You will never know a man till you do business with him (Scottish Proverb )
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Transcript of You will never know a man till you do business with him (Scottish Proverb )
You will never know a man till you do business with him
(Scottish Proverb )
Cultural Influences on Context: The Business
SettingBook 1, Ch. 8
Culture and Context
Rule in interacting and communicating
Different rules applied for different culture
Problem when cross-culture communication occurred
3 basic assumptions about human communication:
1. Communication is rule governed2. Context prescribes appropriate
communication rules3. Communication rules are culturally diverse
Communication and Context
Verbal & non-verbalWhat & how it should be saidNon-verbal includes touch (who & how),
facial expression (where & when to smile), eye-contact (appropriate to staring), paralanguage (when to whisper, shout)
Verbal includes turn taking, voice volume, formality of language
Depending on: context/event, the person you talk with
1. Communication is rule governed
Context (place) specifies appropriate rulesE.g. in classroom, church, mosque, wedding,
funeralExtreme deviation leads to social sanctions
Being ignored, asked to leave
2. Context prescribes appropriate communication rules
Cultures have many same social setting and context
Frequently abide by different rulesDifferences on Concepts of time, dress,
language, manners, nonverbal behavior, control of the communication flow
Aware of your own & other culture’s rule
3. Communication rules are culturally diverse
3 communication variables woven in and out of every communication setting:1. Formality & informality2. Assertiveness and interpersonal harmony 3. Status relationships
Assessing the context
The forms: how to dress, posture, addressing someone, type of speech used
US informal & direct dress code for office, posture when talking to
teacher/superior in the office, directness in delivering the message, the used of ‘hi’, calling the first name, disregard someone’s title
Egypt, Turkey, Japan formalStudent - teacher relationship (Egyptian proverb:
whoever teaches me a letter, I should become a slave to him forever)
Addressing someone with the title and surname Affected by culture, number of friends you have, your
closeness to friends, what you tell those friends
1. Formality vs informality
The manner in which people present themselves to others
Directly influence the intercultural settingAmerican known as assertive communicator
Encouraged and taught to be frank, open and direct when dealing with other
American individuals expected to stand up for their rights, and often involves confrontation
2. Assertiveness and interpersonal harmony
Northeast and Southeast highlighting harmonious relations
Filipinos’ two terms for harmony: amor propio (harmony) and pakikisama (smooth interpersonal relations)Prefer being treated as person than objectVulnerable to negative remarks affecting the image in
societySeldom criticize and verbally confront others
Japanese , maintain harmony in personal and professional settingDislike deviation, accept and adopt normative
expectations
Cont...
Egalitarian (low level of concern for social differences) vs. Hierarchical (emphasize on status & rank)
Egalitarian Informal interaction between subordinates and seniors, minimizing
formality Motivate every individual to increase his social status Eg. US, Australia, NZ
The use of first name rather than title Easy access to the superior President activities outside oval office
Hierarchical Eg. Japan, Spain
Language style use for someone in a higher position Protocols governs interpersonal and organizational activities Formal interaction between superior and subordinates
Eg. China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan Teachers get the utmost respect
3. Status relationship
1. Business protocol Initial contact, greetings behavior, personal
appearance, gift giving, office spatial design
2. Management3. Negotiations4. Decision making5. Conflict management
Multinational Business Context
Initial ContactsWhen?
Latin America (LA), appointment made at least a month in advance & verified a week before
Select an appropriate date, pay attention on national holidays
How?LA: Email, telephone
Who?LA: Person in a high
position as possibleUse intermediary
LA, Egypt, Africa, China,
US; informal & friendly, shake hands, use first name, business card exchange in business settings but not in social gathering
Saudi; handshake, often embrace and kiss on both cheeks, titles are important
China; the use of titles reflecting the hierarchy; eg. Lao tse, jaio shou, yi shen, shi fu
Eye contact
Greeting Behavior
Personal appearance
In international business where language barriers may impede the ability to fully express yourself, personal appearance is important
Dress code: color Japan, German formal
dress in dark color Indonesia, Malay,
Philippines more relax; omits tie and suit
Latin America dresses fashionably
View Greek: Sustain relations,
repay past favors, ensure preferable consideration in the future
US: Bribery What
China should not give handkerchief
WhenHow
Giving Moslem should in right hand
Gift Giving
Group affiliation vs individualismBusiness meeting
When, how long, what to discussUS: for disseminating information & making decision,
conducted when absolutely needed, start – end on timeFrench: forum for exchanging information, validate
decision that has been made by senior manager. Presentation at meeting
US, UK; provide conciseness, well-organized presentation related to the topic
Italians: speak expressively , don’t feel constrained by scheduled time
Business contractWritten vs. spoken
Management Style
1. Participant perspective People view on the negotiation process as a whole,
perception of their counterparts, conduct the bargaining sessionsUS enters directly, quick result – max. profit, short term
perspective, long term relation is secondaryJPN & CHN: build the relation, establish level of trust,
enter the extended association with other org. Russian: negotiation = forum for debate
Age of the negotiators CHN: great respects to elders US: competency
Gender Sensitive in Arabic countries
Negotiation Style
2. External factors Formality vs informality Status of members View of time Role of government Ethical standards Display of emotion Communication style
3. Expected outcomes Agreement vs long-term relation
Negotiation Style
International executives are enforced to make decision internationallyConcern on ‘who’ and ‘how’
Individual vs collectivePower distance (centralize vs decentralize)Accepting and dealing with confrontation vs avoid
conflictEg. French, few high-level individuals made all
decision; others, groups are actively following the processed
Eg. Japan, group consensus are important for avoiding conflict
Eg. Mexican relies on an individual to make decision
Decision making
Conflict can not be avoidedIf not manage properly, it will lead to
irreparable breakdowns Collective vs individualist
Collective has an aversion to open, direct conflict seen as a threat for group harmony and stability; criticism expressed indirectly, in passive, accommodating style since it carries the potential loss of face
Individualist seeing disagreement as natural and valued part of life; openly express to the top management, fight it through arbitrary
Conflict Management
Visit several ATMs in different areas (write down the bank name and location). Check how many different languages available in every ATM. Why those machines use more than one language? If the languages vary between locations, try to decide why.
To be discussed on the next meeting!
Group work [1]
Try to go to a supermarket selling imported snack (Ranch / Hokky / Papaya). Check several snacks, how many language available on the packaging. Why they are using more than one language and why most of the snacks choose different languages to be written down. Try to decide factors influencing the decision in choosing those languages!
Group work [2]