considered to be generally low context , so the US is generally consider as a low context culture, however the southern US is regarded as a High context culture.

Moreover, English speaking Canadians are considered to be low context, but the French speakers are clearly High context. Which show us that even though we can see the general behavior of a country, we can not assure the fact that all their citizens are exactly as we predicted, thus teaching us to be open mind to possible changes in prototypes. 

RESEARCH QUESTION: The Chinese theory of the Discover of America.

According to some authors as Gavin Menzies, there is a theory that proclaim the fact that the Chinese came to America even earlier than Cristobal Colon, so according to it, the trips to America from china started in 458 A.C. when Hui Seng, a buddhist monk started his trip through the Pacific Ocean, first arriving to japan, then the Aleutian islands and finally to the Mexican or California coasts. 

After 41 years, Hui Seng came back to China and explained them how incredible was this new world and how they tried to teach the natives some aspects of China such as the Buddhism.

There are many proves about this theory, for example the chinese ships found in the North american coasts, the Circular anchors characteristic in the ship of that time, some diseases such as the Asiatic leukemia found in native mummies in Chile, and many different peruvian names that have a meanings in chinese, among many others.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://image.slidesharecdn.com/highcontextvslowcontext-121210174529-phpapp01/95/high-context-vs-low-context-1-638.jpg?cb=1355183260

http://www.escalofrio.com/n/Misterios/Chinos_en_America_antes_de_Colon/Chinos_en_America_antes_de_Colon.php

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51g4DhLDaKL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

CHINA

CHINA, AN INCREDIBLE WORLD

Mention some Cultural Aspects of China.

-          Guanxi: Means personal connections,  “You can not get anything in China without good relations”. It is not about what do you know, it is about who do you know. The right personal relationships are key, Chinese have to build it step by step.

-          Mianzi (Prestigse or social capital): the Chinese Society’s values are based on the human feelings, there you can not humiliate anyone, especially in public. Because that is making him looks bad in front of their superiors, and therefore he will lose face.

The concept of Face for the Chinese is very, very important. It means the reputation, the image or the prestige of a person regarding the society. For instance, they prefer to refuse or lose anything, if that will bring them more prestige for them and their family.

Knowing the concept of Face, it is also important to understand some key words just like “No problem”. It is because it could mean that there is really no problem or otherwise they said so in order to don’t make you lose face, just because you could not explain well your ideas.

Mention some etiquette norms for the chinese society and then for the formal meetings.

-Always be punctual: The Chinese are low tolerant with the unpunctuality, as they consider it as a lack of respect.

-Always greet first the most important person with the highest hierarchical charge of the group.

-If they greet you clapping, you have to response them clapping.

-The Chinese people dress up very formal.

-Avoid jokes

- Do not point with one finger, do it with your whole opened hand.

- In China is more important the use of last name at the beginning of the presentation rather than their name, as it is more important the name of the group, and consequently the lastname make reference to the group.

- The presentation cards should be given with both hands, in a way that the one that is receiving the card can read it. Also be very careful in the way you recieve their cards, if you dont give the card the importance that it deserves, it will be considered as a lack of respect.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What was the Apartheid and what is the role of Nelson Mandela?

The apartheid, which means "Separated",  was a racial segregation between white people and black people in the South of Africa. It lasted until 1992,  and its main idea was to maintain the power of the white minority, which represented only the 21% of the whole population.

Once we know about the apartheid, It is very important to meet one of the most important person in the South African History, Hes name is Nelson Mandela, the first black president after the end of the Apartheid. Mandela was an activist and politician anti-apartheid that was held in prison for 27 years for being consider as a traitor in 1962, however in 1990 he was released thanks to international pressure and domestic strikes. Then he joined the political negotiations that aimed to abolish the Apartheid and consequently establish the general elections for 1994, leading the ANC, Mandela became the first black president in the south african history. 

His government promoted the social reconciliation and the overcome of the poverty, the dismantling of any kind of legacy of the Apartheid and the establish of politics that promotes the equality.

Bibliography

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1186318/images/o-APARTHEID-HISTORY-TIMELINE-NELSON-MANDELA-facebook.jpg

http://estaticos04.elmundo.es/especiales/internacional/nelson-mandela/img/fotos/apartheid01.jpg

Cunduct Norms

Conduct norms regarding the US and Chinese Culture.

Which ones are the factors impacting the business conduct in US?

1)      Time is equal to Money

2)      The appreciation for the hard work and making your own way

3)      Low power distance and informality

4)      All members of an organization encouraged to share their thoughts and business ideas.

5)      Valuing of diversity in theory – Not always honored.

6)      Tendency towards ethnocentrism

7)      Extremely litigious, Heavily Universalistic society.

Which ones are the characteristics and values of the Confucianism and how is it related to China?

-          Ideology aimed to maintain the social harmony: If there is harmony, there is peace.

-          Value the experience and the age is venerated: the Chinese give a lot of value to the knowledge.

-          Also they give a lot of value to the social hierarchy: It is very important, China is a vertical society, hierarchical.

-          Create a social engage where each one should understand the right conduct that each relation requires inside of the society and act according to it to preserve the harmony. This in Colombia means: “Zapatero a tus Zapatos”.

Also to get the people’s will, the Chinese leaders will have to generate the feeling of shame, which is only generated through the rites.

If the will is focused toward benevolence, then there will be no place for evil.

The Chinese bureaucracy is based on the Confucian classics, as it is the filter to any Chinese to become a bureaucratic.

The Confucian values are:

• -          Perseverance and Persistence
• -          Classification according to the hierarchical order
• -          Subject to order
• -          Austerity
• -          Take care of Face (Dignity)

Research Question: What does Ubuntu means for the South Africans and why is it important?

"A person is a person because of the others". Ubuntu is a word that comes from the extreme south of Africa. It is an ethical rule that promotes the loyalty between the people and between the relations among them.

      Here is a clear example of the meaning:

      "An anthropologist proposed a game to children in an African tribe. He put a basket of fruit near a tree and told the children that came first would win all fruits.

      When he gave the signal for them to run, all children held hands and ran together, then sat together to enjoy the prize.

     When he asked them why they had run well, if one could only win all fruits, replied: UBUNTU, how one of us would be happy if everyone else is sad?

     UBUNTU: "I am because we are." (Definition made porLeymah Gbowee, Liberian peace activist)

     Ubuntu is important for the current Africa because is one of the fundamental principles of the new republic of South Africa giving them the basis of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

    "The idea of public recognition of crimes against humanity in the context of apartheid has provided a unique process of amnesty and nation building. Ubuntu is, for that reason, often translated as "I am because we are"."

Bibliography 

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_%28filosof%C3%ADa%29

http://www.inspiringforaction.com/ubuntu