MillenialsStudent’s NameInstitutional Affil.docx

Millenials
Student’s Name:
Institutional Affiliation:
Date:
Millenials
Abstract
The study reviews an extensive analysis of focus on Millenials
generation particularly in America and the correlation it has
with the workplace, their desires, relations, communication
career choices, and family consideration. The millennials as
born between 1980 and mid-2000s make the greatest of
American with one-third of the overall American population by
2013.They thus make the significant part of the economy and
need to be studied so as to realize the American dream. Being
diverse and so much educated and since they come of age at a
hard economic time, hence up to date their life is affected by
the recession. The lives of the millennials are based on
transformation. The largest percent of millennials are White
followed by Hispanics, black with few Asians/Pacific Islanders
and other. This essay explores the beliefs, contact and other
aspects surrounding Millenials.

Introduction
The basic millennials are generations born between years 1980
and 2000. They are believed to be the biggest in population in
the United States history. Sadaghiani & Myers (2010), opine
that nation of the time. Particular traits related to their birth
which came during the time of recession when Great Depression
had affected America and there were difficulties in the
economic time. According to Sadaghani & Meyer (2010),
Millenials are also characterized to be self –centered lack
enthusiasm; disloyal and disrespectful .This distinct trait is
necessitated by economic, political and social influences. Their
unique traits are poised to change the American economy in
terms of how the companies transact in business and how
companies employ millennials. This reason, therefore, makes
companies strategize their operations in relation to dealing with
millennials, therefore, leading to a great impact in a change in
the economy. Therefore, with the exploration of millennials’
communication values, their expectations, their interaction with
co-workers and how their environment impact on millennials,
the large part of American culture will have been explored.
Communication
In terms of communication, millennials have particular ways in
which they set information to others and families. They
communicate too with the workforce, clients, and the bosses in
a discrete way. According to Sadaghiani & Myers (2010),
communication is factored as a mode of information sharing,
decision making, influence, coordination motivation and
documentation in work groups and organizations. Effective
communication serves to maintain a link within an organization
and organized groups. White (2016) states that due to dynamic
changes in employee’s millennials continue to comprise a vast
majority, therefore, their impact in the organizational mode of
communication is more important. Unlike the old-school legacy
communications like emails and intranets millennials have
shifted o more mobile friendly tools. This has forced
organizations to streamline their modes of communication into

the ones that suit them best. Price Water House Coopers (2011)
explains that millennials adoption in technology distinctively
defines them. Concisely the have been brought up with
broadband, laptops, smartphones and the social media networks
being the median in which they access and share information.
Millennials use of modern technologies suggests that they bring
to the organization’s potential communication and information
technologies such web and instant messaging.
Education and Career
The millennials focus on socially impacting on their offspring
and the society. Millenials are devoted to higher education
studying social sciences or applied faculties as library sciences,
criminal justice, and communications. They can rarely study
health or business courses as well as other STEM subjects
because of the labor market state. They are shaped by
technology hence they are so much connected to it and they
have an interest in starting an entrepreneur business too. They
are a group, which communicates and interacts amongst
themselves and use social media regularly. Furthermore, they
take the high profile of the role they take in the society, that
makes the attached to families, many of them thus consider
living with allies or families. Furthermore, they consider free
time for leisure and creative work abilities important. These
millennials are lovers of flexibility at workplaces, yet without
encouragement, they cannot like the work environment. The
similar way they like brands in the market is the attachment
they have to work.
Belief
The Millenials do not believe in being shackled in tradition or
locations because they did not know anything to do with digital
technology as they have lived with it. Research, movie theater,
locating places and necessary data comes by technological
affair (Gillaspie, 2015). Though called lazily, they are not
because of efficient work input they believe in. Furthermore,
they have little value for face time, which does not mean that
they avoid face-to-face meetings fully. However, Gillaspie

