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Iran Releases Hostages
After Ronald Reagan was elected president of the United States, Iran released 52 American hostages that had been held captive for 444 days. The new president changed the culture of our communication with other countries. This displays for us how the change of a leader can change the entire culture throughout an entire country, much less an entire organization. http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/jan-20-1981-iran-releases-american-hostages-as-reagan-takes-office/ -
Equal Rights Ammendment Dies
The Equal Rights Ammendment propsed that equal rights shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state based on their sex. The ammendment lacked the support of three more states when its deadline, June 30th, 2015 came. The country was not yet ready to agree that women should have equal rights in the work place. This led to fewer women at work, and for those women who did work, less pay than men. http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/history -
Just Say No
On Oct 14, 1982, President Reagan declared a "war on drugs," that eventually lead to his wife's "Just Say No" program. These effords led to zero drug tolerance in the work place. This led to an obvious change in drug policy and function in every organization across the country. Drug abuse wasn't permitted, and people could be fired for breaking the zero tolerance policies at work. http://www.politico.com/story/2010/10/reagan-declares-war-on-drugs-october-14-1982-043552 -
First Domain Name Registered
Symbolics.com was the first .com name to be registered. This was one of the first large steps toward companies branding themselves online. The necessity to develop a concrete, integrated brand, aided in creating a culture for each organization. In order to display who they are, they had to truly know their culture. http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/edn-moments/4410016/1st--com-domain-name-is-registered--March-15--1985 -
Recession of 1991
By 1991, the American economy was in a recession. People slowed their personal spending and uneployment skyrocketed. These conditions forced President Bush to go against his word and raise taxes. This affected budget decisions in organizations across the country. In companies, when budgets are tight, people get laid off. http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=99&review=yes#825 -
End of the Cold War
In December of 1991, the dissolution of the Soviet Union marked the end of the Cold War. This had an obvious impact on foreign affairs but changed interpersonal relations in American organizations. People, over time, came to be less paranoid and became more trusting of leaders in major organizations. http://www.ushistory.org/us/59e.asp -
Rodney King Verdict
On this day in 1992, four L.A. police officers that were videotaped beating an African-American man named Rodney King were found innocent. This sparked riots and conversations about the state of race relations in the United States. Any event that affects interpersonal relations will affect the day-to-day function inside an organization. http://mic.com/articles/86707/11-iconic-moments-from-the-90-s-that-have-shaped-our-generation -
North America Free Trade Agreement
The North America Free Trade Agreement increase trade amongst the three countries that make up North America. This changed how american businesses did their business. After NAFTA, companies had to re-evaluate with whom it might be most lucrative to do business with. http://www.naftanow.org/ -
Columbine High School Shooting
Two teens went on a shooting spree at their high school, Columbine High School, and killed 13 people, wounded 20 more. This started debates on gun control and bullying, that would eventually expand past the scope of school, and lead to examining gun control and bullying in the work place. http://www.history.com/topics/columbine-high-school-shootings -
Y2K
Y2K is an example of how national fear can present problems on an individual level. There was widespread panic that when the year changed to 2000, computers would crash. This largely affected the computer industry, but affected people on an individual level because they thought they needed to stock up on food and other supplies. Culture of a company emulates culture of the country. http://history1900s.about.com/od/1990s/qt/Y2K.htm
