Interactions between individuals with different cultural background are vital in the international business environment. As a result, intercultural communication has developed significantly within this globalised world (Jonasson and Lauring, 2012). However, due to different cultural issues and differences, intercultural communication challenges often arise, which renders the negotiation process between organisations difficult. Several methods by management can be adopted to overcome or minimise these challenges. In particular, the aim of this essay illustrates the main intercultural communication issues that surround European MNE managers when partaking into sales negotiations with potential Chinese customers (e.g. Chinese distributors, agents). In additions the management approaches that may be adopted to overcome these challenges will be discussed.
Communications is the exchange of information which depends on how individuals perceives, interpret and analyse a person's behaviour (Adair, 2003). Communication is affected by various aspects of human behaviour and languages which can be sent consciously or unconsciously. () Consequently, messages sent and received between the individuals do not always correspond with each other which can easily result to misunderstandings. Intercultural communication is the increasingly complex interaction between two parties with different cultural background. Individuals working in an international business are instantly encountered with challenges such as doubts, pressures and have the tendency to stereotypes others from different backgrounds (EU SME, 2013). Specifically, the challenges that surround intercultural communication include language differences, cultural differences and legal and ...
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...including cultural differences, language differences and legal issues present difficulties for European MNE managers to negotiate with China. As a collective society, Guanxi and mianzi are vital aspects of the Chinese culture that takes time and patience to build (EU SME, 2013). To reduce any misunderstanding and misperception when negotiating in China, European management must understand their customs, specifically in building relationship and managing face as they are a highly contextualised. In addition, ‘the silent language’ must be considered as gestures and contacts presented incorrectly to Chinese customers can be disrespectful and inappropriate. Specifically,
To conclude, European MNE managers must have the ability to adapt to the international environment and be skilled in interpersonal relationship with the Chinese customers (Praboteeah and Cullen, 2014).
Intercultural communication is type of communication which people from different cultures and groups share information. The occasion where significant basically cultural differences made effective intercultural communication a challenge between me and my friend here in America was about bride price. In my culture bride price is paid by groom to the family of the girl who is going to marry. The bride price symbolizes as a promise to always love and protect. It serves as reassurance to the bride’s parents that the daughter they love with all their heart will be in good hands. The bride price does not represent the value of a women and it was never intended to. Its present a promise to love and respect a women. But my friend who is the citizen here and was born here told me that in America there is no like this culture anymore, they do not pay any bride price to groom or to the bride.
Many people who go to visit or work in another country suffer some misunderstanding from the local people, because they have a different culture. Different culture will cause disparity points of view about almost everything. In the article, Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks by Laray M. Barna, there are five stumbling blocks mentioned that are seen in a cross-culture communication. These blocks are: language, nonverbal signs and symbols, preconceptions and stereotypes, the tendency to evaluate and high anxiety. Barna wants to use these stumbling blocks to show the common blockades between different cultures. I agree with what she thinks about the language, nonverbal signs and symbols, preconceptions and stereotypes, and the tendency
... maintained over lengthy periods of time, a more comprehensive approach to understanding the subjective interpretations of communication partners could help an intercultural partnership enhance their working relationship (Heffernan, 2008). In a sense, miscommunication and conflict could be not only minimized but hypothetically avoided all-together by communication partners. The possibility of this phenomenon could make Communication Accommodation Theory an inviting prospect for researchers interested in the development of cross cultural communication practices, organizations operating over-seas, and individuals who engage in intercultural discourse on a regular basis. The practicality of CAT in addressing the causes of intercultural conflict management, could make a significant impact on the way modern business and social interactions are conducted across the world.
With an increase in globalization, many people venture into other countries to seek employment and education opportunities. The United States-based corporations employ over 100 million overseas workers. They also hire a large number of locals who then move to take roles in other countries where the company has operations (Reichard et al. 2015). This means that Americans are exposed to a high number of people from other nations with diverse cultures in their workplaces, schools, neighborhoods and other social places. Therefore, people need to improve their intercultural communication skills to enable them to interact efficiently with people with diverse cultures. The improvement of technology has made the media an agent for enhanced
I have learned a great deal about different cultures and the communication between those cultures. I didn’t really think I would learn as much as I did. I am from an older cohort than most of the people in my class; therefore my experience level is a little greater. This did not prevent me from learning a few things and enhancing the knowledge I already have.
Any negotiation challenges the parties involved in a variety of ways, but parties with conflicting interests face important additional difficulties when attempting to negotiate an agreement across culture lines. Not only will the difficulties arising from the known similarities and differences of opinion be more pronounced, but also unsuspected factors could easily enter the picture and condition perceptions of the situation. In cross-cultural negotiations, a reasonable second acknowledgment should be that the hidden factors that are always at work are more likely to interfere with reaching an agreement. It is especially important that this acknowledgment be understood to apply not only to the dynamics of interactions across the table, but those of individuals on the same side of the table. [At times, it may be tempting to attribute the outcomes of negotiations to a single variable (such as the culture or the relative power of a country).] The term culture has taken on many different meanings but basically it reflects the shared values. Culture affects negotiations in different ways. In this paper, we are going to discuss the American and Jap...
