Africa is the “Mother of All Humanity” because all of humanities DNA can be traced back there (Moran, 2014). Originally, all of our current continents were all on one large continent called Pangea but over time each continent broke off and migrated to the places they are today. Homo sapiens were first found in Africa and eventually migrated to Asia. Through Asia humans migrated to Europe, Australia, and the Americas (Moran, 2014).

Africa is also vast and for as large as it is it is diverse. Typically Africa is separated into 4 different sections, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and Southern Africa. This is because of cultural, regional, and colonization of certain areas of the African Continent. North Africans who are bordering most of the Middle East, has a lot of influence culturally from them, Arabic the general language of the 7 countries (Moran, 2014). Working with and dealing with Africans from these countries, there should be some consideration for customs that could be intertwined with Middle Eastern customs. East African’s consist of 12 countries/states and is widely considered the true start of civilization (Moran, 2014).

West/Central Africa is a region of 14 countries with quite a bit of civil unrest and instability, despite its natural resources (Moran, 2014). The corruption and history is very expansive as most African slaves came from these shores. Hence the name Slave Coast. Finally Southern Africa consists of 11 nations, these nations have also not seen much peace or prosperity due to civil unrest in some countries (Moran, 2014). Up until recent years it was plagued by Apartheid which was much like America’s history of segregation. South Africa, despite its segregation is still seen as the land of promise because it is most advanced in their economy than anywhere else in Africa (Moran, 2014).

However, even though the country is separated because of the regions and their surrounding and past influences Africans are still very united in some of their cultural trends. Africans have a way of life that is very unifying and it even has an affect over leadership. Ubuntu has many translations but the best is “I am because we are”, which essentially means that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect (PSU, 2017).

Yet with Africa as the “Mother of All Humanity” it is still one of the most underdeveloped and poorest continents in the world. 33 of the 48 least developed countries in the world all come from Africa (Moran, 2014). AIDS and other diseases run rampant throughout the continent due to inadequate health care or water systems ( Moran, 2014). But Africans are also incredibly optimistic, 60% of Africans think that each year will be better than the last (Moran, 2014) even despite it all they still remain happy and hopeful.

 

 

Moran, R., Abramson, N., and Moran, S. (2014). Managing cultural differences. (9th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Pennsylvania State World Campus. (2017b). Lesson 14: Africa. Retrieved April 20, 2017, https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/external_tools/190818.

 

During this week’s lesson I found myself in shock of how large geographically Russia really is. I’ve seen maps but have never focused on its entirety. Russia is geographically the largest country in the world but is only the tenth largest population wise (CIA, 2017). Its landmass is so large it spreads through Asia, borders the Eastern most points of Europe, and is connected to the Middle East through the Caspian Sea. Technically you can also reach the United States from Russia just by walking, this would be from the two small islands that freeze over during winter. The islands are called Big Diomede and Little Diomede, one is Russian and the other is American respectively. However, the actual mainland’s are only 55 miles apart (Alaskan, 2017).

Map derived from (CIA, 2017)

After looking at the map and learning more about Russia geographically I think if Russia had more accessible land mass, history could possibly be drastically different. Being as large as Russia is growth and migration was difficult due to uninhabitable areas like the Siberian Tundra and Mongolian desert (PSU, 2017). A fifth of the population is located on the most western part of Russia closest to Europe (CIA, 2017). Which is why even though Russia is considered on the continent of Asia Russia is considered Eurasian (Moran, 2014).

Russia is also considered more like its European counterparts in terms of culture. For example, if looking at Geert Hofstedes cultural comparison of Russia from Europe and Asia, Russia is most like Europe (PSU, 2017). This is due mostly in part to the geographical location of where Russia’s population is. Russia has an incredibly high power distance score of 93 which looks at how equitably power is distributed and how accepted that is (Hofstede, 2017). Considering until 1991, Russia was a communist country it is very interesting that there is such a large imbalance of power. In fact 80% of all financial potential is located in Moscow (Hofstede, 2017).

This imbalance of power may also cause issues for Russians to grow within the country. As a country, relationships are very important which may be why the majority of the income goes to Moscow. Hofstede’s individualism score is relatively low, which means that Russians look at people as a group rather than think for themselves individually (Hofstede, 2017). From a business standpoint due to the power distance score and individualism score it would be very important to gain a relationship with those you are looking to do business with and negotiate with those who are in the highest points of a company.

In conclusion, Russia is more like its Eastern European counterparts. Even though they span across and can potentially touch three continents at once. With Russia’s vast land, power, and cultural influences in our modern age I think we will continue seeing major influences.

 

Works Cited

Alaskan Statewide FAQ’s. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2017, from https://www.alaskacenters.gov/faqs.cfm

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ). ( n.d. ). The world factbook. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/librar y/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html

Geert Hofstede. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9th, 2017, from https://geert-hofstede.com/russia.html

Moran, R., Abramson, N., and Moran, S. (2014). Managing cultural differences. (9th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Pennsylvania State World Campus. (2017b). Lesson 13: Eastern Europe and Russia. Retrieved April 14, 2017, https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654186.

 

Italy is like the fun aunt or uncle that comes to visit, wonderful company and great stories. Italy is a very expressive country full of robust food, art and communication. The Italians have had and continue to have significant cultural and historical influences in the world today. In fact the Roman Empire still impacts modern society, including languages, art, and democracy. The rise and fall of the Roman Empire has been studied and written about for centuries, comparisons have been made to modern day countries- one being the United States. Many compare and contrast wondering if the US will have the same fate.

