Motivational Speech

NEVER GIVE UP

“I have interacted with a number of people; many of them prominent figures in this country, others successful men and women in different disciplines, and also ordinary elderly persons with immense understanding of our society. One thing that all these great people have incessantly lamented about is the attitude of giving up easily which has been exhibited by young people like you and me. Our senior citizens have decried the complacency of our generation. The lack of endurance and persistence in our endeavors; the failure to think over and over to appoint where we find viable solutions to our challenges; the lack of hard work in young people be it in education or work environment. Today I put it to you that we hold the key to the prosperity of the next generation. If we allow for this retrogressive culture to deepen its routes; our children and grandchildren will not have anything to brag about.

There is everything good in working hard in life and pursuing something without ceasing. This assertion is evidenced by the fact that many massive breakthroughs in the history of mankind have been brought about by a repetitive pursuit of excellence. That means that for every landmark breakthrough, there were a series of failures. What separates these heroes from us is that while we have the lazy attitude of not trying it out again; the successful men and women often gave it a second chance; third chance; fourth… ..with some extending to even the one hundredth trial. This is the right spirit especially given the numerous challenges that our society faces at present (Celinski & Kathryn 73).

Look at the story of Albert Einstein. This is a person whom as a child, he did not speak until he was three years of age. He also struggled with elementary school until he was 7 years of age. In fact, at this point many people thought he was retarded. It was even hard for him to answer any question in class and a lot of people believed that he would never succeed at anything. Nonetheless, Albert did not give up on his career. He applied to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and his bid was rejected because he did not meet the requisite qualifications. His second application was however successful. His difficulties did not end here. His dissertation was rejected by the institution because they claimed that it lacked reason and logic. Even after graduating, Albert’s theories did not escape sarcastic criticisms from scholars who opined that they did not make any sense. All this upheavals did not prevent the distinguished scientist to eventually win a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. He is also recognized for making so many notable inventions like the Bose-Einstein Condensate; the Einstein Refrigerator and the first atomic bomb (Calaprice & Trevor 158).

The moral of this story is that however much the odds might be against you, you should not listen to the outside world. Instead, always grab an opportunity to charge forward and with a view of leaving an indelible imprint on the remaining generation. One thing that has been conventionally accepted is the fact that a breakthrough that is made after a series of failures is the one that elicits the biggest smile. We need to embrace the culture of struggling to achieve the best possible results. This is because this country is lacking in innovations and pragmatic solutions to social problems. Also, the level of unemployment is relatively high at it is just by persistence that as young people, we can have our way out of this situation.

If we have a predefined ideology, a good vision, and the will to achieve our dreams; then we can do extremely great things not only for this nation, but for the whole world. One other person who exhibited this kind of perseverance is Abraham Lincoln. The former President of the United States faced some tumultuous times all through his lifetime. He terribly failed in business, with two of his businesses collapsing in close succession. Starting from the year 1832, lost his job and in the same year, was defeated for the state legislature seat. His wife died in 1835 leading to him having a nervous breakdown later in 1836. From this point he lost about six elections henceforth. He was defeated for speaker, for senate; rejected for land officer; defeated for nomination for vice president; defeated for senate and again defeated for nomination for vice president in 1858. His woes ended in 1860 when he was elected President of the country. Abraham’s story is indeed exemplary because if he was to quit fighting on; he would have done it in 1836 after the nervous breakdown but he did not. His persistence was not in vain because after being elected president, Abraham Lincoln’s regime put an end to slavery; a societal menace that had been in existence for over two centuries (Thomas 186). Today, Abraham is regarded as one of the most successful presidents even if he only served for four years.

There is always something big hidden in a purposeful struggle. If you invest a lot of commitment in what you believe is right and achievable, there is a good chance that you will succeed. Today I want to tell you about hope. You cannot persist to do something in life, if you are not rich in hope. However unfortunate your situation might be; however maligned and persecuted by friends and foes alike, never lose hope. Hope is what keeps us yearning to see the next day. The reason as to why we even wake up is because we always wish to better our lives and those of people we care about most. We must work hard in life.

