Lesson # 1 Social Skills Development

In this chapter, we will discuss the following:

1. The role of the early childhood educator in positively influencing the social competence of
preschool children which focuses on the considerations, practices, and evidence bases for social
competence teaching strategies and interventions in inclusive environments

2. Definition of social competence

3. Importance of social competence to early childhood development

4. The impact of disabilities on social skills

5. The universal considerations for preschool educators highlighting parallels between best early
childhood education practices and those which form a foundation for proactively addressing
social competence.

6. Specific strategies and interventions to address social skills are shared.

Discussion:

Competence implies an overall level of success in social interaction as it occurs in the contexts

of daily life.

What is social competence?

 Social competence is a term covering a variety of diverse internal factors and external
behaviors that influence the likelihood and quality of social interaction. 
 Social competence has been conceptualized as a broader dimension comprised of not
only social skills but also the neurological, temperamental, and environmental factors that
both help and hinder social skill development and application
 Social competence is experienced by the child but often judged by others: peers, teachers,
and parents. The relationship between social competence and a variety of positive
outcomes, such as success in school, has been well-documented.

What is the difference between social competence and social skills?

 Social competence enables children to interact with peers in a variety of ways and
contexts and to maintain positive relationships with peers and adults, both of which are
critical for success in school and beyond.
 Social skills include the discrete behaviors that make up or contribute to one’s social
competence, such as entering play, taking turns, making requests, etc.; many such skills
are appropriate across a wide range of settings but must be understood and applied in
context-specific ways.

How to develop social skills among children?

1. Follow Their Interests

Enjoying others will come more naturally when a child is doing something they are genuinely
interested in, this is the first step toward building social skills. It also places a child around like-
minded individuals that the child will probably feel more at ease with. While it's important to be
able to socialize with those of varying interests, starting out with other kids who like the same
things is an excellent way to more easily build social skills.

2. Learn to Ask Questions

Sometimes when children get nervous or a conversation lags, they may become more introverted
and ultimately struggle in future social situations. According to the Center for Development &
Learning there are several ways children can initiate and carry on positive conversations with
others. One important way is to ask questions. The best way to find out about others and form
connections is to ask questions that specifically pertain to the person the child is talking with.
Encourage your child to ask questions that can't be answered with just a yes or no.

3. Practice Role Playing

Pretend-play, with both younger and older children, is a great way for kids to actively practice
their social skills. LD Online gives parents practical tips for effective role playing. Have your
child pretend to be the person they have difficulty talking to or getting along with. This will give
you an idea of what this person is like, or at least how your child perceives this particular person.
Then switch roles to see how your child does when pretending to interact with the person.
Suggest ways your child can more effectively talk with the individual. Don't forget to include
body language, such as smiling and making eye contact, when advising your child.

4. Teach Empathy

If children have a better understanding of how others feel, they are much more likely to feel
connected to other people and form positive bonds. Parents suggest teaching empathy by talking
about different situations and scenarios with your child. Ask how other people might feel when
each of these things happen. Part of teaching empathy is to help children learn how to actively
listen to others. This involves focusing on what others are saying and then thinking about what
the speaker has said once the conversation is over.

5. Know Your Child's Limits

Some children are simply more social than others. A child who is shy and introverted should not
be expected to interact in the same way as a child who is naturally outgoing. Some children are
comfortable in large settings, while others find it easier to relate to their peers when in smaller
groups. It's also important to understand a child's time limits. Younger children and those with
special needs may only feel comfortable socializing for an hour or two.

6. Be a Good Role Model

It's important to be consciously aware of how you interact with others when your child is
watching. Are you asking questions of others and then taking the time to actively listen? Do you
show genuine empathy for friends and family in your life? The Center for Parenting Education
states that being an effective role model requires conscious effort and forethought. Children are
constantly watching the adults in their lives.

It's important to remember that it will take time for your child to develop good social skills.
Social skills are something that are developed and improved upon over a lifetime.

Importance of social competence in early childhood

In early childhood, child’s social competence among same-aged peers can be conceptualized
according to what takes place as children interact—in other words, how children initiate, sustain,
and maintain a level of positive interaction or cooperation—as well as how they resolve
interpersonal conflicts.

A given play context could also require a child to use social language, read of social cues, and
demonstrate positive initiations and responses, as well as share, negotiate play roles, respond to
aggression, and exchange ideas.

In classroom contexts, social competence also includes behaving in accordance with classroom
rules, displaying helping behaviors, and cooperating with adults during structured and semi-
structured learning activities.

Developing social competence and demonstrating positive relationships before children reach
kindergarten not only enable children to approach a healthy trajectory of social–emotional
development (by providing children with friends and friendships as an additional learning
context) but also enhance early adjustment and achievement in kindergarten and beyond.

Model of internal and external influences on social competence in early childhood

If a teacher is unfamiliar with the cultures of her students’ families, she may at best fail to
address a critical realm of assets and needs and at worst categorize behaviors or preferences that
are normal for children as somehow “problematic.”

Likewise, if teachers are inexperienced in working with children with exceptionalities, they may
be more likely to stereotype children or lower developmental expectations based upon their
biases.

Social competence is a term covering a variety of diverse internal factors and external behaviors
that influence the likelihood and quality of social interaction. Competence implies an overall
level of success in social interaction as it occurs in the contexts of daily life.

Differences and deficits in social competence in preschool-aged children are evident in children
with many different types of needs (including autism, speech/language disorders, cognitive
disabilities, and emotional and behavior issues, and developmental delay), as well as in children
who placed at risk as a result of poverty, abuse, or engagement with child welfare agencies.

In early childhood, social competence has been definedas ‘‘the ability of young children to
successfully and appropriately select and carry out their interpersonal goals’’ (Guralnick, 1990,
p. 4)

Socially competent young children have been described as ‘‘those who engage in satisfying
interactions and activities with adults and peers’’ (Katz & McClellan, 1997, p. 1).

Thus, social competence is indexed by effectiveness and appropriateness in human interaction

and relationships.
What is friendship among children?

Friendships are good for your school-age child’s self-esteem. Whena child has good friends, he
feels like he belongs. His friends care about him, and this helps him feel good about himself.

Friendships help children develop important life skills like getting along with other people and
sorting out conflicts and problems. Children with these skills are less likely to have social and
emotional difficulties later in life.

Play is a big part of how children connect with others and make friends at school. Being involved
in games can help your child get to know her schoolmates and settle into school more easily.
She’ll learn about taking turns, sharing and cooperating.

