done as agreed

VALUES

According to the English oxford dictionary values can be defined as the principles an individual or a society upholds. Values influence our behaviors and attitudes, now in the US there are a number of cultural patterns nevertheless quite a number are similar to my values. As a person who believes in activity orientation more often than not I look forward to my off work hours for this allows me to catch up with family and friends for meals, play and prayer besides that it is time for self-improvement and development. Our societies are always changing and this makes me flexible to avoid stagnating. Equality is also of essence to me, am a firm believer of gender equality and disparity after all, all men were created equal. In the US need for achievement is individual everyone wants to succeed as an individual so do l, after all we win as a group but die as individuals. Time orientation- we live in a society where time is limited therefore we have to make the best out of it, time is viewed as a commodity. In my opinion values tend to vary from one individual to the other as well as from one society to the other however to me these three values are important to me;

i) Time orientation

ii) Self-motivation

iii) Activity orientation

The above help govern my life in one way or the other. These values were introduced to me by a life coach who was basically trying to educate us on the importance of having values that are flexible to your long term and short term goals and this was when l was in high school.

Now this values over time have affected my communication with other people consciously or unconsciously and this is mainly because as a human being l have to interact with other people, we are told no man is a Iceland and in doing so l build up relationships with different people, from different ethnicities as well as cultures whether personal or business wise and one has to factor in two of the three values not knowing if you will benefit from it or otherwise, learn from it or otherwise.

Politeness and intercultural communication among people in Japan and Indonesia in comparison to politeness in US culture

Politeness in communication can be interpreted as use of refined, elegant, courteous or polished language. Having or showing good manners, which are socially acceptable. Politeness in communication manifests itself in oral communication that is in our listening and speaking skills.

Below I will be comparing the views of politeness among the Japanese and Indonesian societies verses the United States;

Now in traditional Indonesian societies serving of refreshments in an important meeting displays respect as well as politeness. If you are the host you are expected to serve refreshments and therefore the guest is expected to politely accept the invitation even if you don’t feel thirsty and other than that you should wait for the guest to allow you to indulge yourself in the refreshments, it is also of importance to note that there could be a delay in serving of refreshments as well as being asked to drink. Other than that being asked to drink could be an indication that the business part of the meeting is over and it is therefore advisable for one to be patient and follow the guests lead. However, this custom is modified during the fasting period of Ramadhan. In Japan refreshments are served to the guest by the host and as the guest you have to wait to be invited to indulge in the refreshments if you do so prior to the invitation this is viewed as rude. In the US serving of refreshments is done differently and signifies a number of things. For example drinks such as coffee and tea signify breakfast where else drinks like wine and champagne signify a celebration.

Offering anything using the left hand in Indonesia just like in many countries is considered unclean and therefore one should avoid handing over anything using the left hand, this is observed both in Indonesia as well as Japan. However in the US this is not upheld expect in shaking hands in formal meetings where it is inappropriate to use your left hand to shake hands. Actually in the US shaking of hands is reserved for close friends.

In offices one is expected to dress officially and anyone who dresses casually is considered to be informally dresses and are viewed as tourists this is highly upheld in Indonesia compared to Japan actually in Indonesia this is considered rude but in some organizations in the US going to work in a T- shirt and jeans is totally acceptable and not rude. However this is not acceptable in a job interview and is viewed as inappropriate dressing, men are advised to have at least one suit that is a formal jacket, a tie, a white shirt and dark pants women on the other hand are not subjected to this all that is expected of them is to keep a conservative and professional look.

Giving of gifts is a common practice amongst the people of Indonesia and this is a sign of the communal nature of traditional life. Souvenirs or small food items are usually given to co-workers by their superiors on return from a trip and there is nothing odd about this practice. Besides that the staff may great the manger with questions such as oleh-oleh which is a gesture of appreciation and foreigners are advised to make an attempt to comply with this culture. In Japan bringing along of gifts is also regarded as a sign of respect. In comparison to the US gift giving is expected when you are invited to a wedding, baby shower, graduation or any other ceremony, however, if you plan on a monetary gift it depends with your closeness to the host.

In Indonesia status is highly upheld and everyone has status but that status is situational. It might not be in the office but could be in the community or in the mosque. In Japan status is highly observed more so in government institutions. On the other hand in the United States status is illustrated on ones names as well as titles, first names are used with people of one age group if the person is older than you the it is only courteous for you to us Mr.……., Mrs.………, miss……, ms…., and then the last name. In addition to this if a person has a title let’s say the governor, senator, ambassador or doctor then you are expected to use the title and then their last names. In institutions of learning faculty members are addressed as “professor” whether he or she holds the rank of assistant professor or associate professor or full professor nevertheless it is always advisable to ask the instructors how they prefer to be addressed. In the US the use of nicknames is quite common.

In conclusion the term politeness is interpreted differently amongst our societies and it is therefore important for each individual to research a bit on what is considered polite and impolite before interacting with them to avoid embracing yourself. However in most societies the use of the words; sorry, excuse me, please, thank you, and may l are considered courteous universally.