Consider the life of Nick Vujicic. Nick has got no hands and no limbs either. This notwithstanding, he does not allow any person to pity him or help him. On the contrary, he lives up and struggles even harder to make his life a success. As a result of persistence and good attitude, he trained himself to play football and golf. He can swim and even surf without limbs. Nick can type so well using his toe and he is also a drummer. At present, Nick has tasted immeasurable flavors of success. He is a very influential motivational speaker who has travelled to more than 24 countries (Vujicic & Collard 105).  Each one of us must learn that the challenges presented at us in life are only a stepping stone to our success. They are there to challenge our body and brain into crafting more plausible solutions. With hope and persistence, we will always prosper.”

Works Cited

Calaprice, Alice, and Trevor Lipscombe. Albert Einstein: A Biography. Westport, Conn:    Greenwood Press, 2005. Print.

Celinski, Marek J, and Kathryn Gow. Continuity Versus Creative Response to Challenge: The       Primacy of Resilience and Resourcefulness in Life and Therapy. New York: Nova         Science Publishers, 2011. Internet resource.

Thomas, Benjamin P. Abraham Lincoln: A Biography. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University    Press, 2008. Print.

Vujicic, Nick, and Mark Collard. Life Without Limits: How to Live a Ridiculously Goods Life.        Box Hill, Vic: CBM Australia, 2011. Sound recording.

The Colonial Period in the US

Introduction to Colonialism

The Colonization process of the United States was manifested from between the years 1607 to 1776 and it started in Florida when King James I of the United Kingdom sought to take the territory that had been assertively occupied by the Spanish. Within a very short period of time, three ships were dispatched to dock at Chesapeake Bay and the settlers endeavored to find productive and interesting places to stay within this new country. During the colonization process, the colonialists established thirteen colonies which they governed effectively (Stanley, 2005). The colonial regime at first disguised itself to be spreading the Christian religion when in real sense they were pursuing a settlement agenda. This pursuit turned out to have overarching effects to the native communities within the country. As a matter of fact, the English were extremely hostile to the Indians. They forced them to slavery on top of requiring them to adopt their ways and culture. This brutal approach had many ripple effects because the demands made by the settlers were extraordinary and the natives had to put up countervailing measures against this.  

Analysis of the state of colonization

Colonial America was a society which was marred by many unfortunate situations and adverse changes. The people who felt the detrimental effects of this change of lifestyle were the native communities which had lived in the country for a long time now without any encumbrance. The very first group of people to occupy Northern America is the Spanish who governed some portions of the country before the English came in (Grahame, 1846). The Spanish occupation was characterized with extremely brutal treatment of Native Americans and it was even harsher than what other colonial regimes had been practicing.  When England’s colonists took over the mantle, they did not show any leniency either. This is because it was imperative that in order for the colonies to be more productive, the Native Americans were to be forced out of their lands and coerced to work even harder for their colonial masters.

At first the relationship between these two factions was peaceful and promising of good coexistence. However, as time went by, in the year 1612, John Rolfe pioneered Tobacco growing in the colony of Jamestown, Virginia. This venture was productive enough because Tobacco growers’ commerce with the rest of Europe earned a lot of revenue for the farmers. Since Tobacco, degrades the lands in which it is grown, the colonialist started setting their eyes on land owned by Native Americans. These actions triggered pockets of civil resistance in various parts of the colonies. For instance, the Powhatan tribe killed one third of the settlement’s occupants in a bid to retaliate land grabbing within their community (Grahame, 1846). Such belligerent establishments were however silenced with time and English settlers proceeded to grow even more Tobacco on the natives’ land.

Additionally, the English also used religion properly as a guise to justify their use of force and bloodshed. For instance, in 1637, New England Puritans killed many Pequot Indians, women and children included. These actions were justified by the flimsy argument that Pequot Indians were heathens who had been sent by the devil to exterminate English generals who were essentially Christians. Thus, they washed away most of this minority and inferior grouping in the name of protecting their religion. The conditions of colonization at that point were immensely unbearable for the common native who neither had the muscle nor the bargaining power to go against the English’s brutish rule.

Social, Ideological, Economic and Political Ramifications of Colonialism

The colonial regime in North America had tremendous implications on the social fabric of that land. In the first place, the first settlers to dock at Jamestown had had a problem with communicable diseases. Most of them had contracted chicken pox and other rare diseases that the Native Americans had not been infected with before. Therefore, it was very frustrating for that society because these foreigners claiming to be settlers were the carriers of many predicaments in that region.

