...background. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate") is a term that has different meanings. To me culture is a sense of identity, as an individual and a group, and about the creative expression or response to life. Dr Fons Trompenaars who is a Dutch author in the field of cross-cultural communication developed the “Seven Dimensions of Culture Model” for the analysis of cultural differences. The seven dimensions were defined as; Universalism versus Particularism, Collectivism versus individualism. Affective versus neutral relationships. Specificity versus diffuseness, achievement versus ascription. Orientation towards time and internal versus external control. According to Dr Trompenaars culture is the manner in which these dilemmas are reconciled, since every nation seeks a different and winding path to its own ideals of integrity. Trompenaar believes that not only will conflict be reduced by this reconciliation but businesses will succeed to the extent that this reconciliation occurs. According to Hofstede (1991) culture is like an onion that can be peeled, layer-by layer to reveal the content. The meaning of culture is compared with the layers of an onion. Where the outer layer is what people principally associate with culture e.g. clothing, language and foods etc. The middle layer refers to the norms and values which a community holds. The core of the onion is the key to successfully working with other cultures. Hofstede sees culture as "the...
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...Intercultural Conflict Management How should we define an intercultural conflict? Is there any difference between a conflict and an intercultural one? The following chapter, which is a summary of the chapter “Constructive Intercultural Conflict Management” (Stella Ting-Toomey, Communicating Across Cultures, 1999, pages 194-197), attempts to answer these two questions. At the end of the chapter, we also include an extract of the “Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory” (Mitchell Hammer, 2002) 1. Definition of intercultural conflicts “Intercultural conflict is defined as the perceived or actual incompatibility of values, norms, processes, or goals between a minimum of two cultural parties over content, identity, relational, and procedural issues. Intercultural conflict often starts off with different expectations concerning appropriate or inappropriate behavior in an interaction episode.” (Ting-Toomey, 1999, p.194). Another author holds a similar view: “Conflicts are always cultural, since we are all cultural beings. Yet the very definition of conflict is challenging because of our cultural ways of seeing”. (Michelle Le Baron and Venashri Pillay, Conflict across Cultures, 2006, page 13). According to Le Baron, conflict occurs at ← the material level, or the “what” of the conflict; ← the symbolic level, the meaning of issues to the people involved, especially those meanings that resonate with peoples' identities, values, and worldviews; ← and the relational...
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...2. Religion 4 2.1 Christianity in Singapore 4 2.2 Buddhism in China 5 2.3 Common and distinguish 6 3. Language 6 4. Custom 7 5. Conclusion 7 1. Introduction Technology to make the world exchange information more frequently. One developed and famous country can attract people from different countries into. People have dreams to make more money and a better life came to the country. It certainly will increase the communicating across cultures opportunities and impact in across cultures. Singapore is a typical example. Cross-cultures refers to the globalization, social mobility increased and ethnically mixed by a kind of social phenomenon. This phenomenon will change tradition and create new culture. Singapore has gathered Chinese, Malay, Indian and so on the different culture. We should to cultural differences or conflict cultural phenomenon, customs, habits to have sufficient and correct understanding, and on this basis to include attitude to accept and adaptive. I introduce the detail about across cultures when I stay at Singapore and some in Thailand tourism experiences. It includes religion, language and custom. 2. Religion 2.1 Christianity in Singapore Singapore is a multiethnic and multicultural immigrant society, thus collected the world many religions. Christianity is a popular religion in Singapore. It is the second largest religion in Singapore, with large numbers of believers. I used to belong to a team of Christ in Singapore. Its members are more...
