...Puma’s Poor Intercultural Communication Karen Deal COMM 360 May 27, 2014 LaTrica Henegar, Ed.D, LPC, NCC Puma’s Poor Intercultural Communication In an age of new technology enabling one to work from anywhere in the world, important business decisions now effect citizens of more than one country. Business dealings with partners and customers from other countries entail communication with those from different cultural backgrounds. The following paragraphs provide an example of a corporation's failure to research a country's cultural pattern and how one seemingly innocent action comes close to ending a thriving business. Examination of the corporation’s near-fatal business decision provides a better understanding of the important role effective intercultural communication plays in today’s business. By clearly defining each country’s cultural patterns and taxonomies, one can begin to determine where communication fails, and how best to correct the problem. Suggestions for improvement of intercultural communication between the two countries are provided by applying communication theorists Kluckholm and Strodbeck’s Value Orientation theory to the example situation. Further examination of this corporation’s poor intercultural communication, clearly demonstrates the need for countries to be constantly aware of and respect each other’s beliefs, values, social practices, and socially shared expectations. Puma’s Near-Fatal Mistake Puma is a large supplier of sporting...
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...School 6 Uncertainty Avoidance in Shopping 6 Sources 7 Introduction We live in the age of rapid globalization. New technology has shrunk the size of the world. The world has become a small state with a few big cities, few towns and villages. The cities are markets for the products form towns and villages, and vice versa. This shrinking in size has brought people from different cultures and backgrounds to work together under the same umbrella. Wherever you go, even the smallest of the company has people from different cultural backgrounds. This mixing of so many cultures at workplace has come up to be challenge for the modern organizations. The modern managers or leaders find it difficult to make a decision for their team, which comprises of people from different cultural and educational backgrounds. There is always a problem of synchronization within the team, which is faced by a modern leader. Since different statements are perceived differently in different cultures, the problem of miscommunication always persists. For a modern leader it is necessary to have the knowledge of different cultures. This knowledge will not only help him in making better decisions, but will also help him understand his team better and be more productive and efficient at work. Geert Hofstede, while working with IBM, saw this problem of intercultural differences and mismanagement arising due to these...
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...THE TOP TEN WAYS THAT CULTURE CAN AFFECT INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS by: Jeswald W. SalacuseIssues: March / April 2005. Categories: Global Business. * Share on LinkedIn * Share on googlePlus * Share on facebook * Share on twitter * Share by email When Enron was still – and only – a pipeline company, it lost a major contract in India because local authorities felt that it was pushing negotiations too fast. In fact, the loss of the contract underlines the important role that cultural differences play in international negotiation. For one country’s negotiators, time is money; for another’s, the slower the negotiations, the better and more trust in the other side. This author’s advice will help negotiators bridge the cultural differences in international negotiation. (This article first ran in the September/October 2004 issue of Ivey Business Journal). International business deals not only cross borders, they also cross cultures. Culture profoundly influences how people think, communicate, and behave. It also affects the kinds of transactions they make and the way they negotiate them. Differences in culture between business executives—for example, between a Chinese public sector plant manager in Shanghai and a Canadian division head of a family company in Toronto– can create barriers that impede or completely stymie the negotiating process. The great diversity of the world’s cultures makes it impossible for any negotiator, no matter how skilled and experienced...
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...theorists are increasing interest in organizational culture as a category, which determines the effectiveness of the organization. This sort of "molecular level" of the latter, on the one hand, gives it a unique, on the other - allowing it to adapt to the environment, and employees - to the existence within it, but at the same time inspiring them to solve common problems. It is this circumstance had in mind a Swedish scientist Iesper Kunde, who in his book "Corporate Religion" suggests that all the famous brands owe their success above all a clear and strong integration of ideology and values in the consciousness of its employees. The concept of organizational culture as a form of process management emerged in the late 70's and 80's of the XX century in the period of institutionalization of the organization, when from a producer of goods and services it has become a social unit. Until that time, the functions of management were reduced to coordinating and controlling the activities of groups, ensuring the interaction of units to achieve the goals, etc. However, the concept of organizational culture was not something totally new. This phenomenon is considered in M. Weber, K. Levin, T. Parsons, F. Selonika. A C. Bernard and G. Simon introduced the concept of "organizational morale", in essence similar to the definition of organizational culture. Many Western researchers have linked the fact of handling the organizational culture as well as management functions and the need to find...
