Thesis Statement: There is an evident influence of Western culture on the GCC; more specifically, in the customs of language, daily life, and politics and economy.
Introduction
Globalization has helped nations develop mightier economies. In as far as the gulf countries are concerned, Globalization is a very important step towards sustainable economic growth and stability. The Gulf countries find themselves in a position where in they can use the globalization to their benefit. With globalization come the effects of globalization. It is an undeniable fact today that the western world is continuing to lead the economy despite emergence of oriental powers. So westernization is a natural by-product of globalization. The paper is a discussion the various facets of westernization and how they influence the GCC.
Language
This section deals with the western influences on the GCC in schooling, education, conversation and dialogue of the youth and the new generation.
- Schooling & Education
The interplay of western education and Gulf tradition has played a key role in influencing the current status of schooling and education in the GCC. In the twenty first century after the world-changing attacks on the twin towers, education has undergone a major shift globally. The education policies are also shaped by cultural factors as well as geopolitical issues. The flow of global culture has also alternated every now and then. The reference as far as Gulf countries and language are concerned is therefore are all these parameters playing a crucial role in the decisive differentiation involved.
The use of English in Gulf education as a medium of communication is the most important factor defining the influence of westernization on the GCC. There are theories that suggest that many activities in the Gulf are meant to stop this trend and hinder the spread of English as a language. However others argue that the Arab languages do not feel threatened by the English domination. Science in the Gulf countries however still remains depends heavily on English and French. The dynamics changed only post the mentioned 9/11 attacks. There are other political dilemmas such as governmental pressure on educationalists and educators which influence this line of thought .
b. Conversation & Dialogue
The Gulf is also considered as the very core of the Islam world though the core of the conflict is at Palestine. This influences neo-modern projection of Arabic as the central language in the GCC. The violent nature of this uprising also has an effect wherein use of English is liable to be attacked. However despite these factors, it is economy that drives daily lives and the economy today needs the use of English for businesses to thrive globally. This helps shape the education and related policies in the Gulf countries .
c. Youth & the New Generation
The internet has played a major role in influencing the Arab world to take up English. The internet's top five websites and many others emerge from America - the new cultural identity of the west. This automatically influences the lives of the youth in the Gulf. Many countries in the gulf have censored important social networking sites but that apart, internet is the language that the world speaks today and the people in the gulf do find a way to keep pace.
Though the culture in the gulf is more or less similar throughout, there are differences seen in the countries. English in a way is a great equaliser and has played its role with aplomb neutralising the differences within the Gulf countries. Such is the power of the English programs and therefore of westernization itself .
Daily Life
This section deals with aspects such as Clothing, Malls & Restaurants and Music.
- Clothing
- Malls & Restaurants
Given it is malls and restaurants that are being discussed, a brief take on the recorded phenomenon of McDonaldisation which is considered the representation of westernization can be followed. The origins of McDonaldization lie in George Ritzer’s book of 1993 – The McDonaldization of Society. Acceding to George Ritzer, the fast food restaurants have gone on to symbolize the culture of the American society and that of other societies in the world as well. Through four factors namely efficiency, calculability, predictability/standardization and control, Ritzer explains how the society itself has started to function like a fast food restaurant, intact with the expectations and rationalization that come into play in a fast food restaurant scenario.
The impact of many aspects of McDonaldization can be felt on two crucial social institutions. The first is family while the second is the organization. The impact of McDonaldization on families can be felt by the emergence of what Ritzer calls are the Mechanical Families. The mechanical family experiences all four McDonaldization factors of efficiency, predictability, control and calculability. The family starts displaying strict or rigid rules including those for the marriages of children. Children are also expected to display predictable behavior and are expressed control over. The quantification factor also impacts families in the form of gifts during marriage. The efficiency factor comes in when children are expected to take care of roles which help the family go through its day’s chores in the most efficient fashion. The issue of control through technology also impacts families.
The organizations have also been equally affected by the McDonaldization phenomena. Buoyed by the customer behavior, the organizational behavior too has gone towards a globalized equality where in throughout the globe, we are witnessing similar attitudes and corporate cultures. These draw in from each of the four McDonaldization concepts of efficiency, control, calculability and predictability often limiting the capacity of individual human output while stressing on the whole .
- Music
Music in the Gulf had always maintained a unique sound till westernization had taken over. Here parallels can be drawn from how pop culture and music have evolved over time. Pop culture is a reflection of the influence of entertainment, sports and art on the society at large. What we wear and what we speak (or tweet) is majorly simulated by the trends prevalent in popular fields such as movies, music, theatre, sports etc. Popular arts have evolved. Earlier, they classified as folk art and niche’ art. The former was for the masses while the latter for those with a higher taste in complicated forms of the arts. Off late, however majority of art is based on the mass preference which is mostly simple and unsophisticated (also referred to as Kitsch).
