Cultural Dimensions Of Globalization - Term Paper Example

Cultural Dimensions Of Globalization Introduction Background of the Study Significance of the Study Objectives of the Study Review of Related Literatures a) Contextualizing Culture b) Defining Technology c) The Existing Relationship between Technology and Culture d) An Overview of Technology and Culture of International Companies in the Western Industrialized Countries e) The Impact of Technology in Business f) The Phenomenon of Globalization g) The Technology and Culture in the Third World Countries Analysis ConclusionIntroduction Background of the Study Both culture and technology are two different entities. Culture is generally defined as the shared and learned behaviors of individual members of society that different them from the others (Damen, 1987; Keesing, 1974; Kroeber & Kluckhohn, 1952; Linton, 1945; Useem & Useem, 1963). Culture embraces the following components such as ideas, habits, values, goods, inherited artefacts and technical processes (Malinowski, 1944). On the one hand, technology is defined as the creation, alteration, application of science to improve a pre – existing remedy to a problem or address a problem, in order to achieve an end goal. According to Parsons (1966), technology is a sort of competence on the part of the organization due to the capacity of technology to control and make transformations in the physical environment in which these changes are assisting the needs and demands of human beings. Meanwhile, Reddy (1983) suggested that technology serves as a transport of the genetic codes of communities where they have been created. Nevertheless, there are many existing literatures which claim how both technology and culture do affect each other. Farahani (1996) suggested that culture is something that can be described as a compatibility with the environment of human beings as well as the relationship that individuals establish with the environment. In this regard, Geertz (1973) suggested that culture also encompasses the technology as its part so that individuals can know and understand how to turn out to be a functioning, working and effective member of society. Culture happens to be a significant parameter in the design, development as well as utilization of technology (Shahnavaz, no date). That is to say, technology is an entity which is an inseparable part of culture. On the one hand, technology which is known for its technical aspects directly or indirectly influences the values, tradition, or even the environment (Farahani, 1996). It is the case that technology has caused both to the loss of home – grown culture and creating new technological culture (Farahani, 1996; Shahnavaz, no date). However, there exist problems in the technology and culture relationship. Farahani (1996) raised the challenge of how culture can accommodate the developments in technology without that particular culture being deteriorated. Apart from that, the challenge that Farahani (1996) pointed out is how both culture and technology can satisfy their conditions to each other in such a way that technology can be integrated into culture without devastating culture. Given this, this paper addresses the need to analyze and compare the impacts of technology on culture of a country. Since examining the effects of technology in a country is too broad, this paper uses international companies as cases. Significance of the Study The exigency to investigate technology and culture using international companies as cases is to understand how technology impacts culture in this day and age of globalization. This study is of importance for the reason that both technology and culture are different entities that do play such important parts in the lives of human beings. Technology is constantly changing and updating. The question is how it influences the culture of a country. This is basically what this paper would like to understand through using the international companies as its cases. Objectives of the Study The focus of this paper primarily delves at investigating the impacts of technology on the components of a culture of a country through using international companies as its particular cases. In particular, it aims at answering three points. First, it intends to analyze the relationship existing between culture and technology. Second, it plans to compare both culture and technology of two different countries in which this distinction comes from technology. Third, from this comparison, it points toward analyzing the effects of technology on culture of different countries via using cases of international companies. Review of Related Literatures This section aims at presenting an overview of the literatures related to the topic on technology and culture. This review aims at providing a cursory outlook at how the various data are sought to answer the questions and problems of this research project. The books and the articles reviewed in this part may not be a representative of the complete array of the information concerning the impacts of technology on the components of a culture of a country. The selection of the reviewed articles is solely based on the accessibility of materials. On the one hand, this review of related literature is divided and categorized into the following segments which are: a) Contextualizing Culture, b) Defining Technology c) The Existing Relationship between Technology and Culture, d) An Overview of Technology and Culture of International Companies in the Western Industrialized Countries, e) The Impact of Technology in Business, f) The Phenomenon of Globalization, and g) The Technology and Culture in the Third World Countries. Again, the expediency of this section is to help grasp an outlook on how to understand the topic under study. a) Contextualizing Culture There are many existing definitions of the term culture. In fact, in 1952, over a hundred existing definitions of culture were reviewed by Kroeber and Kluckhohn. Nonetheless, to put it in a nutshell, they defined culture as made up of both explicit and implicit patterns of behaviors in which culture’s most important element contains the traditional ideas as well as their attached values (Kroeber & Kluckhohn, 1952). Meanwhile, in Keesing’s 1974 work on theories of culture, he described culture as an available public representative symbols of people in which such symbolic forms are ways of people to voice out their experiences as well as meanings. For Linton (1945), learned behaviors and the outcomes of behavior are what shape culture. Moreover, culture is shared and the agents who pass on this shared