(2015) postulates that millennials would prefer online
interactions as video conferencing, text, and mail contacts that
are what they believe it much. In addition, they have a belief in
learning and not using a piece of paper when they do projects,
prospects, and search for knowledge. As such, instead of going
to a library and reading annually, they surf online (Gillaspie,
2015). In addition, they have a belief of learning from the
experiences of others especially the successes full individuals
instead of fictionalized information. They consult experienced
organizations, formal consultants or role models so that they
venture into similar projects and go the same way in life.
Additionally, the Millenials believe in life so much than work-
balance hence they work to design life, family, friends, hobbies,
and pastimes as well as commercial enterprises (Gillaspie,
2015).
Workplace interaction
In terms of interaction, Millenials have a different way of
reaction. Millennials enter the job market like anyone else and
the first challenge they encounter is the integration of their
medium of communication into the organization Sadaghiani, &
Myers (2010). Further millennials gain acceptance through
socialization process as well as how to negotiate for their roles
and how to gain others acceptance. There economic social and
political background influences their culture and creates a
lasting impact. Their cultural impact seems to be incompatible
with other generations. Therefore, as a young and dynamic
generations, they carry the elements of their cultural influence
with them and making a lasting impact on society. U.S Chamber
of Commerce Foundation, (2012) outlines that, they termed as
more diverse generations since this is epitomized by being
tolerant to races and groups than their counterpart the old
generation. Additionally, they are considered to have a trait of
multi-tasking extraordinarily. This has been evidenced by the
way they are likely to change tasks often and appear as they are
their routine duties. Millennials like challenging opportunities
for a change, for example, they have revolutionized the way job

seekers look for jobs on the job boards on the web. The
generation has sometimes been termed as the lazy which is not
the case because they work hard to incorporate technology in
their work for operational efficiency.
Expectations and Team Relationship
The expectation and team relationship of Millenials are quite
diverse. Empirically it has been established that millennials are
not like the employees in previous generations. They build a
strong relationship with their supervisors by initial negotiation
of their roles to avoid conflict of interest and for their long-
term satisfaction within the organization. Millennials expect
communication with their bosses to be positive more affirming
unlike the employees of previous generations (Sadaghiani &
Myers 2010). Conversely, literature and academic sources have
claimed that the need for affirmation derives from the constant
flow of supportive messages Millennials have received from
their mentors throughout their childhood. Furthermore,
millennials have high expectations in terms of frequent, open
and supportive communications putting aside formalities in
terms of organizational structures that may make senior
employees feel disrespected. The impact of this is that the
millennials become aware of strategic information that could
make them more informed, better performance, and thus the
good relationship with their employers. Price Water house
coopers 2008 assert that millennials tend to be uncomfortable
with rigid organizational structures. Therefore they expect
dynamic progression, change and interesting working
environment and constant response from their superiors. In
other words, millennials are more attracted by the leadership
style and corporate culture that is dynamic.
Companies that have employed millennial have been proved to
be the most successful for example Google and Apple have been
associated with being natural innovators and have never been
restrained by accepting change. The companies are also
believed to attract the most talented this by their culture, their
leadership styles, and recruitment and retention policy have

proved to naturally attracted millennials and by this, they are
able to select the young innovative and multitalented
millennials. This leads to these companies attaining a
competitive age over others.
According to Keri (2016), millennials have got five traits
which entrepreneurs can learn from for their success of their
businesses. These have been demonstrated by how millennials
have little experience but are very innovative in terms of new
ideas and skills. Since they like small businesses, they are able
to bring this business into a distinctive and unique features,
therefore, entrepreneurs use this unique idea to nature their
businesses. These ideas that the millennials use to make their
businesses succeed are; embracing technology, considering
non- conventional business financing, making their own income,
Investing in their employees and be willing to plan and take
risks. Long term goals of a company can be attained by
attracting and retaining millennials and this can be termed as
for being a vibrant step.
There are various social behaviors that are detractive when
interacting with this group, this because they have some
distinctive character traits. Millennials feel disadvantaged by
what they feel are traditional outdated management practices.
According to Price Water House Coopers (2011), 65% felt that
rigid organizational structures and outdated leadership styles
failed attract potential recruits and 46% thought that their
managers were of oblivious of how to embrace technology.
Secondly, millennials feel distracted when their employer does
not nature their talent thus in this case they will be disloyal.
Price Water House Coopers (2011) outline that millennials
prefer to work in an organization where there is sufficient
customer service relationship 88% of the interviewed said that
they prefer looking for an employer with good customer service
white 88% prefer shifting an organization where they feel that
there is no customer service . Additionally, Millenials prefer
continuous learning and improvement of skills in an
organization, 35% said they prefer employers who offer training