Making friends is a vital part of growing up and an essential part of their social and emotional
development. Attributes such as social competence, altruism, self-esteem, and self-confidence
have all been found to be positively correlated to having friends.

Studies have found that friendships enable children to learn more about themselves and develop
their own identity. And, as children mature, friends are able to help reduce stress and navigate
challenging developmental experiences, especially during teenage years.

But it is not only the social and emotional benefits; friends can positively influence children’s
health. Studies have shown that children who played frequently with active friends were far less
likely to mention barriers for not exercising, such as low self-esteem, feeling self-conscious or
lack of enjoyment.

However, it is not always easy for children to know how to manage friendships and learning how
to keep and make new friends involves a number of skills young children need to learn and
develop. For some children these skills come very naturally, easily moving to and from
friendship groups, sharing their experiences and opening up to new people.

Importance of Friendship among Children

It is beneficial for children to manage and build their own relationships, even though as parents
and carers we may want to take responsibility or interfere. Here are ways to help children
navigate friendships, become more confident and help to build and develop their social skills.
 Help the child to develop positive social skills from an early age. Help them to
understand the importance of sharing, taking someone else’s feelings into account and
listening to each other. These can be supported by organising plenty of opportunities for
your child to meet lots of different people
 Demonstrate to your child how friendships work by letting them see how you behave
with your friends
 Help your child find other children with similar interests, such as through a swimming
club, dance class, footy team or theatre group – children choose friends based on similar
and shared hobbies
 For older children who may be feeling shy or anxious offer them some icebreakers to
start conversations with others and role-play what they may say to someone  
  Help them to find new areas of interest or help to boost their confidence in everyday
situations.

School friends and parents: why your child needs both

Young children enjoy playing with their friends, but they still need their parents.

However, family relationships are still the biggest influence on your child’s development. Good
family relationships are what your child needs to learn and grow.

Family relationships give your child a stable, safe home base through the ups and downs of
making and losing friends. In fact, the care and love you give your child at home helps your child
manage other relationships.

If your child is upset at being left out, or has had a fight with a friend, he knows that you’re still
there for him.

When your child needs help to make friends

Most children will find it hard to make friends sometimes. If your child is finding it hard,
there are a few things you can try.

1. Make a simple social reminder might help. For example, you could encourage your child to
introduce herself when she meets new children – ‘Hello, I’m Kaia. What’s your name?’

2. Make sure your child knows the rules of games he wants join in with. If he doesn’t like the
games other children are playing, you could suggest he starts a game that he does like by asking
classmates to play it with him.

3. There could be a buddy system, where the younger students have an older student as their
buddy for the year. If your child needs help finding her friends or isn’t sure of what to play, she
could try asking her older buddy for help.

4. If your child has fallen out with a friend take some time to have a conversation with them
about how they feel and how their friend might be feeling. Share some advice and help them to
understand that there are always ups and downs in friendships. Offer some next steps and follow
up when they get back from school.

What is prosocial beavior?

Prosocial behavior refers to "voluntary actions that are intended to help or benefit another
individual or group of individuals" (Eisenberg and Mussen 1989, 3).

Prosocial behavior has been correlated with positive social interaction skills, positive self-
concept, positive peer relationships, peer acceptance, as well as a lower risk of externalizing
behaviors and lower levels of problem behaviors at school. These habits of the interpersonal are
a keystone of development and predict academic and social success.

9 Ways for Parents to Promote Prosocial Behavior in Early Childhood

Social skills in early childhood are vital to the trajectory of interpersonal development and have
been found to be stable over time. The development of prosocial behavior is complex as children
have to balance their own needs and interests with the development of social bonds.

Some children are quite natural in the interpersonal process, while others need more guidance
from relationships within the social environment. Within the context of day-to-day interactions
parents can provide the challenge and support to facilitate the development of these key
interpersonal skills.

Here are 9 ways for parents to promote prosocial behavior:

1. Provide clear rules and expectations about behavior. It is important to explain the
reasons for social rules and to clarify “cause and effect” of children’s choices and actions.

2. Say it like you mean it. The appropriate emotional level should accompany any
expression of a rule or expectation. Children should sense our praise and approval of
prosocial behavior in our tone and expression. Similarly we should be firm and direct
when we are correcting or redirecting inappropriate behavior.

3. Notice and label when the child engages in prosocial behavior. Short, simple phrases
such as, “You were being helpful…” “You were kind to…” reinforce and send the
message that actions matter. These reflections of behavior by authoritative adults help
children internalize these attributes and the source of behavior.

4. Modeling. Imitation is a powerful form of learning and more influential than preaching.
The voluntary nature of prosocial behavior requires a child to have consistent models and
experiences to learn and internalize the importance and benefits of these actions.

5. Responsive and empathic care. Research has pointed to the connection between a
secure parent-child attachment and prosocial behavior as well as empathy in early
childhood.

6. Respect for nature. Picking up litter, tending a garden, being respectful to animals and
their habitats are just a few of the many ways nature can teach the value of caring,
gratitude, and connection.

7. Read books about friendship and relationships. Early on, picture books can provide
powerful narratives of the importance and benefits of prosocial behavior.

8. Tasks and chores. Defining and assigning concrete tasks that make up the business-as-
usual parts of the day creates a sense of connection. Age-appropriate tasks and chores are
a great way for children to be and feel helpful.

9. Avoid programs and content endorsing violent or anti-social behavior. Regardless of

the format, content that is age-appropriate and created within standard rating guidelines
offer choices that are more developmentally suitable for young children. With screens
 ever-present in the environment, consider choosing programs with prosocial themes of
friendship, exploration, problem-solving, and cooperation.

Using Positive Discipline Techniques in the Classroom

Positive discipline is a more effective way to manage misbehaving students in the classroom,
rather than using punishment or rewards. It allows students to learn and adapt their behaviors to
meet expectations in the classroom, while simultaneously teaching them how to make better
choices in their path to adulthood.

Classroom Discipline

If a student misbehaves in the classroom, a teacher must have a few techniques that they can use
to reduce or eliminate the unwanted behavior. From misbehaving in the classroom to not doing
the assigned work, there are many ways to deal with unwanted behavior including punishment,
discipline, or even using rewards.
However, the most effective method for dealing with students that are misbehaving in the
classroom is using positive discipline.
Both the student and teacher understand what the problem behavior is and what the expected
consequence is for the misbehavior
In most cases, using punishment or rewards is not needed, as the majority of problems or
misbehaviors can be dealt with using positive discipline.

