Cross-Cultural Communication
Introduction
In business, successful communication is the key to success, and being able to relate to a customer is the best form of communication. This is why cross-cultural communication is so important as the business world continues to globalize itself. Unfortunately, “A lack of awareness about the culturally prescribed rules and norms of communication behaviors can cause public relations projects to fail, or worse, backfire.” (Zaharna, 2001, p.135).
My research is focused on the problems associated with cross-cultural communication and how awareness of culture, language, tradition, and business practices can increase the advantages to globalization. This report will be field specific in
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Introduction: In every type of business, how people are able to communicate dictates the success of the company. If all aspects of the business are not able to keep each other informed on important issues and breaking news, then the company is destined to fail. For my research report I have decided to focus my efforts on the issue of communication in the Beer Wholesaling industry. For over a year now I have been involved with the beer industry working in both promotions, and in merchandising. Even in that small window of time I have seen forms of communication change. This change has lead to both the creation, and the solution to many communication problems in this workplace.
I plan to study how the changing methods of communication have altered the beer wholesale business, and worked to solve and create problems. Over the past 10 years we have seen a revolution in how people in the work force are able to communicate. First car phones and then cell phones made contacting others much easier, and now computers are affecting everything through email and the Internet. The beer business, much like other business, is built mainly on the strength of communication. Brewers must communicate with wholesalers who in turn must be in constant communication with storeowners. If one of these lines of communications breaks down then a too much beer might be brewed for a season, or a liquor store may end up with
From a relative perspective, effective communication proves imperative in aiding efficient business transactions. The different cultures and nations involved in the launch of the fast-food franchise should aim at understanding one another’s culture despite their differences between culture, language, and way of life. To begin with, proper channels should be put in place to communicate important factors concerning the business without necessarily having an interpreter. In equal measure, some challenges present themselves during the presentation to the various individuals involved with the firm. For instance communicating may prove difficult putting into consideration that not all persons can speak fluently in English. Additionally the fact that American culture is typically made up of low-context practices, it may appear rude and ill-mannered for persons who originate from high-context cultures. A good illustration of the above-mentioned factor is that Chinese culture dictates that individuals should engage in typical chit-chat before getting down to serious business. In this instance, if the individual from any cultural background jumps in immediately to address serious matters, he or she is viewed as rude and insensitive.
These core values are at the hart of what defines a population’s expectation with regard to all aspects of business and personal life. Although there are several aspects to core values that are required to be questioned one question must be the first from a marketing standpoint. This question is weather the culture is high-content communicators or high-context communicators. Western life business is generally high-content or very precise written and documented communication. This is due to the fact that usually in western life there is a high degree of diversity amongst the population. With high-context communication the people communicating must have a high degree of commonality in experiences and expectations. Research indicates that Middle Eastern and Asian countries have a high level of high-context communication which depends heavily on unspoken, implied communications through other means such as facial expressions and body language (Scarborough, Jack, 1998).
The study of American exceptionalism and cross-cultural communications has the ability to improve U.S. military effectiveness in USPACOM. Understanding these two cultural principles will improve effectiveness in three ways. First, it allows USPACOM personnel to understand their biases. Second, it gives USPACOM personnel a perspective on how nations in their area of responsibility may potentially view their actions. Finally, cross-cultural communications provides tools for USPACOM personnel to overcome their biases and skepticism from potential partners or adversaries, setting the stage for more effective military engagements.
In my previous professional role, it was imperative that I obtained an effective level of intercultural communication competence. I managed U.S. employee communications for unplanned system issues which often had a downstream global impact within the organization. As a result, many of my communications were tailored for a global audience which consisted of the United States, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions. Prior to a sending an employee communication for a system issue, there was always a global business call with all stakeholders to discuss the details and determine which region would lead the communications. The region designated to lead the communication had a challenging task of tailoring the message
Using communication techniques appropriate to different social and cultural groups: The business environment of the 21st century is expanding to include people from cultures and
Carte, Penny and Fox, Chris, (2004), Bridging the Culture Gap: A Practical Guide to International Business Communication, Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data, Retrieved November 17, 2006 from: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0749441704/ref=sib_dp_top_toc/002-9731822-8892040?%5Fencoding=UTF8&p=S009#reader-page
The article by Mary Munter was a useful, interesting piece about certain techniques and communication styles that can be used in the event that a manager must deal with cross cultural communication issues. It does a great job of outlining potential issues and how to deal with them. Culture is first defined as the values, attitudes, or behavior of a certain group of individuals. Any person in a management position will most likely have to deal with a diverse workforce with some individuals from different parts of the country. When doing so, choosing an effective communication style is essential. There are five options when choosing a style; “Telling” informs employees and explains specifically what you need. It doesn’t involve them in the communication. “Selling” on the other hand, attempts to persuade people to do something.