In addition to this, the colonialists imposed on the American society the Christianity religion and expected all persons to partake in the rights and prayers associated with this faith. Among the settlers, there were Christian purists who endeavored to ensure that everyone followed the edicts of their religion and they could punish Natives heavily if they defied this order. Even those that practiced the Hindu religion were coerced to accept Christianity and even though they tried to resist; their efforts could not match the resolve of the purists. The last social problem that was manifested at this point was the issue of segregation. The settlers and eventually colonialists established classes in the society (Bolton & Marshall, 1920). This practice had never existed before in this society. At all places, even in church, all persons were separated according to their classes. The English were superior than the rest, meaning that they could attend special schools sit in special places in church and take any land belonging to the Natives as they please.

Colonialism also had massive economic effects on the American society. When the settlers started to live in America, they instantly dominated the economic sectors of the land. They first ensured that they had enough land to grow Tobacco on. Since they had massive links with the outside world, especially Europe; it was easy for them to sell their finished products and further assert their authority over all other persons. The Native Americans on the other hand did not have any means of production. Also, they had not travelled to other parts of the world and it would be hard for them to land a good market for any goods. In fact after the Tobacco farms had been significantly degraded, colonialists forcefully grabbed land from Native Americans, leaving them with no economic activity at all other than working for them in their farms.

On the political front, it is after grabbing the Natives’ land that the Europeans resorted to converting them into servants and later slaves. Native Americans did not have any rights in this regime. All the colonies in North America were first left to govern themselves under the supervision of the Queen. But with time passing, this system was no longer tenable and thus the authority of governance was exclusively vested in the hands of the Queen. Having been condemned to slavery, the Natives could not at this point partake in any crucial decision making process. Also, the English colonialists were responsible for bringing in more slaves from Africa and other parts of the world. Most of these people were jail birds and convicts who were ideally had to cope with in their previous societies (Bolton & Marshall, 1920). But because there was a high demand of their labor, it was imperative that they are brought to America. This eventually created a huge struggle to break away from the shackles of slavery and become free again.

Policy that solved Colonialism

The brutal colonialist regime was put to an end by the Boston Tea Party of 1773. This party created a movement in which the people often assembled to protest the hefty taxes that had been imposed by the British Government. In fact, the protesters dumped British tea in the Boston harbor because of the hefty taxes that had been levied on that commodity. This simple protests mutated to a revolution that further coerced the colonial government to declare thirteen colonies as independent states.

Idea that defined program definition

The main driving agenda for the protest against imposition of taxes was that the natives complained that they were not familiar with the legal system of the United Kingdom and in that case, they could not ascertain the manner in which the law could change their lives in future, this is because the UK had an unwritten Constitution whose applicability was not known to the Americans. Therefore, they could not stand arbitrary actions like raising taxes whenever the colonial government pleased.

THE CIVIL WAR PERIOD AND AFTER

Slavery

After North America got independence from the British rule, the only massive problem that remained for the next generation to deal with was slavery. Slavery in North America is as old as colonialization because the first slaves to land in the country were the ones who came with the first settlers and landed at Jamestown, Virginia in the year 1619. Even though the vice was so old in the society, its abolition took so many years to be ripe because it had been deeply entrenched in the American society. At the time when the Declaration of Independence was made in 1776, slavery was legal in the 13 states that existed at that time. Ideally, a slave fell within a certain caste in the society which was associated with African Americans Berlin, I., & Rogers D. Spotswood Collection. (1998). When the Constitution of the United States was finally ratified in 1789, only a few free black people were allowed to vote and this condition persisted for many subsequent years.

Analysis of Slavery in the American Society

The 17^th Century saw British settlers in North America resort to bringing in African slaves so that they can get cheap labor and minimize the cost of production. With this benefit in mind, Slavery was rapidly spread across all the colonies of the region. It is estimated that about 7 million slaves were imported from Africa and this increased the population of the black race in North America. Even after the American Civil war, the Constitution that was enacted in 1789 acknowledged slavery as an institution and perceived slaves as 3/5 of a person for purposes of tax remittance (Smith, 2009).

Many slave owners endeavored to have their slaves absolutely dependent on them, and that is why they advocated for immense restrictions on the lives of these individuals. In that case, slaves were barred from learning how to read and write. Also, their free will, decision making freedom, and freedom of movement or association were greatly hampered. Female slaves were in most cases treated as sex objects and could be used at will by their masters and cohorts. Obedient slaves were duly rewarded by some masters while the rebellious ones were heavily punished. Even within the slaves domain, there were still ranks. The highest ranking slave was the house slave, then the artisan who had some skills and at the bottom was the field worker slave. A marriage between slaves had no legal validity. However, many slave owners allowed their slaves to go ahead and marry. Even after this union, their families could still be separated through sale or casual excommunication.