The influences that have been made to the world are great but no greater in my opinion than language. The Latin language has deep roots in many modern languages- including English, Spanish, French and Italian (Redmond, 2017). Today, Italy is known largely for food, fashion, and religion. The Vatican is highly influential as it is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic religion, which is the religion of around 1.2 billion people (CIA, n.d.). Vatican City is located in Rome but is actually considered its own country within Italy.

Very like the United States, Italy’s regions can vary and be quite different from one another, very rarely would you hear an Italian use their country and not their city/region to describe where they are from (Moran, 2014). Northern and Southern Italy are vastly different in their Power Distance and individualism scores too. The differences between the two seem to be the differences from the North East and the South here in America. For example, Northern Italians enjoy a more open and equal type of decision making and strongly dislike feeling controlled or ‘bossed around, and focus more on the individual than the group itself (Hofstede, 2017). Whereas Southern Italians are very family focused and consider the Northern Italians colder, they also prefer a more structured environment which is very different in a power score from the north (Hofstede, 2017).

Looking at Italy from a business aspect, it’s very important to know that Italians typically are not very secretive, in fact there is no word for privacy in the Italian language (Moran, 2014). So don’t expect employees to be very tight lipped when making business transactions. That being said just because Italians are not very good at keeping a secret that will not keep them from trying to pull on past you. Furbo is an Italian word that does not have a direct translation into English, very much like the word privacy in Italian. Essentially, furbo means trying to outsmart someone (Moran, 2014).

 

 

 

 

Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ). ( n.d. ). The world factbook. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/ library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vt.html

Hofstede, G. (n.d.). Italy. Retrieved April 5, 2017, from https://geert-hofstede.com/italy.html

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. Oxon: Routledge.

Redmond, B. (2017). Pennsylvania State World Campus. Lesson 12: Western Europe. Retrieved April 5, 2017, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/assignments/8870129?module_item_ id=21654183

I sat in 9^th grade history class and watched the towers fall on the television. Something changed in the air. I could see fear, despair, confusion, in the eyes of my teachers and classmates. September 11^th, 2001 is a day that the world will not forget, and it is a day that hatred and evil won over love and good. Most of my classmates knew little about the Muslim religion but were bombarded with headlines screaming ‘Terrorist’ and ‘Extremist’. When the planes hit, people banded together to help one another- the world cried. Over fifty Muslim states spoke out condemning this behavior that was against their true doctrine (Moran, 2014). The Hijab became something to fear. About three weeks after 9/11 one of our teachers came back to school. She was a converted American Muslim and went into hiding after the attacks out of fear for her life. She proceeded to resume her daily activities, with her hijab, the first time I saw her I was struck with fear. Fear of what? Fear of the unknown and fear from the news stories. To this day I am still ashamed of the ignorant fear. I ended up having a few classes with her senior year. I saw she embodied the true meaning of Islam- promoting peace and tolerance and condemning violence (PSU WC L.7, 2017). These fears changed over time through education and tolerance, as it can for anyone globally.

It is believed in the Muslim world that the West is hostile or angry with them and vice versa (Moran, 2014). Is it out of ignorance or misunderstanding of the others culture or way of life? The teacher at my high school recalled times years later, about how her tires were slashed and her car vandalized because she was a Muslim. A recent study states that “Americans (59%) believe there is a lot of discrimination against Muslims in the U.S. today, and even more (76%) say discrimination against Muslims in the U.S. is on the rise” (Lipka, 2016). This is due to the fear and anger towards Muslims because of an extremist attack. There are 1.5 billion Muslims in the world today (Moran, 2017). That is a large number of people to blame for one group, it is comparable base all Americans off of mass shootings that happen in our nation.

Moran states that “Islamic scholars maintain they are not against the West, but fear its power and influence within their own societies…” (Moran, 2014). These fears are valid due to their way of life- Westerners are notably more sexualized and liberal this goes against some of their beliefs. Islam is not just a religion, but a way of life (PSU WC, 2017). To work together globally American’s need to understand and be respectful of the Arabic culture. Not only out of respect but also due to the fact that many Middle Eastern nations where the Islamic teachings make their way into law (PSU WC, 2017).

While Islamic nations need to be more tolerant of the differences within the Wests culture. The Western business practices being more materialistic and more self-interest based and Islamic business practices being more focused on all interests, including spiritual. With both business styles being so different, there is much to learn from one and understand from one another. Specifically, Western business practices can learn more from Islamic standards of being a good manager, they have qualities like: keeping promises, loyalty to employer, fulfill all contracts and always be truthful (Moran, 2014). Islamic nations are becoming more modern and diverse (PSU WC, 2017). It would be important for Islamic nations to look to our business practices in relation to ethics and treatment of women as women are starting to get more rights. In fact Saudi Arabia legalized women’s rights to vote (PSU WC, 2017). All in all, both cultures can help globally to respect each-others diversity and grow from it.

 

 

Lipka, M. (2016, July 22). Muslims and Islam: Key findings in the U.S. and around the world. Retrieved February 24, 2017, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/22/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. New York, NY: Routledge.

Pennsylvania State University, World Wide Campus. (2017) OLEAD 410. Lesson 7: The Middle East focus on Saudi Arabia. Pg. 1-5.