Difference Between Punishment and Positive Discipline

punishment it's an action or penalty that is imposed on a student for misbehaving or breaking a
rule. It is used to control the behavior of students, in two different ways:

1. Negative discipline involves verbal disapproval and reprimands

2. Corporal punishment involves severe emotional or physical pain

Alternatively, positive discipline is the practice of training or teaching a student to obey the code
of behavior or rules in both the short and long term. Instead of controlling the behavior of
students, teachers can use positive discipline to develop a child's behaviors through self-control
and making positive choices.

Positive Discipline Techniques

There are tons of techniques that teachers can use to reinforce good behavior with positive
discipline, including:

1. Set the classroom rules at the start of the year

2. Have consistent expectations
3. Set goals at the beginning of class
4. Appropriate behavior should be reinforced
5. Remain neutral during conflicts
6. Search for the root cause of the misbehavior
7. Student dignity matters
8. Create individual plans for students
9. Use Praise
10. Model appropriate behaviors
11. Provide students with different choices
12. Remove objects in the environment that cause distractions
13. Listen to students
Using these positive discipline techniques will help teachers maintain a positive atmosphere and
support an inclusive learning environment.
It is important for teachers to work closely with the caregivers and the student to develop
a positive discipline plan that works. One of the most critical parts of positive discipline is to
help students learn the new behaviors that meet expectations in the classroom, home and
elsewhere.

Using Rewards and Privileges

Another alternative to punishment and positive discipline is the use of rewards and privileges for
good behavior in the classroom.
A reward system can be put in place to encourage good behavior in students that are
misbehaving, from helping out other students to raising their hand instead of blurting out the
answer.
On the other hand, a system that uses privileges, such as being able to go to class without an
adult, focuses on good behavior over a period of time and accumulating points toward a certain
privilege.
However, using rewards and privileges in the long term can lead to negative outcomes, like
rewarding students just for participating. To avoid a reliance on a rewards system, positive
discipline uses positive and negative consequences to help students learn.

Benefits of Positive Discipline

Using positive discipline techniques can help teachers overcome the many challenges in the
classroom and help students learn and make better choices in the future. In fact, using positive
discipline in the classroom not only increases academic success in the classroom but provides
many other benefits, including:

 Students show respect for the teacher

 Students are on task and engaged
 Less disciplinary measures are needed
 Fewer suspension and expulsions
 Students see rules as fair
 Attendance improves

These are just a few of the benefits that can be seen from using positive discipline techniques in
the classroom. On top of this, the benefits also extend beyond the classroom, into the home life,
sports and social environment of the student, from being more respectful to everyone to
understanding the social norms in different situations.

Lesson # 2 Socialization
What is socialization among young children?

Socialization refers to the lifelong process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs, and
ideologies, providing an individual with the skills and habits necessary for participating within
his or her own society.
Socialization is the process of transferring norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors to future group
members.
  Primary socialization for a child is very important because it sets the groundwork for all
future socialization.
 Primary socialization occurs when a child learns the attitudes, values, and actions
appropriate to individuals as members of a particular culture.
How Socialization Benefits Toddlers
Toddler will benefit from age-appropriate opportunities to socialize. Socialization is an important
part of your child’s development overall — with social milestones helping your child to “manage
personal feelings, understand others' feelings and needs, and interact in a respectful and
acceptable way.

At age 1, for example, the child will likely begin to engage with basic communication (often
pointing and making sounds to express himself or herself), recognize familiar people and interact
more openly with you.
By age 2, the child will probably still want to engage more with parents than others, but will
probably also begin participating in parallel play. This means your child will start to play while
being side by side with someone else, rather than interactively playing with the other person.
Parents may start to hear the child insist that a toy is his or her — so now is the time to step up
the process of role modeling how to share. He or she may want to engage with more people now,
but may still be slow to feel comfortable with someone not seen very often.

By age 3, the child may start to seek out other people to play with, but not know how to share
with them or take turns. It can be probably noticed how play consists of pretending, dressing up
and otherwise being creative. Now is a good time to guide your child through understanding
emotions, so point out different feelings being experienced by characters in books and television
shows.

By age 4, the child will probably enjoy playing in a group, especially with people his or her own
age. This is why many children begin to play on a sports team at this age, but it makes sense to
choose teams that aren’t overly restrictive with rules. Children typically do better with sharing by
this age, and of being cooperative, physically affectionate — and more independent.

What helps children engage in learning?

According to studies on the social nature of how we acquire knowledge, one answer is
clear: Children engage in learning through their cooperative capacity to interact with
others. We often call this sociability, and we recognize it in children when we observe
their enjoyment of being together -- chatting, joking, laughing, working, and creating
friendships.

It is through these interactions that kids make the invisible visible, cross boundaries
into new spheres of learning, and initiate thoughts and feelings that help them chart
pathways through life.

The Core of Social Learning and Emotional Wellbeing

Key aspects of sociability are derived from skills that help children understand and
express feelings and behaviors in ways that facilitate positive relationships. These
aspects include:
 Self-regulation
  Active listening
 Cooperation
 Effective communication

Some children are more naturally extroverted or introverted than others, all children
can learn the skills for working together to build relationships necessary for human
thriving.
Research shows the benefits of sociability is related to social-emotional skills . These
skills are developed in children through relational experiences both inside and outside
of the classroom.
In modern times, these "softer" skills have been most recognized and valued by social
scientists whose research has linked them to positive development and wellbeing. But
recently, even economists have taken note of evidence that classroom efforts to
improve sociability are well worth the costs.
The cooperative ability to engage with others is critical to successful learning
communities. Whether that community is a classroom or after-school activity,
sociability flourishes when kids feel connected, respected, cared about, and when they
can communicate their feelings of connectivity with others.

Not only does sociability give children an advantage in school, but it's also seen by
today's business leaders as key to leading, managing, and innovating in a world of
increasing complexity.

Strategies That Foster Sociability and Social Learning

1. Teach social skills early.

One of the most effective strategies to teach social skills in elementary school is to
create a common social language that becomes part of the classroom culture.

This language contains familiar, understandable ways to communicate with others,

including how to listen, show gratitude, or apologize.

The school must implemented a social-skills training program, to can gain insights and
great materials from a number of successful programs, including  The Toolbox
Project , Project Happiness , and Responsive Classroom .

2. Create shared social norms.

Sociability is increased when students learn to cooperate with each other. The problem
in many schools and classrooms is that cooperation is undervalued.