Social, Ideological, Economical, and Political Effects of Slavery

Slavery had overarching effects on the social standing of slaves in North America. In that society, slaves were regarded as chattels and they were capable of being sold, transferred or passed over by the master. They were the lowest ranked members of the society and were essentially denied basic amenities that any person would want to have. For instance, slaves could only marry at the mercy of their masters. Also, the aforementioned point that they once they founded a family, it could be separated by the master. This is disturbing because in most cases, children were separated from their parents regardless of the emotional attachment. Since they were basically property, they could not be involved in any decision making process in the society. They simply did not have a voice.

Slaves, being in themselves property; did not have the status to enable them own any asset. They therefore worked so hard under the instructions of the master without any pay. It took the good will of the master to have them at least change their clothing and bite some food. With all these maltreatment, slavery contributed enormously to the economy of North America. It is the hard work of these low class citizens that essentially led to the country improving its production and getting a bargaining voice in the international platform. Aside from house hold slaves, many regular slaves worked in large scale production entities where they single handedly elevated the country’s economic prowess (Smith, 2009).

From a political perspective, slaves were not allowed to make any political decision at all. They could not vote or even give their views about how things should be run because in the eyes of the law, they were merely property. Even after President Abraham Lincoln announced that all slaves were free forever in 1865, even though the freed slaves were eligible to vote in the 1870 elections; they faced numerous technicalities that barred them from taking part in the voting process (Rose, 1976). In addition to this, the fact that slaves had not been allowed to learn how to read and write; it was hard for them to have any proactive engagement in the politics of the day.

Policy that was Implemented to end Slavery

The road to abolition of slavery started in 1833 when many groupings came together to form the Anti-Slavery Society. This establishment was critical of the standard of living to which slaves had been subjected to for the whole servitude period. The society also condemned mistreatment of slaves by masters and lobbied with the government to have slavery abolished in the United States. This struggle was realized when Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. In 863, the president made a proclamation that all slaves were henceforth free forever but this directive did not free anyone because of technicalities of power struggles and secession threats by many states.

The idea that influenced the Program Response

Formation of the Anti-Slavery Society was on account of the many atrocities that had been committed against slaves. This was a collective effort that a concert of groups from all states of the country decided to partake in. That is why they gained recognition gradually and their voices came to be heard at last. The declaration by President Abraham Lincoln was however informed by many factors. The most outstanding rationale for his directive is that it was a good move to counter secessionist claims. This is because freeing the slaves would entitle them to join the army and this would thus help in repelling forces of states which want to detach themselves from the country (Rose, 1976).

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION

The pursuit for colonial independence and the fight for freedom from slavery are two analogous phenomena in the history of the United States. To start with, both struggles aimed at changing or abolishing practices of statuses that had existed for a very long period of time to the extent of being regarded as normal in the society. Both practices were originally introduced in the society by the colonial masters and thus it was hard to get a way of stopping them instantaneously. Another similarity is that in both instances, the vices complained of were highly beneficial to the predominant members of that society who enjoyed privileges in the country and benefitted from that bad system. Finally, it is noteworthy that both of this struggles ended in violent solutions which led to a smooth transition into a new regime.

The only major point of difference from these two struggles is the time difference between them because the fight against slavery came almost a century after America had gotten its independence. Thus, a lot of political considerations were in play when solving the slavery puzzle as opposed to the fight for independence which called for an all-out civil war.

REFERENCESTop of Form

Bottom of Form

Berlin, I., & Rogers D. Spotswood Collection. (1998). Many thousands gone: The first two            centuries of slavery in North America.

Bolton, H. E., & Marshall, T. M. (1920). The colonization of North America, 1492-1783. New       York: Macmillan Co.

DiNitto, D. M. (2010). Social welfare: Politics and public policy. Upper Saddle River, N.J:           Pearson Education.

Grahame, J. (1846). The history of the United States of North America: From the plantation of       the British colonies till their assumption of national independence. Philadelphia: Lea and           Blanchard.

Rose, W. L. (1976). A Documentary history of slavery in North America. New York: Oxford        University Press.

