Abstract In this paper, the writer discusses that, in an article published in the Summer 1993 edition of Foreign Affairs, Harvard professor of Political Science Samuel Huntington advanced a highly controversial thesis, in which he contended that the major conflicts in the future will be between civilizations, and not along political or ideological dividing lines. This essay examines the validity of his claims and advances a contrary view that the speculated civilizational clashes are largely confined to perceptions, and that the resurfacing cultural identities do not carry with them enough conviction of purpose for a distinct clash of civilizations to occur.
From the Paper "It begs the question of whether such sweeping generalizations of Huntington's are justified in the first place. When we shift focus from civilization to the individual the picture suddenly loses clarity. The clinching question is this: How willing is the individual to fight on behalf of his civilization? Because to mobilize a civilization against another requires a conviction of purpose to match. When we recall the crusades of the Middle Ages we have an inkling of what a clash of civilizations means. The Crusaders marched to Jerusalem on foot with a sense of purpose that is almost impossible to imagine for modern urbanites troubled with a lack of identity and belonging. Such conviction does not manifest itself anywhere in the free market paradise of today, neither among individuals, nor among nation states."
Abstract This paper explores the impact that cultural diversity is having on large businesses. It contends that the success of large firms depends upon their acknowledgment of cultural diversity within their employee and consumer base. It also asserts that companies must implement human resource management strategies that take this diversity into consideration. The paper looks at some of the challenges companies face when their work force is multicultural and suggests that companies must upgrade and enhance the cross-cultural skills of company executives and managers in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Also examined are various domestic diversity models developed in order to deal with some of the problems associated with cultural diversity and the ways in which they attempt to redress past grievances, cover the weaknesses of domestic diversity differences, and help organizations avert future problems.
From the Paper "The famous 'Fortune' magazine in its issue of 1994 notes that there has been a 2500 percent increase in the total volume of international trade between the period of 1960 and 1993, with numerous business organizations expanding their business portfolios from domestic to the international arenas. (Fortune, 1993) The same magazine in its issue of 1997 also noted that world trade witnessed a tremendous growth rate that was even faster that the world gross domestic product. (Fortune, 1997). It was further noted that the majority of chief executive officers of large national organizations expected that both employment and revenue generation would comprise largely from sources outside the organization's home country, and further that the success of such organization depended upon an effective management of human resources, and keeping an competitive advantage edge over their nearest competitors through such measures as alignment of human resource management strategies and diverse cultures."
Abstract This paper discusses how in "The Clash of Civilizations and the Making of the World Order", Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington argues that the modern world should be viewed not as bipolar, or as a collection of nation-states, but as a set of seven or eight cultural civilizations. The paper further discusses how, according to Huntington, these cultural entities are distinct and large enough to be called civilizations, and are fated to interact in terms of their respective civilizational identities, which may lead to a clash of civilizations.
Abstract This paper explains that Leon-Portilla's book "The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico" is an excellent illustration of how the naivete of one culture and the rapacity of another usually collide to produce wide-spread tragedy. The author points out that the writer's objectives were to give a voice to the forgotten victims of the conquest of Mexico, which history had denied them, and to present the surviving Aztec accounts of this conquest as being great works of literature, which rival anything found in the western tradition. The paper relates that the significance of Cholula was to undermine the civilizational confidence of all Aztecs who heard about it, to constitute massive loss of native life, to re-affirm the efficacy and might of the Spaniards and to reinforce among the Aztecs the desirability of aligning themselves with the Spaniards rather than joining with their Mexican brethren in opposition to the new arrivals.
From the Paper "The massacre at Cholula had many negative effects upon the Aztec peoples - leaving aside the obvious loss of life. Most notably, the massacre revealed the penchant of the Aztec peoples of Mexico to conspire against one another by feeding Cortes and his minions half-truths or outright fabrications about a bitter rival; this sort of rumor-mongering on the part of the people of Tlaxcaltecas, suffice it to say, stirred Cortes to march on Cholula, killing all present there. Moreover, the brutal defeat of the Cholultecas was compounded by the fact that their idol Quetzalcoatl had not served them in any way during the battle."
