Part 1 (no ore then 2 paragraphs) Cultural differences don’t only exist across national boundaries. Important differences exist right here in the United States. We could name several of them, but let’s take a look at what Cohen et al. (1996) termed the “Southern Culture of Honor.”
These authors were curious about one regional difference. In some Southern and Western regions, merely insulting a man can be punishable by death. As one wag styled it, “In the South, ‘He done needed killin’ is a viable defense in a murder trial.”
Cohen et al. (1996) conducted four experiments. In one of them, an assistant called a series of male subjects “an a--hole” in a contrived situation that made the insult seem both real and plausible. Most subjects from the North laughed it off ; “Same to you, buddy.” Most of those from the South responded with various degrees of anger. In some cases, the experimenters had to intervene to save their assistant getting a black eye.
Cohen et al. explained the results in terms of traditional culture that was brought to this country from the rocky slopes of Scotland, in the 18th century. There, a man’s flock (sheep or cattle) was his life. Life was hard. Any threat, either real or perceived, had to be taken care of, and promptly.
Your Course Developer has some experience with this. If you cut another motorist off while driving the Jersey Turnpike, he may honk and flip you a “freeway salute.” One doesn’t do that in Mississippi. It’s too dangerous.
For this discussion, read Cohen et al.’s 1996 article. Then discuss its implications. Have you had experiences with other peoples’ behavior that would be inexplicable, were it not for some underlying regional or cultural difference? If not the “Southern Culture of Honor,” then what? Explain. And remember, strong language isn’t permitted.
Part 2 Many studies have examined the effect of culture on specific industries and activities; for example, Hooker (2008) analyzes the effects of culture on business communication, while Salacuse (2005) examines the way culture can affect business negotiation. Krishnan et al. (n.d.) discuss culture in the context of one specific logistical problem, which is the hiring a third-party logistics firm. (If you were Amazon, sending a book to a customer, then the “third party” would be either FedEx, UPS, or the USPS.)
For this Case, you’re asked to cast the net wider. Based upon your detailed understanding of both logistics and culture, and with the support of judiciously chosen sources, write an essay answering the following question: Which cultural factors have the greatest effect upon the operations of an international logistics firm?
Why those? Why would the others factors have lesser effects? Explain in detail.
Assignment Expectations •Write a well-constructed essay. Feel free to use tables and bulleted lists, if appropriate. •The readings may not provide specific answers. In that event, will need to “fill in the gaps,” using your understanding of the material presented in the Module, and the background sources. •Style and format must comply with the Writing Style Guide. (TUI Guide, n.d.) This is not an English course; however, errors in spelling, grammar and style will be penalized. •Provide citations and references. Use of APA style is encouraged, but not required. Please see the TUI Writing Guide, or visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL, 2015). •There is no page requirement. Write what you need to write, neither more nor less.
