Cultural Differences Essay Example

children. The government collaborates with voluntary agencies to address these concerns and work towards equality among all income levels and genders.

Similarly in Vietnam, values and beliefs encompass nature conservation, academic achievement, and family ties. Many businesses prioritize producing environmentally friendly products with green trademarks. Companies that prioritize manufacturing processes and components are highly respected by the public. Vietnamese people highly value scholastic achievement and show strong determination in pursuing goals such as completing secondary education or attending university to establish their own businesses. While Vietnamese individuals have high aspirations in academics and business fields, their focus on achievement may not be as singular as Euro-Americans'. Family holds significant importance in Vietnamese culture with a preference for large families.The elderly and grandparents in Vietnam are typically cared for by their children or grandchildren until they pass away. Children in Vietnam usually live with their parents until they get married, at which point the woman usually moves in with her husband's family. Polygamy was legal in Vietnam until 1959, after which only the first wife was recognized as the official spouse and subsequent marriages were dissolved. Vietnamese society places a strong emphasis on family, similar to Indian culture. In America, it is often confusing why individuals choose to live close to their parents instead of breaking away from family ties. Americans do not value extended family as much but starting one's own family is highly important.
Mary Kay, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, focuses on providing beauty products for women from a business perspective. Their mission is to improve women's lives through offering high-quality products to consumers, financial opportunities for independent sales forces, and fulfilling careers for employees. Mary

Kay aims to touch the hearts and spirits of women by enabling personal growth and fulfillment through positive values and caring attitudes. For more information visit www.marykay.com. Mary Kay stands out in the cosmetic industry not just by offering quality products but also empowering women to actively participate in the company.Mary Kay, following the American Dream ethos, offers women opportunities to become independent sellers and achieve various accomplishments like financial security and earning a pink Cadillac. The company values women's achievements and believes that any independent beauty representative can quickly advance to lead their own team of representatives. In contrast to other companies I researched, Mary Kay does not prioritize eco-friendly or environmental practices. The website showcases diverse racial backgrounds of women, setting it apart from other companies.

Ayurveda is a beauty and skin product line created by Herbline in New Delhi, India. It aligns with its creator Combii Organochems' philosophy of activating the body's self-healing abilities. Herbline aims to improve product quality, enhance customer satisfaction, and provide more information about Ayurveda on their website www.herbline.com. Herbal remedies are highly valued by Herbline while avoiding animal testing and utilizing recyclable packaging materials.

However, it is worth noting that despite Ayurveda's strong commitment to environmental principles, they do sell a skin lightening product generating over $100 million in annual revenue. Despite facing controversy in India due to the belief that lighter-skinned individuals are more beautiful, this product remains committed to environmental sustainability.The influence of American culture and media has caused insecurities among women with darker skin. However, Ayurveda recognizes and values diversity in different cultures. Herbline appreciates the contributions of employees from diverse backgrounds to our culture and

business success. Our Equal Employment Opportunities & Diversity Policy ensures fair recruitment and promotion practices without any discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital status or disability. We have established procedures to promote and monitor diversity within the organization and regularly report progress to the Board.

It should be noted that while these policies are in place, their implementation may vary.

Sai Gon Cosmetics in Ho Chi Mihn City is dedicated to meeting customer demands for quality products at competitive prices with timely delivery as part of their company vision. They continuously strive to improve product quality to meet customer requirements while ensuring all employees receive proper training to adhere to company policies. The company prioritizes customer satisfaction and environmental awareness by constantly enhancing and providing safe products that do not harm animals or the environment.

As an American consumer, I rarely consider factors such as manufacturing process, animal testing or environmental impact when using products.This highlights a lack of knowledge in our society, where the emphasis is often only on the end result rather than understanding its components. Sai Gon Cosmetics exports their products to multiple countries, including the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. It's worth mentioning that Vietnam celebrates International Women's Day, which is unique. In an interview with Priya Mani from India, we discussed her upbringing in India and observed cultural differences compared to the United States. Priya emphasized that India has an incredibly diverse culture, which contradicts assumptions made by Americans. With various languages, dialects, holidays, and religions present in India, it is nearly impossible to determine someone's background based solely on appearance. Unlike in America where

people often make assumptions about someone's origin based on their looks and way of speaking, this cannot be done in India.

