Implications of Cultural Variety for IT Code of Ethics.
Implications of Cultural Variety for IT Code of Ethics Beth Fratcher Information Management Systems, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool UK. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT IT organizations are growing along with the international businesses they service. Driven by globalisation, the world is becoming a single workplace and marketplace. Like all professionals, IT professionals who work within these organizations regularly face problems of an ethical and moral nature. In making decisions, what cultural, social and ethical norms should apply - those of the professionals' home culture or those of the culture in which they are working, and indeed, are these two choices necessarily different? The answer to this question is the focus of this paper. "Each Nation has many customs and practices which are not only unknown to another nation but barbarous and a cause of wonder." Michael de Montaigne (De Botton 2000) .0 Globalisation and IT That which we today call globalisation is merely the latest phase of a process which has been under way since Portuguese navigators of the 15th and 16th centuries first began to open up the globe through exploration. "Religion, technology, economy and empire" have been the four "major engines" driving this process (Mazrui 2000), at greater or lesser rates since the Industrial Revolution. Current definitions of globalisation stress
T.S Eliot was born in Missouri on September 26, 1888.
Literature Essay T.S Eliot was born in Missouri on September 26, 1888. He moved to England in 1914 and this is where he met Ezra Pound, who recognized his poetic talent and assisted in the publication of his work. His first book of poems, "Prufrock and Other Observations" was published in 1917 and immediately established him as one of the leading names in the "Modern Movement" revealing a new type of poetry that was segregated from the poetic tradition of the previous age. This new style of poetry criticised modern industrialised life and opposed the previous ideologies. Eliot's religious background, being staunchly Unitarian, influenced this new type of poetry. It was based upon common sense and morality instead of mystical spirituality. He viewed the decay of religion, the source of culture and tradition, as the cause of cultural collapse. The Unitarian faith encouraged skepticism rather than belief and this instituted a completely new belief system for Eliot, shaping everything he wrote, from poetry to criticism. It also provided the foundations of his cultural and historical theories. As the 1920's passed, religion became the key source for Eliot in dealing with personal problems. The last of the "Selected Poems" dealt with reverence, the soul, grace and revelation. Therefore, one can assume that these were 'religious poems'. Eliot, did however, move away from religious
Culture - Cultural relativism - Ethnocentrism
W Daniel Spinler 027770 SS133 Professor Baker We live in a rapidly changing world society, which is increasingly bringing people of various cultures in closer interaction with each other. This interaction can be positive or negative depending on the level of sensitivity and respect people have for other cultural groups. I. Introduction II. Culture A. Cultural relativism B. Ethnocentrism III. Conclusion We live in a rapidly changing society, bringing people of various cultures in closer interaction with each other. This interaction can be positive or negative depending on the level of sensitivity and respect people have for other cultural groups. All these cultures, beliefs, values, and morals have differences sometimes causing criticism, condemnation, and confusion in our viewpoint. "Culture penetrates deep into our thinking, becoming a taken-for-granted lens through which we see the world and obtain our perception of reality." (Henslin, 2003, pp40) There are two types of behaviors that are related to the two important concepts examined in this essay---ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Negative attitudes towards other cultures and/or ethnic groups arise out of ethnocentrism, while positive attitudes are the result if a culturally relativist approach. Relativism usually means not judging others' ways and accepting them as equal to our own. The aim is to
Philosophy for Children I. The concept of the Community of Inquiry Central to the heart of P4C lies the notion of a community of inquiry. Originally a term from Pierce to reference interaction
Philosophy for Children I. The concept of the Community of Inquiry Central to the heart of P4C lies the notion of a community of inquiry. Originally a term from Pierce to reference interaction among scientists, the concept of "COI" dominates the discussion of educational revisionism as presented by commentators on the P4C movement. The key description marking a COI is: a group (a social setting) of individuals who use dialogue (interaction among participants) to search out the problematic borders of a puzzling concept (inquiry as philosophical.) Implicit in the ideal workings of this group are two key concepts: a demonstration of thinking that is caring (each member is supported and allowed to be an integral member of the community), creative (new ideas are sought out and encouraged) and critical (good reasons are expected for one's ideas and positions). fallibilism (a willingness to be corrected and an acknowledgment of possible error or perspectivalness). Thus, the COI offers us a dual message of promoting critical thinking and encouraging an obligation to one's fellow inquirer. As such the concept of COI attempts to address contemporary challenges to education to produce better thinkers and more caring members of society who can tolerate differences at the same time they can submit conflicts to reasonable scrutiny. In a COI all participants must respect one another as
The Culture of 'Things Fall Apart' vs. Western Culture
The Culture of Things Fall Apart vs. Western Culture Many societies have beliefs embedded deep in their early religion. Some beliefs include polygamy, polytheism and patriarchy. This culture is such of the 'Ibo' culture in 'Things Fall Apart'. Polytheism and polygamy are custom in the tribe, and the role of each family member is very defined. The men are dominant. The women and children are treated poorly and often beaten. Life in Okonkwo's tribe Umuofia would seem very different to someone living in modern day society. One custom of Umuofia that is very different from Western culture is Polygamy, marring more than one person. This custom is practiced through-out the nine villages of Umuofia. Actually a man's wealth is partly measured by the number of wives he has. A wealthy man described in 'Things Fall Apart', had nine wives and thirty children. Okonkwo has three wives and eight children. Polygamy is not something many people are accustomed to. Western culture teaches that monogamy, as opposed to polygamy, is the proper, accepted form of marriage. In Western culture, having more than one partner in a marriage is often cause for divorce; however, in Umoufia it is practiced and even encouraged by most of its people. Another common belief in Umoufia is Polytheism, the worship or belief in many gods. Included in their practice of polytheism is their chi, or personal god.
