Comparing Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates Cultures - Case Study Example

TITLE by Name of author Name of class Name of Professor Name of school Location of school Date Table of Comparisons Azerbaijan United Arab Emirates Time Keeping Synchronous Time Sequential Time Language Azerbaijani Arabic Individualism Medium individualism (IDV – between 37-41) Medium individualism (IDV - 38) Masculinity Highly masculine (MAS 43-45) Low masculinity (MAS – 38) Uncertainty Avoidance High Uncertainty Avoidance Relatively High Uncertainty Avoidance Power Distance Low Power Distance High Power Distance Long Term Orientation High Long Term Orientation High Long Term Orientation Diversity Low Diversity High Diversity Dining Etiquette Fairly conservative Fairly liberal Analysis Time Keeping The importance placed on time varies from one culture to the next and it depends on the way different cultures manage time. In sequential time people place emphasis on the order of events to be done (Minkov, M 2011). These events are thus supposed to be performed in order one at a time. On the other hand, synchronous time cultures view the past, present and future as time pieces that are interwoven. Looking at how people in the United Arab Emirates carry out their duties coupled with the fact that it was a protectorate of Britain, it would be right to say that it is a sequential time culture. In the UAE culture, time keeping is very important as people are obliged to be punctual and set clear deadlines (Hall 2009). Additionally, the very important people in the society such as the sheikhs, men and the rich are supposed to be given priority with regard to time, meaning that others should wait for these ‘important’ persons in the society. This culture is what has enabled the UAE to develop at an alarming rate. On the other hand, Azerbaijan is a synchronous time culture where the society doesn’t place importance in keeping time (Hall 2009). Azerbaijan, having gained independence from Russia did not change its time culture and as such, people are punctual, stick to deadlines and focus on one activity at a time. It should be noted that Azerbaijan culture developed majorly under the influence of the Russian and Islamic cultures. Islamic cultures are known to be less time conscious (Hall 2009). Language When it comes to language, cultures differ in their local dialects, even within one country. Language therefore is the best distinguishing factor among cultures. Azerbaijan people speak Azerbaijani language which is spoken in different dialects in the countries Northern and Southern regions (Every Culture 2009). Although, both regions classify their languages as different, there is a fairly small degree of intelligibility in these two Azerbaijani dialects. The United Arab Emirates is a cosmopolitan community with different nationalities. With so many nationalities found in the country, it is important for the people to find a common language with which they can communicate easily (Every Culture 2009). It is for this reason that the widely spoken language is English. However, UAE’s official language is Arabic, which is its historical language. Apart from Arabic and English, other languages spoken in the UAE are Malayalam, Hind-Urdu and Tagalog. This is evident of the multiculturalism found in the country. Individualism (IDV) Hofstede defines individualism to be level of strength in ties that exists among the people of a certain community. According to Hofstede, a high IDV score suggests that there are loose connections among people of the said community. In contrast, a low IDV score would suggest that people of the community in question are closely connected (Peng 2011). Although there are no sources that give an exact index to its score, its neighbouring countries such as Iran and Turkey have IDV indices of 41 and 37 respectively. It would then be right to assume that Azerbaijan has an IDV index in around the same region. With the highest IDV index being 91 for the U.S and the lowest being 6 for Guatemala, an index falling between 41 and 37 can be said to be neither high nor low (Clearly Cultural 2014). Azerbaijan is therefore a relatively medium individualistic culture and as such, it can be said that the Azerbaijan people consider the needs of the people and those of the community as equal priorities. The United Arab Emirates on the other hand has an IDV index of 38. This too can be said to be in the medium region just like Azerbaijan, placing the individual and the group on the same scale in terms of priorities (Every Culture 2009). For the people of UAE, the individual is as much as important as the group is. This can be attributed to the cosmopolitan nature of the country. The high influx of different and diverse nationalities going into the UAE and becoming nationals they bring with them both individualistic and communistic cultures into