...monochronic versus polychronic cultures and the impact that can have on communication. Monochronic cultures like to do just one thing at a time. They value a certain orderliness and sense of there being an appropriate time and place for everything. They do not value interruptions. They like to concentrate on the job at hand and take time commitments very seriously. In addition monochronic people tend to show a great deal of respect for private property and are reluctant to be either a lender or a borrower. This is part of a general tendency to follow rules of privacy and consideration as well as adhere religiously to plans. Polychronic cultures like to do multiple things at the same time. A manager's office in a polychronic culture typically has an open door, a ringing phone and a meeting all going on at the same time. Though they can be easily distracted they also tend to manage interruptions well with a willingness to change plans often and easily. People are their main concern (particularly those closely related to them or their function) and they have a tendency to build lifetime relationships. Issues such as promptness are firmly based on the relationship rather than the task and objectives are more like desirable outcomes than must do's. If you live in the United States, Canada, or Northern Europe, you live in a monochronic culture. If you live in Latin America, the Arab part of the Middle East, or sub-Sahara Africa, you live in a polychronic culture. Interactions...
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...of formal rules and procedures within a given culture? a) Individualism b) uncertainty avoidance c) masculinity d) femininity 2. Jane greatly values achievements and success. Fred on the other hand, values time with family and friends. Based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, Jane is likely to come from a _____culture, while Fred is likely to come from a _____ culture. a) high power distance; low power distance b) high risk loving; low risk loving c) individualistic; collectivist d) achievement oriented; performance oriented 3. Italians and Mexicans would openly express emotions even in a business situation, where as British and Japanese would consider such displays unprofessional. Trompenaars categorizes the differences as _____. a) universalism versus particularism b) neutral versus affective c) specific versus diffuse d) achievement versus ascription 4. Which of the following does not characterize the Japanese business environment? a) strong working relationships b) strong seniority systems c) weak middle management d) emphasis on looking after employees 5. Which of the following would likely occur in a high-contact culture? a) widening your eyes b) looking at your watch c) speaking faster d) touching while you speak 6. Which of the following statements about time systems is true? a) Monochronic time systems are linear; polychronic systems have a past, present, and future. ...
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...around the world. 1- To diversify sources of sales and supplies. 2- To acquire resources. 3- To minimize competitive risk. 4- To expand sales. 2) In a short essay, identify and explain three competitive factors that influence international businesses. Answer: Consumers know about and want foreign goods and services, governments are removing international business restrictions, Competition has become more global. Section B: 1) What is the difference between a monochronic and polychronic culture? How do such cultural differences affect business practices for international firms? Answer: Monochronic cultures like to do just one thing at a time. They value a certain orderliness and sense of there being an appropriate time and place for everything. They do not value interruptions. They like to concentrate on the job at hand and take time commitments very seriously. Polychronic cultures like to do multiple things at the same time. A manager's office in a polychronic culture typically has an open door, a ringing phone and a meeting all going on at the same time. 2) What is the difference between a polycentric, ethnocentric, and geocentric approach to international management? What key factors should a firm consider before adopting one of these approaches? Answer: Polycentric approach to international management is the policy involved hiring and promoting employees who are citizens of the country that host and operates the company. Ethnocentric approach...
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...frameworks with analyses of case studies, focusing particularly on cases of negotiation between Western and non-Western states. Cohen rejects the notion that a single international diplomatic culture has developed, which makes diplomats' native cultures largely irrelevant. He finds that seasoned diplomats reports that cultural differences have a significant impact. Theoretic studies show that culture plays a large role in shaping the individuals' character. This constitutive impact of culture cannot be erased by mere exposure to other cultures. Cohen draws primarily on Lorand Szalay's theory of inter-cultural communication. Szalay begins by distinguishing between the form and content of a message. The form of the message serves to encode its meaning. Understanding a message is a matter of the receiver correctly decoding it, so that the receiver's intention matches the sender's meaning. Szalay says, "Since the encoder and the decoder are two separate individuals their reactions are likely to be similar only to the extent that they share experiences, that they have similar frames of reference. The more different they are, the less isomorphism there will be between encoded and decoded content."[p. 20] Cultural similarity provides a shared frame of reference, while individuals from divergent cultures are more likely to have different...
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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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...a. Introduction i. Culture is mainly an unspoken, nonverbal phenomenon because most aspects of one’s culture are learned through observation and imitation rather than by explicit verbal instruction ii. \nonverbal communication is composed of both biologically determined and cultural-specific components iii. Nonverbal messages serve a variety of functions 1. Culture shapes display rules of when, how, what, and with whom certain nonverbal expressions should be revealed or repressed b. Nonverbal codes iv. Physical appearance 2. Relatively stable physical features of human beings such as gender, height, weight, skin color and body 3. Strategic use of artifacts associated with one’s physical appearance like clothing, jewelry, make-up, hairstyles, and accessories 4. Race and culture have an effect of facial recognition a. Cross-race effect v. Proxemics 5. Cultures differ substantially with regard to their use of personal space, territory, and the meanings assigned vi. Chronemics 6. The study of the meanings, usage, and communication of time 7. Perceptions of time vary dramatically from culture to culture b. U.S. – time is a commodity c. Middle East and Latin America - Historical context important before addressing the present d. Asians – a relational issue rather than...
