All follow up responses (minimum of 2) should be at least 100 words.
Students will also be required to respond to at least two (2) other students’ posts with significant comments that have substance. Your responses to your peers’ posts should be engaging and informative. Your responses should contribute in a meaningful way that helps to advance our knowledge of the topics that our class explores. All responses will include a citation with a reference in APA Style. Your responses to another student’s work should be posted as a sub-thread to the student’s original posting. All additional responses are due no later than Sunday at 2359 hours EST. However, please feel free to provide your additional responses earlier than Sunday, which will provide your classmates with the opportunity to reply back to your posts and engage in collaborative discussion with you.
Student # 1
Hello all,
The first question is a bit hard to answer. Being in the military I can’t really say whether or not I expect to spend a lot of my time overseas. I could just as well spend most of it stateside. However, my wife and I are moving to Germany by the end of this year and will spend at least 3 years there. Depending on how much we like it, we may decide to stay there for a little longer. I actually plan on taking a German I class right after this class, so I will be at least learning the basics before I go there. I believe this can only help with my stay there. There’s really no downside to knowing the language of the foreign country you live in for however many years. I definitely am going to go there with an open mind and do my best to learn all of the different ways that German people act, as opposed to Americans. I think this quote sums it up perfectly, “culture is the way people act and react to the experiences they have in life” (Leitner, 2008).
I think the best way to foster diversity is by being completely open to it. There’s no way to get good ideas from different cultures if there is no openness to the very idea of it. This is especially important if the business has a largely diverse customer, or patient, market. To be completely honest, I believe I will be a little worried if there is a medical emergency while overseas. I am not worried about the efficiency of the German healthcare system; it is more of a worry that I will not be completely able to understand what is going on. A medical emergency, or any emergency for that matter, can induce panic. No matter how much one studies the language or dialect, in an emergency they may forget even the most basic words. I work with a South Korean medic and a Russian doctor. There are definitely some differences in their view of healthcare issues, compared to our mostly American patient load. Bottom line, they believe people come in for minute issues that do not require medical services, as the symptoms will resolve on their own. They have a sort of tired resignation when the medical issue at hand is not something they themselves are used to going to a doctor for.
I thought the commercial was pretty funny. It makes a very valid point about how something so small as the type of flowers you give to a girl, can have such a vastly different meaning than you intended. It shows how careful one must be when making certain gestures, as these gestures could have drastically different results than expected.
Thanks for reading,
Josh
References
(August 17, 2008 Sunday). Top tips: Cultural diversity in businesses. The New Zealand Herald,
Retrieved from www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/Inacademic
Student # 2
Working in the military has many factors, advantages and disadvantages, especially in regards to culture and diversity. I hope to one day sped a portion of my work life abroad for sure. I have never really lived outside the country with my family, working in my career field. I think it would be a great experience to first hand understand the stories from my leadership of all the different places they have been too. One of the many places I hope to one day experience the culture and way of life is in Japan. In high school, I took three years of Japanese class to learn the linguistics and language and communication of that culture. Five years later, I can still understand and be proficient in some of the language of Japan. With this basic pillar to work off from, I think this could directly impact any social or work experience I have in Japanese cultures. One aspect of this topic that was mentioned from the reading was in regards to cross-cultural competency. It is one thing to be fully aware of others in another country/culture and to adapt to their way of life, but it is another aspect to be self-aware of how others perceive us and our outwards language, body communication, etc. Besides verbal communication, non-verbal communication in body language speaks high volume in most Asian cultures. Having an open mind to cultural acceptance and adaptability would also greatly enhance experience to any individual in another culture, instead of jumping to conclusions by stereotyping and generalizing about cultures.
The military branches already encompass cultural diversity in any setting. One aspect of where I work and what my occupation is in the medical field provides windows of opportunities on a daily basis interacting with the melting pot of the Navy and of the area. My role as a supervisor over 20 sailors plays a major impact in educating, informing, and being able to give first hand experiences with diversity, cultures, etc. and to share that with them provides overall knowledge about diversity and the importance of it in life and in the workplace. To handle a healthcare emergency in a foreign land relies heavily on preparation and how well informed/educated you are of the location and the procedures, customs, traditions, etc.
This commercial shows the importance of understanding and knowing the traditions, meanings, and culture of foreign nations. The simplest of actions in a foreign land, as such as showed from the commercial with the color of flowers, may mean something completely different that you are not aware of.
