Premium Essay

Asian Americans in the Workplace

In:

Submitted By blaine
Words 7182
Pages 29
Asian Americans in the Workplace

An In-Depth Analysis of Korean Americans

11/19/2007

Table of Contents
Introduction 3
History of Korean Immigration to the United States 4
Values and Customs 10
Demographical Profile 16
The ‘Bamboo Ceiling’: Barriers in the Workplace 22
A Personal Interview: A Different Side to the Story 26
Conclusion 27
References 28

Introduction The term “Asian American” has a rich history in the United States. It refers to a person of Asian ancestry who also obtains American citizenship. The term was originally used by the Census Bureau to clarify and distinguish the government’s equal opportunity programs and measurements. Also, the term “Asian American” was used by anti-war activists during the 1960s instead of using the “Oriental” which was perceived as more derogatory and demeaning. This phrase was finally popularized into mainstream academic usage in the 1970s, and is now the accepted term for government and academic research (Dacin and Hitt, 1997). Although this term allows for economists, sociologists, and statisticians to breakdown the different cultural groups found within the United States, one can delve much further into the evolution of the people we categorize as “Asian American.” In the following pages, we will attempt to explain our research findings on the evolution of one innergroup of Asian Americans within the United States, the Korean Americans. The issues raised will include:
1. An extensive overview of the history of the Korean immigration wave and assimiliation to U.S. culture including a description of their treatment
2. The transformation of their group’s values and customs over time
3. An in-depth analysis of their demographical locationing in the U.S. including any distinguishing trends
4. A discussion of the obstacles which these people have faced in relation to their progress in

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Bu204 Unit 2

...BU204-01 Macroeconomics Unit 2 Questions: 1. A representative of the American clothing industry recently made the following statement: “Workers in Asia often work in sweatshop conditions earning only pennies an hour. American workers are more productive and as a result earn higher wages. In order to preserve the dignity of the American workplace, the government should enact legislation banning imports of low-wage Asian clothing.” Answer the following: (10 points) a. Which parts of this quote are positive statements? Which parts are normative statements? b. Would such a policy make some Americans better off without making any other Americans worse off? Explain who and why. c. Would low-wage Asian workers benefit from or be hurt by such a policy and why? 1a. The positive quotes of this statement are that “workers in Asia often work in sweatshops and earn only pennies and hour and American workers are more productive and as a result earn a higher wage. The normative statement of this quote is that “In order to preserve the dignity of the American workplace, the government should enact legislation banning imports of low-wage Asian clothing” 1b. Although such a policy may increase jobs for the American workplace making it better off for certain geographical areas, it may make it worse off for the people who can’t afford the higher priced clothing due to the cost of the production of the clothing cause of the higher priced labor. Upper class families may have no...

Words: 779 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Asian Mail Order Brides Summary

...The following presentation will discuss So (2006) journal which is titled Asian Mail-Order brides, the threat of global capitalism, and the Rescue of the U.S. Nation-State. Christine So’s work focuses on Asian American Culture and economics. She has published in The Journal of Asian American Studies, Feminist Studies and MELUS . Christine So also has a book called, Economic Citizens: A Narrative of Asian American Visibility (So, 2007). She presents on similar topics such as “Race, Migration, and Representation”, “Asian Values: Asian American Literature as Cultural Capital on the Global Era.” and “The Politics of Nationalism and Transnationalism in Contemporary Asian American Literature.” This image is taken from an article published...

Words: 951 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Maslow

...According to Chevalier (2007), the motivation defines as a force of moving enthusiasm towards within individual, not an outside to enhance workplace management. Actually, it arrives from the theory of hierarchy of needs which is one of the main criticisms of Abraham Maslow’s “eupsychian” approach to management. The critical point of Maslow is that people can only be motivated by unsatisfied need. When people’s basic need is satisfied, they are motivated by the next higher level or abundant needs. This theory is known to be successful adopted and developed for managing working environment in United States. However, it is wondering if the needs theories of motivation are appropriate in other parts of the world such as Asia. This essay will examine some discussions about this issue to clarify that question. Colvin & Rutland (2008) claimed that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a content of motivation theory which its model identifies five basic needs categories constructed ascending hierarchy order to clarify them as arranged elements to arise employee’s motivation. They are psychological needs, safety need, love and belongings needs, esteem needs and lastly needs of self-actualization. Normally employee’s lower level of needs is requested to be satisfied before the progress of seeking into higher level gratification. Due to the fact that the most difficult part of motivating approach in workplace’s supervision is satisfying the mutual benefits between employee and organisation...