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...could strengthen their business and also enhance customer service through involving their diverse workforce. It means that multinational companies could make use of cultural sensitivity, language skills, market knowledge and information of business networks at their own countries to drive business growth. (Nataatmadia & Dyson, 2005). However, multinational companies will also have some problems or challenges. Communication in multinational companies would be a lot more difficult because they employ employees from various countries. People from different countries have different cultures; this is the reason why this factor could cause them to fail to understand each another. Moreover, companies which operate in various languages areas will have difficulties at communicating with the local employees because they speak different language. (Kundu, 2001). SICLI have problem in coping with the new management style after the company was acquired by Williams Holdings PLC. This company is a multinational company because it operates in many countries. Moreover, the company also employs workers from various countries. This is why they need to find out what policies could help the company to minimize the problems. Section A Companies like SICLI or Williams Holdings PLC that operates in several of countries and employs employees from different countries should adopt some policies in order to prevent problems. To settle these issues, the CEO of SICLI or Williams Holdings PLC must adopt...
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...The Role of Cultures in Global Management Abstract What is culture and how other people deal with culture on a daily basis. Countries around the world work daily with different cultures in a business setting. There are many different ways that culture practices get done throughout the world. Middle East does things different than what the United States does. Global management and cultures bring many issues with it. Managers and staff need to find new ways to handle values, beliefs and social norms when working a business around the world. Most businesses have an assortment of different cultures and backgrounds because there are different people working within the group. This “Group of people" has the same religion, language, beliefs, and values share a culture no matter what. This, in turn, joined with all different types of people in the same cultural system. An examination made of the art of administering groups who are from different cultures, taking into account their different set of values, carry out, and ways of achieving different goals. A review presented of some of the problems that inherent in from one country to another because manager reject or is helpless of internalizing the local culture in which the displacement operates. Culture provides two functions that affect global management today. With the growth in global activities of both domestic and multinational companies, managers need a good perceptive of culture. People’s cultural...
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...Importance of Organisational Culture Organisational cultures are created by people. An organisation’s culture is also created and maintained by the organisations leadership. Organisational culture is important to alphabet games because the culture of the workplace shapes the way the employees act and relate to others both internally and externally. This can have a significant effect on the way the organisation operates. The culture is the feel we get when we walk into an organisation, made up of assumptions, values and norms. The attitude, behaviour and traits that dominate the organisation can affect the way we act with other individuals. Every organisations culture varies. There are four main elements of culture, which are: 1 Basic Assumptions – tells employees how to feel and think about things. 2 Values – what ought to be in an organisation. 3 Norms – the way employees should behave. 4 Artefacts – visual demonstration of the culture. Shared values are beliefs, concepts and principles that underline the culture of the organisation, which determines the behaviour of its employees. These values link an organisation together. An example of shared values in Alphabet games is their extensive experience in software development which has developed into a world renowned reputation for excellence, quality and innovation. This tells the employees what is important to Alphabet games and assumes that employees pay close attention to providing such a...
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...bureaucracy of Japan Face-saving The increasing stress Introduction For discussing about the culture of the Japanese companies, we think that the type of the culture in Japan business is the task type. In Charles Handy’s theory, there are four types of behavioral characteristics: Zeus (power); Apollo (role); Athena (task); Dionysus (personal). We think that the Japanese culture is the task culture. The task culture is job- or project- oriented. Much of the power and influence lies at the connecting points of the organization. The whole emphasis of the task culture is on getting the job done. It is the job of manager to be concerned with the continuous and successful solution to problems. Influence is based on expert power rather than on position. The task culture uses the unifying power of the group to improve efficiency and to link individuals with the objectives of the organization. It is appropriate where flexibility and sensitivity to the external environment is important, and where speed of reactions is important. Groups, project teams or task forces are formed for a specific purpose and can be reformed, abandoned or continued. The organization works quickly, since each group ideally contains all the decision-making powers required. Individuals find in this culture a high degree of control over their, judgment by results and easy working relationships within the group, with mutual respect based upon capacity rather...
