Asian Culture Essays Examples

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

The Asian culture is known to be one of a kind. The manner in which individuals dwell is very dissimilar to how individuals of many cultures live. Their preference for living in groups and families is traced back over five thousand years ago, and the behavior is still practiced today. Asians believe in a system where being with family forever is the way to live. The aim of this study is to expound on the reasons why Asians prefer living in groups and stay in concrete family bonds. We shall discuss the aspects that have led to this culture to want to stay in groups for such a long period. Finally, we shall discuss how theses ways of life of the Asian culture affects how producers of goods market their goods or products to them. Asians are very group-oriented individuals who put strong emphasis on the connection with their families as a primary foundation for identity and security against the hardships life presents. Their family model includes an extended on which has relatives and immediate family members. Loyalty is a vital quality to be shown towards its family members. Hence, liberated behavior that may upset the peace of the family is not tolerated. An individual should never bring disgrace or dishonor upon the family or oneself. In Asian family traditions, the parents state the laws and regulations while the children are expected to follow and answer to their demands and respects. Such needs and requests include respect or filial piety for the elders or one’s parents that are imperative. In families that are very traditional the rules of conduct manifest in areas such as speak only when one is spoken to or only speak if a person has an important thing to say (Lee 2007). They are expected to have self-control and individuals ought to show inner strength and stamina to tolerate calamities. In a healthcare setting, Asians might not be willing to accept high pain, grief or emotion because of their cultural values and families. Medical professionals from the western regions frequently find these in different conducts of people from Asia hard to comprehend. For instance, an Asian country like Japan embraces the idea of group-orienteers. Japan is known to be very isolated from the rest of the countries in Asia. It is composed of four major islands that are located far from Australia, Europe or America and is only surrounded by sea. Its geographical location had made it hard for Japan to interact with the other countries hence its isolation factor had made the citizens of Japan stick together (Baker 2004). On the other hand, Japan’s climate has done the country a high rice-producing country on the basis of the collective work. The country is located in a section of the monsoon area that stretches from Indonesia in the south to Siberia in the north. During summer, the seasonal airstreams blow from the humid southern sea and bring thick rainfall to Japan. With the plenty of rainfall and the temperate climate, Japan is among the best and most favorable rice-producing countries in the world. Rice farming includes irrigation, cultivation, and rice planting work in vast fields hence it needs several workers. Rice farming involves group work or collective labor. The collective labor inspires group work instead of individual. In the Japanese geography, the separateness and the climate favorable for rice-farming have formed their group-orienteers. Japan is a standardized nation. Japan islands were formerly inhabited over five thousand years ago by some individuals from China (Bernstein & Reimann 2001). For 2000 years since the starting of the nation, Japan has been a consistent country in terms of race. There has been no invasion by other cultural groups or races. Additionally, the SAKOKU policy led to the establishment of group-orienteers (Barrett & George 2005). In early seventeenth century, several alien Catholic missionaries started to visit Japan and were seen to be destructive to the Japanese Buddhism. In the year 1639, a sequence of events called the SAKOKU were ratified to prevent Christianity in Japan. The SAKOKU prevented the Japanese from departing their nation, Catholic assemblies from entering the nation and all alien diplomacy and trade. Due to this policy, the country’s accessibility was closed to the world for about 200 years. In addition, this two hundred years period had no civil wars and was very peaceful. In the history of Japan, the SAKOKU policy and homogeneity have assisted in creating the group-orienteers. The Japanese culture knows as HAJI, and a rate of harmony have also laid emphasis on group-orienteers rather than individuality. The culture of Japan is the shame culture or HAJI. Several Japanese people are scared of being embarrassed or ashamed. For the Japan people, being embarrassed originates from doing things that are different from others. Similarly, being independent or showing individuality may lead to an embarrassment hence, the Japanese feel untroubled following other people in a group. The Japanese culture also treasures accord in human relationships. An individualist in Japan is considered to be a selfish and cold-hearted person. The Japanese treasures are keeping good relationships and avoiding conflicts with other persons. The Japanese organizations are excellent examples of the worth of harmony. To strengthen relationships, individuals in a company share activities like parties, drinking after work and sports (Barrett & George 2005). Japanese organizations have systems of group decision-making. When they have to agree on issues, subordinates and supervisors get together and hold discussions. By discussing and respecting other people’s opinions, they end up making decisions that are satisfying to all. The fear of embarrassment and treasuring of harmony have formed Japanese individuals who are group oriented. On another note, Asians are known to be family oriented too. Traditionally, Asians normally have huge extended families normally up to three or four generations staying together. In a nuclear family, it typically has five to eight children relying on ethnic group and socioeconomic status. In the Asian cultures, the family is a personal economic, religious, social and political core. It is the first