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...Culture Impact on German Negotiation Style Chen Shuqi SEIB Abstract As the increasing frequency of international trades， international negotiation skills draw a lot of attention. Regarded as a major barrier for cross-cultural communication, understanding culture difference is of signification . This essay will firstly introduce the study history and relevant definitions of international negotiation and how culture factors impact on negotiation style. Considering the gradual closed trade relationship between Germany and China and the commonly acknowledged differences of national cultures between them, this essay would firstly analyzes images of Germans for the general Chinese in a book, Die Langnasen . Further, it clarifies German negotiation style basing on analysis from Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory. We find out that some of German business behaviors from the theory don’t fit with our general impression as the book concludes. After discussion about the deficiency of the theory or possible stereotype of the book, we try to present a modification of the prevalent impression about German negotiation style, and give some suggestion about how to carry out a better international business negotiation with Germans. It may be possible to provide us a better understanding in successful negotiation process with Germans. Key words: International negotiation, German culture, German negotiation style 德国文化对其谈判风格的影响 陈舒祺 国际商务英语学院 2011级国际商务管理 摘 要: 随着跨国贸易的频率迅速增长，国际商务谈判技巧尤为重要。...
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...20/03/2014 Week 3 Lecture Understanding Culture Chapter 3 from Deresky (2011) Understanding Culture Topic Objectives: • Define culture • To understand how culture affects all aspects of international management • To be able to distinguish the major dimensions which define cultural differences among societies or groups • To emphasize the need for international managers to have cultural intelligence in order to interact successfully in international environment • Know how to use culture to define attitudes and behaviours at work • Be aware of the interaction between culture and internet. 2 Culture “A set of shared values, understandings, assumptions, and goals that are learned from earlier generations, imposed by present members of a society, and passed on to succeeding generations.” Examples: – Evidence of culture is in peoples language, music, food, beliefs etc. • Related concept: – Culture shock • A state of confusion of not knowing how to behave in a foreign unfamiliar culture. Copyright ©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall 3 1 20/03/2014 Culture and its importance Studies show multinationals face major management issues for poor intercultural skills of international managers. Research shows that cross cultural differences are cause of failed negotiations and interactions, resulting in losses to major multinationals of over billions of dollars! Furthermore, examples can be drawn from historical failures of Daimler-Chrysler...
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...higher Education in different countries needs to be conducted within the context of the overall perception of a country’s culture, society, history, salary and intellect. These influences are the foundation of the education in a country. Due to these different influences every country has a different understanding of education. I will also concentrate on the influence of culture on education in China and in the United States (U.S.) with special emphasis on Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, because culture and history can lead the way in understanding the differences among student’s higher education. 1.2 Objectives The paper investigates the differences between the education in China and the U.S. against the background of dramatical differences in culture and history. First the country-specific Cultural Dimensions by Hofstede need to be elaborated to reveal a basic approach for the understanding of a nation’s culture. Based on Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions and the history the effect on education and instructional strategies in China and the U.S. will be discussed. 1.3 Course of the Investigation To achieve the objectives the course of the investigation will be carried out in three steps. In the first step the conceptual background on the topic will be defined to provide a basis. Chapter 2 describes the theory and the five Dimensions of Hofstede’s Culture’s Consequences. In the second step the explanations focus on practical applications of the paper. First the elaboration...