Words: 1894 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Economy

...Unit 2 Assignment Sonda Vaszlavik Kaplan University Online Prof. P. Tovbin August 12, 2013 Unit 2 Assignment   Questions: 1. A representative of the American clothing industry recently made the following statement: “Workers in Asia often work in sweatshop conditions earning only pennies an hour. American workers are more productive and as a result earn higher wages. In order to preserve the dignity of the American workplace, the government should enact legislation banning imports of low-wage Asian clothing.” Answer the following: a. Which parts of this quote are positive statements? Which parts are normative statements? The parts of the quote that are positive statements: Workers in Asia often work in sweatshop conditions earning only pennies and hour; and American workers are more productive and as a result earn a higher wages. These positive statements try to describe how things are currently happening. Normative statements: In order to preserve the dignity of the American workplace, the government should enact legislation banning imports of low-wage Asian clothing. The normative statement tries to give advice and prescribe a possible solution. b. Would such a policy make some Americans better off without making any other Americans worse off? Explain who, and why. Americans would benefit but also be hurt; the pros would be since there is a ban on low-wage imports, this will create jobs for the lower income families. Therefore a spike in available...

Words: 1080 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Model Minority

...now, Asians from countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and the Philippines, have been immigrating into the United States. Arriving with not anything in their pockets and nothing but hope, without a doubt they truly believe that the United States is the land of opportunity. Although many of them have successfully amalgamated into American culture through hard work and diehard persistence, the idea of this “model minority” trails behind them unceasingly. This stereotype of the model minority characterizes Asians as having everything “figured out”. They are willing and ready to assimilate completely into American culture; they stay of trouble and are submissive, and they dominate in both education and in the work place. Even though this stereotype seemingly praises Asians; in truth, it has a counteractive effect on both the Asian community and other ethnic groups as well. Despite the existence of this model minority stereotype, Asians are not followers of the myth and altogether demonstrate it counterfactual. In Asian American Dreams, Helen Zia introduces the model minority myth through an article titled “Success Story of One Minority Group in the United States” where it explains it as a reasonably form of praise claiming “at a time when Americans are awash in worry over the plight of racial minorities, one such minority, the nation’s 300,000 Chinese Americans, is winning wealth and respect by dint of its own hard work…” (Zia, 46). This quote claims that Asian Americans...

Words: 1707 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Business Etiquite

...DIVERSITY AND GLOBAL BUSINESS ETIQUETTE Global Business Etiquette How do business practices differ in different parts of the world? Important Cultural Values  Individualism – Collectivism  Egalitarianism – Hierarchy (Power Distance)  Masculinity-Femininity  Uncertainty Avoidance  From Hofstede’s research Distance and Talking  What is your comfortable zone for personal space?  How does that differ across cultures?  How loud do you normally talk?  Is that acceptable everywhere? Low and High Context Cultures Element Low Context High Context Message Internal source External Content Rational Emotional Style Explicit Implicit Channel Informal Formal Pattern General, across situations Context specific Argument Aristotelian Ideological Appeals Facts & objective proof General principles Logic Linear Spiral Touching & Greetings  Kissing & hugging vs. Handshakes vs. Bowing  Use of titles  Professional titles are often important (e.g. Doctor, Professor)  Use formal, respectful titles in many cultures (e.g. Signor, Don) rather than names 1 View of Time  Do meetings start at the indicated time?  Are there times during the day or during the year when business does not get done?  Monochronic vs. polychronic view of time  How soon until you can “get down to business”? Closing the Deal  Group vs. individual decision making  Does yes mean “we have a deal”?  Is drinking/socializing required?  The role of silence ...

Words: 1360 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Race as It Relates to Your Community

... What is a community? According to the dictionary, a community is a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage. The community in which I live in is about equal in the amount of Hispanic, and African American residents; however, it appears to have fewer Caucasians than both Hispanics and African Americans. In this paper I will consider relations within my community, local government, schools, and workplace. I will also discuss the problems that an in-depth interview with Emmanuel King from King’s Group Home for Children (a local community children’s advocate) and my own personal accounts have made clear. Community relations within my community are positive for all the members in the areas of government, schools, and workplaces with only a few minor issues. Most members in my community do not look like me. I live in a mostly Hispanic and African American communities so most of my neighbors do not look like me. Even though my neighborhood is comprised of mostly Hispanics and African Americans, my community has a great range of Caucasians, African Americans, Asians, Arabs, and Hispanics. The people in my community get along extremely well. When it comes to the working environments in my community everything varies. Because my community is home to the state government as well as the local government and the fact that it is a larger city and home to the state capitol...