Abstract The ability of managers to interact with individuals from cultures other than their own, requires a concerted effort on the part of business educators and academics to ‘train’ and ‘educate’ today’s students and tomorrow’s managers in the area cross-cultural communication. This is not necessarily an easy task. Teaching cross-cultural communication requires a multidisciplinary approach, which goes beyond what is traditionally offered by trainers and educators. It requires the educator to design a course that includes not only culture-general but also
When people think of business, rarely do we associate culture with the concept. This leads to an issue in cross-cultural communication. By analyzing cross-cultural communication, and its miscommunication in cultural differences, it is clear that employees should know more of a country’s defining culture. Only recently have we seen an emphasis in understanding other country’s cultures. In doing so, some businesses have prospered, while others have suffered after a terrible miscommunication. When dealing with culture, there are three segments that an employee should consider. What can be done before, during and after contact is made with the culture. In effectively preparing for one, a business may successfully send the message they wish to their client.
There are many terms in each chapter you could choose from. There were also smaller terms that dealt with the overall term. The terms I decided were the most that I found interesting and helpful. These terms helped me learn something out of this class, I never would of thought of specific ways of cultural communication is different for many. Understanding terms and talking about them in real life situations in class, was helpful to understanding these terms. They’re 6 key terms that are going to be explained, how they apply to class or life situation with myself involved, and what I will do with these terms throughout the rest of my career.
Communication with individuals from different cultures can be challenging. Therefore, developing proficiency in cross-cultural communication skills is essential for businesses looking to expand abroad. Cebuc and Oisif (2008) stress on how communication is important in the business world, since it’s a means of establishing relationships with suppliers, partners and even the customers. The writers recommend that expanding businesses to try and adapt to the business styles of the overseas country. For instance in some northern European countries, the natives are more straight forward and prefer to not waste time talking about
Communication is one of the most important factors in any organization or relationship. It is “the process of people sharing thoughts, ideas, information and feelings with each other in commonly understandable ways” (Hamilton, 2011, p. 3). When you can communicate properly in a business then it runs smoothly without communicational mistakes and misinterpretation.
Communication is essential to the success of organizations. Using different methods of communication can help the message resonate better with the intended recipients. Not delivering effective and efficient communication can cause employees to feel devalued, and as a result, impact the overall retention rates. We will discuss how when employees receive communication that is delivered in a manner easy to understand and retain they are more likely to be engaged because they feel as though they matter or can make a difference. With regards to globalization, it is important to consider the cultural differences that can impact an organization 's success. This includes recognizing religious holidays, how words translate in different cultures and understanding the six dimensions of national culture. Through research and personal observation Team Global One will review the importance of communication in globalization and the impacts it has within organizations.
Demands for intercultural communication skills are increasing as more and more businesses go global or international. They realize that there are barriers and limitations when entering a foreign territory. Without the help of intercultural communication they can unknowingly cause confusion and misunderstandings. For these intercultural businesses to breach the cultural barriers encountered when stepping into foreign grounds it is vital for them to fully understand the cultural differences
I decided to choose this topic because in the modern world, where globalization takes over the economy, the cross-cultural communication is becoming increasingly important subject to address for organizations and especially for its Human Resource Management. Whether it is a multinational company with subsidiaries all over the world, or a manufacturing company with distribution network across continents, or just a wholesale company expanding to new markets, all of them may encounter cross-cultural difference problems among employees, with clients, with superiors, etc.