Smith, M. M. (2009). Slavery in North America: From the Colonial period to emancipation.          London: Pickering & Chatto.

Stanley, G. E. (2005). The European settlement of North America (1492-1763). Milwaukee:          World Almanac Library.

Analysis of Todd’s Cross-Cultural Experience in India

Analysis of Todd’s Cross-Cultural Experience in India

Introduction

Culture is an important part of human civilization. It is the total collective and shared belief system of a certain community concerning several things in life. Culture impacts our ability to communicate as well as solve a crisis. People can develop a good culture in communication or in conflict resolution. Cultures are cultivated and nurtured over time and this takes time. Language and communication in itself is a complex concept of human nature and needs to be studied in an in-depth manner and especially when two languages and cultures clash, cross- cultural conflict management skills are called into question at this point. The aim of this paper is to critically analyze the cross cultural aspects that were manifested in the life of Todd Anderson; a star character in the movie, Outsourced. In elucidating these points, the paper will first start by giving a brief synopsis of the movie, then explain the nature of cross cultural conflicts that the character had to face in India. Finally, this paper will give theoretical explanations of the manner in which Todd managed to resolve these conflicts and propel the Company’s agenda forward.

A brief Synopsis of the Movie; Outsourced

The plot of this movie centers around business decisions made by a Western Novelty based in the United States. The Company decided to outsource many of its personnel to India, letting off a sizeable number of employees. Before, Todd Anderson is let go, he was tasked with travelling to Gharapuri, India to train Purohit who would succeed him in that position. His journey presents new experiences to him because at Mumbai, he was surprised that people could not even pronounce his name well. Before starting his mission, he realized that it was prudent to first understand the Indian culture for him to even contemplate trying to Americanize Purohit and the rest of the staff. As such, he was helped by handy subordinates like Asha Bhatwadekar who inducted him to their tradition and this helped to bridge the gap between the two conflicting cultural backgrounds.

Cross Cultural Conflicts that Todd faced in India

Culture dictates the way we see the world and the interactions between us and other people. It is a social construct and it differs from one community to another. According to Hofstede (2011), Culture defines our identity and sense of belonging and it has been part of mankind since time immemorial. The disparities in the two cultures lead actor Todd to fall in a culture shock (Velo, 2012, 43). The culture shock exhibits itself in various physical and mental symptoms as soon as Todd set foot in India. There were aspects of disorientation, discomfort, absence and a deep feeling of anxiety and uncertainty by Todd because of the new environment he was exposed to. Owing to the feeling of homesickness Todd calls home many a times. To aggravate the matters further, his girlfriend falls in love with another man. The culture shock coupled with loneliness and disappointment, were manifested all over his face. The only choice for him at this point was to just accept the situation and try to adapt to the new culture.

Another cultural disparity that Toad had to experience has to do with language. The film depicts a big difference in languages structures of the two cultures.  This was demonstrated  through different pronunciations of the names of people. It is quite comic how everybody meets him and greets or addresses him as “Mr. Toad” ending up in his frustration, and he fumbles the names he encounters. An example is when Purohit tells Todd the name of the woman he wishes to tie knots with as Bhagyashree Sasamunde, and Todd wonders “Baggy who?”, and comically asks “Holy what?”

In addition to this, Todd realized that the slang words he used often and informally were not familiar to others. As the film begins, Puro makes a comment of the impressiveness of Todd’s business card, which is written “Executive Vice-President of marketing and Order Fulfillment for Western Novelty”. Prior to realizing that Puro will be the trainee to replace him, Todd replies that it is not as impressive as it sounds from the card, since all he really does is sell kitsch to rednecks and had to train some other cshmuck to continue. Puro responds politely, enquiring what the words “kitsch”, “rednecks” and “schmuck” mean. Also, at the training of the Indian call center, a worker responds to a grandma’s inquiry for supply for school materials for a her grandson, saying that perhaps some rubbers, and Todd finds this inappropriate, suggesting that the word eraser could be used in place of rubber, since to him, rubber meant condom. This can be explained by the theory of paralanguange in which explains that hidden meanings of words may hamper communication between two people who are of different cultures.

