ADJUSTING TO AMERICA T.S. comes from a country that is culturally quite different from the United...

Transcribed Image Text:

ADJUSTING TO AMERICA T.S. comes from a country that is culturally quite different from the United States and received his education entirely outside the United States. He is a devout mem- ber of a profoundly different religious tradition that has only recently gained some prominence among Americans. Prestige, a North American-based global company, regards T.S. as one of its finest young executives. A year ago, Prestige offered T.S. a promotion from his current upper middle-management position in his native country to a higher posi- tion in the United States. T.S. very much looked forward to the new assignment, both for the additional challenge as well as for the opportunity to advance the good of the company. A number of American managers at Prestige who had also wanted the position resisted T.S.'s appointment. However, top management's careful assessment convinced them that T.S. was indeed the most qualified per- son for the job. T.S.'s wife and two young children felt happy about his success and were eager to be loyal to him. They expressed uneasiness, however, about moving to the United States, fearing that it would require considerable cultural and family adjustment. As feared, the adjustment to America proved extremely difficult, even though T.S. did everything he could to make his family feel at home. A major problem was the lack of servants. In their home country, T.S. and his wife lived at a high socioe- conomic level, with T.S.'s salary allowing them to employ two servants to do the household chores. Indeed, even as children, both T.S. and his wife had grown up in families sufficiently affluent to afford servants to attend to their needs. (In T.S.'s home country, middle-class citizens can easily afford servants who are paid a quite low wage.) T.S. and his family now feel a deep need for similar services in the United States. Based on his cultural background, T.S., who ordinarily shuns making waves, is now requesting that Prestige provide him with an extra allowance to hire two servants, explaining to the company that this would "only be fair." ADJUSTING TO AMERICA T.S. comes from a country that is culturally quite different from the United States and received his education entirely outside the United States. He is a devout mem- ber of a profoundly different religious tradition that has only recently gained some prominence among Americans. Prestige, a North American-based global company, regards T.S. as one of its finest young executives. A year ago, Prestige offered T.S. a promotion from his current upper middle-management position in his native country to a higher posi- tion in the United States. T.S. very much looked forward to the new assignment, both for the additional challenge as well as for the opportunity to advance the good of the company. A number of American managers at Prestige who had also wanted the position resisted T.S.'s appointment. However, top management's careful assessment convinced them that T.S. was indeed the most qualified per- son for the job. T.S.'s wife and two young children felt happy about his success and were eager to be loyal to him. They expressed uneasiness, however, about moving to the United States, fearing that it would require considerable cultural and family adjustment. As feared, the adjustment to America proved extremely difficult, even though T.S. did everything he could to make his family feel at home. A major problem was the lack of servants. In their home country, T.S. and his wife lived at a high socioe- conomic level, with T.S.'s salary allowing them to employ two servants to do the household chores. Indeed, even as children, both T.S. and his wife had grown up in families sufficiently affluent to afford servants to attend to their needs. (In T.S.'s home country, middle-class citizens can easily afford servants who are paid a quite low wage.) T.S. and his family now feel a deep need for similar services in the United States. Based on his cultural background, T.S., who ordinarily shuns making waves, is now requesting that Prestige provide him with an extra allowance to hire two servants, explaining to the company that this would "only be fair."