Instead, many kids feel a need to compete for power, status, or achievement. Instead
of thinking about how to create order in classrooms, it is more important to think
about how to create a collaborative learning community.

This means that teachers need to shift from more traditional leadership approaches
that force cooperation through rules and compliance to ways that we can give kids a
voice in creating their own shared social norms.
When students are actively engaged in setting social norms, research shows that
cooperative behavior and learning increases.

As a result of their involvement, students come to own the belief that cooperation is
the right way to behave. It is also an experiential lesson in democracy and social
responsibility.

The Morning Meeting  has shown excellent success as a place for students to reflect on
what kind of classroom would best support their learning.

In this setting, teachers become facilitators as students discuss ways in which they
would feel most supported, including how they should treat each other, what it means
to respect different opinions and ways of learning, and what happens when they
disagree.

3. Engage students in cooperative learning.

When there is joint ownership of an outcome, children learn to work together.
Regardless of the subject matter, research shows that students who work together in
small groups learn better and retain knowledge longer than when the same content is
presented in other formats.

In fact, children know this intuitively. When Heather Wolpert-Gawron asked her
eighth grade students what engaged them most , it was no surprise that "working with
their peers" was first on their list.

Cooperative learning, also known as collaborative learning , involves working together

with peers toward a common goal. Often, it involves collectively identifying and
studying real-world problems, interacting with classmates, and assessing each other's
contributions, such as in project-based learning .

The best environment for cooperative learning is one where students:

1. Must cooperate to complete the assignment

2. Are each held accountable for the final outcome (they sink or swim together)

3. Help each other learn

4. Use interpersonal and small-group skills like decision making, conflict resolution, and
effective communication

5. Reflect on how well their team has functioned and how it can improve

When children learn in these kinds of supportive, relational groups, they not only
learn better, they develop sociability and social skills that strengthen their
relationships and prepare them for successful careers.

Lesson # 3 Social Responsibility

What is social responsibility?

Social responsibility is the idea that our actions affect others and that we should strive to impact
individuals and society positively.

Teaching social responsibility to children is a must and they should also become aware of their
social responsibilities. Development of the sense of social responsibility in children is necessary
as they are the future of our country.

Social responsible child can be a responsible citizen of our country.

Bringing up a child is in itself a big responsibility and if the child has some specific quality, this
responsibility gets enhanced.

How to raise a socially responsible child?

 Involve your child when you are going for any social activity. They can serve food to
hungry or give clothes or warm clothes in winter to those who need them.
 Read out stories about selfless heroes and if possible try to find stories from real life.
Children are very smart today. They will get motivated only when they get the proof and
real life stories can be best for this.
 Initiate values in them like explaining them the importance of being environmental
friendly by taking part in the recycling programs or not using plastic bags.
 Discuss the blessings that they have like availability of food, clothes, shelter, parents,
protection and show them children who lack all this.
 Do not give the child everything that he asks for. This will not only spoil his behaviour
but also make him a completely irresponsible and selfish person. Be concerned and make
him analyze whether he really needs the thing or not.
 Do not ever speak ill or negative about any religion or culture.
 Encourage the child to speak the truth and take responsibility of anything that he has
done.
 When you ask the child to tell the truth, the teacher must also be honest. Otherwise this
will leave a very bad impression and the child will get confused.
 Be patient and keep your behaviour consistent. Putting in values and responsibilities will
take time.

Celebrating Diversity

The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each

individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. Celebrating diversity is
practicing mutual respect for qualities and experiences that are different from our own.

Diversity" means more than just acknowledging and/or tolerating difference. Diversity is a set of
conscious practices that involve:

 Understanding and appreciating interdependence of humanity, cultures, and the natural

environment.
 Practicing mutual respect for qualities and experiences that are different from our own.
  Understanding that diversity includes not only ways of being but also ways of knowing;
 Recognizing that personal, cultural and institutionalized discrimination creates and
sustains privileges for some while creating and sustaining disadvantages for others;
 Building alliances across differences so that we can work together to eradicate all forms
of discrimination.

Any idea about racism?

Why is it important to celebrate cultural diversity?

Cultural diversity is not just limited to religion and ethnicity, but rather also includes the
broad diversity of family structures, experiences, gender and sexuality, socio-cultural
backgrounds, health and abilities, values, languages, abilities and beliefs (Arthur et al, 2014).
Taking this diversity into acknowledgement enables quality educators to build on the strengths
and interests and backgrounds of children to devise a relevant, authentic, meaningful curriculum,
improving learning outcomes (Department of Education and Early Childhood).

Acknowledging and celebrating cultural diversity is paramount in the classroom as it can dispel
prejudicial views and even prevent them from forming.

Through acknowledgement and celebration of cultural diversity, children become more informed
and critical citizens.
They begin to question and challenge issues of prejudice and equity/inequality for both
themselves and others. Exploring the perspectives of multiple cultures enables children to view
matters from the perspectives of others.

Consequently, they become more open-minded, empathetic and willing to find out more and
accept other cultures. Ultimately, understanding and valuing cultural diversity are key to
countering racism (Racismnoway). Additionally, celebrating diversity is an important step in
appreciating one's own culture and developing self-esteem and a strong sense of
identity (Racismnoway), which is important for children's overall wellbeing and learning
outcomes.

What are the activities that will help to promote diversity?

Play Based Activity

1: Exploring Self Identity
Introduction

Involve children’s families where possible and ask them to talk about the cultural traditions they
have including food, dance, music, festivals and celebrations and history.

Have children either bring in something pertaining to their culture or bring a photo of a cultural
aspect. This could be anything from simple celebrations to native dress to the food children eat.

1. Children will then construct something that reflects their own culture. Talk to children about
what they will make and what they will need to create their items.
Children can then paint their cultural item or event or construct it out of a broad variety of
resources including cloth, recycled products and beads.
The resources can include new art techniques the children have been learning such as threading
or clay. Children can make objects such as; jembe (African drums), a Kimono, an Ushanka, a
Šajkača, Asian silk hand fans, klompen , African dress, Native American Headdress, flamenco
dresses or children could create 3D models of things such as churches or landmarks.

Activity 2: Children as world travellers

For this activity, construct continent or country boxes filled with various objects from different
cultures including relevant music, cultural dress and jewelry, currency, instruments, writing
systems, photos of families and celebrations, flags, native animals and plants, maps, historic
artefacts such as old photographs, and books exploring the culture.

Show children a continent/country box and talk with the children about the objects.

