Intercultural Communication. Cultural Differences, Power and Ethics

3. ____ refers to the degree to which cultures will encourage less powerful members of groups to accept that power is distributed unequally.

This text is a good reference point. This text is used to understanding communication within culture. This source also gave a better understanding

Ethics are the product of a society’s culture so it is natural there will be different responses to similar ethical scenarios. Beekum, Stedam, and Yamamura (2003) suggest these differing conclusions will lead to conflict where one side perceives the outcome is ethical whereas the other does not. Another possible outcome is that one side may not even see a decision even being morally significant. Global organizations have the additional challenge when operating within a multi-national environment of recognizing cultural differences while maintaining a core moral and ethical foundation.

Today, we live in a culturally diverse society due to globalization. As our world grows, expands and become increasingly more interconnected, the need for effective interpersonal communication among differing cultures has become apparent. When people from different cultures interact with one another there is intercultural communication because different cultures create different interpretation and expectations about what is seen as competent behaviors that will enable the construction of shared meanings.

Although viewed as an intangible, inexplicable phenomenon, power has been vital to every civilization since the creation of man. It has mesmerized monarchs and aristocrats, while motivating the poorest of the poor, all in hopes of harnessing this unique concept. Specifically, relational power has been a strong influence, relying on the personal connection an individual can create with groups of people. No era or nation has been exempt from this and it has manifested itself through totalitarian regimes, strong central governments, and gaps between the rich and the poor. In particular, this concept of power has been evident in a multitude of ancient myths in which power is wielded by mortals through a variety of different mediums such as rhetoric, brute strength, and intelligence which highlights the significant themes a society holds in high regard.

Power is one of the most important, as well as disputable, concepts regarding how particular facts in the social world are related. To clarify: power does not have various meanings, but is shown in various examples. In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the story talks about love and tragedy that is ruled by two… separate households (Capulet and Montague). In Addition, the source Meditations states that becoming a good person is to be able to get power and control power to a certain standard. In The Prince, it shows to be a good leader, that one must not let others take advantage, so a leader will have to be cruel at times, so others can take you seriously. The Art of War is an engrossing book from Sun Tzu that presents us

It is imperative that these same principles are utilized when communicating to cultural groups other than our own because people from different cultures encode and decode messages and meaning differently. Because of this, what is acceptable to one is not necessarily acceptable by the other especially if they base their practices on their own judgments and ideas and communicate disregarding the judgments and ideas of any other culture. Ignorance can lead to devastating and damaging assumptions in terms of building intercultural relationships when one enters communication using the same old ethnocentric approach. It is a lot like the Nazis viewing the world according to their standards and beliefs without regards to the rights and beliefs of any other group. It is also the same as extreme

Ethical behavior is significant to the development of persuasion, and important to the behavior of humans.It also influences persuasion by developing the progression of persuasion, and increasing those who are accountable for it. A person’s ethical behavior originates with morals and changes into what way an individual is required to connect to encourage effectively and dependably and finishes with who obligation it is to take responsibility in a persuasive interchange. The significance of our ethical behavior is realized within all our origins as human beings and stands as the groundwork of our different societies. We are directed by our ethical customs in the cultures which we create and live. “ The persuader’s determined actions means more under deontological ethics than under teleological ethics”( Magee,2014). According to David B. Resnik, J.D.,( 2011), ethics is defined as standards for behavior that differentiate between tolerable and intolerable conduct. Ethical morals of behavior that specify how an individual should conduct them self centered on ethical responsibilities and qualities.

Power and politics have always been around but seldom openly discussed. Power is learned at an early age through family and schools. Ordinary people such as scholars hesitate to talk about power. It is often equated with force brutality, unethical behavior, manipulation, connivance, and subjugation.

Previous researchers have found that for a person to achieve better and more effective communication competence, it is necessary to develop skills that allow an appropriate participation in specific situations. The ability to listen, ask questions, and express concepts or ideas effectively is an important part of communication competence. Intercultural communication presents an unexplored and challenging field that needs to be understood for a better development in communication. (Dillon and McKenzie, 1998). The variables of listening depend on the different perceptions that a person obtains through their cultural background. Furthermore, culture often affects the structure of consciousness in the act of listening. When a person seeks to

In this paper, I am going to discuss the importance of ethical behavior and its significance in persuasion. I will also define two ethical theories and

Intercultural communication is commonly explained as an interaction between people of 'different cultures whether defined in terms of racial, ethnic or socioeconomic differences.' Human communication consists of verbal and nonverbal messages (language and gestures) which are shaped by gender, social class or culture. Thus, what perimeters define the intercultural exchange and what primary messages do we need or try to convey?

Intercultural communication competence refers to the ability of an individual to adapt and communicate appropriately and effectively across a wide array of cultural contexts. That is to say, for an individual to be considered an intercultural communicator they must understand other’s cultures as well as they understand their own, and apply this understanding to communication (Chen 1-2). With the increasing diversity at the workplace, school and other social settings, it has become increasingly important to learn how to communicate with people from a diverse array of cultures. More importantly, adapting to a more effective intercultural communication competence model provides us with learning opportunities occasioned by the interaction with people from other backgrounds. The intercultural communication competence model comes with some key components including tolerance for uncertainty, self-knowledge, and motivation. The greatest and most important of these aspects is motivation. An individual must be willing to foster relationships with people from a different cultural background. If an individual lacks the willingness to promote intercultural relationships, then other aspects of the intercultural communication model become moot.

"We didn 't all come over on the same ship, but we 're all in the same boat."- Bernard Baruch

Communication is a crucial aspect in people’s everyday life. Everything from word choice to personal perception can influence the interactant’s behaviors and styles of communication. Kim’s Contextual Theory of Interethnic Communication depicts the many layers and facets that attribute to the communication between two people belonging to different identities or groups. While there are four layers to Kim’s theory, this paper will focus on the behavioral aspect. Kim’s theory will be analyzed and explained through the lens of associative and dissociative behaviors.