Furthermore, the story of Todd Anderson also brought to light the disparities between high and low context cultures. High cultures are the ones in which a lot of information can be extracted from non-verbal communications, rituals and behaviors of persons. This was clearly contrasted with the traditions in the USA which is a low culture and also individualistic. When Purohit explains to Todd about the Indian festival day of Holiness, which celebrates color and season change. Of course Mr. Todd cannot understand how and why the Indians do celebrate some of the festivities that they celebrate. This brings about a difference of cultural values and management that is inherent in Todd’s approach towards work.

            There is a scene in which the actor chastises the Indian employees and admonishes them telling them that they need to learn a lot about America. This can be construed as a direct affront to the national culture of India and the organizational culture of the new firm. What he failed to understand is the fact that the workers he was dealing with were native English speakers but just with a different accent. Todd was always critical of Indian employees because he thought that Indians were generally lazy and crazy (Ramamurthy, 1987, 16). He also thought that Indians are not hard workers.  These factors left him extremely disappointed cannot imagine that he will have to spend the rest of his life in India. Due to lack of time in preparation and study of the Indian culture Todd is now facing serious difficulties in integration to a new culture.

In management cultures can also be classified according to various categories as either being linear or active; multi-active or reactive. In linear active management style of culture the progression of tasks is usually as suggested sequential or serial. One thing or task is done and on completion another is handled, this is an interleaved execution of tasks. In multi active parallel fashion is utilized in handling tasks, more than one thing or task is handled at a time. A reactive culture is one which is keen to listen out for what needs to be done. It is reflective and people focused. All of these traits and cultures that people develop are necessary and important in work places and they dictate hoe people collaborate and work and this has an impact on the job performance and efficiency. These cultures have developed over a very long time and they can be seen to be the work philosophies for certain regions. For example the western nations, American and Europe are seen to be linear in their approach to work. The Latin America is mainly multi-active while Asia is majorly very reactive.  This is according to Lewis.

After some time he is no longer very reluctant to learning and accepting the Indian culture. With time he starts absorbing some elements and characteristics of the Indian culture. We learn from Edgar Schein that it is important to accept the culture and management of other organizations so that we can be able to have progress and adapt in new areas of work. His character and attitude is greatly influenced by the Indian culture. On his return to America Todd is summoned by his parents immediately. At this time he has taken and assimilated the Indian value for family which he considers as the most important thing. He begins taking tea with a lot of sugar and his phone as the ringtone that Ash set for him while in India. We all learn that it is good to be adjustable and flexible as a person and accept the culture of the resident host nation. It is also important to take breaks and relax as this helps people adjust much faster.   

Todd arrives in India and has to confront a number of new things that are quite different from those that he was used to in his former home. Right on his arrival, he faces a system of transportation which he terms as chaotic, in which he had to jump from onto a train in motion, which is also very crowded, where a young boy decides to give him his seat, but the boy later sits on Todd’s lap (Holden, 1994, 14). This is different, since he is used to private personal space of a person from one’s culture. And later running after a suitcase, literary thrown into a small automatic rick saw which Todd refers to as “one of those taxi go-cart thingies”. Just on his early days in the new culture he observes very new customs, from a man passing urine on the roadside, and an urchin who pesters him only to snatch his mobile phone and disappear into thin air. This makes him develop a stereotypic attitude that that’s the Indian culture, by generalizing what he should actually have done. Adler teaches the importance of forging new and ingenious ways to interact with employees and workers as well as the people who may be found in a society so as to ensure flexibility and progress in an environment that is fast changing.

As Puro is leading the lead actor Todd to his residence, Puro finds it worth to alter his plans, thinking that the accommodation he is leading him to, Gharapuri Palace Hotel is a bit more lonely, in comparison to another one, called Aunt Ji’s guest house. He therefore tells him that she would take care of her better than her his own real mother, but the lead actor protests, implying that he would like to go to his hotel, before the Indian insists that he would not be lonely there. On their arrival there, at Aunt Ji’s, he realizes about the collectivist nature of the lady as she enquires about her new guest, calling her, “So Mr.Toad, what does your father do?” Being much of an individualist, he didn’t expect much of the inquiries.

The food they eat also is a shock to Todd, stuff he is not used to. For example in the movie, he eats ‘gola’ from a hawker in the streets, and is followed by stomach issues which cause comedy in the film. When a snack is offered unto him in the guest house, he eats using his left hand , which is taken as the unclean ‘toilet’ hand in various parts in the globe. Todd, being overwhelmed by homesickness, feels a craving for cheeseburger. This causes him to visit Bombay by taxi, which he thinks should be a McDonald’s but to his surprise, the place turns to be an imitation of a restaurant of fast foods that deals entirely with ‘maharaja veggie burgers’ and such stuff as those.

