Understanding Global Cultures: Poland, Turkey, and Brazil Group 2: Sarah Kohlschmidt, Kaitlyn Petolick, James Haire, Ashley Perkins, Jake Faurot, Matthew Berman, Laiken Allen, Mike

Poland

http://youtu.be/0zKjCKbO51Y

Bribery Customs in Poland

Found in many parts of life, including the workplace

Kumoterstwo- favoritism Political access Privileges Power dispersal

“get things done”

Polish Youth

Less exposure to Communist ideology

Respond to Capitalistic incentives

Compared to older colleagues: More willing to take risks More travel experience Comfortable with English

Companies look for workers with less experience Marriott

Poland Today

• Modern infrastructure

• 39 million people

• Member of the European Union

Polish Village Church

A symbol of the Polish culture

Influenced by the country’s peasants roots

The history of foreign power domination

Catholicism

Polish History

• Land ownership struggles

• Communism

Solidarity

• The weakening of the Soviet Union

• The peaceful overthrow of Communism in Poland

Polish Catholic Church

• Plays a major role for rural citizens in Poland

• Helps acquire land and freedom for the peasants

Turkey

http://youtu.be/_PftBTJ4xlc

Turkish Society

• Hospitable

• Genuine concern for others

• Eager to lend a hand• Difference between rural and urban areas?

• Role of communication

Role of Males

Dominant sex Traditional roles

High level of separation Islamic influence

Coffeehouse Symbolism?

Roles of Women

• Respect for husband• Understand importance of relationship and ego

• Responsible for most domestic tasks• Increase in number of women working outside

the home

• Gaining more power/freedom

Family Life

Respect is a core value

Close-knit units

Children represent family’s reputation Education is essential

Creates barriers between different social classes Intense competition Creates appreciation for education

Turkish Characteristics

Humor is common attribute Used often Creates balance, relief Hodja folk tales

Modesty

Respect for authority

http://youtu.be/8b7qb72sDiE

The Future of Turkey

Negative factors Unemployment rate Inflation Doubts of Turkish democracy

Positive factors Energy resources Growing GDP Assimilation in EU

Secularity in Turkey

Over 99% of Turkey is Muslim

Turkey does not run their government, schools, or business off religion

Different from all other Arab countries showing interest in Western cultures

Secularity (continued..)

Different parties have formed over the last few years

Three major influences in Turkey are the military, the middle class and the Islamic Movement

The Pillars of Islam

Five well-known pillars embody the essence of Islam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0T7T7Z53A0

Two places for social gatherings are the Mosque and the coffeehouse

Townspeople are more strict on their faith than urban Turks

Also, Eastern and Central Turkey are more religious than Western Turkey

Coffeehouse

Considered a ritual linked with daily prayer

Cultural values of the coffeehouse say the future will be better than the past

It first became popular because during prohibition many people drank coffee instead of alcohol

Coffeehouse (continued)

Turkish men go to the coffeehouse to become part of a group

In small communities many important decisions take place in the coffeehouse

Often the coffeehouse is considered the unofficial second office of Turks

Women gather at homes to share coffees and teas as acts of hospitality and getting involved with others

Popular Phases used by Turks

Salaam: “peace be upon you”

Masailah: “God protect you from harm”

Bismillahir-rahman-irraham which is a drinking phrase commonly used

Family Values

Extended hospitality to all of the kinship group

Marriage is influenced by family

Muslims believe that people will act according to their own decisions under a given set of circumstances

Remove their shoes before entering mosques

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocyyxHkCvm8

God’s Will

To Turks time is intangible and is just there to support the development of long term relationships

Turks place much emphasis on the future generations

Inshallah translates to “if it is God’s will”

Collectivism at Work

Turkey has a high power distance and little two way discussion ever takes place

Employees are not rewarded on performance as much as loyalty

Communication is high-context as in must collectivism

Brazil

http://youtu.be/Ju5Wi1wS0is

Brazil

• Population of 186 million

• Extremely diverse

• Spread across many regions and 26 states

• Is almost equal to the U.S. in size• 8,511,965 vs. 9,372,610 square Kilometers

Facts

Known for it’s bigness and grandeur

Amazon river, world’s most voluminous river

Amazon forest, largest oxygenating forest

World’s largest wetlands

World’s largest soccer stadium and samba dance stadium

12 cities with populations more than 1 million

Sao Paulo tied with Mumbai for 4th largest city at 18.3 million

Facts

Goldman Sachs named Brazil as one of the BRIC countries

Land of contrasts

Industrialized south, rural north

Average income is two fifths of the south

Rate of poverty declined from 35% to 23%

History

Historical progress and growth tends to be slow and circular until recent years

“Brazil is the country of the future and always will be”

Three founding groups, the Portuguese, Brazilians, and slaves had limited reasons

managed to keep inflation below 10% Early 1990’s 2500%

Personal Life in Brazil

Acquaintances or Colleges

Dating process regulated by family

Appropriate for men to comment women

Mans worst fear is when women make an effective retort

Must commit to a field of study around 18 years old

Samba

Existence owed to the musical talents of plantation workers

First characterization occurred at free slaves’ dance parties in Bahia in 1870

First recorded samba in 1916 composed by Donga

1923 Samba schools were born

Carnival, annual pre-Lenten celebration

“a binary, percussive rhythm in which the first beat is never sounded, causing a continual, hesitant urgency”

Forms of Samba

“samba pagode, samba raiado, samba de partido alto, samba do morro, samba de terreiro, samba cancao” and many more

Various sambas are appropriate for specific situations and social levels

Samba enredo, for samba schools

Samba de terreiro, less sophisticated and used in rural areas

Others are simply musical innovations, samba do breque

Samba

All have a common theme, words center around people’s trials and tribulations

Popular subjects are corruption, poverty, historical events, local heroes

Samba school produce 2,000 new songs a year for the carnival

Five characteristics, small-step circularity, physical touch, undulation, spontaneous escape, and the paradox of dancers

Dancing Examples

http://youtu.be/ApxVTBLf46I

http://youtu.be/fSBnNA_dHNU

Small-Step Circularity

Small, somewhat controlled steps in a circular pattern

Holding upper torso still

Small-step Circularity in Brazil

Brazil grew amid small steps that were often circular

From military to civilian rule, and back

September 7, 1822 Dom Pedro I declared Brazils independence

Dom Pedro II daughter signed document freeing slaves while he was away

Transition to republic took 67 years

Small-step Circularity in Brazil

World record for average hours firms take to prepare taxes: 2600

Opening a new business? 17 procedures about 152 days

Cruzeiro to the Cruzado and then to the “New Cruzeiro” it’s the same

Vestibular exam

Small-step Circularity in Brazil

Must first establish solid friendships

“be prepared to commit long-term resources of time and money to establishing strong relationships in Brazil. Without such commitments, there is no point in attempting to do business there at all”

Excessive tendency to say no is also a way of keeping negotiations from moving ahead to fast

Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

 

Paradoxes

In General and small groups, do the personalities of individuals primarily reflect the influence of culture?

Should multicultural small groups be managed differently from single-culture groups?

http://youtu.be/AKnQn-8PFII

Questions