culture are the members of the particular society (Linton, 1945). On the one hand, Damen (1987) and Useem and Useem (1963) agreed that culture is something that is learned and shared behaviors in a community. Culture is patterns and models that pass through all aspects of social interaction of human being (Damen, 1987). Meanwhile, according to Farahani (1996), culture is something that can be described as a compatibility with the environment of human beings as well as the relationship that individuals establish with the environment. In this regard, Geertz (1973) suggested that culture also encompasses the technology as its part so that individuals can know and understand how to turn out to be a functioning, working and effective member of society. Meanwhile, culture for Malinowski (1944) is embraces the following components such as ideas, habits, values, goods, inherited artefacts and technical processes. For Hofstede (1984), culture is some sort of collective programming in the human mind that enables human beings to distinguish the members of a certain grouping from the other. Hence, it can be said that culture comprises so many different meanings. Besides, according to Elzinga and Jamison (1981), the varying definitions of culture are dependent on the differences in intellectual disciplines. Moreover, Shahnavaz (no date) claimed that culture serves as an important element for technology for the reason that it involves in its design the other components like particular attitudes and beliefs, habits, customs, rules of etiquette, as well as appropriate behavior. Thus, culture serves as a determining factor in the selection of technology. b) Defining Technology Technology, as introduced by the evolutionist, is described as the most important element of culture while placing all the other elements at second place claiming that the other components of culture are influenced by technology. According to Parsons (1966), technology is a sort of competence on the part of the organization due to the capacity of technology to control and make transformations in the physical environment in which these changes are assisting the needs and demands of human beings. This definition is agreed by Farahani (1996) as she stated that technology functions as a means of change in the environment to convert it to be compatible and suitable with the human needs. On the one hand, Reddy (1983) suggested that technology serves as a transport of the genetic codes of communities where they have been created. In this regard, it is best to root where technology comes from. Hence, technology carries the genetic codes of the industrialized communities of the West. Moreover, the organization of industrial communities is grounded on the rational management and progress of science and technology. Nevertheless, the case of the developing countries, in traditional societies in particular, demonstrates a more complex account. Given that technology carries the genetic codes of their specific community of origin, in this case, technology in the developing countries will serve as an estranged object which seems to be an independent structure in the surface of prevailing cultural systems. Likewise, the selection of technology presents a danger in the third world countries for the reason that first, the importation of technology can possibly not produce desirable results; and second, it is probably the case that the countries have not prospered in developing the technologies aligned with their specific needs as well as their particular cultural values (Farahani, 1996). In this regard, Farahani (1996) suggested that selection of technologies must be aligned with the socio – cultural as well as the economic conditions of the particular countries. Meanwhile, even though it is the case that the main aim of the technology is to take the full advantage of the positive effects while it minimizes the negative consequences, it is important to consider that technology does not own the nature of putting up more meaning and significance to the environment where it is to be applied. That is to say, technology is not the foundation of advancement and development even though it is the case that the communities which are regarded to be more advanced are those who tend to consume and exhaust the nature more than the others (Farahani, 1996). c) The Existing Relationship between Technology and Culture Culture and technology are two co – dependent entities in which the existing relationship between the two is undeniably exceptionally complicated (Shahnavaz, no date). Culture is a significant parameter in the design, development as well as utilization of technology (Shahnavaz, no date). That is to say, technology is an entity which is an inseparable part of culture. The construction of technology is grounded entirely or partly on the cultural values of a specific society. In addition to that, it happens to be an expression of the society’s culture or the society’s way of life and thinking. In this manner, there is a need for technology to complement culture of its own society. It must be the case that it is aligned to the overall image of that specific culture of society (Shahnavaz, no date). It is of importance to perceive technology as both part and product of the culture (Farahani, 1996). Their relationship is that both of them do affect each other in a subsequent manner (Farahani, 1996). Culture happens to be a significant component for technology that it becomes an important determining factor on its selection (Farahani, 1996; Shahnavaz, no date). On the one hand, technology which is known for its technical aspects directly or indirectly influences the values, tradition, or even the environment (Farahani, 1996). In some occasions, it happens to alter the existing cultural values (Farahani, 1996). Technology has impacts on the direction of cultural development (Shahnavaz, no date). Hence, technological development happens to impact the conservation of cultural values (Farahani, 1996). Apart from such, it also influences the demand for creating a social foundation values (Farahani, 1996). To sum up, it is the case that technology has caused both to the loss of home – grown culture and creating new technological culture (Farahani, 1996; Shahnavaz, no date). Nevertheless, there are these problems arising in this sort of technology and culture relationship. Farahani (1996) raised the challenge of how culture can accommodate the developments in technology without that particular culture being deteriorated. Apart from that, the challenge that Farahani (1996) pointed out is how both culture and