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...constant support and understanding during the work. SHUBHANGI SINGH A3907508034 IMBA A-16 (2008- 2012) Amity School of Business e- Mail – shubhangi_singh@live.in INDEX SERIAL NO. PARTICULARS PAGE NO. 1. Abstract 03 2. Introduction 04 3. Methodology 07 4. Literature review 08 5. Discussion 14 6 Conclusion 15 7. Suggestions 16 6. Appendices 17 7. References 18 ABSTRACT Confronted by the globalization of markets, increasing competition, deregulation and rapid technological developments, speed and flexibility become key sources of competitive advantage for organizations. This calls for radically different management approaches and a new breed of leaders. New mindsets and new sets of learning skills will be key factors of success in the knowledge intensive corporations of the future. The research field of cross-cultural management suffers from an absence of theory capable of explaining the...
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...Impact of Culture in International Human Resource Management Martin Human Resource Management relates to the processes involved in managing people in international enterprises (Helfrich, et al., 2008). Although the literature has identified several criteria to classify the degree or intensity of an enterprise´s multi- or transnationality for this short abstract a multinational enterprise can be defined as “an enterprise which conducts it activities, control production or service facilities and activities that add value in more than one country” (Zurawicki, 1979). Among the first enterprises driving global business were those who signed on crews and chartered ships, handled, loaded and imported tea from India for the British market. Today according to (Keohane & Nye Jr., 2000) globalisation is “the state of the world involving networks or interdependences at multinational distances…through flows and influences of capital, goods, information and ideas, people and forces”. Diversity has become a fact of life for most companies. They are now composed with a virtual mosaic of employees who differ in culture, national patterns of childhood, formative experiences and education, language, geography gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, religion, disability and other group memberships. The challenges which international human resources face are versatile but the greatest impact is culture. Focusing on the culture (Hofstede, 1991) defines culture as the “collective...
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...workplace is "organizational culture." We define organizational culture as the set of shared beliefs, truths, assumptions, and values that operate in organizations. Organizational culture has been described as "How people behave when no one is looking." We spend more than 8 hours at work each day. Most of us spend more time at work than we do with families. Everyone needs an enjoyable, meaningful and engaging work environment. A strong organizational culture will attract many talented people. Organizational culture is the first thing that prospective employees consider when assessing an organization. The talent market is tighter and those looking for a new organization are more selective than ever. Talented people not only needs good salary and benefit, but also a good environment that they can enjoy and succeed in. What’ more, a strong organizational culture will help you to solve a tough problem when facing a crisis. For example, Toyota found some potential safety hazard of their cars, but they didn’t recall these cars because of enormous repair costs. Unfortunately, many people died in an accident due to this potential safety hazard. If Toyota has a strong organizational culture, they will recall these defective cars as soon as possible without regard to the repair costs. And what would they got is “public praise”—the most important thing for a company. There is no doubt that organizational culture is very important. The organizational culture will urge you to think the work...
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...work environment that is fun, egalitarian, and reliant on trust and intrinsic motivation. Although the case itself states no obvious organizational problems, it does not mean problems within the organization do not exist. Potential Cognitive Traps at SAS SAS has such a strong company culture that an observer went as far as to call it “the Stepford software company.” This robot-like behavior and high retention rate suggest that SAS does not have a very diverse employee group and is likely to fall into cognitive traps, such as groupthink and selection bias. In the Columbia Accident Investigation Board case (Chapter 7: The Accident’s Organizational Causes), NASA, like SAS, possessed a strong culture and optimistic organizational thinking. At NASA, this groupthink undermined their ability for effective decision making and led to the oversimplification of the threat of the foam debris, and ultimately, the disintegration of the Columbia upon re-entry. It is unlikely that SAS’s cognitive traps will lead to the catastrophic loss of human lives, but it is more than possible it could lead to complacency and lack of innovation, which would destroy its business model. SAS will need to be sure their culture is working for them instead of against them. SAS is the largest privately owned software company in the world. Employees spend their time working at an already lucrative organization with a successful product and outstanding customer support. Successful companies such as these are much...