primary and loyalty obligation (Bernstein & Reimann 2001). The family duty means that the members of that family have to care for one another. For instance, older siblings and grandparents take care of the young while the adult children take care of their elderly parents. Family functions and relations are elaborately and clearly defined. Joint two-way responsibilities link families, assisting them with duties like forming strong bonds and parenting. Great significance is laid on rearing of a child and education is an important aspect of this. Parents who are Asians tend to spend more time with their children and push them harder, other times at the cost of their ambitions and personal time. Although Americans view Asian parents to be controlling, parents are expected to give their children all the support they require (Congress & González 2013). Whereas it might not be weird for an American parent to employ a babysitter to look after the kids while they're busy, or anticipate their children to take themselves through university in case the parents detriment their personal stand of living, this is less likely to happen in an Asian family. Dwelling in extended families is not rare, and respect and filial piety is a vital principle. Distinct, youth alignment in American age, position and culture are most respected. The Asian families have with it a pyramid that is a reflection of the erection of society entirely. For instance, the child-parent relationship is carried more on to ruled and ruler, employee and employer (Ismail, Shaw & Ooi 2009). Education is the most treasured way of attaining the position. In addition, success in education is seen as a deed of filial piety. Asian children are taught the importance of obligations, responsibilities and relationships in the society and families. As the child develops, they frequently develop a primary loyalty and moral responsibility to the community and the family. Parents typically teach children things that will in turn boost the name of the family. Asians are also more concerned with social status. A substantially consistent society, Asia does not display the broad class, religious and ethnic divisions that are depicted in many countries (Hulsbosch, Bedford & Chaiklin 2009). The gaps between the poor and rich are not as evident in Asia as they are in several countries of the world and for instance, an outstanding ninety percent or more of Japanese people view themselves to be of middle class. This differed with most of the previous recorded history of Japan when profound economic and social distinctions were upheld between the aristocracy of Japan and its commoners. Two eras of social mayhem in the modern period did a lot to unstiffen the division of classes. The initial one was to drive for transformation under the Government of Meiji during the end of the nineteenth century. The second period was during the Allied occupation after the Second World War. Amid the deepest of the transformations that happened in the modern period was the individuals’ empowerment instead of the extended family lines and families as the principal units of the society. Eventually, Japanese women and men experienced much freedom in making their personal decisions like choosing a career or spouse (Quah 2003). However, some important social distinctions exist in Japan as portrayed by the discrimination I education, marriage and employment faced by the nation’s Korean minority and also by its Burakumin. Burakumin stands for the “Hamlet people” a name that denotes the isolated villages the people lived in during the feudal era of Japan. Burakumin is vague from Japanese culturally or racially. Today they generally interact with the rest of the inhabitants. Nevertheless, for years, they were treated as a distinct population since they worked in areas that were viewed to be impure such as slaughtering animals and disposing of the dead (Quah 2008). Regardless of the laws to the opposing, their posterity still undergo discrimination in Japan. The people of the burakumin descent are known to have scattered throughout Japan. In spite of the shift towards personal empowerment, the Japanese society considerably group-oriented compared to the companies in the west. Several groups are built hierarchically. Separate members have a titled ranks within the responsibilities and group based on their position. Superiority has traditionally been the primary qualification for the upper position, and the socialization of young individuals in Japan stresses deference and respect to one’s seniors. The distinct Asian culture can affect how one markets their products to them. For instance has to learn the languages of their customers (Vaish 2010). It is never enough to know that you have Asian clients. It is paramount to get to speak their language. It is an excellent marketing tactic (Paliwoda, Andrews & Chen 2012). When marketing in the Asian countries, one has to be aware of the fact that some words tend to attract customers more if frequently used (Gesteland & Seyk 2002). Words like education, food and family are imperative (Van 2008). Another thing, individuals who are culturally diverse tend to welcome queries concerning their culture. They are aware that they look different and would want to share information about their cultures. Once you show interest in learning a different culture especially in the country you are marketing in, it becomes easy to get customers. Another point to note is that one has to learn about the cultural belief systems of different cultures. Asians, for instance, consider number four to be an unlucky number hence, this figure should not be using in packaging, phone numbers or pricing schemes (Kerin & Kerin 2009). In conclusion, we can deduce that for an extended time Asians have preferred living together. It has given them a feeling of security and the ability to trust and rely on each other unlike in other culture of the world. Most of the religions of the world believe in the nuclear family that consists of at most five people that is entirely different from how Asians live. Marketing products in Asian countries should be done in a special way especially by embracing the different beliefs they have and learning their languages.
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