Irish and Malawian Cultures

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Objective:
According to Geert Hofstede, “Culture is the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from others”. For the purposes of this paper, I am going to be conducting an in-depth analysis of the Irish and Malawian cultures. The main reason as to why I chose to focus on Malawi is because Malawi happens to be the country of focus for this year’s Charity:Water Gala. At this event, they will be raising money to provide clean drinking water for people in developing countries. Lastly, I chose Ireland because the majority of my coworkers belong to this particular country. To further break it down, I will be focusing on several deep culture elements within the Irish and Malawian cultures such as social etiquette, gestures, body language, communication styles, religion, gender roles, forms of greeting. Additionally, I will be discussing the issue of gender roles and Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions.
Ireland
Greetings:
When two men are meeting each other for the first time they usually tend to shake hands. These handshakes tend to be firm and typically don’t last too long. There could also be a hug involved if they are close friends. When two females are meeting each for the first time they typically shake hands or kiss each other on the cheeks if they are good friends. When a man and woman are meeting each other for the first time, they will typically shake each other’s hands, but if they are close they could kiss each other on the cheeks or possibly hug (culturecrossings.net).
Social Etiquette/ Gestures/ Body Language:

Standing too close to someone during a conversation can be viewed wrongly. At least an arm’s length is a proper distance measure to be kept between two indiv...

... middle of paper ...

...uette. Retrieved December 1, 2013, from http://www.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student.php?id=124
Malawi Engagement Ceremonies. (n.d.). Traditional wedding and engagement ceremonies in Malawi. Customs and traditions explained by Local Malawian Chimwemwe Siyabu.. Retrieved December 3, 2013, from http://www.explore-malawi.com/travel-info/traditional-ceremonies-malawi
THE HOFSTEDE CENTRE. (n.d.). Cultural Insights. Retrieved December 1, 2013, from http://geert-hofstede.com/
Hofstede, G. (n.d.). THE HOFSTEDE CENTRE. Ireland. Retrieved November 28, 2013, from http://geert-hofstede.com/ireland.html

Malawi Engagement Ceremonies. (n.d.). Traditional wedding and engagement ceremonies in Malawi. Customs and traditions explained by Local Malawian Chimwemwe Siyabu.. Retrieved December 1, 2013, from http://www.explore-malawi.com/travel-info/traditional-ceremonies-malawi

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