Effects of Culture in Business Communication

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.

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).

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.

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

Culture in the workplace can be a barrier that obstructs the good communication between people with different backgrounds. The main challenge that people face is language. This is because it is a very complex thing, and misuse of one word can change the meaning of the message. Also, hostile stereotypes can affect communication because the stereotypes only create a barrier of characteristics towards other people that prevents to have a good interaction. Behavior differences is also an obstacle to communication, this is because the cultures have guidelines of what is considered appropriate for their society. On the other hand, the demonstration of emotions is also considered a challenge, because what for some cultures is appropriate for others

Stereotypes, which are defined as “simplified description applied to every person in the same category”, are seen in every single aspect of our lives as well culturally (Macionis 21). Cultural stereotypes are “widely known beliefs that broadly influence how individuals are evaluated and treated” (Lun 117). Most stereotypes are enthused by bias from people of other social groups and will alter facts into a new

Communication is such an important part of everyone’s daily life, not only in one’s personal life but also in organizations. Also now a day, we are becoming every year more and more global and working with different countries and cultures around the world. Henceforward, globalization is increasing, which makes communication a very important part of doing business internationally.

Stereotyping is defined as the insight that all people in a group share attitudes, and principles (Leonard/Trusty, 2016). Stereotyping influences how another person responds to someone. Some people are treated differently because of their age or gender. An example could be if someone decided to enroll in college late in life. This person could be perceived as not being capable of doing the work required. This type of stereotyping would be not treating this person as a unique individual. Instead, this person is compared to others in his or her age range. Many stereotypes are negative or even aggressive and are a serious obstacle to workplace communication. (what-are-cultural-barriers-to-communication-in-the-workplace-definition, 2015). It is

Alberts, Martin and Nakayama (2011) describe communication as “ a transactional process in which people generate meaning through the exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages in in specific contexts, influenced by individual and societal forces and embedded in culture.”(p.7) They then go on to state that intercultural communication “occurs in interactions between people who are culturally different.”(p.122) Cultural differences thus affect many interactions, with the communication process being one.

6. Describe the way in which cultural differences can act to impede communication between business people of different nationality.

The article by Mary Munter was a useful, interesting piece about certain techniques and communication styles that can be used in the event that a manager must deal with cross cultural communication issues. It does a great job of outlining potential issues and how to deal with them. Culture is first defined as the values, attitudes, or behavior of a certain group of individuals. Any person in a management position will most likely have to deal with a diverse workforce with some individuals from different parts of the country. When doing so, choosing an effective communication style is essential. There are five options when choosing a style; “Telling” informs employees and explains specifically what you need. It doesn’t involve them in the communication. “Selling” on the other hand, attempts to persuade people to do something.

The importance of understanding cultural, ethnic and gender differences by managers and professionals in a business setting is essential to make the work environment comfortable. In every culture there are basic standards of thinking, and acting and these cultural differences strongly influence workplace values and communication. What may be considered acceptable and natural in the workplace for one person may be unacceptable for another person. People from diverse cultures bring new ways of thinking, creativity and language skills needed to survive in today’s work force. In many

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

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.