Words: 1601 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion

...status, religious beliefs, gender, and even appearances(Chapter 1, Ethnic Groups). Racial groups socially set themselves apart because of physical differences, and each society defines what it finds obvious. In the United States skin color is one of the obvious differences. Communities today have a more elaborate system of classification, in the United States hostility between races became higher than expected. Ethnic groups set apart from others because of national origin or distinctive culture patterns. Hispanics, Puerto Rican, African American, and Cubans describe some ethnic groups in America. The culture traits which made diversity exclusive originated from lands of segregation(Harvey, "Section I," 2009). With what ethnic, cultural, or other groups do you identify? Describe what members of your social circle have in common The ethnic group in which one belongs to is African American. One of the minority groups in America is African Americans. Being born in New York city exposed one to more than one culture. Immigrants migrated to New York when they came to America, so cultures started to mix with one another. The cultures identified throughout life were Spanish, Muslim, Mexican, and Indian. Members of one's family...

Words: 932 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Diversity In The Workplace

...Diversity in the workforce: Importance of a diverse business in today’s society. Image how powerful we can be if we come together. Diversity in the workplace is essential. In a world that is constantly evolving it is significant for the workplace to progress as well. Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences in suggesting ideas that are flexible in adjusting to changing markets and customer demands diverging the workplace is like having all the ingredients to a magical potion. No matter one’s race, gender and sexual orientation it is essential that equal opportunities are presented for that individual in the work place. The primary objective of a company is to expand and profit. Attracting and appealing to...

Words: 984 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Diversity in Nursing

...diversity and how they affect the nursing profession. Interpreting the underrepresentation of minority groups in the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the nursing profession can benefit in numerous ways from being culturally competent and recognizing minority groups exist in the workplace. Importance of Diversity in the Workplace Nursing has a long history of being uniform from the nursing attire, all the way down to the education and practice (Bednorz, Schim, & Doorenbos 2010, p. 254). According to "Culturally Competent Nursing Care and Promoting Diversity in Our Nursing Workplace," (2015) "Diversity awareness refers to an active, ongoing conscious process in which we recognize similarities and differences within and between various cultural groups" (p. 10). There are several reasons why nurses should examine the impact of diversity in the nursing profession. For the nurse to provide safe, adequate healthcare delivery it requires cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. "Culturally Competent Nursing Care and Promoting Diversity in Our Nursing Workplace," (2015) reports the importance of diversity awareness is imperative due to federal regulations on discrimination, competitive healthcare, population diversity and increasing health disparities (p. 7). "Culturally Competent Nursing Care and Promoting Diversity in Our Nursing Workplace," (2015) explains that a culturally competent clinical nurse brings a positive impact to the work environment while...

Words: 1281 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Asian American and Discrimination in the Usa

...Asian Americans and racism in the USA Name: Institution: Course: Tutor: Date: Abstract Asian Americans are a minority group of both immigrants and person born and raised in the USA. It has been the fastest growing minority group and is considered to be the model minority of the USA due to various factors such as hard work in both academic and employment that successively leads to economic prowess among this minority population (Chou, 2008). The history of the Asian American dates back to the ancient times when they occupied the American land before the European invasion. The tribes that occupied the American land are commonly referred to as the Native Americans. A majority of the Asian American people that are living in the USA are immigrants. Both individuals and the community/communities are faced with various challenges such as adopting the American culture and retaining their root cultures at the same time. However, the major issue of concern is racial segregation they are faced with. Like any other subordinate group in the USA, the Asian American people are not spared off the vice. They experience discrimination emanating from the fact that they are different from other minority groups and as well the whites. They are subjected to discrimination in various fields in which they are engaged such as education, employment, immigration, land acquisition and others (Phan et al. 2009). This forms of discriminations have their impacts on the several life aspects of this minority...