Children will be able to make connections between what they saw and heard and the objects in
the box such as a box for Asia which includes chopsticks,
Chinese soup spoons, wool and boxes for noodles, kimonos, pictures of children from Asia,
Chinese dragons pretend sushi and a traditional tea set.

Discuss the objects with the children and support them with open-ended questioning to think
about the objects, connect to prior knowledge and make connections between the book and the
objects.

Incorporate the children's cultures and explore others as well as the cultures of others. This helps
children develop a sense of belonging - ask children if they want to incorporate traditional things
from home and get family involved to help them bring things in to add to the box.

Children can then talk about their own knowledge of their culture. After implementing the boxes
for a while, have a box where all children put something from their culture in and talk
about similarities and differences.

What to avoid when teaching children about multiculturalism

Avoid tokenistic inclusion or multicultural activities such as stereotypical, non
meaningful activities such as dot painting without learning about the culture and meaning behind
the paintings.

It is important to avoid only acknowledging the stereotypical views of cultural diversity and
include varying gender, religion, family orientation and traditions/celebrations. Take the time to
talk to children and their families about their own cultures.

View multiculturalism as a positive addition to the classroom rather than with a deficit view.

Avoid only exploring other cultures due to events such as NAIDOC week, harmony day or
Chinese New Year. Multicultural experiences shoud be regularly incorporated into the
curriculum, as well as resources in the environment should reflect multiculturalism.

Opportunities to practise with explicit teaching

  Involve parents in the classroom to talk about their own cultures and bring native dress,
food, traditions, songs and stories to share with the children

 Performing puppet shows for children that explore different cultures and include
important morals for children about differences and the importance of inclusivity and
equality.

 Watch videos and read books that explore cultural differences such as dance and ways of
living. Talk about the differences and similarities between our ways of living to help
children recognise and appreciate difference.

 Associate with an international school so children can have pen-pals and exchange
conversation and information from their own cultures and experiences.

 Involve children and their families in making quilt squares that reflect their culture and
then joining together to show unity.

Opportunities to practise in their environment

 Construct multicultural dramatic play environments: dolls representing different

ethnicities, pretend food from different cultures such as sushi, chopsticks, multicultural
dress-ups.

 Multicultural environment including posters with different languages and pictures, such
as a Chinese calendar.

 Teach children multicultural songs and dance such as Frere Jacques or. Include
multicultural instruments and music for games and activities children play.

 Multicultural books that explore aspects of various cultures and traditions.

 Teach children games from other cultures and show videos of the children playing it such
as Dara, an African maths game.

 Actively challenge prejudice demonstrated by the children such as gender inequality or

bullying. This encourages children to challenge prejudicial views.

 Create books or posters when helping children with English as a second language that
support children with a picture accompanied by the corresponding English and native
language.

RAISING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AMONG KIDS

Primary education is a crucial stage in the development of a person's behaviour, social awareness
and selflessness. At school we learn values and behaviours that will stay with us throughout our
adulthood and define who we are. That is what makes it so important to spark an interest in
caring for and protecting the environment while children are still at school.

The aim of teaching children environmental education is for them to make caring for nature part
of their lives, as opposed to just studying it. The idea behind this subject is for young people to
develop a firm ecological mindset and use it to overcome today's environmental challenges with
a proactive attitude and a strong commitment.

Environmental education also has other positive effects on young people. In 2017, Stanford
University studied how this subject affects schoolchildren all the way from infant school to high
school. After researching more than a hundred scientific studies published on the subject from
1994 to 2013 by other institutions, they concluded that 83 % of schoolchildren improved their
ecological behaviour and 98 % scored better in other subjects such as maths and science.

 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION METHODS FOR KIDS

Environmental education is a process for life and should be included in every primary and
secondary school's syllabus, as well as in other activities such as seminars, conferences and
talks. The way it is taught in the classroom should be adapted to the age and maturity of the
children and should be not only theoretical but also practical, entertaining and fun.

There are plenty of activities that can be done in the playground or in a nearby park. Children
can go outdoors to learn about plants, trees, rivers, birds and insects, but also
about environmental problems such as pollution, gas emissions, energy consumption, recycling,
good use of water and a whole host of other important aspects.

Objectives of environmental education for kids

Including environmental education in schools is now being demanded by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Irina Bokova, the Organization's
Director, was keen to stress this message during the 9th World Environmental Education
Congress (WEEC), which took place in the Canadian city of Vancouver in 2017.

According to UNESCO, there are four reasons to provide children with environmental education:

  To make them more aware and conscious of environmental problems.

  To boost their interest in caring for and improving the environment.

  To enhance their ability to learn about their surroundings.

   To broaden their ecological knowledge in subjects such as energy, landscapes, air, water,
natural resources and wildlife.

Teaching new generations is up to all of us, not just parents. Today's children will be tomorrow's
governors and world leaders and they are going to have to face huge challenges — such as global
warming and water stress — and make crucial decisions for all of mankind. The future is in their
hands!

Lesson # 4 Social Studies

What Are the Major Goals & Objectives of Social Studies Education?

Social studies education develops right from kindergarten and into high school to help students
understand their place in the world.

Social Studies teach children their roles and responsibilities particularly in relation to social and
civic affairs. It helps students develop critical thinking abilities, prepares them to participate
competently and productively as concerned citizens and teaches them to address societal and
global concerns using literature, technology and other identifiable community resources.

Social studies include history, geography, political science, sociology, economics and civics and
it is an integral part in ensuring well-rounded education in the K-12 curriculum.

Civic Competence

The National Council for the Social Studies defines the subject as the integrated study of the
social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence.

Social studies educates students on citizenship, providing them with the knowledge, skills and
attitudes that will help them to become competent and responsible citizens who are informed,
thoughtful, participate in their community and exhibit moral and civic virtues.

For example, students learn about voting as a form of political participation, and how they can
exercise their right to vote in elections to choose the leaders that they want.

Critical Thinking

Social studies education teaches students about history and enables them to understand how
society has evolved.

It places a strong emphasis on important and enduring ideas, events and personalities that affect
peoples’ lives. From these lessons, students are able to learn about their place in the living
history of the United States and to establish a foundation for their future ideas.

The subject not only offers students a strong knowledge content base, but it also helps them
develop an ability to think critically about societal issues and learn how to address them based on
their understanding of social values.

Social Understanding
The subject also includes the study of the interrelationship among people, as well as the
relationship between them and their environment. This allows students to develop an
understanding of society and the human condition.

Social studies education creates awareness in students of the diversity and interdependence of the
world and helps them to recognize the challenges and benefits of living in a world with multiple
cultures and ideologies.