An Assessment of the United States Army's Organizational Culture
An Assessment of the United States Army's Organizational Culture Kisha Merrell Parrish Monk University of Phoenix ORG 502 Human relations and Organizational Behavior Dr. Michael Barker September 14, 2004 An Assessment of the United States Army's Organizational Culture The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief analysis of the United States Army's organizational structure and its culture and how these two elements impact its workers, associates and affiliates. This paper will first examine the Army's history, development and structure to highlight the origins of the Army's. Secondly, a brief history of the Army's organizational development will be followed by a close examination of its philosophy and supporting beliefs. Lastly, this paper will discuss the role of the Army's leadership, their response to critical issues and the organizational structure of the Army. An analysis of the army's top leaders will help the reader to understand the Army culture more thoroughly in the context of the Army's organizational structure. More specifically this section of the paper will examine the Army leadership's response to the current geo-political environment and other related issues. In conclusion, this paper hopes to highlight the Army's overall functioning from an organizational standpoint and emphasize that idea that the Army is like a functional corporation. This will
What is popular culture and why is it such a big part of life in the UK?
What is popular culture and why is it such a big part of life in the UK? Introduction Culture is a complicated and pervasive phenomenon, taking many forms. In the contemporary era, culture has become increasingly mediated. British popular culture does not only comprise of popular music and street fashions, it also involves TV drama, sport (such as football), clubbing and nightlife cultures, gardening, DIY, TV comedy and popular British holidays and festivals (McCluskey, 2006). The purpose of this essay is to illuminate the great significance of popular culture from different areas in the UK and to prove that popular culture is such a big part of life in the UK through recapping the history and embodiment of popular culture. The main forms of popular culture The popular culture has the different manifestation. Miller and McHoul (1998:5) discuss the idea of two common definitions. One is the artistic output, defined and valued by aesthetic criteria and emerging from a community of creative people. The other takes culture to be an all-encompassing concept about how the lives carry on, the senses of place and person that make people human. In the past, popular culture may be just defined as mass popular. That means class distinctions become less important in early time, the common forms had live performance including speaking, singing, dancing, etc. Storey (2003:37) reports
"L' Afrique Fantme is at heart a book about the impossibility of human contact". Discuss.
"L' Afrique Fantôme is at heart a book about the impossibility of human contact". Discuss. When Michel Leiris set off for North Africa in 1931, he did so a disillusioned man with personal problems. Leiris was embittered by Paris and its metropolitan strains; he was looking for a psychological rebirth. The understanding of Leiris' contemporary background upon writing "L'Afrique Fantôme" takes its importance from the subjectivity of ethnographic writing. Essentially, Leiris writes in the style of a diary which underlines his personal obsessions and fears. However, the intention of this essay is to consider how much "L'Afrique Fantôme" is in fact a book about the impenetrability of cultural and ethnical barriers. Firstly, in order to examine the subject more thoroughly, it is important to consider what is precisely meant by "human contact". This can be defined in either a physical or a metaphysical way. In this particular book, although Leiris does regularly describe the human form in a sexual and occasionally perverse nature, it is evident that, as with most pieces of ethnographic writing, the concept of "human contact" is strongly weighted towards cultural understanding and social acceptance. In this way, it can be argued that the trip from Dakar to Djibouti undertaken in this novel was basically flawed from its outset. The very nature of this journey, undertaken with the
Need for multi-national companies to identify and evaluate the risks associated with national culture when formulating their risk management strategies and tactics Excellence in global corporate competition
Need for multi-national companies to identify and evaluate the risks associated with national culture when formulating their risk management strategies and tactics Excellence in global corporate competition demands certain success-enabling organizational characteristics, attributes that of course must be introduced and/or supported by management. HBS professor Rohit Deshpandé has discovered that, in order to make themselves globally competitive, successful companies strive to achieve certain characteristics, even if those desired traits are not necessarily found in, or are contrary to, the native business culture of the firm's home country. Thus, while average companies in France, Germany, and Japan may all look quite different from each other, those countries' best-performing multinationals look quite similar. "When you consider the top-quartile companies across multiple sectors - such as B2B, B2C, services, political systems, or cultures - you'd be hard-pressed to tell their nationality," says Deshpandé. "Among other distinguishing characteristics, these firms tend to have intrapreneurial cultures that encourage and reward risk. They are quick to market and invest a lot in customer insight. A commitment to being customer-centric tends to be deeply embedded throughout the organization". Deshpandé's observation that in top international firms, "corporate culture trumps
Photography and Colonialism.
PHOTOGRAPHY AND COLONIALISM Established during the 19th century photography gradually became a recognised method not only for producing landscapes , portraits and other artistic images, but also a method of research in sciences and a documentation technique that was considered to be objective. The camera seemed to portray everything exactly , copying the reality like a tape recorder, not leaving out any details of reality out of sight or inventing facts that are non-existent. But, in the words of Frans Boas "the seeing eye is an organ of tradition", and the camera, technically being an extension of the human eye sees only where it is pointed at and records what a person behind the lens expects to see. In this paper I'll try to take a look at the photography in the colonial era, representations of other cultures with the aid of a photographic camera and the issues of objectivity and whether the colonial images can be considered documents or not. Invention of photography in the 19th century occured at the same time with other technical innovations that came to revolutionise the whole way of life in the Western society. Technical innovations have led not only to the rise of science, but the invention of railroads led to the growing travel and allowed for the transportation of cumbersome photographic equipment to the places far from home . In science photography seemed