and development. Considering that relationships are valued for
millennial generations, it is surprising that. Ability to get
financing to start a business is the greatest challenge for
millennials. U.S. Chamber of Commerce (2012) asserts that
two-thirds do not receive enough support from banks,
furthermore, lack of education and resources to start up small
businesses has been found to be another challenge. By their
character of multitasking, they have been viewed by many that
they lack commitment and poor customer service. The lack of
some traditional elements of business interactions mainly
involving the human element and customer care are the skills to
be developed. Recessionary effects have made millennials to
enter the job market and take jobs that do not match their skills
and characterized by small wages. It has been observed that
more than a third have been distracted or taken an off from
work because of personal or financial issues. The introduction
of entrepreneurship curriculum has been 2100 U.S. colleges and
universities majority of the students felt that the course did not
prepare them to start businesses. Therefore the curriculum had
been revised to cater for the new changes .According to U.S.
Chamber of Commerce 2012 40% or more of the new students
come for entrepreneur classes when they have already begun
businesses (U.S. Chamber of Commerce 2012).
Sadaghiani, & Myers (2010) opines that socializing with parents
about leadership have a direct relationship with one's
achievements and material success. Additionally leadership
experience looks good on resumes as this is attributed to the
fact that millennials attain their skills from personal experience
and from their mentors. Some researchers have been able to
clarify that the millennials are egoistic while others have
confirmed that researchers value community service and
volunteering (Sadaghiani & Myers 2010). For instance, in some
literature authors observe that millennials are collaborative and
civic minded and they have been mentored by people who serve
the community. Due to economic trends millennials are driving
social and geographic shifts. To mention, they have been

observed to marry at later and less often as compared to
previous generations. Additionally, millennials, especially the
educated ones, have moved in large proportions to urban areas.
There is an observation that millennials’ views on news and
religious organizations have adversely grown. Though the
young generations tend to have more positive views on
institutions that matter in the American economy, they have
been proved to have negative opinions in some institutions and
news media.
Conclusion
Conclusively, given that millennials will be about 50% of USA
by 2020; this vast number indicated the need to study the
culture of these people. The reason for pursuing the Millennials
and knowing them clearly life is because of their work attitudes,
their knowledge in technology, their contact with friends and
families as well as their career choices. If they are not observed
it will be difficult for the US to be steered forwards. As such,
the millennials communicate using social media, they are
skilled in technology meaning at workplace technology has to
be supplied. Furthermore, they will be eminent and will operate
in supporting a significant and broad growth of America. As
talented as they are and dedicated to their family they have to
be utilized properly for the development of the places they work
and stay. Besides, having been used to the economic crisis of
their time, their closeness to the family and how it could affect
the work or support it as well as the treatment they should be
given for the to offer proper services to varied workplaces.
Furthermore, other workers have to know that Millenials like
relating with their own generation wish to have an entrepreneur
and to create meaning, the employees should not look at them as
people who will be content with work alone. As it is their value
of rapid progression, flexibility at work, encouragement and
brand attraction, are concepts that unless understood by their
bosses, might now work with millennials. It, therefore, means
that employers and managers have to fit in these expectations
for millennial generations to be productive.

References
Gillaspie, D. (2015). 5 ways millennials are like no generation
before them. Retrieved from
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243862
Keri, G. (2016). 5 Things Millennial Entrepreneurs Can Teach
Their Business Elders About Running a Company. Retrieved
December 2016, from
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242483
Price Water House Coopers. (2011). Millennials at work.
Reshaping the Workplace., 1-28.Retrieved from
http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/managing-tomorrows-people/future-
of-work/assets/reshaping-the-workplace.pdf
Sadaghiani, K. M. (2010). Journal of Business and Psychology.
A Communication Perspective on Millennials’ Organizational
Relationships and Performance.
U.S Chamber of Commerce Founation. (2012, November). U.S
Chamber of Commerce Founation. The Millennial Generation
Research Review.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce. (2012, November). The Millennial
Generation Research Review. Retrieved from

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/reports/millennial-
generation-research-review
White K.S. (2016). Unified Communication. Millennials are
shaking up workplace communication.Retrieved from
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/millennials
_report.pdf
American Deaf Culture 1
Running Head: AMERICAN DEAF CULTURE
AMERICAN DEAF CULTURE
Jane L. Doe
Central State University
CED 555 – Human Relations Skills
Professor Duckie D. Happy
September 13, 2012
Abstract
To a large number of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people in
America, hearing loss is not a disability. They see themselves as
members of a linguistic minority that depends upon the use of
American Sign Language for communication. They prefer the
terms Deaf and Hard of Hearing to describe themselves, as
opposed to a variety of terms for hearing loss that they find
imposed upon them by a hearing majority. This paper explored
the basic understanding of deafness, historical context of seeing
Deaf people as a culture, and includes approaches for
meaningful communication with Deaf and Hard of Hearing
people for those who have little or no exposure to American
Sign Language.
American Deaf Culture