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...Edward T. Hall : Cultural Dimension Introduction „A fish only realizes it needs water to live when it is no longer swimming in the water. Our culture is to us like water to the fish. We live and breathe through our culture." As Trompenaar's quote outlines, culture is a crucial part of someone's life or even indispensable for the life of humans. This is because culture determines a human's basic assumptions, values, norms and belief systems as well as a human's behaviour, language, food, drinking habits and other determinants of one's daily routine. Understanding his or her own culture is a key factor in order to live in his or her society, but understanding other cultures gives the opportunity to look out of the box. It provides someone, for example, with the ability to interact between two cultures. A vital aspect when it comes to make business upon international terms. This paper will focus on the discoveries of Edward T. Hall and will also provide especially european countries as examples. 2. Hall’s dimensions of culture Edward T. Hall, Anthropologist, developed a culture model with three dimensions. Context, the most popular dimension, Time and Space. The following paragraphs will outline and explain the three dimension. Overview of the most popular culture models HALL | HOFSTEDE | TROMPENAARS | HIGH-CONTEXT vsLOW-CONTEXT | POWER DISTANCE | UNIVERSALISM vsPARTICULARISM | | | INDIVIDUALISM vsCOLLECTIVISM | HIGH-TERRITORIALITY vs LOW-TERRITORIALITY...
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...Material Found Only In Slides (I have placed an ASTERISK on slides with non-book content that is exam material) • Material Found Only In Book (e.g. definitions, frameworks,…) Strategy & Strategic OB: K&K Chapter 1: Definitions (key terms): contingency approach, human capital, management, organizational behavior, social capital, Theory Y, total quality management Reading: p.5-16 (just the top of 16) Key concepts Human Relations Movement Theory X, Theory Y Total Quality Management Deming’s 85-15 Rule Contingency Approach Human Capital Social Capital Congruence Model Organizational Culture & Socialization: K&K Chapter 2: Definitions (key terms): adhocracy culture, anticipatory socialization, change and acquisition, clan culture, enacted values, encounter phase, espoused values, hierarchy culture, market culture, mentoring, onboarding, organizational culture, organizational socialization Reading: p. 36-54 (just the top of 54) Key...
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... In this report, some generalizations about cultural and national approaches to negotiation will be outlined. If negotiators understand that their counterparts may be seeing things differently than themselves, they will be less likely to make negative judgments and more likely to make progress in negotiations and this is why I think cultural diversity is so important to be aware of before walking into a negotiation. We will start out with the time orientations of monochronic and polychromic approaches across cultures. . Monochronic approaches to time are linear, sequential and involve focusing on one thing at a time (2). These approaches are most common in the European-influenced cultures of the United States, Germany, Switzerland, and Scandinavia. Japanese people also tend toward this end of the time continuum. Polychronic orientations to time involve simultaneous events of many things and the involvement of many people (2). Negotiators from polychronic cultures tend to: • Start and end meetings...
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...CHAPTER 3 Group Member Diversity CHAPTER OUTLINE Heterogeneous Groups Personality Dimensions Personality Theory Implications of Personality Dimensions Cultural Dimensions Individualism–Collectivism Power Distance Uncertainty Avoidance Masculine–Feminine High Context–Low Context Monochronic Time–Polychronic Time Barriers to Cultural Understanding Gender Dimensions Generational Dimensions Balanced Diversity GroupWork: Personality Preferences GroupAssessment: Identifying Cultural Dialectics ISBN: 0-536-56665-8 63 Working in Groups: Communication Principles and Strategies, Fourth Edition, by Isa N. Engleberg and Dianna R. Wynn. Published by Allyn & Bacon. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. 64 Part I Basic Group Concepts HETEROGENEOUS GROUPS When you read or hear the word diversity, you may think about race or about people from other countries. The concept of diversity, however, involves much more than country of origin, skin color, or ethnic heritage. When discussing group communication, we use the term diversity in its most general sense—the quality of being different. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines diverse as “made up of distinct characteristics, qualities, or elements.”1 The homogeneous–heterogeneous dialectic is particularly applicable to the study of group membership. As we note in Chapter 1, the prefix homo comes from the Greek language and means “same” or “similar”; hetero means “different.” Thus, a homogeneous...