For example, learning about the multi-cultural American society helps students understand
democracy, rights and freedoms and the need to balance the various values, cultures and
ideologies to have a balanced and peaceful co-existence.

Integrating Ideas

Social studies involve a number of subjects including history, geography and economics.
Students learn how to integrate ideas from different disciplines to come up with reasoned
decisions, and to make the connections between related concepts and ideas so that they are better
able to identify problems affecting society.

For example, investigating poverty in society requires knowledge in history, economics and
politics. Students have to make the connection between ideas such as discrimination, resource
allocation and political priorities to make sense of how poverty affects certain populations in the
country.

Idealism can be defined as the belief system that privileges ideas over material objects, stating
that ideas are the only true reality because of their enduring quality.

Its philosophic roots trace back to Plato in Ancient Greece, who argued that truth is “perfect and
eternal,” not connected to the material world.

Idealism remains influential in Western civilization and within American philosophical thought.
Certainly, the positive-minded viewpoint has advantages for individuals who assume this
outlook.

Disconnecting from Materialism

By placing value on ideas and the pursuit of truth, idealism de-emphasizes the importance of
materialism.

Plato, for example, argued that people should spend their time learning about the world and
seeking truth, rather than accumulating material or worldly goods. In this way, idealism
discourages thoughtless consumption in favor of a more reflective way of living.

Exchanging Thoughts and Ideas

Because idealism urges individuals to discover the truth about the world through discussion and
debate, another advantage related to idealism includes open-mindedness.

True idealists remain interested in learning new information, discarding old thoughts and beliefs
as evidence proves them inadequate. Encouraging individuals to discuss their views leads to
better and more frequent communication, as people seek to affirm or discard their current beliefs
about the world in favor of greater truths.

Valuing Education
Another positive aspect of idealism relates to its emphasis on education. Many American
idealists, including Bronson Alcott, urged quality education practices for children that
incorporated robust intellectual discussion and open examination of moral or societal problems.

Idealism encourages children to seek education over material goods, and to value personal
goodness in themselves and other people. Using literature as a lens to consider moral problems,
for example, could help children draw applicable conclusions about morality or problem-solving
in their own lives and the world around them.

Perks of Popular Idealism

The term “idealism” is popularly used to describe the worldview of thinking that the world and
its people are “good,” and that there is much to be gained from establishing ideals and then
adhering to them.

This, too, has its advantages.

Committing to a positive outlook helps people overcome struggles, worries or suspicions, when
they adopt the belief that strong ideals will overcome temporary setbacks.

Idealists, for example, would uphold that people are capable of cooperation and learn from their
mistakes, rather than that people are naturally competitive and seek to take advantage of one
another.

Affirming Contributions from All

In the United States, Thomas Jefferson contributed to idealism’s philosophical underpinnings by

arguing that social and economic contributions from the rural population held great value.
Jefferson felt that the rural poor had a “purity and goodness” not available in large,
overpopulated cities because they often worked together for the common good, and valued
honesty and hard work.

An advantage to this form of idealism is that it led to greater political participation; the country’s
early farmers banded together to ensure that their voices and interests were represented in the
national arena.

Lesson # 5 Culture
The word ‘culture’ comes from the Latin word ‘cultura,’ related to cult or worship. In its
broadest sense, the term refers to the result of human interaction.

Society’s culture comprises the shared values, understandings, assumptions, and goals that are
learned from earlier generations, imposed by present members of society, and passed on to
succeeding generations.

Sometimes an individual is described as a highly cultured person, meaning that the person in
question has certain features such as his/her speech, manner, and taste for literature, music, or
painting, which distinguish him from others.

Culture, in this sense, refers to certain personal characteristics of an individual.

However, this is not the sense in which the word culture is used and understood in social
sciences.

Culture is used in a special sense in anthropology and sociology. It refers to the sum of human
beings’ lifeways, behavior, beliefs, feelings, and thoughts; it connotes everything acquired by
them as social beings.

A. Meaning of Culture

Culture is a comprehensive and encompassing term that includes what we have learned about
our history, values, morals, customs, art, and habits.

A culture is “the complex of values, ideas, attitudes, and other meaningful symbols created by
people to shape human behavior and the artifacts of that behavior as they are transmitted from
one generation to the next.”

The above definition highlights three important attributes of an individual’s culture. First, it is
‘created by people,’ evolving due to human activities and passed on to the succeeding
generations.

Second, the impact of cultural influence is both intangible and tangible. People’s basic attitudes
and values are a direct result of their cultural environment. Beliefs in freedom of speech and
choice, heterosexuality, and God are products of human action. Additionally, people leave
physical evidence of their culture through art and craftwork, buildings, furniture, laws, and food.

Third, the cultural environment evolves, and it is most often evolves over lengthy periods.
Changes in women’s roles in the home and business and the outward desire for leisure time have
come about quite slowly. Other changes, however, occur quicker. Clothing styles, for example,
come and go rather hastily.

Culture may also be defined in other ways. According to Kroeber, “the mass of the learned and
transmitted motor reactions, habits, techniques, ideas, and values – and the behavior they
include – is what constitutes culture.

As a result, the cultural patterns that consumers learn to influence their ideas and values, the
roles they play, how they carry those roles out, and how their needs and desires are handled.

E. B. Taylor defined culture as that complex whole, including knowledge, belief, art, law,
morals, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

Culture is thus composed of common habits and patterns of living of people in daily activities
and common interest in entertainment, sports, news, and even advertising.

Culture is a comprehensive concept, which includes almost everything that influences an

individual’s thought processes and behaviors. Culture does not include inherited responses and
predispositions.

Rather it is acquired. One more thing should also be borne in mind about culture. That is, in
modern complex societies, culture seldom provides detailed prescriptions for appropriate
behavior. Rather, it supplies boundaries within which most individuals think and act.
 B. Definition of  Culture

Culture has been defined in some ways, but most simply, as the learned and shared behavior of
a community of interacting human beings.

According to British anthropologist Edward Taylor, “Culture is that complex whole which
includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits
acquired by man as. a member of society”.

According to Phatak, Bhagat, and Kashlak, “Culture is a concept that has been used in several
social science disciplines to explain variations in human thought processes in different parts of
the world.”         ‘

According to J.P. Lederach, “Culture is the shared knowledge and schemes created by a set of
people for perceiving, interpreting, expressing, and responding to the social realities around
them.”

According to R. Linton, “A culture is a configuration of learned behaviors and results of

behavior whose component elements are shared and transmitted by the members of a particular
society.”