The following study is to review a general look at Deafness in
America, its connection to the world of education, American
Sign Language, Deaf culture, and customs such as eye gaze and
introductions. The principal application of this research is to
classify the most effective tactics to promote acceptance of and
develop effective interaction with members of the Deaf culture.
A General Look at Deafness in America
There are many things to be said for living in a silent world.
One would not be bothered with the noises of car accidents,
warplanes, or screaming neighbors, but one cannot discount the
fact that Deaf and Hard of Hearing people are at a
communication disadvantage with the remainder of the hearing
population. It must also be pointed out that someone who
considers themselves Deaf or Hard of Hearing may have an
actual hearing loss in the mild range all the way up through the
profound range; it may surprise some people to know how much
(or how little) a Deaf person can hear. With the advent of better
medicines and childhood immunizations, education about
damaging the ear, and cochlear implant surgeries, many causes
of hearing loss have been eliminated, but there are still those
unexplained cases where hearing loss just happens to a person.
With the advent of free public education for all American
school children, schools had to develop a way to educate these
children.
No discussion on Deaf culture would be complete without
discussing the importance of and deep connection to the
education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. Since a majority
of people with hearing losses are born to families where they
are the only person in that family that way (I read sometime in
the early 1990s that the percentage is around 90%, but I have
since misplaced the source), or developed that hearing loss due
to illness, few families are equipped to transmit the language
needs, let alone Deaf culture to their children the way that most
families transmit these (generationally). In the Deaf world,
culture is passed on at residential schools for the Deaf, or

schools where there is a large population of both other Deaf
students and Deaf teachers – these are the cultural educators.
They transmit history, language, and values to the younger
generation. In addition, these schools can also equip their
students with and understanding of a general curriculum, a
focus on competence in written English, and basic lip-reading
skills (more discussion on these topics later).
What most hearing people might find puzzling, especially, is
that Deaf people do not consider themselves handicapped;
instead, they relish in their shared experiences and the beauty of
their language: American Sign Language (ASL).
American Sign Language
Spoken and written English is not the primary language of Deaf
and Hard of Hearing people in America. How could it be? How
could one expect a person who has not heard a language to be a
proficient user of that language? Instead, Deaf and Hard of
Hearing people experience the world primarily through their
eyes, thus becoming dependent upon a visual language. Yes,
the argument could be made that Deaf people could read
English, and thus are proficient users, but the subtleties that
come from listening to the language are lost upon them, as is
the explanation of abstract terms like articles (i.e. “the”, “a”,
“an”, etc.). However, when allowed to experience the world
and communicate about it through a language that originates
visually, like American Sign Language (ASL) does, those
considered at a language disadvantage by those who feel
language needs to be read and heard are shown that their logic
is incomplete.
Since most of all children with hearing losses have hearing
parents, they are in a linguistic minority, even in their own
households. Most Deaf people learn American Sign Language in
their school settings from peers and teachers who are users of

ASL. According to Padden (1989), “(n)ot all Deaf individuals
have native competence in ASL; …there are many individuals
who become enculturated as Deaf persons and bring with them a
knowledge of some other language, usually English”.
Culture
According to Padden (1989), “Deaf people can be born into the
culture…(h)owever, the type of degree of hearing loss is not a
criterion for being Deaf”. With this definition, even hearing
people can be considered Deaf. That is, even the hearing
children of culturally Deaf parents can be considered Deaf.
Carl Cronenberg (as cited in Padden, 1989) commented on the
social isolation of members of the Deaf community: they can be
isolated from each other, so when they do have the opportunity
to contact other Deaf people, they often remain in groups
talking late, long after the party ends or the restaurant empties
with people. Since ASL is not a written language, there are no
books that Deaf children read to learn cultural values; instead
they learn them through their education with other Deaf people
who will reinforce or discourage their comments and actions
(Padden, 1989). According to Hall (1989), there is a deference
to age by the youth in the Deaf community, with older Deaf
people displaying parental attitudes toward younger Deaf
people, whether related by blood or not.
There is sacredness to how the hands are used to communicate
(Padden, 1989); Sign Language is often explained in terms of
the pictures that it depicts. ASL users strongly believe that
there must be “reason and rhyme” behind a sign (Padden, 1989).
Padden (1989) continues by stating that Deaf people believe
that hand gestures must conveys some kind of visual meaning
and have strongly resisted what appear to be “nonsense” use of
hands.

