What did you find to be the most interesting or challenging concept in your readings regarding Hofstede’s dimensions of culture?
What did you think of Jandt’s comparison and contrast of American and Arab cultural patterns using Value Orientation Theory? Did you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer.

answer 2 questions then response to classmate about their answer please….

my classmate answer is:
Varaidzo Polley

1.What did you find to be the most interesting or challenging concept in your readings regarding Hofstede’s dimensions of culture?

The most underlying concept which is found from Hostede’s dimension of culture is that all the cultures around the world have aspects which are harmful to comcommunication and others which promote communication. For example, the high individualism cultures such as the United States and Australia enable everyone in society to have access to communication based on the understanding that every individual has a right to express his or her views, because “you are not socially defined by your family name”, (Jandt, 2010, p. 165). However the same individualistic culture ‘the interest of the individual prevails over the interest of the group” (2010, p.164). This aspect in the long term has the potential to fester selfishness and narcissism, which a collectivist culture would not need to deal with. What this tells me as a student of communication is that, there are no superior or inferior cultures because each culture has a contribution to make to our communication. This seems to confirm suggestions that the interpretation of another’s culture may be what makes us believe the goodness of our cultures and what we believe to be the wickedness of the cultures of others. For instance, prejudicial attitudes towards other cultures is a result of our interpretation of the other person’s culture, using our own context, without choosing to see the benefit of that culture, if it is understood within its context.

What did you think of Jandt’s comparison and contrast of American and Arab cultural patterns using Value Orientation Theory? Did you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer.

The Value Orientation Theory’s comparison between the Americana and Arab cultural patterns highlights the distinct aspects of each culture in its relationship to the values of man- nature, activity, time, human nature and relational orientation. The main difference that seems to be apparent is that in the Arab culture, religion plays a central role in all aspects of life. For instance, the activity orientation, bases the view the view of encouraging practicality, on Islam. The American cultural patterns are also has religion as an a important foundation for many practices. However there seems to be an overt control of the everyday life by religion, within the Arab cultural pattern. With in the American culture, though religion is the foundation, there seems to be a choice by the individual on whether to comply to that religion or not. I therefore agree with Jandt that the major barrier to inter cultural communication between the the culture is stereotyping. This is because although there are differences between the two cultures, the difference seems to be degree of influence by religion, while they are both influenced by religion, for instance.