Notes for Understanding Diversity: Cultural, Social, and Demographic Changes - Prof. David, Study notes of Hospitality and Tourism

Download Notes for Understanding Diversity: Cultural, Social, and Demographic Changes - Prof. David and more Study notes Hospitality and Tourism in PDF only on Docsity! HGMT Notes for Diversity Consciousness Diversity-all the ways in which people are different Cultural change-Language, values, religious beliefs, and customs rub against each other, dominate and accommodate, blend together, and evolve into new hybrids. Factors changing Cultural landscape Cultural Landscape-different lifestyles, traditions, and perspectives that can be found in the US and throughout the world  Languages-transmit and preserve culture  Work/life Issues-Work schedules are becoming more flexible as mothers and fathers look to balance their careers with child-raising responsibilities.  Use of technology- People learn technology at different speeds Digital natives-young people who are native speakers of the language of technology and who adapt to technology quickly. Digital immigrants- People not born into the digital world, but must learn the language and technology later.  Surnames-change as time goes by Demographic change  Demography study of a population pertaining to economy, education, family size, education, household income, race, ethnicity, gender, occupation, and age  Statistics for these studies are recorded in a Census  Cultural diversity has changed the census  Many people feel like they belong to multiple groups/categories  Groups/categories are changed and new ones are added Social change/Cultural change  Globalization-growing independence of people and cultures o Creation of more multilingual websites to expand market, improve sales, and remain competitive o Dress codes are being revised to comply with various religions o Companies are starting to pay more attention to cross-cultural interaction between workers and customers o Some managers keep memos translated into different languages and read aloud to workers o Managers rely on gestures, tone of voice, and the written work to clarify complex thoughts to non-English speaking workers.  Global perspective-view of the world and our place in it o Develop greater insight into out interconnectedness o Expand our awareness of different perspectives o Enhance our self-awareness  Glocalization-culture’s openness to diverse influences and ability to blend foreign ideas and best practices with our own traditions  Cultural Lag- a condition in which one part of a culture is not keeping pace with another part. Evident when we look at where we live, worship, go to school, and work o Separation along racial, ethnic, and economic lines o Gender segregation  Glass ceiling- attitudes and actions that block the promotion of women and minorities into top management positions. HGMT Notes for Diversity Consciousness o Time of worship the most segregated hour of the week o Racial and ethnic minorities will continue to increase o Resurgence of intergroup hostility and intolerance o Cyber-segregation or Digital divide-the gap between people with regard to their ability to access and use information and communication technologies. o Cultural Cruise control  Acting as though our own values, beliefs and experiences are universal.  In cultural cruise control we are oblivious to different cultural clues and individual perspectives  We listen to our own cultural rules  Self-awareness is minimal or nonexistent  While easier in this state of mind it also leads to misunderstanding, conflict, and lost opportunities.  Acknowledging difference, leads us to view them as important for other people in other settings.  To move past the “I don’t see the differences” mindset can be a slow, arduous, nonlinear process.  With the necessary mindset we can unlock cruise control, as long as we adjust our thinking and behaviors.  We must survey the landscape, shift gears, reevaluate, and then fine-tune our thinking and behaviors, we then become more comfortable with Diversity.  Regardless of competencies in the area of diversity, we will make mistakes, sometimes not knowing, we must learn from these mistakes in order to move past cruise control and continue making adjustments. Assimilation  AKA melting pot, tossed salad, rainbow, quilt, and kaleidoscope.  Assimilation is the process in which people lose their cultural differences and blend into a wider society  Ex: Zangwill, European immigrants would gradually lose their traditional ways of life and blend together. A new culture is created in this process  Some see it as inevitable and desirable  Some want to avoid it at all costs  Some find themselves assimilating, but not completely. Ex: Student “I do it up to appoint, as long as it does not rob me of my identity.”  Learning good or bad habits or values  People want to be accepted for who they are  Growing number of people are unwilling to give up what makes them distinctive. Pluralism  Process through which cultural differences are acknowledged and preserved.  Ex: History should reflect the distinctive culture experiences of all people  People who oppose Pluralism argue that it promotes tension and conflict at a time when we need to ignore our differences and come together as one. o Ex: Sept 11th  When people preserved their cultural identity, including language, religion, and customs, it can be a source of pride and motivation.