Customs
Holding Eye Gaze
Some of the major differences between Deaf and hearing
cultures come in regard to length of eye contact. Padden (1989)
points out that in American hearing culture, people are taught
that staring is inappropriate; however, in ASL conversations, it
is considered rude to break eye contact with the signer too soon.
Because of this, Deaf people have learned to break eye contact
with hearing people at what may seem like “strange” times,
because they don’t want to be seen as stupid for staring or
making improper advances. Additionally, eye contact must also
be used as a monitor for comprehension of the conversation.
Occasionally during conversation, Deaf people will often stop
and ask if the listeners understand; this behavior is also
common when communicating with hearing people. When using
an interpreter, the hearing person should maintain eye contact
with the Deaf person, and the Deaf person should alternate eye
contact with the hearing person and the interpreter (who should
be next to the hearing person). Closing one’s eyes, turning away
from the Deaf person, or otherwise breaking eye contact is
considered rude and or intentionally hurtful.
Introductions and Identification
Membership in Deaf culture is often obvious during the ritual of
introductions and exchange of names. First, getting the attention
of a Deaf person can be a challenge; appropriate methods
include a tap on the arm or shoulder, flashing the lights of a
room when the person is too far away to touch, or stomping on
the floor or tapping on a table to create vibrations are all
perfectly acceptable ways to get a deaf person’s attention (Hall,
1989). After hugging or brief handshakes (marital status,
gender, age differences do not matter – everyone hugs or shakes

hands), Deaf people often introduce themselves by first and last
names and add which city or state they are from, and in most
cases, which school they attended or spent most of their
childhood; according to Padden (1989), this is important
because the cultural group is small and maintaining ties with its
members is a means of preserving group connectedness. This
information allows Deaf people to instantly identify themselves
as either one who has “grown up Deaf” or acquired their Deaf
cultural status later in life. In the former case, slightly higher
social status is awarded to this person; if it is the latter case,
there is a somewhat lower status placed upon this person.
Alternately, introductions between a member of the Deaf culture
to someone of the hearing culture are affected by these
interactions. First, Deaf people often find it amusing how
startled hearing people are to being touched; however, one
should never hold the hand of a Deaf person for very long – it
“silences” them (Hall, 1989). Introductions between these two
groups do not include school information, unless the hearing
person indicates they know any ASL, and then the Deaf person
will ask where s/he learned it. Deaf people do appreciate when a
hearing person tells them that they know some Sign Language;
this disclosure allows for two things: 1) it can help them know
that private information they share with others is not as private
as they thought, as it is easy to “eavesdrop” on an ASL
conversation, and 2) this information shows that the hearing
person might be more open minded to the challenges a Deaf or
Hard of Hearing person faces.
Communication
Most Deaf people assume that hearing people do not know sign
language, and do not feel comfortable reading lips. As a matter
of fact, only about 30% of what is said on the lips can be read
easily. With people chewing gum, sporting facial hair, being
disadvantaged by crooked teeth, or having an “accent,” most
Deaf people abandon all attempts at lip-reading once they leave

school. So, how do Deaf people communicate with hearing
people? Well, one could hire an interpreter, but waiting for that
person’s arrival is a waste of precious time to conduct business
or pleasure. The parties could scramble to find paper and
something with which to write, as is still occasionally practiced.
However, with the electronic world in which we all now live,
Deaf people now use their electronic devices to speed
communication between the Deaf and hearing worlds. When
meeting, sometimes, Deaf people will use their notepad or text
message functions in their pocket communication devices
(cellular phones), and then show it to the hearing person with
whom they are trying to communicate. Passing this device back
and forth in face-to-face interactions is becoming more and
more commonplace, especially with the younger generation.
Since Deaf people often cannot hear well enough to use the
phone (although, surprisingly, some can), e-mail or text
messaging is the most appropriate and preferred method for
conducting business between Deaf and hearing people now
(when one of the two parties is not an ASL user). The use of
web cams over the internet is very important for long-distance
communication between Deaf people; they use video chat
software to conduct personal and business matters between
those who are ASL users.
Saying good-bye in the Deaf community takes a long time.
Since so many Deaf people are isolated from other Deaf people,
this is a formal, lengthy process. When the conversation ends,
each person must indicate where s/he is going and what s/he is
going to do; this is the same in person or electronically. In large
gatherings of Deaf people, good-byes can take as long as an
hour or more, as each person will look for their friends to say a
final good-bye. This lengthy leave-taking can occur in
interactions between Deaf and hearing people, but usually takes
much less time, as long as one remembers to tell what one is up
to next.
Conclusion