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...environment. Those high on uncertainty avoidance used both techniques to deal with risk. Individuals reporting moderate levels of uncertainty avoidance primarily used adaptation rather than attachment to deal with risk. Introduction Geert Hostede’s (1980) theoretical and empirical work on value development within national cultures has served as an important foundation for this field of international study (Triandis, 2004). Hofstede (1980) originally proposed a framework that consisted of four dimensions: uncertainty avoidance, individualism/collectivism, power distance, masculinity/femininity. He later added a fifth dimension, time orientation (Hofstede & Bond, 1988). Of particular interest in this study is the macro dimension of uncertainty avoidance measured at an individual level. Cultures high on uncertainty avoidance are risk adverse. Individuals in these cultures prefer stability in their lives and careers. They want their environment to be predictable. To foster compliance among their members, cultures high in uncertainty avoidance structure behavior through such mechanisms as laws, religion or customs. Vague situations are avoided in high uncertainty avoidance cultures, and group norms and rules reduce ambiguity. Individuals tend to attach themselves to the dominant cultural group and...
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...other’s message and form of communication, and even the procedures that will be used to conduct negotiations are but a few of the hurdles that negotiators will encounter. Negotiation is further complicated when the parties find themselves negotiating across dissimilar cultures. Culture is a powerful factor in shaping how people think, communicate and behave. It therefore affects how they negotiate. In business arena, negotiations are crucial aspects of inter-organizational relationships like joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, licensing and distribution agreements, and sales of products and services. As the proportion of foreign to domestic trade increases, so does the frequency of business negotiations between people from different countries and cultures. To successfully manage these negotiations, businesspeople need to know how to influence and communicate with members of cultures other than their own. This paper investigates the impact of culture on negotiations. It begins by defining negotiation, cross cultural negotiation, culture, including a discussion on how culture is imbedded in negotiation orientations, processes and styles around the globe. Finally, it attempts to analyze the influence of cultural differences on and approaches to negotiations and the importance of ascertaining and identifying the players in business negotiation and the processes...
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...abroad was “sink or swim.” And fast disappearing are the organizations who still say “the way we do it here is the way we do it everywhere.” It is now possible to prepare global managers and leaders to learn how to learn in new cross-cultural situations, thus speeding up their adaptability and improving their productivity. For experienced hands, the new methods allow them to share their own experience more effectively with the next generation of leaders. New approaches can also add intercultural competence to the curriculum of a learning organization. Truly global organizations have moved beyond “think globally, act locally.” They have acquired the ability to continually learn from the global environment and to support the virtual third cultures necessary for effective multicultural communication. One of the things we have...
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...The Influence of Social Variables The meaning of human identity is vast and complex. Identity, for our purposes, is in part a derivation of an inseparable piece of one’s consciousness, and largely an assembly of attitudes, behaviors, values, and beliefs collected and learned during a lifetime. Individual identity, as the centerpiece of an individual’s place in society, is the mechanism through which worldviews are shaped. Identity may seem a nonessential study of little consequence in comparison to more explicit and trenchant topics, but actually is very consequential. Identities and worldviews are, after all, what have defined and created our reality as we know it. Movements toward social equality and political progressiveness have been born as a result of identities and worldviews differing from that of the collective. To study the social variables that mold identity and construct worldview is to study how our species has created our reality. Learning about the way identities and worldviews are shaped is the first step necessary in altering the formation of those identities and worldviews in order to change our thinking; to create a better and more equal reality. In some cases, such as my own, the formation of an individual’s identity is influenced by a collection of social variables typical of those within their society, as well as variables considered atypical. An absence of organized religion, Caucasian racial categorization, a culture comprised of scattered American ideals...