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...misunderstandings. If the negotiating team does not account for cultural differences in conducting business in the region the firm runs the risk of losing the contract to a competitor. Considerations must be given to the host’s religious sensibilities. Islam has implications for the systemic treatment of the business process, including what operational activities are permissible. The delegates must also be prepared for the following main differences to Australian culture as illustrated in the diagram below (Hofstede, 2012): context sensitivity in communication, autocratic leadership, the prevalence of collectivism and ‘face’, long term orientation compared to western cultures at circa 50 (Baron, 2008), and high levels of uncertainty avoidance, yet curiously a relatively elastic treatment of time and highly flexible meetings. 1 Firstly, the region’s treatment of time is foreign to our business world. The Middle East’s conception of time is polychronic as opposed to Western society’s view of time as monochronic. Polychronic cultures value traditions and relationships rather than tasks (Cohen, 2004). Punctuality is the main concern and whilst we may be...
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...International Management, 7e (Deresky) Chapter 3: Understanding the Role of Culture 1) International firms like Starbucks and McDonald's most likely modify their business practices in Saudi Arabia because of . A) prevalent religious customs and beliefs B) poor international business relationships C) low demand for American products D) tight restrictions on foreign trade Answer: A Diff: 3 Page Ref: 91 Chapter: 3 Skill: Concept AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity 2) Women in Saudi Arabia are permitted to work alongside men as . A) lawyers B) architects C) engineers D) doctors Answer: D Diff: 2 Page Ref: 91 Chapter: 3 Skill: Concept AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity 3) All of the following statements about women in Saudi Arabia are true EXCEPT that they are . A) allowed to earn a college degree B) restricted from owning businesses C) allowed to buy designer clothing D) restricted from driving cars Answer: B Diff: 3 Page Ref: 91-92 Chapter: 3 Skill: Concept AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity 4) What is the primary reason that high-end department stores operate in Saudi Arabia given the country's dress restrictions? A) Dress restrictions only apply to certain regions of Saudi Arabia. B) Women wear designer clothes for public functions when abayas are not required. C) Wealthy men and women in Saudi Arabia are interested in the latest fashion trends. D) Saudi Arabia draws travelers from Europe who want the latest designer...
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...You, he gives many examples of how a co-culture may adjust their communication practices to interact with the dominant culture (2015, p. 97). This includes being overly polite to a dominant culture, being more tolerant in receiving offensive comments, over-achieving to prove wrong negative stereotypes or conforming to those same stereotypes to meet expectations, mimicking the dominant culture’s behaviors, openly degrading one’s own culture, or clearly expressing one’s co-culture identity even if quietly. This range from denial to submissive conformity are all attempts to manage their differences through communication to the dominating culture. As a European descendant and a Caucasian living in my country of birth, my understanding and comfort in the dominant culture is relatively high. I have interacted with many subcultures and have lived in many different states that has given me a wider understanding of the different cultures throughout the states, but I was still surprised to learn of the necessary techniques these co-cultures use to communicate with the dominating culture. Unfortunately, I find myself accountable for being ignorant of how to communicate to certain co-cultures, and hope that with this understanding of how they will adjust their...
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...a world where different cultures, nations and religions intensively interact with each other. This, on the one hand, requires the construction of public relations between people of different cultures. On the other hand, every culture and nation is trying to preserve national, religious and cultural identity. However, this desire should not acquire forms of intolerance against carriers of values, and religious beliefs of other cultures. Such a situation may arise solely due to a misunderstanding or ignorance of history, cultural traditions, religious doctrines of other nations. Banal ignorance can cause phenomena such as racism, religious discrimination, aggressive nationalism etc. Familiarity with the values of individual’s culture allows escape from prejudice and stereotypes in perception of other cultures, ethnic and strengthen interfaith world. To see whether a person’s identity is shaped by his/her culture, we need to understand what culture consists of and what the characteristics of a personal identity are. Our cultural background shapes our identity, our communication practices, and our responses to others. Intercultural communication refers to communication between and among individuals and groups whose cultural backgrounds differ. (West & Turner 2006) As the populations of countries become more diverse, communicators today need to have knowledge of others' cultural values and practices to inform their communication. Although the culture is usually considered as...
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...Summary Managing People in a Global Context Book: Managing across cultures by Schneider & Barsoux, second edition Chapter 1: The undertow of culture Converging cultures? Before the impact of culture can be assessed, two convergence myths have to be challenged: 1. The world is getting smaller… • On the surface, we appear to be converging: television, books, movies, internet, eating habits etc. • However, it seems that the pressure for convergence or integration may in fact create an equal, if not stronger pressure for divergence or fragmentation. o E.g. protests against learning English as second language in Switzerland, different neighborhoods in NYC (Chinatown, Little Italy etc.). o Executives across Europe are reading many of the same publications, but still more often they read national magazines and newspapers. Management is management • Management is management, consisting of a set of principles and techniques that can be universally applied. • However, different practices (such as management) are shaped by its cultural origins, and so is management. • Also, different notions of organizations (relationships vs. tasks) and different HRM practices based on motivations of employees (intrinsic vs. extrinsic). • Good management is culturally sensitive management: best fit between people’s motivation and tasks. • Sensitivity towards invasion of foreign companies and their business ideologies and practices. 2. Despite technological & economic forces for integration/convergence...
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