During our conversation about religion and family matters, I was surprised by Priya's openness in sharing her fears and thoughts. She readily delved into discussing her family's religious practices and hidden aspects. In my own household, we all go to the temple but I comply without questioning it. However, I have a white boyfriend who occasionally reads passages from the Bible to me. Exploring the contents of the Bible presents new experiences for me. Although I yearn to fully embrace Christianity, revealing anything to my family is not an option as they believe he is just a friend despite our two-year relationship.In a similar vein, my older sister is betrothed but has yet to inform our parents about it. While I do not prefer to hide everything, it appears necessary. Shortly after my parents arrived in America, my maternal grandmother also immigrated here. Despite her limited English proficiency, I taught her enough to pass the citizenship exam and become an American citizen herself. Her contribution to our family is remarkable; without her presence, we would not be where we are today. Residing in America grants us significantly more freedom. Both my grandmother and mother participate in painting and sculpting classes, while my mother takes music lessons - seemingly with a different instrument each week! My sister and I both pursued higher education opportunities that would have never been available if we had stayed in India.

Janine Phan's family migrated from Vietnam when she was six years old; however, she revisits Vietnam during summers to reconnect with

relatives and remains fluent in Vietnamese. Like Priya, Janine emphasizes the strong ties and close bond she shares with her extended family. Recently, someone noticed the pictures of her own family members displayed in her room and mistakenly assumed they were from a Peace Corps or Chinese volunteer experience. This incident prompted Janine to have a conversation with her Ba Noi (grandmother) about their heritage.Despite still learning about it, Janine now feels more connected to her family in Vietnam. During her visits, her relatives there are always curious about life in America, despite many of them moving to the United States in the early 1990s. However, some of Janine's family members remain in Vietnam. When she is home, it feels like being back in Vietnam with all her uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents gathering together. Recently on a trip to New York, Janine's friend suggested going to Chinatown. Instead, Janine invited them over to her house as she lives in Chinatown. Although some may see it as a stereotype involving her own family, several of Janine's American aunts do indeed own nail shops—one in San Francisco and two in Tennessee. They often suggest that Janine should work at one of their nail shops after graduating college if she needs a job. While these suggestions are kind gestures from people trying to help out, Janine has decided not to pursue a career at a nail shop after graduation while appreciating their kindness. In Vietnam, women primarily have limited options such as selling fruits and vegetables; however, America offers people the freedom to pursue any career they desire. Despite doubts from some individuals about available opportunities here,

countless possibilities await those willing to explore them.

Writing this paper has given me a fresh perspective on white privilege. While I was already aware of its existence from previous class discussions, conducting interviews and researching different countries has truly made me realize the extent of my own privilege. The text explores the benefits of freedom in various aspects of life, such as work, dating, and marriage. It also acknowledges that certain stereotypes about Americans may hold some truth, especially when it comes to excessive consumption without considering environmental consequences. Unlike companies abroad that prioritize environmental issues, American companies don't address them at all. This paper has been an excellent project that pushed both myself and my team outside our comfort zones to engage with individuals from diverse backgrounds who have fascinating stories and experiences. What I've come to realize is that people aren't mean or rude; they simply hesitate to initiate conversations themselves. Therefore, I now understand the importance of reaching out to others who may be seeking someone to talk to but have never been approached before. In the sixth edition of "Managing Diversity: People skills for a multicultural workforce" by Carr-Ruffino et al., published in 2003 by Pearson Publishing in Boston, there is a discussion on managing diversity and the significance of possessing people skills in a multicultural workplace.In addition, an article titled "Conflicted India debates light-skinned bias" by Tim Sullivan from the Kalamazoo Gazette on October 8, 2003 explores the ongoing debate in India regarding biases towards individuals with lighter skin tones. Furthermore, on October 15, 2003, information related to culture was accessed from the website http://meadev.nic.in/earthquake/culture/overview.htm. On that same day, access

was also made to the websites www.geographia.com/india and www.herbline.com. The former provides information about India while the latter focuses on herbs and their uses. Additionally, travel-related information was obtained from www.lonelyplanet.com. A personal interview with Priya Mani took place on October 4, 2003; however, no further details are provided. Similarly, a personal interview with Janine Phan occurred on October 8th ,2010 without additional details given. Another website accessed on October14th ,2010 is http://www.saigoncosemetics.com which is associated with Saigon Cosmetics company.