The Deaf culture is an often unnoticed part of the richness that
makes America a precious place to live. Their members have
contributed so much to the needs of Americans: to
communication (the man who developed the teletype machine, a
predecessor to Instant Messaging, was Deaf), entertainment
(Marlee Matlin, a Deaf woman, won a Best Actress Academy
Award), connections with other countries (Heather Whitestone
[Hard of Hearing] was Miss America and an ambassador for us
in the Miss Universe pageant), pets’ livelihoods (Robyn
Limberg-Child is a veterinarian and animal rights activist in
Michigan), and public safety (Leroy Columbo was a Deaf
lifeguard who saved 907 lives over his career). But due to their
isolation from us in so many other parts of our world, I think
References
Briggle, S.J. (2005). Language and literacy development in
children who are deaf or hearing
impaired. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 41, 68-71.
Hall, S. (1989). Train-gone-sorry: The social etiquette of social
conversations in american sign
language. In Wilcox, S. (Ed.), American Deaf Culture: An
Anthology (pp. 89-102). Burtonsville, MD: Linstok Press.
Padden, C. (1989). The deaf community and the culture of deaf
people. In Wilcox, S. (Ed.),
American Deaf Culture: An Anthology (pp. 1-16). Burtonsville,
MD: Linstok Press.
Rose, S. (2002). Inclusion of students with hearing loss in
general education: fact or fiction. The
Teacher Educator, 37, 216-227.
Stokoe, W.C. (1989). Dimensions of difference: ASL and
english based cultures. In Wilcox, S.

(Ed.), American Deaf Culture: An Anthology (pp. 49-60).
Burtonsville, MD: Linstok Press.
Wilcox, S. (1989). STUCK in school: meaning and culture in a
deaf education classroom. In
Wilcox, S. (Ed.), American Deaf Culture: An Anthology (pp.
145-162). Burtonsville, MD: Linstok Press.
CED 555
RESEARCH PAPER PRESENTATION
GRADE SHEET
Name:
_____________________________________________________
__________________
Research Paper Topic:
_____________________________________________________
____
Cultural Group Studied:
_____________________________________________________
__
Specific Items to be covered in Research Paper Presentation
Points
1. Organization of Summary Handout [2 points]
2. Intro. Statement of What Was Studied [3 points]
3. Significant Findings Presented [15 points]

· Addressed appropriate social and business behaviors when
interacting with this group.
· Addressed behaviors that can enhance effective relationships
with this group.
· Addressed behaviors that can detract from establishing
effective relationships.
· Addressed any other human relations/communication
skill/issues pertinent to this group.
4. Summary Remarks [5 points]
· What did you learn?
· How will you use what you learned in your work/personal
life?
TOTAL POINTS [25] =
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
The Afghan Culture 1
Running Head: THE AFGHAN CULTURE
THE AFGHAN CULTURE
John A. Doe
Central State University
CED 555 – Human Relations Skills
Professor Duckie D. Happy
September 13, 2012

Abstract
Afghanistan is a small, landlocked country located in Central
Asia. Sharing a border with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,
Tajikistan, Pakistan, China and Iran, its name means land of the
Afghans, or Pashtuns. Afghanistan possesses a history rich in
conquest and permeated with multi-ethnicities and cultures.
This paper examined the history, cultural beliefs and practices,
business etiquette, and strategies for successful multicultural
communication with people of Afghanistan.
The Afghan Culture
This subsequent research is to review the Afghan culture in
regards to history, the famous photograph, dress, religious
beliefs, language, gastronomy, hospitality, and business
etiquette and practices. The primary focus of this research is to
identify the best practices and strategies to promote
globalization and successful communication and negotiation
with the Afghan culture.
History of Afghanistan
The people of Afghanistan are believed to have a history as a
farming and harvesting community dating back as far as 6000
B.C. (Runion, 2007). The territory was then conquered by the
Persian empire and ruled by King Darius before being subject to
Macedonians under Alexander the Great. The Islamic religion
was introduced by the Arabs around 652 A.D. and the
previously Buddhist/Hindu culture began to slowly and
uniformly convert to becoming Muslim (Rubin, 1995). The
Muslim faith endured beyond Mongolian invasions, British
occupation and later Soviet occupation, and is still strong today.
Rashid (2001) postulates that Afghans have a reputation as
being a pro-war culture, yet this is a land and a people that have
shouldered the burden of occupation and invasion almost
continuously since the finish of that small farming and
harvesting community in 6000 B.C. The worst was to come,

