( A list of choice provided) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

( A list of choice provided) - Essay Example As an organization has no control over the external environment, it becomes extremely essential for it to adapt to its external environment. Hence, the success of an organization depends very much on how well it can handle and adapt to its external environment. One of the main components of the external environment is the cultural environment, along with the social, political, economic and technological environments. The culture of a country plays a significant role in the decision-making of its people, which in turn affects their working habits and their business. According to Geert Hofstede, "culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group from another" ("Cultural environment," p. 105). Culture has an impact on every function of business, from production to designing and marketing of products to human resources management. Hence, success in international business relations almost entirely depends on the negotiators' cultural adaptability and their ability to respect other cultures. Cultural differences among different nations make negotiations highly complicated, confusing and sometimes frustrating. Overlooking religious beliefs, values, attitudes, habits, and routines, and holding cultural preconceptions, biases and prejudices can lead to blunders in cross-cultural negotiations ("Cross-cultural negotiations," 2009). Influence of Religion on International Business Religion, which forms one of the bases of culture, and its philosophies are the main factors that influence the lifestyles, values and beliefs of the people of a country. Religion affects the working habits of the people, their attitude towards work and entrepreneurship. "Religious ethics sometimes affect the cost of doing business in a country" ("An overview," 2004, p. 7). Islam, one of the largest religions in the world, believes in social justice and is strictly against making profits through exploitation. Business should not violate principles of social justice. Hence, giving and earning interest on money is against the principles of Islam. This hinders international business, and international financial firms try to solve this problem by giving and receiving profit-shares instead of interest ("An overview," 2004, p. 7). Buddhism is a religion that is presently practiced mainly in Southeast Asia, China, Korea and Japan. This is a religion that gives utmost importance to spiritual rather than materialistic achievements. Though the religion advocates an ascetic life, Buddhism encourages entrepreneurial activity ("An overview," 2004, p. 7). However, according to Hutanuwatr and Rasbash (1998), from a Buddhist perspective, the very core of globalization process is the globalization of craving, and craving is the root cause of all suffering. As craving becomes globalized, the scale of suffering around the world becomes vastly amplified. Third-world communities that had been self-sufficient until then become consumers of capital-intensive goods and services provided by the transnational corporations, which enhances the standard of living of some while "the majority fall victim to discontent, dependency, and poverty"