According to G. Hofstede, “Culture is the collective programming of the mind which

distinguishes the members of one category of people from another.”

According to H.T. Mazumdar, “Culture is the total of human achievements, material and non-
material, capable of transmission, sociologically, i.e., by tradition and communication, vertically
as well as horizontally.”

Actually, culture is defined as the shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive
constructs, and affective understanding that are learned through socialization. These shared
patterns identify the members of a culture group while also distinguishing those of another
group.

C. 3 Aspects of Culture

If we explain the above definition, we can identify three aspects of a given culture;

1. culture is a pattern of behavior,

2. culture is learned, and
3. culture is transmitted from one generation to the next.

Culture is a Pattern of Behavior

Culture refers basically to the style of behavior. This style is found to be present in the behaviors
of the majority of people living in a particular culture.

This pattern varies from culture to culture, and as a result, consumptions vary among countries.
The pattern of behavior you will see in South-Asian culture will definitely not be seen in other
cultures. The behavior established by culture is found to be practiced by the majority as it
satisfies their needs.
 Culture is Learned

The second important aspect relating to culture is that we learn it through experiences and
interactions.

The aspects of culture are not found in an individual right from his birth. He rather learns those
from others in the society as he follows, observes, and interacts with them. Since experiences
vary among people of different societies, they learn different things resulting in differences
among cultures.

It clearly indicates that culture is learned, not present from birth, why people of different cultures
see the same object or situation differently.

People learn about their cultures from their parents and different social organizations and groups.
This will be discussed later.

Culture is Transmitted from One Generation to the Next.

We have in our culture in terms of values, ideas, attitudes, symbols, artifacts, or other, and we
are likely to conform to those.

We follow the patterns of our cultures and teach them to the next generation to guide them. This
process of transmitting the cultural elements from one generation to the next is known as
‘Enculturation”.

Thus, cultural elements do not persist in one generation but are transmitted to the next generation
and survive the entire life span of an individual. That is why a lot of similarities in behaviors are
found between people of two different generations.

D. 3 Components of Culture

If you study a culture, whether modern or backward, you will identify three important
components in it.

3 Components Of Culture are;

1. cognitive component,
2. material component, and
3. normative component.

In other words, the culture of a particular society is composed of three distinct elements or
components. Let us now have a brief discussion on them:

Cognitive Component
The basic component of any culture is one relating to people’s knowledge about the universe’s
creation and existence. This aspect is based on either people’s observation or on certain factual
evidence that they have.

An individual of a backward culture believes in gods, superstitions, and other objects as a part of
their cognitive aspect. But, in a technologically advanced society, the cognitive aspect is based
on scientific experiments and their applications.

The cognitive component of an advanced society’s culture is quite distinct from that of a
primitive one because of the refinement of knowledge through systematic testing and
observation.

Material Component

It consists of all the tangible things that human beings make, use, and give value to the material
component varies from culture to culture as the cognitive component.

It is based on the technological state that society has achieved and understood, looking at
society’s artifacts. The artifacts include the type of housing where people live, the furniture they
use, and other material goods they possess.

Since it is tied to the level of technological advancement of the society, the material features of
cultures are very diverse as technological achievements vary.

Normative Component

The other important component of a culture is the normative component. The normative
component is composed of society’s values and norms, which guides and regulates behavior.

In other words, it consists of the values, beliefs, and rules by which society directs people’s
interactions. Understanding culture means understanding its values.

Values are shared standards of acceptable and unacceptable, good and bad, desirable, and
undesirable. Values are abstract, very general concepts that are expressed by norms.

Norms are rules and guidelines, setting forth proper attitudes and behaviors for specific
situations.

For example, in South Asian countries, the culture places a high value on religious training;
therefore, our norms specify formal religious education for every child up to a certain age. Mass
religious education norms create a need for religious teachers, books, and other related materials.

Among the values the culture holds, some are core or central values, while others are peripheral
values. Core values are the deeply held enduring beliefs that guide our actions, judgments, and
specific behaviors, supporting our efforts to realize important aims.

E. Characteristics of Culture

All organizations have a culture because they are embedded in specific societal cultures and are
part of them.
 Some values create a dominant culture in organizations that help guide employees’ day-to-day
behavior.

There is also evidence that these dominant cultures can positively impact desirable outcomes,
such as successfully conducting mergers and acquisitions supporting product innovation
processes and helping firms cope with rapid economic and technological change.

Culture has various characteristics. From various definitions, we can deduce the following
characteristics of culture:

 Learned Behavior.
 Culture is Abstract.
 Culture Includes Attitudes, Values, and Knowledge.
 Culture also Includes Material Objects.
 Culture is Shared by the Members of Society.
 Culture is Super-Organic.
 Culture is Pervasive.
 Culture is a Way of Life.
 Culture is Idealistic.
 Culture is Transmitted among Members of Society.
 Culture is Continually Changing.
 Language is the Chief Vehicle of Culture.
 Culture is Integrated.
 Culture is Dynamic.
 Culture is Transmissive.
 Culture Varies from Society to Society.
 Culture is Gratifying.

E. Functions of Culture

Culture performs some functions within an organization.

 It has a boundary-defining role; it creates distinctions between one organization and another.
 It conveys a sense of identity for organization members.
 Culture facilitates the generation of commitment to something larger than one’s individual self-
interest.
 It enhances the stability of the social system. Culture is the social glue that helps hold the
organization together by providing appropriate standards for what employees should say and do.
 Culture serves as a sense-making and control mechanism that guides and
shapes employees’ attitudes and behavior. It is this last function that is of particular interest to us.

The role of culture in influencing employee behavior appears to be increasingly important in

today’s workplace.

F. Elements of Culture

Culture is transmitted to employees in many ways. The most significant are stories, rituals,
material symbols, and language.
 Society’s culture also comprises the shared values, understandings, assumptions, and goals that
are learned from earlier generations, imposed by present members of society, and passed on to
succeeding generations.

There are some elements of culture about which the managers of international operation should
be aware of.

 Languages,
 Norms,
 Symbols,
 Values,
 Attitude,
 Rituals,
 Customs and Manners,
 Material Culture,
 Education,
 Physical Artifacts,
 Language, Jargons, and Metaphors,
 Stories, Myths, and Legends,
 Ceremonies and Celebrations,
 Behavioral Norms, and
 Shared Beliefs and Values.

Languages

It is a primary means used to transmit information and ideas. Knowledge of local language can
help because-

 It permits a clearer understanding of the situation.

