ANTH 303 Lecture Notes - Deferral, Chris Holdsworth, Prentice Hall

• School: University of Calgary
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: ANTH 303
• Professor: Chris Holdsworth

Document Summary

The focus of this course is the influence culture has on business. Companies possess unique sets of values, customs, traditions and meanings. Corporate cultures embody not only the vision of the company but also influence its ethical standards and managerial practices. Companies, to be successful, must also understand their consumers and their needs within specific cultural contexts. Globalization and immigration have meant that most canadian corporations are not only increasingly engaged in multinational trade and negotiation, but also have an increasingly ethnically diverse workforce. The course begins by exploring the challenges businesses face and a general understanding of the anthropological concept of culture. After a brief history of the relationship between anthropology and business we look at how anthropological methods can be used to conduct fieldwork in organizations as well as understand consumers and design new products. This is followed by exploring the role of culture in organizations and how organizations can use this knowledge to advantage.