however, stemmed from a small, militant civil group of
guerillas that aided in the independence of the country from the
ten year Soviet conflict named The Taliban (Bradsher, 1985).
The Taliban imposed harsh rules, created and accepted nothing
less than full adherence to their strict religious codes and
committed many humanitarian crimes against the Afghan people
until they were toppled from power by U. S. Armed forces and
the American occupation began in 2002 (Edwards, 2002).
The Famous Photograph
In 1985, Steve McCurry was a relatively young photojournalist
with National Geographic magazine. He was on assignment,
covering the conflict between the Soviet Union and the war
zone known as Afghanistan. While in a refugee camp in
Pakistan, he came across a 12 year old refugee girl, with vivid
green eyes and a piercing, haunting regard. The little “Afghan
eyes girl,” as she became known in the west, was of the Pashtun
tribe, the most war like of the tribes comprising Afghan people.
As the details of her short life unfolded, a grim picture of the
cost of the Soviet war began to take place. Her parents had
been bombed in a Soviet air raid. She was left a refugee orphan
and, with her sisters, brothers, led by an elderly grandmother,
trekked by foot across the mountainous border into Pakistan.
As touching as her story was, she was not alone. More than
twenty years later, Afghanistan is still a war torn country in
transition. It is current occupied by American forces seeking to
uphold the current government and life is still as harsh for many
Afghans today as for the little girl in the photograph twenty-
four years ago.
Culture and Customs
Most Afghans continue to strictly follow the Muslim religion,
whether by choice, or by necessity. Remnants of the Taliban
regime have strictly restricted the rights of women and girls.
In many Muslim societies, women are expected only to take
care of their husband, children, and husband’s family.
Although under the current government, girls are permitted to

go to school by law, girls are not always allowed to go to school
by practice, and when they attempt to are often retaliated upon
by remnant Taliban forces. Often, such retaliations are harsh,
including the harrowing practice of throwing acid on young
schoolgirls as they walk to or return from school. Family is
the most sacred and private thing for an Afghan. Afghans are
very protective of their families and for this reason, direct
questions pertaining to an individual’s family should be
avoided, especially when inquiring about gender and
intercultural relationships in Afghanistan. Especially avoid
questions about or directed to the women of Afghan families.
According to Gannon (2005), misunderstood inquiries about an
Afghan’s female relatives can at best be considered rude and at
worst be grounds for violent revenge. In general, educated
urbanites from areas such as Kabul or Herat tend to be more
open and tolerant of western cultures than rural communities
who are much more private and under the heavy influence of
militant extremists and Taliban regime.
Dress
Traditional dress codes are mainly loose fitting trousers and
tunics for men and women. Women’s tunics often have high
necks and long sleeves (Rutherford, 2009). Women also range
in their head coverings from a scarf draped around the head and
shoulders to the ultra conservative Burqua required under the
Taliban regime. Afghan men tend to wear turbans of white and
Pashtuns like to leave a small amount of the fabric hanging
down (Rutherford, 2009). Under Taliban rule, were required to
wear a beard once reaching age of marriage without exception,
though that is changing. It is not at all common to see Afghans
dressed in clothing that exposes the skin, such as shorts or open
toe shoes.
Religious beliefs
Religion is also very important to Afghanistan culture. The
country is comprised of nine different tribes or ethnic groups,
most are Muslim. There is some differentiation between
Muslims across ethnic groups as well. The vast majority of