the country. Furthermore, since the UAE is made up of seven different Emirates, their different IDV indices affect that of the larger UAE (Every Culture 2009). Masculinity Masculinity refers to the value that a society places on the traditional male and female genders as well as to what extent it sticks to this value. High masculine cultures have well defined role descriptions for males and females such that a man is encouraged not to perform female roles and vice versa. A low masculine culture however doesn’t have such gender role distinctions and female are considered well capable of doing what men can do. Such cultures appreciate and respect powerful women (Peng 2011). According to the world masculinity index, Azerbaijan’s neighbors, Turkey and Iran have masculinity indices of 45 and 43 respectively (Clearly Cultural 2014). The United States has the highest index at 61. This means that both Iran and Turkey have are highly masculine if compared to that of the U.S. Azerbaijan can thus be placed next to its neighbours and therefore is also a high masculine society. In the country, men are considered to be the family’s breadwinner and the women play a secondary role by being mothers (Every Culture 2009). Also, although there are few powerful women in both the social and political arena, they have male supporters to help them keep these positions. Additionally, there is a higher degree of segregation between the social spaces where female and males gather. The UAE is relatively low with a masculinity index of 38. Despite being a conservative culture, the UAE today has given both men and women equal opportunities and right to ensure equal advancement of both genders. The level of enrollment for girls has been on an upward trend and currently female student in higher education institutions outnumber that of male by two to one (Every Culture 2009). Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) Uncertainty avoidance refers to the extent to which a society becomes anxious by unknown situations. Cultures with high UA index try to avoid unknown situations as much as possible and whenever possible and are guided by rule and order. Cultures with low UA index show that they are open to new situations and are have less rules to guide them (Peng 2011). Russia’s UA index stand at 95 and since Azerbaijan’s got its independence from the larger Soviet Union, Azerbaijan’s UA index can be estimated to be in the same region (Clearly Cultural 2014). This makes it a high uncertainty avoidance culture. Much like its neighbouring countries in Russia and Iran, and with 93.4% of Azerbaijan being predominantly Muslim, the country is guided by tight Islamic rules (Every Culture 2009). For this reason, the culture relies on these religious rules and guided by religious leaders. UAE on the other hand has a UA index of 68 and with the highest country having a UA index of 112, it true that UAE is relatively high uncertainty avoidance culture (Clearly Cultural 2014). Much like Azerbaijan, the religion in UAE is Islam and the religion controls all aspects of life. Marriages, politics, economics, personal behaviour, divorce as well as inheritance are just some of these aspects that are affected by Sharia law. Clearly, these rules maintain order and therefore uncertain situations must check alongside Sharia law to verify their effect to the status quo. Power Distance (PD) This refers to the extent to which inequality existing in a society is accepted as a result of power or lack of it. High PD cultures easily accept inequalities in power distribution and people here understand that not everybody can be equal. Low PD cultures on the other hand share power equally (Peng 2011). The UAE has a PD index of 95 and it is among the highest in the world. This means that the society is content with the unequal power distribution (Clearly Cultural 2014). Power is distributed according to the caste system with sheikhly families making the ruling classes (Every Culture 2009). This power is maintained along family lines from one generation to the next. The merchant class, new middle class and low-income groups remain content with the having to be ruled by the sheikhly families. Azerbaijan is a secular unitary country that is democratic. Power is given by the people through an election of a president and this makes it a low PD culture (Every Culture 2009). The country is also divided into 65 regions each with a representative and this further solidifies its low PD culture. Long Term Orientation (LTO) This refers to the extent to which a community values long-term standing traditions and values rather than short term (Peng 2011). A culture with a high LTO shows that it delivering social responsibilities is very important as is the avoidance of shame. Cultures with low LTO however do not put emphasis on fulfilling social obligations and ‘losing face’ in such a culture