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...become more familiar with a culture, more attune to the implications that the culture has on the business conducted by the people group of the culture, and more aware of the attitudinal and behavioral implications a member of a different culture should expect when working with members of the people group. In exploring the varying cultural elements, one examines the role and perception of women, the role and influence of religion, and the role and perspective of time. The cultural elements have an impact on business that should be considered by a U.S. American seeking to conduct business with members of this people group. Global Business Cultural Analysis: Turkey Primary sources serve to provide a foundation for definitions when pursuing a research project. They are also beneficial for defining terms and establishing reasons behind why one might pursue a particular research topic. When beginning a global business cultural analysis, it is important to understand what is meant by the term culture. Hofstede defines culture as “the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another” (Hofstede, 2001, p. 9). The people group focus for this study is the members of the Republic of Turkey. Though the culture in Turkey differs from that of other people groups around the world, this study seeks to compare this culture with the culture of U.S. Americans. Cultural similarities and differences influence several aspects of interplay...
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...identical fashion from culture to culture. Consequently, business relations are enhanced when managerial, sales, and technical personnel are trained to be aware of areas likely to create communication difficulties and conflict across cultures. Similarly, international communication is even further strengthened when businesspeople can anticipate areas of commonality. Finally, business in general is enhanced when people from different cultures find new approaches to old problems creating solutions by combining cultural perspectives and examining the problem at hand from each other's differing cultural perspectives. ETHNOCENTRISM Problems in business communication conducted across cultures often arise when participants from one culture are unable to understand culturally determined differences in communication practices, traditions, and thought processing. At the most fundamental level, problems may occur when one or more of the people involved clings to an ethnocentric view of how to conduct business. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own cultural group is somehow innately superior to others. 1 It is easy to say that ethnocentrism only affects the bigoted or those ignorant of other cultures, and so is unlikely to be a major factor in one's own business communication. Yet difficulties due to a misunderstanding of elements in cross-cultural communication may affect even enlightened people. Ethnocentrism is deceptive precisely because members of any culture perceive their own...
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...Political environment, which is more important especially large international business, requires high investment. More consumers sought after more goods, more service and besides last pay back time. The political systems have two types namely; democracy and totalitarianism. Economic environment, which is required in home country, host country and world economics, are supporting or objection for international business and relation to suppliers. Economic growth affects on politics social and lows, the found political system and situation politics in country, and the world has direct affects on economic and business. Social and culture are foundation of living and work for humans, they has an impact on characteristic to work and every day life. For lows, it is convention for country activities including economic activities and business. Therefore economics, political, social and lows are closely bound in terms of relationship. Technology environment refers to new knowledge factor in the world such as sciences or engineering and including strategic management because marketing competition enforce each country to invent new knowledge or know-how benefit for its own business development. Each country that has new knowledge must create new products; have low capital and high efficiency in order to keep pace with the international competitors and to respond the customers’ needs in the international market. When the country enters into international business, they must encounter...
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...International Business, 4th Semester SUmmer semester 2016, 11.06.2016 Table of Contents – Cultural Dimensions according to Hofstede 1. The psychologist Hofstede a) Geert Hofstede b) Gert-Jan Hofstede 2. The cultural dimensions a) Social Orientation - Individualism-Collectivism-Index (IDV) b) Power Orientation – Power-Distance-Index (PDI) c) Uncertainty Orientation – Uncertainty-Avoidance-Index (UAI) d) Goal Orientation – Masculinity-Femininity-Index (MAS) e) Time Orientation – Long-Time vs. Short-Time-Orientation-Index (LTO) 3. Examples – Germany, United States, Venezuela 4. Problems and Discrepancies 5. Conclusion 6. Bibliography 1 Cultural dimensions according to Geert Hofstede Classifying and comparing cultures is strongly connected with the name Geert Hofstede. The Dutch social psychologist, as he calls himself, was born in 1928 in Haarlem(Netherlands) as Gerard Hendrik Hofstede. He went to schools until 1945, that was when he completed the Diploma Gymnasium Beta. From 17 on until he was 25 years old, he studied Mechanical Engineering and ended it in 1953 with a Master’s Degree. After two years of military service he started working in managerial jobs until 1965. He completed his Ph.D. in Social Sciences in part time studies. Already during that time, from 1965 until 1971 he founded and managed the Personnel Research Department of IBM. In this time, he developed the theory of the Cultural Dimensions that are presented in this...
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