Women in Business

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 369.

Major Religious Holidays

Major holidays are often tied to religion. These holidays will be observed differently from one culture to the next, to the extend that the same holiday may have different connotations. Most Western cultures, because they are predominantly Christian, observe Christmas and exchange gifts on St. Nicholas Day (December 6), and the Russians on New Year's Day (January 1). Tandy Corporation, in its first year in Holland, targeted its major advertising campaign for the third week of December with disastrous results. The international manager must see to it that local holidays are taken into account in the scheduling of events ranging from fact-finding missions to marketing programs and in preparing local work schedules.

The role of women in business is also tied to religion, especially in the Middle East, where they are not able to function as they would in the West. This affects management in two ways: the firm may not be able to use women managers or personnel in certain countries, and women's role as consumers and influencers in the consumption process may be altogether different.

Human resources managers must be aware of religious divisions in the countries of operation. The impact of these divisions may range from hostilities, as in Sri Lanka, to below-the-surface suspicion — for example, in many European markets where Protestants and Catholics are the main religious divisions.