Communication Across Cultures : An Essential Skill For Multinational Business Leaders

Cross-cultural communication involves an understanding of how people from different cultures speak, communicate, and perceive the world around them. This type of communication has become fundamental to companies as well as entrepreneurs looking to grow their business, in addition to being fundamental as the workplace has become more diverse. In this line is important to highligh the concept of high- and low-context culture.

From a relative perspective, effective communication proves imperative in aiding efficient business transactions. The different cultures and nations involved in the launch of the fast-food franchise should aim at understanding one another’s culture despite their differences between culture, language, and way of life. To begin with, proper channels should be put in place to communicate important factors concerning the business without necessarily having an interpreter. In equal measure, some challenges present themselves during the presentation to the various individuals involved with the firm. For instance communicating may prove difficult putting into consideration that not all persons can speak fluently in English. Additionally the fact that American culture is typically made up of low-context practices, it may appear rude and ill-mannered for persons who originate from high-context cultures. A good illustration of the above-mentioned factor is that Chinese culture dictates that individuals should engage in typical chit-chat before getting down to serious business. In this instance, if the individual from any cultural background jumps in immediately to address serious matters, he or she is viewed as rude and insensitive.

     In business, successful communication is the key to success, and being able to relate to a customer is the best form of communication. This is why cross-cultural communication is so important as the business world continues to globalize itself. Unfortunately, “A lack of awareness about the culturally prescribed rules and norms of communication behaviors can cause public relations projects to fail, or worse, backfire.” (Zaharna, 2001, p.135).

Knowledge of other cultures is one of the keys to being successful in business dealings. This paper reports on real experiences in cross-cultural business interactions from three different perspectives. I interviewed three successful businessmen, one who worked with Iranians, one with Chinese, and one with Indians. I interviewed them independently, and my questions covered four different elements: cultural behavior in business negotiations, management as symbol of high power distance in the companies, knowledge of high context or low context culture, and finally knowledge of each of culture to have better business negotiation in future.

In my previous professional role, it was imperative that I obtained an effective level of intercultural communication competence. I managed U.S. employee communications for unplanned system issues which often had a downstream global impact within the organization. As a result, many of my communications were tailored for a global audience which consisted of the United States, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions. Prior to a sending an employee communication for a system issue, there was always a global business call with all stakeholders to discuss the details and determine which region would lead the communications. The region designated to lead the communication had a challenging task of tailoring the message

In an article called Cultural Factor Highly Influences On Consumers & Their Buying Behavior – In Indian Context, the basic characteristics of culture are described:

Using communication techniques appropriate to different social and cultural groups: The business environment of the 21st century is expanding to include people from cultures and

Abstract The ability of managers to interact with individuals from cultures other than their own, requires a concerted effort on the part of business educators and academics to ‘train’ and ‘educate’ today’s students and tomorrow’s managers in the area cross-cultural communication. This is not necessarily an easy task. Teaching cross-cultural communication requires a multidisciplinary approach, which goes beyond what is traditionally offered by trainers and educators. It requires the educator to design a course that includes not only culture-general but also

When people think of business, rarely do we associate culture with the concept. This leads to an issue in cross-cultural communication. By analyzing cross-cultural communication, and its miscommunication in cultural differences, it is clear that employees should know more of a country’s defining culture. Only recently have we seen an emphasis in understanding other country’s cultures. In doing so, some businesses have prospered, while others have suffered after a terrible miscommunication. When dealing with culture, there are three segments that an employee should consider. What can be done before, during and after contact is made with the culture. In effectively preparing for one, a business may successfully send the message they wish to their client.

The idea behind this study is of great significance because e-commerce (online shopping) has grown tremendously since the turn of the century. It has shaped the way people do shopping for the most part.

Cross-cultural communication is the process of exchanging meaningful and unambiguous information across cultural boundaries, in a way that preserves mutual respect and minimizes antagonism, that is, it looks at how people from differing cultural backgrounds endeavour to communicate. The study of cross-cultural communication was originally found within businesses and the government both seeking to expand globally. Communication is interactive, so an important influence on its effectiveness is our relationship with others. All communication is cultural -- it draws on ways we have learned to speak and give nonverbal messages. We do not always

McCort, D. J., & Malhorta, N. K. (1993). Culture and consumer behaviour: Toward and understanding of cross-culture consumer behaviour in international marketing, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 6, 91-127.

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN ONLINE SHOPPING BEHAVIOR: TURKEY AND THE UNITED KINGDOM. Written by Sema Sakarya & Nagehan Soyer.

Establishing and maintaining good relations with others and particularly the customers and potential customers is very important in becoming a successful business person in whichever sector one is engaged in; be it technology or finance. However, due to global cultural differences, companies may face several challenges when aiming to expand and become more competent in the market. Therefore, one should seek diverse cultural knowledge from a certain environment before engaging ones business in that specific area.

This current study aims to provide a more holistic view of the factors that influence online shopping behavior in the clothing industry, by comparing the important criteria for purchase decisions between online shoppers and traditional shoppers. The factors that were examined include (1) Product variables: price, usefulness, quality and available information; (2) Seller attributes: trustworthiness, reputation and marketing strategies; (3) shopping experience: convenience, quality of service, design and ease of use; and (4) consumer factors: gender, socioeconomic status and attitude towards online shopping. A quantitative survey was conducted wherein 206 consumers have completed the questionnaire through convenience sampling. The results of the study showed that male online shoppers for clothes are significantly more than females, most of whom still prefer traditional shopping. Traditional and online shoppers have been seen to differ in the importance they give to product price, seller credibility and marketing strategies, and purchase experience in terms of convenience, quality of service and ease of transaction, wherein online shoppers put more value on these factors in making their purchase decisions. In accordance to the technology acceptance model, the participants who have more positive attitudes towards online shopping are more likely to actually purchase their clothes