Culture in a broad sense means the way of life of people. It encompasses beliefs, knowledge, morals, art, dressing, eating habits, customs, laws, and any other habits acquired by man as a member of a given society (Spencer, 2006). Indicators of culture include fine arts, classical music, literature and philosophy. According to Ferraro (2010), “Culture is everything that people have, think and do as members of their society.” (P. 20). Culture has a powerful influence on personal development since. People draw deeply from elements of culture they have learnt since birth as they interact and communicate with each other. In today’s highly globalised society, people especially in business and management are bound to travel and work among cultures different from their own. It is therefore crucial for people in management circles understand what culture entails.
The lyrics of “Interactive Ochre: Newsflash” talk about the beauty and uniqueness of culture in the context of Australia’s indigenous communities. Towards the end of the lyrics the artist discloses that he is talking about the people from Nyoongah, Koori and Nunga. These regions are inhabited by indigenous black Australians such as the Aborigines and the Torres Strait Islanders (Nathan, 2007). The lyrics elaborate on the rich culture of the black indigenous Australians as brought out in their value for colour. Ochre holds a special place in the culture of the aborigines and the mention of black, yellow and red attests to this.
The song urges people to embrace the diversity among cultures and avoid prejudice on the basis of skin colour, “Don’t judge me from the colour of my skin” (Batman, 2004). The artist urges all people to live together in harmony and enjoy the gifts of nature like the sun and the land. The central theme of the lyrics is cultural co-existence among the native aboriginal and the non-aboriginal people. The lyrics also shows that the indigenous people possess the potential to do more than they are currently perceived to be capable of, “cause I'm only trying to learn the things I've never seen and the things I've never heard” (Batman, 2004).
Ferraro (2010) bases culture on what people have, think and do. The use of the three verbs helps us identify the structural components of culture. For a person to “have” some something, material object must be present. The aspect of “think” brings into play ideas, attitudes, values and beliefs. When people “do: it means that they are behaving in certain socially approved ways (Ferraro, 2010). Consequently, culture is founded on three basic tenets; material objects, values, ideas and attitudes and lastly, normative behaviour patterns. These aspects of culture have to be shared by more than two people or a social group for them to be considered as culture.
The indigenous Australian cultures among the Aborigines and the Torres Strait Islanders are diverse and complex. The two cultures are the oldest in the world dating back to at least 50,000 years (Nathan, 2007). The people have the ability to adapt to cultural aspects in the three aspects of thinking, having and doing. The cultural heritage of the aborigines has been passed on from generation to generation through arts and rituals. The aborigines have cultural materials such as ochre and a wide assortment of body accessories that are an integral part of their culture. The “thinking” concept of the Aborigines is based on their belief in ancestral spirits such as the rainbow serpent, dirawong- the ancestral spirit that taught the Aborigines about astronomy, bush floods among other strange phenomena (Nathan, 2007). Moreover the people believe in dreaming stories. According to Davis, (2009) the “doing” aspect of the Aboriginal culture is best elaborated by their adherence to rituals and practices such as annual dances, paintings using ochre and body tattooing.
The three aspects of culture are not instinctive or inborn concepts, they are learnt. Children born into a given culture learn the aspects from their parents and members of that society as they seek to find solutions to day-to-day challenges (Davis, 2009). People can adapt to any culture and it’s wrong for any societal group to think of the cultural beliefs of another society as being primitive and incapable of learning. The indigenous Australian Bushman or the Aborigines should not be assumed as being backward and primitive. Comparative study of culture states that people in different cultures learn different cultural content. The learnt content is in line with the three aspects of culture; thinking, having and doing. In other words people from different cultures learn those things that contribute to better adjustment to their particular environment (Ferraro, 2010). Cultural borrowing is a two-way process and no culture is inferior to the other. In fact some aspects of what are termed as “uncivilized” cultures have been heavily borrowed by the more “civilized” cultures. The modern Australian practices in medicine have borrowed significantly from the medicine practices of the indigenous Australian cultures of the Aborigines.
The notion that culture is acquired through the process of learning is important in international business. The understanding of these concepts enhances tolerance for cultural differences which is a prerequisite for effective communication in the business setting and particularly in management. Moreover, understanding of cultures opens up management teams to get curious and open-minded to accept and refine what seems like mediocre or even bad ideas for the benefit of the business. The adoption of cultural aspects of a given community also increases the diversity of a company’s clientele. Understanding of cultural aspects in business is important especially in the modern world characterized by globalization and competition. Culture is an integral part of society and Businesses cannot to afford to neglect cultural aspects.
References
Batman, K. 2004. Interactive Ochre: Newsflash. Song lyrics Natasha and Fiona Taylor
(Wodjiann Quimerra) Music by KPU Band. Koori Programs.
Davis, W. 2009. The Wayfinders: Why ancient wisdom matters in the modern world. House of
Anansi Press. Toronto. Pp. 148-159
Ferraro, G. 2010. The Cultural Dimension of international Business, 6th ed. Prentice Hall, Upper
Saddle River. NJ. PP. 19-52
Nathan, D. 2007. Aboriginal Languages of Australia, Aboriginal Languages of Australia Virtual
Library. Retrieved 30 Mar. 2012 from: http://www.dnathan.com/VL/index.php
Spencer, S. 2006. Race and Ethnicity: Culture, identity and representation. Pg 33–34:
Routledge.