When individuals or groups from different cultures communicate, this process is called intercultural communication. The transaction process of listening and responding to people from different cultural backgrounds can be challenging. The greater the difference in culture between two people, the greater the potential of misunderstanding and mistrust. Misunderstanding and miscommunication occur between people from different cultures because of different coding rules and cultural norms, which play a major role in shaping the patterns of interaction (Jandt, 2012).
Intercultural communication is an evolving discipline that occurs between individuals from contrasting backgrounds. It include...
The frequent situations of misunderstandings in intercultural communication may be more common then one may believe. The potential for misunderstandings between two different cultures communicating is very high. Through such things as idioms, translation errors, and wrong body language communicative skills can be incorrect. When these intercultural mistakes occur between the people speaking or moving it may be perceived by the opposite culture as funny, rude or confusing. With these considerations in mind, the combination of possibilities for misinterpretations is increasingly elevated.
What does it mean to be a competent communicator and a competent intercultural communicator? A Competent communicator defines as a person who can communicate with others properly and sufficiently, and a competent intercultural communicator is the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with people of other cultures. It takes many abilities to be an effective competent communicator and an effective competent intercultural communicator. While some environments and factors can affect the way you communicate properly, there are also abilities that can help you achieve better communication. In this discussion I will be comparing and contrasting the concepts of both competent communication and competent intercultural communication.
The way people communicate varies widely between, and even within, cultures. One aspect of communication style is language usage. Language has always been perceived as a link between people but it can also constitute a barrier. Across cultures, some words and phrases are used in different ways. For example, even in countries that share the English language, the meaning of "yes" varies from "maybe, I'll consider it" to "definitely so," with many shades in between . Furthermore, communication between cultures which do not share the same language is considerably more difficult . Each culture, has its distinct syntax, expressions and structure which causes confusion in intercultural communication. For example , in Asian countries the word “no” is rarely used, so that “yea” can mean “no” or “perhaps”. Therefore, an American traveling to Japan might be considered impolite if he ignores this rule. Furthermore, individuals who are not comfortable with a certain language may not be taken seriously. Such is the case in the classroom, where a student who has a perfect knowledge of the subject in question may have difficulty expressing his idea due to his inability to write properly and therefore he would not receive the grade he truly deserves. Similarly intercultural communication is dominant in the workplace. In the past, many companies and organizations could operate entirely within their country of origin and conduct their activities exclusively in their own native language. But now, due...
Since the last ten years, emotional intelligence is becoming lower in the world because people are getting used to meet people through the internet instead of going out. Staying home is more convenient and the outcome becomes more and more visible. People get out of the habit of nonverbal communication and rhetorical sophistry, like irony or sarcasm, are not adequate to communicate through the internet. The most important problem is that nonverbal communication makes up over 90 percent of all communication. Gestures and mimics can’t be seen over the internet and emoticons can just be used to show a few basic expressions. Otherwise, the internet gives opportunities to communicate with some nonverbal communication by providing the potential to make video conferences all over the world. Video conferences can’t replace face-to-face communication, but in our global world the internet may lead to more commonality in global thinking. The international business environment has changed rapidly in the growing global markets. Most companies not only operate in their domestic market; they also operate in foreign business markets where they have to struggle with different languages and cultures. The most challenging problems are the differences within intercultural communication. Therefore, the internet helps the companies to deal successfully with these challenges and gives the opportunities to be ‘global’. The threat for the private sector is coeval an opportunity for the business sector. Instant messaging and calling worldwide are benefits of the internet and additionally new technologies enable companies to make huge video conferences where non-verbal communication becomes possible all over the world. Mimic and gestures become visible in n...
Interpersonal Communication in an Intercultural Setting Cultural growth in the twenty-first century has heightened the emphasis on interpersonal communication in an intercultural setting. As our world grows, expands and becomes increasingly more interconnected by various technological advances, the need for effective interpersonal communication among differing cultures has become quite clear. Due to the advancement of technology in today's world, a world in which some businesspeople are involved in transactions with other businesspeople in faraway countries, the call for knowledge of intercultural communication within this setting has become a reality. Interpersonal communication is a form of communication that involves a small number of people who can interact exclusively with one another and who therefore have the ability to both adapt their messages specifically for those others and to obtain immediate interpretations from them (Lustig et al, 1993). Although interpersonal communication is usually thought of as being perf!
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I wasn 't quite sure what I was getting into when I first enrolled in Intercultural Communications. I had assumptions as to the goals of the course such as I would be learning about the way cultures interact with each other, learn about communication in general, or I would be learning about the ways we use communication through our culture. I think that I achieve the latter goal, but I also gained knowledge about more then just my culture. I came to realize that there is more to a culture than just language, appearances, and customs, which are aspects of culture that could be seen above the waterline, or they are more noticeable/obvious to someone outside of that culture. There are aspects of culture that are below the waterline, or more