technology can satisfy their conditions to each other in such a way that technology can be integrated into culture without devastating culture. d) An Overview of Technology and Culture of International Companies in the Western Industrialized Countries The birth place of international companies is the first world countries, hence, the advanced societies. In addition to that, the birth place of technology is the advanced societies (Farahani, 1996). The Western industrialized communities, which are structured based on the rational management as well as technological development, have produced technology due to the attempt made by the descendants within the particular traditional patterns (Farahani, 1996). According to Farahani (1996), the development of technology is in line with the social and cultural organization of a specific country. Shahnavaz (no date) claimed that the appropriate application of technology is based on the compatibility of the user’s culture with the design, development and utilization. e) The Impact of Technology in Business The technological advances, without a doubt, have improved the business world. Technology has definitely made dealing with the corporate world much easier. In fact, according to IBM Business Consulting Services (2003), technologies are most probable to provide the greatest benefit in the organization. Technology has played significance in the people’s lives today like how it is used in the objectives of business as well as how the trends in the market have transformed the requirements of business (IBM Business Consulting Services, 2003). Hence, the new technological development creates new demands for the companies to develop or improve their market activities. Deeter – Schmelz (2002) and Pires and Aisbett (2003) testified that the application and usage of information technology in the industrial companies serve as an example of this development in technology. Indeed, it is undeniably the case how information technology has increased the efficiency in business. Nonetheless, there are some who claimed the negative consequences of this technological development, information technology in particular. Butler (2008) agreed how technology influences the business environment externally and the capabilities of business internally. However, he added how technology would further impact business through the product and services, the competitors as well as the clients (Butler, 2008). Technology is constantly changing in which now has been the age of information and telecommunications of the United States of America spreading it to the countries of Europe and Asia (Butler, 2008). f) The Phenomenon of Globalization There many existing definitions of the concept of globalization but the most generic and simplest description of the term can be said that globalization integrates the entire world despite the countries’ distant borders. For Albrown and King (1990), globalization has enabled all the processes of international integration. By this means, the different countries despite its borders have become increasingly connected and interdependent into a single world society (Albrown & King, 1990). On the one hand, Giddens (1991) stated that globalization has intensified the social relations worldwide. Despite the distance, localities are connected together (Giddens, 1991). It can be situated within the local, national, regional and international (Held et al., 1999). For Beerkens (2004), this phenomenon means that the interconnectedness of the entire world between nation – states despite the spatial context is made possible through acceleration, diffusion as well as the expansion of transnational movements of people, finance, images, products and information. In this sort of process, Appadurai (1996) pointed out that the culture is affected through mixing or hybridization throughout identities and location. So how does globalization affect culture and technology? Given that the phenomenon of globalization generally integrates the whole world despite the distant spatial locations, the transfer of technology from a country to a different country has become possible. As a matter of fact, globalization has enabled the transfer of wide – ranging things including the transfer of businesses in one region to another. g) The Technology and Culture in Third World Countries Farahani (1996) stated that development is one important element for the industrial and economic advancement, especially in the cases of the third world countries. The developing countries are in need of science and technology though nonetheless, these are not developed in isolation (Farahani, 1996). Technology is introduced by the Western industrialized societies to the developing countries. According to Farahani (1996), the introduction of new technology can be regarded as a cultural phenomenon for the reason that technology impacts the existing cultural values as well as the behaviour of the communities. In this regard, technology transfer is poses a challenge of establishing rational equilibrium concerning the world culture and same with the national culture (Farahani, 1996). In terms of the transfer of technology from the first world countries to the third world countries, it is the case that the role of an effective cross – border transfer of organizational knowledge has now happened to be an important element of business. Szulanski (1996) stated how technology transfer occurs. It takes place when the organizations endeavor to re – form while maintaining the complex sets of routines in such a new environment (Szulanski, 1996). According to Dosi and Grazzi (2010), this process of technology transfer is very complex if it involves international transfer of technology because technological knowledge makes use of both tangible as well as intangible inputs. Given the complexity of technological transfer of knowledge, it is the case that the success and effectiveness demand for the understanding of the process (Javidan et al., 2005). This understanding of the process is also needed critically for the successful transmission of any organizational knowledge throughout both the national and cultural borders (Javidan et al., 2005). The complexity of technology transfer is due to the fact that it does not only involve the movement of equipment and idle machinery but also takes in the transmission as well as implementation of techniques, expertise and information. Meanwhile, Bhagat and Kedia (1988) pointed out that aside from the nature of technology, the differences in culture serves as the most important barrier in the transfer of technology. In the previous