Showing posts with label Business Anthropology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business Anthropology. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Business Anthropology References
Anthropology and Business
ANTHROPOLOGY & BUSINESS
It has been an interesting experience becoming involved with entrepreneurship, business, and learning the do’s and don’ts of this type of environment in contrast to the skills and information I have learned in the social sciences. It seems as if there really are two vastly different types of thinking in these two worlds. I’ve come to realize that it is possible to learn the traits valued within each discipline and to ‘wear’ them when the situation calls for it.
With the study of anthropology, we learn to be trained observers. We also learn to be careful about knee-jerk judgments in order to be sure that we’re seeing the entire picture (or as much of it as possible) and not simply placing our own opinions or values onto the others. The research process focuses on the importance of analyzing the data carefully and being sure not to draw conclusions that are unfounded. In business and entrepreneurship, on the other hand, quick decisions and risk taking are necessary. This field calls for constant innovation and a trial-and-error type approach in order to move the venture along as quickly as possible. More than one entrepreneurship teacher has used the slogan “If you are going to fail, fail fast”, and then move on to the next idea.
Although these two different disciplines seem so very different, and in many ways are, common ground can still be found in some aspects. Anthropologists and business people must both step outside their comfort zones often and must be able to gain strangers’ trust. The anthropologist must gain the trust of his or her informants or research subjects, the business person must gain the trust of his or her customers. The anthropologist steps outside their comfort zone in order to submerse themselves within a completely new environment and culture, and are often confronted with beliefs, practices, or actions that conflict with their own values. The business person steps outside their comfort zone by doing what it takes to make the networking connections necessary for the success of their venture.
Personally I have found it a valuable learning experience becoming so actively involved in another discipline. When I first began last September, I was only able to see the differences between the two disciplines. A much deeper understanding has evolved since I am now able to see the commonalities.
by Jennifer Jones
How Anthropology Affects Business
The Human Dimension of Business
- The word "anthropology" comes from Greek roots that translate as "the study of humans". While accountants, financers and marketers will sometimes forget that they are dealing with persons and not numbers, anthropologists will, by definition, remember that organizations and structures are ultimately made by and for human beings.Anthropology deals with the shared sets of beliefs and values of a common group of people. While this is usually taken to mean language, taboos and religious beliefs, anthropology can also focus on more businesslike questions like the types of food one eats and the clothes that one wears.
Place, space, and everything in between: The use of Proxemics in Branding
By Gavin Johnston, Two West Chief Anthropologist
Customer Anthropolgy
An interesting summary from Arun Kottoli
Companies are always on the lookout to increase sales, increase their market share and increase their profits. One of the ways to accomplish all this is to improve their products. While the idea to improve existing products sounds so simple and easy - and every one ought to do it. The reality is starkly different - Companies often see their products as "perfect". Therefore they cannot identify areas for product improvement.
Companies are always on the lookout to increase sales, increase their market share and increase their profits. One of the ways to accomplish all this is to improve their products. While the idea to improve existing products sounds so simple and easy - and every one ought to do it. The reality is starkly different - Companies often see their products as "perfect". Therefore they cannot identify areas for product improvement.
Corporate Anthropology: its applications
Anthropology studies the human being widely through scientific and humanistic methods. So, how does this discipline apply to business organizations?
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Business Anthropolgy
Business anthropology
Anthropologists are experts in people and their habits, their particular research approach enabling them an “inside” view on cultures.
Anthropologists are of the view that everything is connected
Business anthropology is significant in solving the following issues:
Social Media and the Brain: A Business Anthropologist’s View
Social Media and the Brain: A Business Anthropologist’s View
August 1st, 2009
A number of innovations have changed the face of commerce in my lifetime. Credit cards greatly enabled commercial exchanges. Email and FedEx both sped up communication and reduced cost. The internet both transformed information transfer, and introduced people around the world who would not have otherwise found each other. In each case, exchanges – the fundamental unit of commerce – became easier. Barriers were lowered and trade flourished.
Are social media another facilitator of trade?
Business is a Social Activity – A Business Anthropologist's View
Business is a Social Activity – A Business Anthropologist's View
October 16th, 2009
In much of Western tradition, work and play are viewed as a dichotomy: business falls in the former, and sociality in the latter.
But that’s not how the brain is organized.
New insights from Neuroscience clarify how the brain functions to keep us focused on others (with emotions – ever heard of them?)
What's All the Fuss About Anthropology?
July 30, 2009
What's All the Fuss About Anthropology?by Paula Gray, AIPMM
The reason that the social science discipline, Anthropology, is gaining emphasis and focus in the business world is that someone very learned and insightful, remembered that people drive all business decisions. They took a step back from being product-focused and turned the focus to people. People buy your products, people design your products, people analyze and write about your products. People do these things - not industries, not corporations, not media, not demographic data. A person or a group of people form opinions and make these all-important decisions. This is precisely where cultural anthropology, the study of human culture, comes in. Cultural anthropology offers us a peak into the context within which all decisions are made, including buying decisions. Culture is the framework that cultural anthropology uses to create this context.
The American Anthropological Association states that "Culture represents the entire database of knowledge, values, and traditional ways of viewing the world, which have been transmitted from one generation ahead to the next -- nongenetically, apart from DNA -- through words, concepts, and symbols."
In anthropology, culture is also described as the lens through which an individual sees the world. Individuals who hail from the same cultural background will share this lens in common, even though their individual views and experiences may be different. Through this lens your product, marketing campaigns, and customer service efforts will be viewed. By understanding the common cultural lens shared by a group of people, you can better understand what they view as important, how your product fits into their lives, what traditions or taboos you may be up against or on which you can capitalize.
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