The Music of today in the Gulf, in particular, has moved away from earlier, more sophisticated trends of symphonies, blues, classical/progressive rock, jazz and even the recent hip hop. The youth of today, who have the biggest say in the reception of arts, prefer dance music, techno sounds, sample mixing and more specifically, the DJ. The club culture which primarily is based on the latest hit tracks booming out of the stereo for the people at the club to dance to has gone on to influence the way leading artists make their music
In the GCC, in the concerts of today, we see less of live basic instruments and more of sampling. The music doesn’t come out of one’s hand of lip movements as much as it comes out of spinning/rotating discs. There is also a great stress on psychedelic lighting, a lot of dance and laser effects to improvise the music. There is also an element of nostalgia and reminiscence that this generation prefers and it comes out in the form of the sampled or remixed old hits. In conclusion, this is the generation of dance and the DJ and the music of today, aptly defines this fad.
Politics & Economy
This section covers the democratic system, capitalism and the financial reforms.
- The Democratic System
Some countries in the GCC have capitalized on globalization and the related transactions. Through this they have transformed and have become key markets. This economy is clearly influenced by the global and western events and theories. There is a lot of attraction for foreign markets as well. However the Gulf Cooperation Council itself was formed due to the emergence of this market. The so called Dubai Model, a symbol of economic stability and growth is growing and being further influenced by western thought .
- Capitalism
Today, in the gulf when all organizations match their competitors in every aspect of work, be it technology or marketing or supreme financial models, the most crucial point of differentiation are fast emerging to be recruiting the best human capital. However, hiring doesn’t seem to be enough. What firms are currently struggling to do is retaining their employees, especially the best and most required ones. Taking a cue from Douglas Pelino’s statement mentioned before, money and higher packages no more are the key drivers of employee retention. They have made way for other HR interventions to take control of retention. Among these HR activities is the ‘learning and career development’ program which is designed in order to provide employees with an opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge and also a chance to sketch a clear career path through the levels of the organization. The aim of this research project is to measure the relationship between effective learning and career development programs andemployee retention in organizations. The research aims to gauge the impact of employees’ perception of these development programs on their turnover intentions.
The GCC agrees that it is an undisputed fact that employee engagement in the true sense has become a business and production driver and is supported by various studies conducted time-to-time. But, it is very important that engagement levels should be measured correctly with respect to the organization and its employees. The measurement framework may differ for different organizations and also the scoring techniques. Here the initiatives, if started, to increase the levels should also be measured according to the areas on which they focus and all the phases and sides should be taken into consideration. If evaluated effectively and improvements implemented, the initiatives can definitely lead to the actual increase in engagement levels and change in the attitudes of the employees towards work will definitely towards the positive side. Besides the increase in business outcomes, there would be a lesser risk to litigation due to industrial disputes and a satisfied workforce .
- Financial Reform
One of the ways the GCC discovered to avert the risk is to frame different policies and rethink about the organizational designs and approaches before-hand. Changing and implementation of certain procedures and approaches may extend to years before they show their results. For an instance the company may edit their recruitment, retiring, training, promotion and out-sourcing. The debt crisis, if it occurs in any nation, goes on to affect the lenders and the people of the nation equally. While the lender stands to lose a considerable amount of money and has his hopes hinged on debt regulation schemes and debt insurances, the nation which is suffering from the crisis stands to massively diminish the power of its currency. There is also the additional suffering in the form of loss of face among creditors and the international community.
In the EMF, the gulf economists find a solution that is far more permanent as compared to the ESM or the EFSF. It is because of this that the European Monetary Fund features in the list of the long term solutions. Unlike the previous two measures the monetary fund ensures fiscal discipline that is expected to last much longer. Not only are the countries agreeing to this measure but have already started planning policies which look into this issue and make right plans for their implementations. In the monetary fund, one sees a vision that can rid the Euro of the complications and complexities that it finds itself in today. These are the right values that need to be installed in a system that seems to have gone wrong in its very installation. The monetary fund is an economic tool alright but has its core immersed in deep values that come straight from where the original Euro was envisioned to be. In its effort to invoke the principles that formed the Euro, the monetary fund formula is a success. The EMF however is not without its own share of detractors. Some economists oppose this move saying it could spell financial doom if not implemented successfully.
In most GCC companies finance is adequately supported by training, leadership-development, and other HR policies are designed for the young generation work force. Keeping in view the demographic crisis, the companies may start implementing new HR policies more directed toward the older workforce. The rentier state economies have transitioned with business development and globalization has made these businesses go international. In other words, the countries which were once dependent on a single source of income (mainly oil) are now getting more inclusive with their finance policy. Reforms as a result of the influence of western economy have had a major effect in reshaping western economy .
Conclusions
There are changes in the Music industry too. The equipment, technology and instruments have all gone the western way with electronic equipment playing a major role as opposed to the traditional equipment of the region. New genres and sounds are being created every day in the Gulf world and most of these are heavily inspired by the western world.
Finally politics and economy too has become more western model based. Democracy has overtaken monarchy and the tribal political structure which was the traditional model has integrated with democracy. Capitalism has also found center stage. The rentier state economies have transitioned with business development and globalization has made these businesses go international. In other words, the countries which were once dependent on a single source of income (mainly oil) are now getting more inclusive with their finance policy. Reforms as a result of the influence of western economy have had a major effect in reshaping western economy.
Even banking laws and regulations including the legal status of interest have changed. This is important because interest and loans have consequences deeper in the gulf fabric and in Islam which doesn’t accept interest in banking and finance.
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