Afghans are Sunni Muslims. The minority are Shia Muslims
(Gannon, 2005). These differences can lead to conflicts
between ethnic groups. Rubin (1995) stated it is not uncommon
for Pashtuns, the majority ethnic group and Sunni Muslims, to
discriminate against Hazaras, a small minority remnant of the
Mongols who are Shia Muslims. One important thing to note is
that Afghans are a multiethnic culture. They are not Arabs.
Their lineage can be described as close to Persian heritage.
Languages
The official languages used in Afghanistan are Pashtu and Dari.
Dari (a form of Farsi,) is the official language used in public
sector affairs and for business transactions. More than 50% of
the population speaks Dari. Most Afghans are multi-lingual and
there are more than 70 smaller languages and dialects
throughout the country (Smith, 2009).
Gastronomy and hospitality
Afghan dishes are based on Persian cuisine and rely heavily on
sheep and goat dairy products such as cheeses and yogurts
(Rutherford, 2009). Most refrain from drinking alcohol or
eating pork products. It is considered rude to offer either of
these items as gifts. Afghans are also heavy drinkers of tea.
When Afghans invite someone to their home as a guest, a
custom is to never allow the tea glass to be empty. A small,
nicely wrapped gift should be brought to the host and sat
discretely by the front door or at a side table. At tea you will
be offered Afghani sweets like cardamom spiced cookies called
Khatai, and Asabia el Alroos, or “Bride’s fingers” which are
thinly sliced phyllo sheets with nut and honey filling (Smith,
2009). Afghans are very hospitable and will offer guests the
best of what they have, even with very limited resources.
Because of this, especially when visiting homes with children, it
can be considered rude to continuously accept food and drink
that is offered by the host. Once a guest has enjoyed enough
tea, a hand placed over their cup with a nod will signal the host
to stop serving the tea. After one or two sweets, it is customary
to bow your head to signal that you have eaten enough as well.

Business etiquette
The most common greeting to use in Afghanistan is a hand
shake. People will often place their left hand over their heart
and slightly nod their head to greet people as well (Murray,
2009). Because business cards are a luxury, being given one is
seen as a graceful gesture and carries a certain prestige.
Accepting a business card requires a careful handling of the
card and a thoughtful look over its contents. A gracious
comment about any qualifications or a compliment about the
card’s style and placing the card into a holder rather than the
pocket will be greatly appreciated (Smith, 2009). Women
conducting business in Afghanistan should always be dressed
moderately and consider wearing a scarf out of respect. From
the Afghan culture’s point of view, there is always a winner and
a loser when conducting business. Before discussing heavy
business matters, there must be introductory meetings to
establish trust. During meetings, it should not be considered
offensive if an Afghan accepts a phone call or leaves the room
for a short time. When negotiating, if money is not the greatest
motivator, associating honor or prestige with a proposal may
help.
Conclusion
During my research I have learned that the Afghans show high
respect for their tight-knit families, are very conservative, and
are very gracious hosts. I found it interesting that Afghans’
believe there is always a winner and loser when conducting
business, yet trust is a key foundation. I also thought it was
important to know how precious business cards are and the
appropriate way to handle them to show respect. Lastly, I found
it important to know that associating honor or prestige with a
proposal when negotiating can be as great a motivator as
money. I believe the information I gained through this research
will be of great assistance to me when traveling to Afghanistan,
and to be more confident and successful in business

transactions. Understanding the Afghan culture better has
changed many of my assumptions and previously held beliefs
regarding the Afghan people. Furthermore, as our country is
becoming more global and multicultural, I have a colleague
from Afghanistan and I feel what I have learned has helped me
to build stronger work relations with this individual, as well as
be more open to learning about other cultures.
References
Bradsher, H. S. (1985). Afghanistan and the Soviet Union.
Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Edwards, D. B. (2002). Before Taliban. Los Angeles, CA:
University of California Press.
Gannon, C. (2005). I is for infidel, from holy war to holy terror:
Eighteen years inside
Afghanistan. New York, NY: Public Affairs.
Murray, K. (2009). Afghanistan Culture. Retrieved from
http://www.afghanistanworldfound.org.
Rashid, A. (2001). Taliban. New Haven, CT: Yale University
Press.
Rubin, B. R. (1995). The search for peace in Afghanistan. New
Haven, CT: Yale University
Press.
Runion, M. (2007). The history of Afghanistan. Westport, CT:
Greenwood Press.
Rutherford, D. (2009). Afghanistan culture traditions and
customs. Retrieved from
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/afghanistan-culture-traditions-
and-customs.html.
Smith, S. (2009). Afghan language, customs, culture and
etiquette. Retrieved from

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-
etiquette/afghanistan.html.

MillenialsStudent’s NameInstitutional Affil.docx

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to MillenialsStudent’s NameInstitutional Affil.docx

Similar to MillenialsStudent’s NameInstitutional Affil.docx (20)

More from ARIV4

More from ARIV4 (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

MillenialsStudent’s NameInstitutional Affil.docx