contextualization of culture, it is generally described as a reflection of values, norms and practices of a particular society. In this case, the standard for perceiving, judging and evaluating experiences is based on the particular cultural context of an individual member of that society. Cultural distance or the difference in norms and values between two individuals from different nations is the major hindrance in cross – cultural business relations (Williams et al., 1988). Analysis In order to answer the problem of this research, this section provides an analysis of the gathered information about technology and culture. The Existing Relationship between Technology and Culture Technology and culture are two different things but are both related to each other in a sense that culture is the basis of technological design, development and utilization. On the one hand, technology is associated to culture in a sense that it influences cultural values whether through transforming it or preserving it. Hence, even though they are both separate entities, technology and culture are co – dependent with each other (Farahani, 1996; Shahnavaz, no date). The Comparison of Both Culture and Technology of First and Third World Countries’ International Companies In comparison of both culture and technology, this section takes into consideration the differences of first and third world countries. First, the culture of first world countries is distinct from that of the third world countries in a sense that culture is shared and learned behaviors in a specific community that are passed on by its individual members to other members of that community (Damen, 1987; Keesing, 1974; Kroeber & Kluckhohn, 1952; Linton, 1945; Useem & Useem, 1963). Likewise, culture is something that can be described as a compatibility with the environment of human beings as well as the relationship that individuals establish with the environment (Farahani, 1996). Second, in terms of technology, it is the case that the origin of technology is the Western industrialized societies (Farahani, 1996). That is to say, technology is based on the culture of the first world countries. Technological design, development and utilization are appropriate for its country of origin given that culture is an important element of it (Shahnavaz, no date). Meanwhile, globalization has enabled the world to be interconnected. As generally defined, globalization has integrated the countries of the world despite its borders. In this case, the transfer of technology has been one among its many impacts. When technology is transferred from the developed countries to the developing countries, it can be said that the technology having Western origins is not compatible with the culture of the developing countries. Thus, the technology is aligned with the developed countries which have been its origin while it is not compatible with the developing countries. The Effects of Technology on Culture of Different Countries through International Companies In further analysis, the impacts of technology on culture of different countries are examined through cases of international companies. It is the case that globalization has enabled even the movement of business from a country to another country. That is why many international companies do exist even in the third world nations. Apart from the having business in the developing nations with origins from the developed nations, the transfer of technology has also manifested. Meanwhile, it is important to note that the international companies have culture that is appropriate with the Western advanced societies. Hence, the transfer of businesses from the developed region to the developing region creates an unbalanced relationship between culture and technology in the third world countries. While the technology advances in the third world countries, its very own culture is not preserved but is weakened by the rise of technology that is based on the culture of the first world nations. In addition to that, the international countries that have originated from the first world countries have particular culture that is aligned with its specific societies. In this case, the international companies in the developed nations have balance between technology and culture. Culture is preserved and maintained as it is supported by its technology. On the one hand, the case of international countries which are located in the third world nations but have originated from the first world is affected greatly by the rise of technology. With the advancement of technology through such international companies, the culture of the third world nations are not preserved. As a matter of fact, it is deteriorated because the culture of the advanced societies influences the culture of the third world countries. Conclusion In the investigation of the impacts of technology on a country’s culture via the cases of international companies, it is the case that both culture and technology are two different entities that are co – dependent with each other. Culture is something that is shared and learned behaviors of the individual members of the community (Damen, 1987; Keesing, 1974; Kroeber & Kluckhohn, 1952; Linton, 1945; Useem & Useem, 1963) while technology is an applied science. These two happen to be related with each other in a sense that culture is the basis of design, development and utilization of technology (Shahvanaz, no date). On the other hand, technology also directly or even indirectly affects culture (Farahani, 1996). This is basically the relationship existing between technology and culture. However, the impact of technology on culture differs depending on the level of development of country and the country of origin of technology. The international companies located in the developed nations are most probable to have a balanced technology and culture. This is for the reason that the said international companies and technology have originated from the Western industrialized culture. Hence, the culture and technology of international companies are aligned with each other. On the other hand, due to globalization, transfer of technology has become possible even at a distant spatial location. When the international companies based on the first world nations are established in the third world countries, technology is transferred. In this case, the technological development creates impact on the existing culture of a specific country. While the technology is strengthened in the developing regions, what happens is that its specific culture is weakened. 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