Alternate Video Assignment-
Video: Gung Ho (1986), Directed by Ron Howard.
As noted in the syllabus, what you turn in for this assignment should be approximately 3 pages in length, double spaced, Times New Roman font, with 1 inch margins all around.
You are on your own finding, accessing, and viewing the video. After viewing the video, for this assignment, I would like you to reflect on and respond to the following three questions:
1. Identify and describe how differences on any three cultural dimensions influence the working relationships between the Japanese and American workers. Feel free to focus on any dimensions identified by Hofstede, Trompenaars, or the singular cultural groupings. Please be sure to include specific examples from the film in your response.
2. Read the review of Gung Ho posted by Roger Ebert after its original debut in 1986. Embedded in his review, as well as in the criticisms of others, is the idea that cultural characteristics displayed in Gung Ho are at times notably superficial and exaggerated. Similar criticism has been levied at other films depicting cultural differences as well.
In your opinion, does cultural stereotyping and/or exaggerating cultural differences in cinema or other forms of mass media have serious implications for individuals' understanding of culture? Do you believe the implications are necessarily all negative, positive, or are there both positive and negative implications? Please note in your response at least one example provided in Ebert's review, as well as your own examples from the film.
3. During our class section on "cultural values in organizational behavior," one area that was discussed in judging differences between cultures/countries was that of "crosstab models" for capturing differences. A sample crosstab model was also included in the slides.