Words: 2296 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Diversity in the Workplace

...Diversity in the Workplace The United States is facing the need to provide nursing care to an increasing diverse patient population with a nursing workforce that, in itself, is impacted by generational, ethnic and gender differences. The purpose of this paper is to present the importance of diversity in the workplace and delivering culturally competent nursing care, the impact of gender diversity, and the misrepresentation of minorities in the nursing profession. Importance of diversity in the workplace America is a kaleidoscope of cultures, religions, races, and nationalities. The USA Quick Facts from the US Census Bureau shows the following 2011 population statistics: White 63.4%, Hispanic/Latino 16.7%, Black/Afro-American 13.1%, Asian 5.0%, American Indian & Alaska Native 1.2%, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders. 0.2%. In 2012 minority population increased to 37% and is projected that minorities will be the majority by 2043. Mason, Leavitt & Chaffee (2012) pointed out that as our population “continues to grow and increase its diversity, it is important that the nursing workforce reflect these changes to effectively meet patient care needs and ensure cultural competency” (p. 378). Cultural assessments must be part of the nurse’s health assessment. To be culturally competent nurses need to be aware of their own culture, and the diverse culture of their colleagues and patient populations (Maier-Lorentz, 2008). Culturally competent nursing care is important...

Words: 1515 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Communication Theory

...Communication Theory: A Brief Examination September 8, 2008 Communications Theory: A Brief Examination Communication theory can be loosely defined as the theory of the communication of information from point A to point B. Communication is studied by scholars in depth and is broken up into semiotics, media effects, and message production however the aspects of communications that have the greatest affect in everyday life are interpersonal (how an individual processes information), intrapersonal (the interactions and influence that two individuals have on each other), and group (how dynamics happen among individuals). In this document, I shall use a team at my workplace of which I am a part. Upper management at my workplace recognized the need to assemble a group for a specialty project that had to be completed in 30 working days or less. Several things should have been considered before selecting employees to be on this team. It would have been conducive to the team as well as the project’s outcome if upper management would have selected employees who shared the same work ethics, were goal oriented, and had good people skills. Instead, the selection process was completely random. Two people from each of the twelve work groups were sent an electronic communication at 9:17 am on a Monday morning stating that they had been selected for a special project and report to the Pelican conference room immediately. Chaos is the only word that can be used to describe...

Words: 759 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Article/Website Review

...http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/ Summary of the information found on this site: The UCLA Asian American Studies Center was established to educate the international public about the intellectual, cultural, and political diversity of the Asian American and Pacific Islander. The Asian American Studies grew out of the social movements and civil struggles of the 1960’s and 1970’s. This organization has a number of helpful links for managers to access that address issues such as biases against diverse ethnic and immigrant communities of Asian American and Pacific Islander populations. I specifically liked the connection this information has that can be utilized for Asian community development. For example: 1. Fellowships and Scholarships 2. Service Learning and Internship Program 3. Student Leadership Development and Organizational Development I chose to elaborate on the Student Development and Organization Development, because these student organizations prepare students in leadership through campus and community issues, work on campus, and alumni groups. These organizations are good resources for companies who are looking for future talent with leadership and organizational skills. 2. Diversity Resources http://www.diversityresources.com/ Summary of the information found on this site: Diversity Resources publishes diversity and multicultural educational and training materials for organizations. The products they offer includes electronic multi-media multicultural calendar, video...

Words: 1411 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Affirmative Action in Americation

...” This statement will always ring true especially on the subject of equal opportunity employment and Affirmative Action. While Affirmative Action seemed to be a hot topic in the past, it is still one that should continue to be addressed. Affirmative Action is needed in the American workplace to improve morale and create equity among all Americans.       The history of Affirmative Action (AA) is a long one. The first federal law passed was The Civil Rights Act of 1964.   This law started the term, “Equal Opportunity Employment” and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The first legislation to pass was Executive Order number 11246 on September 24, 1965 (Aberson & Haag, 2003).   This essentially stated that employers needed to take affirmative action to ensure no one was discriminated against for their race, religion, color, or country of origin.   In more recent years, employers have added sexual orientation, abilities, and ethnicity to their list of nondiscrimination.       Unfortunately, during these times white men were not always accepting of women and minorities in the workplace. Women who joined the workplace in the 1960s and 1970s were expected to do chores for the men in the workplace. They would also be sexually harassed and abused by their male coworkers (MacLean, 1999). Minorities were still treated unfairly and with inferiority. On many occasions minority civil rights organizations stepped in to assist women in their struggles. For instance, in New York...

Words: 1503 - Pages: 7