            At the call center, Todd does not hide his reaction and dissatisfaction, considering what he expected to find and the kind of people he expected to find there. When he sees the call center, he thinks Puro has led him to a different place from what he expected to see, he comically asks if the counterpart is kidding, and ends up concluding that the MPI is very bad, adding that the place is a disaster. 

In the film, outsourced, marriage practices extensively discussed are a big help to Todd to have an experience to discover India (Kabasakal, 1994, 43). It happens at one time that he is amazed when he finds out that an Indian lady, called Asha, which he ends up being involved in romance with was engaged since she was a small girl at age of four years when parents arranged for her marriage.

This appears to him as a shock of this new culture, of marriage arrangements at such a tender age. He finds it hard to believe that a smart woman with her own opinions would accept such (Jackson, 2007, 15). He wouldn’t understand what happened to her right to choose for herself. Asha, in her culture, as she was brought up, she believed that what she was destined for wholly depended on what she was told by her parents, what was never the caser with Todd. She says that her dad had made her to believe that she would never go to university, neither could she work at the call center, but had to stick to what her dad said.

Purohit faces the prospects of losing his job, being sure that his in-laws to be would have her fiancée married to another man immediately. Todd does not understand why there has to be a hurry in marrying so soon, but Puro explains it as “astrology”, explaining further that her moons were lined up and that it was her auspicious time, meaning she had to be married that year, not any later (Cross-Cultural Management, 2013, 7).  In the setting of Puro’s wedding date for his pending marriage reveals different cultural considerations. When he asks the lady if she would like to live in the United States, she says that she really would miss her parents too much and would be hard for her. Asha finds it hard to be with Todd in public wondering what the people would think unlike in the states where Todd knows people are free to be in public without being concerned of what people may think (Welsh, 1994, 23).

Theoretical explanations of how Todd adopted to different cultures

Todd went through all the stages of cross cultural adjustment in order to full appreciate the environment in which he was working. Lynsgaard’s four stages were fully complied with by the actor. The first stage was euphoria; in which he was merely like a tourist or one in honeymoon. Secondly, he experienced culture shock, which affected his productivity at the place of work. After this he just had to accept being part of the family at work and to profess the Indian culture.

At the work place, Todd clearly portrays low power distance as part of their culture (Fontaine, 2007, 12). This is seen in the way he addresses his boss as compared to how his employees addressed him. He uses words as ‘corporate slime-ball’  and ‘cheap bastard’ referring to his boss, which appears shockingly unaccepted in the Indian culture where the power distance is quite high in the sense of the way they address him, sometimes as ‘Mr. Todd’, other times as ‘Sir’ which to him appears somehow unnecessary. To the Indians, high power distance shows acceptance of superiority of the bosses and unequal power distribution, and the fact that in an organization, the amount of resources and influence is never equal. The power setting and superiority influence is called the organizational structure, in a business setting. The organizational structure is what dictates the extent to which employees can participate in making of decisions and implementation of such. Todd prefers individualism as compared to collectivism but he later learns to balance the perception from the American culture with those in the Indian Culture.

When he arrives in America, Todd first called his parents, because he had in himself, incorporated family values from India. This is unlike in the past where he could not even see them even though he lived 2 hours away from them. The ringtone of his mobile phone, which was set for him by Asha was an Indian hit song, also depicts the Indian culture, coupled with his new behavior to drink coffee with too much sugar. He learns to fit in both cultures comfortably, which appeared so hard for him as he entered India from America. This explains how cross cultural communication is important in understanding and accepting other people’s cultures and assimilating it in life. Todd clearly puts it clear about the importance of assimilating cross culture, proudly being part of both cultures, which he comfortable embraces.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, the movie, Outsourced depicts a cross-cultural life of the lead actor, finding it hard to adjust to the new culture which has totally very few things in India that compare with the American Culture . It first costs him quite much to get into understanding their lifestyle, but had to, since he already was with them and would be his counterparts for the time he was there. As he goes back to his mother land, he has learnt to accept the culture and feels part of the Indian community and culture, and better still, holding onto his culture, the American culture. This is a typical illustration of cross cultural management by persons in the business field (Cross-Cultural Management, 2013, 7).

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