is not a big deal. Religion plays an important role in determining the level of LTO and Azerbaijan being an Islamic community, it is a high LTO culture as members of the society are required to perform their stipulated roles as laid down by sharia law (Every Culture 2009). Traditions such as rituals and religious practices are still considered important and they guide how people conduct themselves in public as well as in private. The UAE being also predominantly a Muslim community, it is a characteristically high LTO culture. Tradition and values regarding interaction amongst unmarried girls with unmarried men, interactions between men and women, interactions between Muslim females and non-Muslim males are all strictly guided by sharia law. Despite being a highly cosmopolitan country, the country’s values are strictly followed and failure to do so will result in consequences that may shame the culprit (Every Culture 2009). Diversity Azerbaijan is less diverse due to the fact that it is a unitary republic. The Azeri’s make up 90% of the country’s population. This has been attributed to the high birth rates of the Azeri people the country has experienced over the years as well as the continued emigration of non-Azeris. In contrast, the UAE is highly diverse due to the influx of different nationalities immigrating into the country. The UAE offers opportunities to many people around the world as its economy continues to grow. As such, people with diverse cultures from countries in Africa, the United States, Asia, and the Middle East have all been seeking to acquire UAE’s nationality. Dining Etiquette Dining etiquette in the UAE is very important and meal times are regarded as a time to socialize irrespective of where the meal is formal or informal. Most importantly, the culture does not permit one to use his left hand to eat, touch is food or rest it on the table (Safari the Globe 2013). Additionally, Emiratis do not place their feet on the table or rest it on the table’s foot rest as it is considered rude to show others the sole of the foot during meals. To the more conservative families, eating with the opposite sex is not allowed. Despite these dinning rules, the culture is not so strict on most due to the fact that people living in the capitals are not Emiratis (Safari the Globe 2013). On the other hand, being a Muslim nation, Azerbaijan culture can best be described as fairly conservative (Safari the Globe 2013). Guests are expected to bring pastry gifts to the host’s house. Shoes are left at the door and everyone is greeted at the dining table. When food is served, the elders are served first and the guests second. Eating only begins after the host gives a signal to start eating and hands should be kept in sight at all times while eating. Also, the Azerbiajanis use only their right hand to eat meals (Safari the Globe 2013). Conclusion Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates are two countries that are predominantly Islamic. Despite this similarity, there are differences in the several aspects of their different cultures. This goes to show the role that globalization has played in affecting cultures across the world. Being a cosmopolitan, the Emiratis have learned to loosen their rigid cultures so that foreigners are able to live easily without worrying that they are undermining the culture of the UAE people. On the other hand, Azerbaijan is not a cosmopolitan as the UAE as it population is 90% Azeris, the locals. As such, the Azeris have been able to maintain their values, cultures and traditions for a very long time and this explains their conservative nature when it comes to its culture. References Every Culture 2009, Countries and their cultures: Azerbaijan, viewed 4 November 2014 from http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Azerbaijan.html Every Culture 2009, Countries and their cultures: United Arab Emirates, viewed 4 November 2014 from http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/United-Arab-Emirates.html Safari the Globe 2013, Food, Dining, & Drinks in Azerbaijan, viewed 4 November 2014 from http://www.safaritheglobe.com/azerbaijan/culture/food-drinks/ Safari the Globe 2013, Food, Dining, & Drinks in UAE, viewed 4 November 2014 from http://www.safaritheglobe.com/united-arab-emirates/culture/food-drinks/ Clearly Cultural 2014, Making sense of cultural communication: individualism, viewed 4 November 2014 from http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/individualism/ Peng, M. W 2011 Global business. Mason, OH, South Western Cengage Learning. Minkov, M 2011, Cultural differences in a globalizing world. Bingley, Emerald. Hall, K 2009, ‘Managing different approaches to timekeeping across cultures’, Global Interrogation Blog, web log post 189 June, viewed on 4 November 2014, http://www.global-integration.com/blog/managing-approaches-timekeeping-cultures/ Read More