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...In the beginning of this century, businesses within countries develop and struggle on their own and compete among similar industries within their area. Although international trading was already practiced since the dawn of time, the modern world made international trading and business an organized one and even a friendlier economic community where industries compete but at the same time share their skills and expertise thorough economic cooperation. Today, the business world was made smaller due to the rise of global economy and the global policies that go with it. Global industries have also entered into organizations and agreements such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), among others, which further made the trading arena a smaller place to do business in. Developed countries with booming economies have become business hubs that attract workers from all over the world. Dubai of the United Arab Emirates, for instance, has become a business and industrial Mecca, both for investors and the work force alike. Although there are countries that prefer locals instead of foreign nationals as workers, such as Japan and Singapore, still, it is undeniable that these countries have foreign nationals working in their industries. Because of economic liberalization, several industries have opened their doors to workers, notwithstanding their nationality so long as the worker could meet the requirements and the demands of the industry. As a result...
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...Port Melbourne. Port Melbourne is the largest container and general cargo port in Australia. It currently handles approximately 37% of Australia’s trade in containers. The port has more than forty shipping lines which make about 3100 ship calls every year. The port provides shipping services to major ports all over the world. The port is made up of 34 berths at five different docks, two major piers and river wharves. The ports purpose built international container terminals handle a variety of cargoes including motor vehicles, consumer goods, various materials and agricultural goods. The port on average handles over $1.8billion worth of cargo. The ports logistics network extends across south eastern Australia. The port offers access to the State’s major road and rail networks for further logistics requirements. The Dynon Port Rail Link provides 24 hour rail access for containers arriving or need to be transported to the port. The port provides access to South Australia, Western Australia, regional NSW and all across the east coast of mainland Australia. The port provides 24 hour commercial shipping control, quarantine and customs services, provision and maintenance of navigational aids for commercial shipping and strategic planning for the future of commercial shipping needs. The port also provides a crucial service for the transfer of containers between the sea and land. The Port of Melbourne manages port activities in order to facilitate the effective landside movement of...
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...national cultures is important to the formulation of strategy management. Most of cultures are Centralism of the Self Culture. If a global corporation invests to a country, the country cannot reject the investment. But if the investment is contradictory of their rules and to protect domestic industry, the corporation won’t be welcomed in the nation. So corporation must be understanding national cultures before enter to start business in a nation. k An understanding of national cultures is important to the formulation of strategy management. Most of cultures are Centralism of the Self Culture. If a global corporation invests to a country, the country cannot reject the investment. But if the investment is contradictory of their rules and to protect domestic industry, the corporation won’t be welcomed in the nation. So corporation must be understanding national cultures before enter to start business in a nation. k An understanding of national cultures is important to the formulation of strategy management. Most of cultures are Centralism of the Self Culture. If a global corporation invests to a country, the country cannot reject the investment. But if the investment is contradictory of their rules and to protect domestic industry, the corporation won’t be welcomed in the nation. So corporation must be understanding national cultures before enter to start business in a nation. k An understanding of national cultures is important to the formulation of strategy management. Most of...
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...Yeo Kian Seng SCSJ-0012635 International Management (BA 317) Spring 2014 Individual Assignment (20%) Ms. Kristen Segi College Subang Jaya Case Questions 1. What specific errors did Warren and Carol Oats make during their first week in Japan? Before getting started, Oats should have done some research in Japanese ways of doing business. Particularly on their meeting etiquette and social interaction; they are well-known for their politeness and it is probably the defining factor whether Oats is able to secure the business. First off, Oats should have presented his name card upon the first meeting even before he started to present his proposal. To Japanese, name cards represent an individual, Oats should have a cardholder specially cater to that. Introduction of himself and the company is also important, possibly this should be the only of the objective of the first meeting instead on going straight to the point. Secondly, Oats should have brought an assistant or more peers along with him on the first meeting. Seeing the Japanese attend the meeting in group means they are prepared to ask specific question per their expertise. Silence did occur during the meeting, it simply means that reflection is taking place; Oats should not have break the silence. As for Carol Oats, her approach in job search is wrong. She should have informed the executives prior before approaching them. A cover letter and updated resume is the basic, else there are nothing for the executives...
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