The rapid pace of economic globalization has proven to be one of the hallmarks of the twenty first century. As the world is getting more accessible and interconnected, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have many new horizons to explore as future markets of operation. SMEs are regarded to be the milestone of national economies, thus becoming an international organization has turned out to be more essential, in order companies to protect their competitive advantage. SMEs must develop global culture, gain important international experience and overcome size barriers and fierce competition. There are many factors that have influenced business to expand internationally, such as taking the benefits of economies of scale and scope, increase in the experience curve effects resulting from rise in the output level. These factors will increase the profitability of the organizations and will provide them with the possibility of taking advantage of beneficial markets that are not available at home. (Benett, 1995) By going international the company would handle many challenges, facing obstacles never faced before, and culture is one of this difficulties. Cultural differences can affect business in many ways, such as language barriers, pricing and negotiation difficulties. Considering the fact that, we are living in a phase where customer satisfaction is crucial, companies need to make sure that they are coping with all these obstacles in a pleasing way for both sides. Mistakes and
International marketing or business is uniquely different from the local market because the product price, place and promotion is vastly different from what is been offered to local customers (Johansson, 2000) With the emergence of the information technology, cross border marketing has never been a distant dream. However, it has never been easier even for giant multinational companies to face challenges that come in international business. The biggest challenge comes from the culture which varies from country to country.
Every country differs in culture which has been there for centuries. The international market is growing rapidly, with more and more multinational organisations entering new markets each day. In this assignment I will evaluate how the difference in cultures affects the performance of international businesses.
Many companies today want to expand their business to the international business, which can bring cost down and profits up. Taking a business internationally means knowing the rules and regulations of the countries you are entering. There can be many issues with going global which include cultural barriers, diversity issues, multicultural issues, political issues, and economical issues. It is very important to know how important expansion is to the company and what implications will come from going global.
There are many cultural and ethical differences between countries and it is important for mutual trust and respect that no organization try to strong-arm another into their way of thinking or take a position that their culture is more valuable than the other. According to Pitta, Fung, and Isberg (1999), it is vital for success to have a basic understanding of the culture and the expectations within cultures as they affect all business transactions. Failing to understand and consider the cultural differences will likely result in failure.
Making business abroad can be risky, but it can also be profitable for a company as well; thus the necessity to study in deep the country where the company will bring the business to. International companies are faced with many cultural challenges, when doing business across and inside of different borders. Identifying the significant cultural issues involved when evaluating the attractiveness of a particular location as a place for doing business can be crucial for a business. Aspects to consider when studying culture in a new place
Culture is one of the terms that have been becoming more familiar in the 21st century among the multinational companies all around the world. The world has been shrunken by the fasting travelling and communicating technologies which has brought down the barriers for the organisations having business in international market. But still then there are few barriers that make the international business critical and hard for everyone to succeed in it. This is due to the factor that the businesses have direct influence over the culture that is followed in the respective country where the business is carried out. So it would be interesting to
Cultures are varying among different parts of the globe. People with different cultures have different characteristics and viewpoints on the subjects due to diverse understanding and method of learning. During the past few decades, the international trade grows in a very rapid rate due to the advantages that it provides; “increased sales, operational efficiencies, exposure to new technologies and broader consumer choices” (Heslin). Therefore, when considering the culture aspect to current business world, it is crucial for business to understand the culture aspect because of the tremendous growth of international business as well as utilize the international market to its maximum
There are many different impacts that culture has on the way business is conducted; cultural systems of values and beliefs lead to specific interpretations of events and interactions, and different demands and expectations for business relationships often exist for individuals from different cultural backgrounds. Engaging in international and multicultural business requires a level of understanding and awareness of specific cultural issues that might arise due to different customs, perspectives, and values, and a general awareness of the influence of culture is a good thing in business as well as it allows for ongoing learning and consideration without rushing to judgment. Through both a specific and a general understanding of cultural issues in business, more effective strategies for conducting business on an international level can be developed and implemented. The following paragraphs provide specific examples from four differently cultures, identifying the importance of cultural understanding in all international dealings.
2. When a company grows in size and makes the decision to expand internationally, it is vital for its image among current and future customers to complete projects effectively and on time. Furthermore, it is also likely that such an expansion would entail the representation of more than one culture among the workforce. Indeed, while many employees will be relocated from the home country, a further proportion will be hired from the host country. To facilitate the relations and
Cultural issues different customers in the global market have different culture and this calls for a different strategy to handle their needs
The world offers significant business opportunities for every company, however, opportunities are accompanied by significant challenges for managers. Managing global operations across diverse cultures and markets represents a big challenge and opportunity for companies. To compete in the global market and be successful, companies must learn the strategies, policies, norms and technology necessary to conduct international business. The opportunities for global expansion are numerous, and attaining success is a matter of developing the right strategy to win local markets and its consumers.
The most challenging decision that a company may face in internationalization is the degree of standardization or adaptation in its operations. The question of standardization or adaptation affects all avenues of a business’ operations, such as R&D, finance, production, organizational structure, procurement, and the marketing mix. Whether a company chooses to standardize or adapt its operations depends on its attitudes toward different cultures. These attitudes are defined by three orientations toward foreign culture: ethnocentric, polycentric, and geocentric.
Companies can decide to go global or to enter international markets for various reasons, and these different objectives at the time of entry that enable the business to produce different strategies and the performance goals, and even forms of market participation.
When dealing with intercultural business a person should be well aware of the characteristics of the culture he is to be in contact with. He should be well prepared to face attitudes not common in his home country.
Economic globalization has become the most important feature and a general trend of present world economic development. Globalization is a phenomenon and also a process of development of mankind and human society (Hamilton, 2008). It is the essential feature of the modern age. Globalization is the cross-border flows of capital and goods, including capital, labour, technology and natural resources (Bożyk, Misala & Puławski, 2002). Economic globalization is a historical process, and the germination of it could date back to the 16th century. After the industrial revolution, capitalist commodity economy, modern industry and transportation have been developing rapidly. The world market was fast expanded and the foreign trade was