Cultural Dissonance Examples

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Corporate Cultural Dissonance or Not Dissonance is a condition where what is happening is not in agreement with what is thought to be in a given environment. Commonly referred to as cognitive dissonance; when applied to the behavior witnessed in corporations, it is known as cultural dissonance. At first glance, the fictitious company Finer Bags appears to be suffering from an ethical misalignment. However, an examination of their statements and actions would reveal the two are congruent within the organization. Given the material provided regarding the company, I will present the case that the actions of FinerBags.com is in alignment with their business ethics. FinerBags.com is a fictitious internet seller of replicas of expensive, designer …show more content…

Their mission statement is clearly aligned with their actions. Corporate cultural dissonance occurs when the professed values and mission of the corporation differ from how the corporation is functioning in reality. An example of cultural dissonance occurs when a business expresses that all of their associates conduct themselves with integrity and honesty in the sale of their products, yet you routinely witness salesmen stretching the truth regarding the advantages of one product over another when the reality is the two products perform similarly, but it is the implementation support your company provides that makes a difference. This “brand” of cultural dissonance happens every day. It is my witnessing of cultural dissonance that drives my desire to study business management, and develop an understanding of how this occurs, and what are the repercussions if the dissonance didn’t …show more content…

However, if you consider the perspective of its higher priced (one might say overpriced) competitors, one could argue that FinerBags.com is an abomination that should be driven out of business. Certainly laws in most industrialized countries would support this IF FinerBags.com was being disingenuous in their presentation of their product and if there were no visible dissimilarities between their product and the authentic pieces they replicate. On this last statement hinges the argument determining if the business of FinerBags.com is right or wrong, or can be universally disqualified as being righteous. Arguing from the perspective of Louis Vuitton, Coach or the numerous other designers threatened by FinerBags.com’s business, one could state that they are infringing on the quality and status that the designer manufacturers have developed over years of service to the fashion industry. This argument; however, implies that competition in the marketplace should only be between the established players. This would constitute monopolistic competition, a situation where new entrants to a competitive landscape are “crowded out” by the established players. If allowed to perpetuate, what would that mean for access to high quality products for the masses? FinerBags.com, based on their statements on their website, provides