 It provides direct access to local people.
 Understanding of implied meanings.

Religion: The spiritual beliefs of a society are often so powerful that they transcend other
cultural aspects. Religion affect-

 The work habit of people

 Work and social customs
 Politics and business

Norms

Cultures differ widely in their norms, or standards and expectations for behaving. Norms are
often divided into two types, formal norms and informal norms.

Formal norms, also called mores and laws, refer to the standards of behavior considered the most
important in any society.

Informal norms, also called folkways and customs, refer to standards of behavior that are
considered less important but still influence how we behave.
 Symbols

Every culture is filled with symbols of things that stand for something else, which often suggests
various reactions and emotions.

Some symbols are actually types of nonverbal communication, while other symbols are, in fact,
material objects.

Values

Values are a society’s ideas about what is good or bad, right or wrong – such as the
widespread belief that stealing is immoral and unfair.

Values determine how individuals will probably respond in any given circumstances.

Attitude

Attitude is a persistent tendency to feel and behave in a particular way.

Actually, it is the external displays of underlying beliefs that people use to signal to other people.

Rituals

Rituals are processes or sets of actions that are repeated in specific circumstances and with a
specific meaning. They may be used in rites of passage, such as when someone is promoted or
retires.

They may be associated with company events such as the release of a new event. They may also
be associated with a day like Eid day.

Customs and Manners

Customs are common and establish practices. Manners are behaviors that are regarded as
appropriate in a particular society. These indicate the rules of behavior that enforce ideas of right
and wrong.

They can be the traditions, rules, written laws, etc.

Material Culture

Another cultural element is the artifacts, or material objects, that constitute a society’s material
culture. It consists of objects that people make. Like-

 Economic infrastructure (transportation, communication, and energy capabilities)

 Social infrastructure (Health, housing, and education systems)
 Financial infrastructure (Banking, insurance, and financial services)

Education

It influences many aspects of culture.

Actually, culture is the entire accumulation of artificial objects, conditions, tools, techniques,
ideas, symbols, and behavior patterns peculiar to a group of people, possessing a certain
consistency of its own and capable of transmission from one generation to another.

Physical Artifacts

These are the tangible manifestations and key elements of organizational culture.

If you visit different organizations, you’ll notice that each is unique in terms of its physical
layout, use of facilities, centralization or dispersion of common utilities, and so on.

This uniqueness is not incidental; instead, they represent the symbolic expressions of an
underlying meaning, values, and beliefs shared by people in the organization. The workplace
culture greatly affects the performance of an organization.

Language, Jargons, and Metaphors

These elements of organizational culture play an important role in identifying a company’s

culture.

While the language is a means of universal communication, most business houses tend to
develop their own unique terminologies, phrases, and acronyms.

For instance, in the organizational linguistics code, “Kremlin” may mean the headquarters; in
Goal India Limited, the acronym. J.I.T. (Just In Time) was jokingly used to describe all the badly
planned fire-fighting jobs.

Stories, Myths, and Legends

These are, in a way, an extension of organizational language. They epitomize the unwritten
values and morals of organizational life.

If you collect the various stories, anecdotes, and jokes shared in an organization, they often read
like plots and themes, in which nothing changes except the characters.

They rationalize the complexity and turbulence of activities and events to allow for predictable
action-taking.

Ceremonies and Celebrations

These are consciously enacted behavioral artifacts which help in reinforcing the organization’s
cultural values and assumptions.

For example, every year, Tata Steel celebrates Founder’s Day to commemorate and reiterate its
adherence to the organization’s original values.

Stating the importance of ceremonies and celebrations, Deal and Kennedy (1982) say, “Without
expressive events, and culture will die. In the absence of ceremony, important values have no
impact.”

Behavioral Norms
This is one of the most important elements of organizational culture. They describe the
nature of expectations, which impinge on the members’ behavior.

Behavioral norms determine how the members will behave, interact, and relate with each other.

Shared Beliefs and Values

All organizations have their unique set of basic beliefs and values (also called moral codes),
shared by most of its members. These are the mental pictures of organizational reality and form
the basis of defining the organization’s right or wrong.

For instance, in an organization, if the predominant belief is that meeting the customers’
demands is essential for success, any behavior that supposedly meets these criteria is acceptable,
even if it violates the established rules and procedures.

Values and beliefs focus organizational energies toward certain actions while discouraging the
other behavioral patterns.

H. Factors Affecting the Culture

There are so many ways of examining cultural differences and their impact on international
management. Culture can affect technology transfer, managerial attitudes, managerial ideology,
and even business-government relations.

In overall terms, the cultural impact on international management is reflected by these basic
beliefs and behaviors.

Here are some specific examples where the culture of a society can directly affect management
approaches:

Centralized vs. Decentralized Decision Making

In some societies, top managers make all-important organizational decisions.

In others, these decisions are defused throughout the enterprise; middle and lower-level
managers actively participate and make decisions.

Safety vs. Risk

In some societies, organizational decision-makers are risk-averse and have great difficulty with
conditions of uncertainty. In others, risk-taking is encouraged, and decision making under
uncertainty is common.

Individual vs. Group Rewards

In some countries, personnel who do outstanding work are given individual rewards in bonuses
and commissions. In others, cultural norms require group rewards, and individual rewards are
frowned on.

Informal vs. Formal Procedures

 In some societies, much is accomplished through informal means. In others, formal procedures
are set forth and followed rigidly.

Cooperation vs. Competition

Some societies encourage cooperation between their people. Others encourage competition
between their people.

High Vs. Low Organizational Loyalty

In some societies, people identify very strongly with their organization or employer. In others,
people identify with their occupational groups, such as an engineer or mechanics.

Short-term vs. Long-term Horizons

Some cultures focus most heavily on short-term horizons, such as short-range goals of profit and
efficiency. Others are more interested in long-range goals, such as market share and
technological development.

Stability vs. Innovation

The culture of some countries encourages stability and resistance to change. The culture of
others puts a high value on innovation and change.

I. Goals and Objectives

The culture of the organization is also affected by its goals and objectives. The strategies and
procedures designed to achieve this organization’s goals and objectives also contribute to its
culture.

Others:

 Language and dialect

 Religion
 Wealth
 Climate and weather
 Dress sense and clothes-fashion
 Level of education and literacy
 General living standards
 Employment regulations

These cultural differences influence the way that comparative management should be conducted.

Sometimes these factors affect international business because some international managers are
unknown and unfamiliar with these factors and day to day business protocol.