Case Study:
The study of how a culture perceives time and its use is called chronemics. For example, in the United States, there is a saying, "Time is money." Interestingly enough, there are 24 different time zones in the world. It can be difficult conducting business throughout multiple time zones. As a matter of fact, Russia has 9 time zones and China has 1 time zone. The time throughout China is Beijing time. In some cultures, time is the cheapest commodity and an infinite resource. For example, in certain parts of Afghanistan-time is an infinite resource and schedules are very flexible.
In the past, living off the fruits of the land and their own labor, traditional Afghans were self-sufficient and unaffected by the demands of the global economy. The collectivist people lived in harmony with one another, sharing the work of the harvest; providing emotional and material support in times of crisis and transition; rearing children in extended families surrounded by relatives and friends of all ages and sexes; and defusing potential conflicts with humility, patience, and calmness. The Afghan people had plenty of time to do as they wished and at their own pace. Afghanistan was a country where interactions were based primarily on barter and mutual aid. Money played a minimal role in an economy based primarily on cooperation, trust, and sustainability. Moreover, the true wealth of these farmers lay in their peace of mind and the quality of their family and community relations. Afghans traditionally recycled everything and were super environmentalists. As a matter of fact, daily schedules were planned around prayer times.
Task: Select a developing country and explain how the country deals with concept of chronemics. Justify your response and describe your findings with examples.
Assignment Expectations:
Your paper should be short (2 to 3 pages, not including the cover sheet, references, and assessment sheet) and to the point. You are expected to deal with these issues in an integrated fashion, rather than treating them as a series of individual questions to be answered one by one and left at that.