Annotated bibliography - Essay Example

People in the country deeply respect and value their family backgrounds. The world has become globalized. Enterprises, therefore, have to deal with and interact with business partners from diverse cultures. For this reason, it is important for business persons to understand and respect their clients and partners who are from different cultures as theirs. Intercultural understanding is, therefore, very significant for the success of businesses (Aldinger and Bauernfeind 2). In regard to the role of family in society, the authors of the article note that Egyptian and German societies are quite different, especially pertaining to concept of their cultures and forms of families.

The history of social development in Egypt and Germany is also quite different (Aldinger and Bauernfeind 3). For instance, Egypt is historically known to be one of the world’s first regions to record high levels of civilization whereas Germany was still at a Neolithic level of development. The society in Egypt is also Islamic whereas the one in Germany mostly subscribes to Christian philosophies. The authors of the article point out that the differences in family and social structures, and living conditions in Egypt and Germany are as a result of the different historical development and the present environmental factors (Aldinger and Bauernfeind 4).

The Egyptian society considers the family to be one of the most important institutions. In Egypt, the word family does not only represent persons who are actually related, but is used as an expression of close relationship. The whole Egyptian nation considers itself as one family, signifying their unity and close relationship through their social bindings. In Egypt, the word family is mostly used metaphorically to represent mutual support, social cohesion and solidarity (Aldinger and Bauernfeind 5).

Families in Egypt are of different social settings and models. These include rural families in the countryside, traditionally oriented families in the city, and modern families in the cities. Rural families in Egypt live in the countryside. Members of such families usually believe in hard physical work, to which all family members participate in (Aldinger and Bauernfeind 6). Many hands are required to achieve all the work required to survive. For this reason, children are also involved in the labor.

The surprising fact is that many of us may pity these children, yet, they consider themselves adults and do not mind working. Traditional families in the cities take up almost the same characteristics as rural families. In both types of families, men are responsible for the finances of their families. Modern families in the cities are quite different from the traditional families. Members of these families see themselves as intellectual and sophisticated. Individual family members also embed themselves with close circle of friends.

The one factor that remains constant in all the types of families in Egypt is that it is the woman’s role to cater to housekeeping duties and the man’s role to look for income for the family (Aldinger and Bauernfeind 6). Germans also consider the family to be the most important social institution. Differences in family structures in Egypt and Germany have been brought about by the different living conditions and societal development histories (Aldinger and Ba