Reflection Paper Introduction The five weeks of the Cultural aspects of international business course have been a truly enriching life experience for me. I must admit that I was a little skeptical about the value proposition of the course as I thought this was going to be one of those purely theoretical pro-diversity lectures with no potential for practical application. However, the fact that Professor Lane co-authored the textbook intrigued me so much (I have never had a Professor who actually wrote the textbook for the course) that I decided to give it a chance and sign-up for the course. The Cultural aspects of international business course has helped me to discover new perspectives and taught me to look at things through …show more content…
The above characteristics suggest that I work in a truly global and culturally diverse business environment; therefore; cultural wisdom and cognition gained through this course can definitely improve the effectiveness of our global interactions. Cultural dimensions and stereotypes I had basic knowledge of the Gofstede national cultural dimensions – Power distance, Uncertainty avoidance, Individualism-Collectivism, Masculinity-Femininity, and Long term-short term orientation; however, I have never viewed them as a helpful tool to analyze cultural differences related to conflicts at a workplace. For example, every time I used to e-mail or call the Mexico office with questions about planning assumptions, the second in command finance staff member would never give me an answer and would always say that I should speak to the manager. This looked strange to me because an identical position holder from a US office would always give me an answer followed by a detailed explanation. I simply thought that the Mexican lower rank staff members were incompetent and that I was better of contacting someone higher in the ranks right away; however, if I had looked up national cultural dimensions for Mexico, I would have found that Mexico, different than the U.S., is a very hierarchical society. It is
It is no longer feasible that a corporation can successfully move through the global marketplace without learning to recognize the cultural norms of each country. It falls to the executives and managers to implement these changes and to ensure that their companies are working to move towards a more inclusive, and ultimately, more profitable way of doing business that appreciates and respects all cultures and work
This paper will focus on the many elements and dimensions of France and the affect it has on the business that takes place locally and internationally. There will be constant comparisons and contrasts between France and the United States of America taking place throughout this entire research article. I will focus on how the elements and dimensions of the culture separately are adapted by the locals and integrated into everyday life and business. I will also give insight on how to conduct business in France for other countries, mainly the United States, by talking about the countries imports and exports and
So far as international business is concerned, the four dimensions of culture form an important facet. Knowledge of the manner in which different features of a business are viewed in different cultures, can help a manager in understanding and sailing successfully across the international business market.
The course will prepare each student for the global trip, where the entire class will travel to a business center in Asia, Europe, or South America. Over spring break these students will have an opportunity to travel to the country and continue their classroom learning. The lectures
In a global economy, U.S. companies are becoming more diverse, whether through a global customer base, or through acquisition of other companies based outside of the U.S. With these developments the workplace becomes an amalgamation of individuals with different worldviews. These differences are the result of different educational backgrounds, and cultural norms. Though there are sometimes impediments that are created due to a conflict in viewpoints, overwhelmingly the benefits from the variety of perspectives outweighs any of the detriments. This view is not only one held by me personally, but one that most quality managers of successful international companies hold true as well. My interview with my direct manager, Dianna Ulrich-Hope, proved valuable in confirming my notions. As a Director of Pricing at Micro Focus, a global software company, her insights regarding international collaboration amongst professionals helped see how my cultural agility competencies align, and how to leverage them.
International business has been a part of society for centuries. With the introduction of modern technological advances, countries have moved from participating in business ventures primarily by land or boat and advanced to virtual environments and acquiring passports that enable flights all over the world. This impact has challenged businesses to improve their cultural relations as they venture into unknown markets that are on the opposite end of their cultural spectrum and perspective. The world is a vast melting pot of all walks of life. The business world is no different and requires even sharper skills, especially when entering environments that may be tense or chaotic. This paper examines the country of Italy and how its culture impacts business domestically and internationally. It discusses the various strengths and weaknesses of its economic environment and the potential gains or losses a foreign investor may consider when deciding whether or not enter the Italian market.
Firstly, learning may influence work attitudes and ethics. For instance, work commitment and ethics are the backbones of a particular culture.
MULTICULTURE is a new word to me as I never came across with different culture or group of people in past. This course provide me a framework to improve and practice the mastery skills required to successfully manage or work in a multicultural workplace in any international settings. Through this course setting, I came to know about how to manage myself in multicultural environment and deal with different people of different cultures.
“The world is flat”. For Thomas Friedman and business kin alike, this notion is widely accepted. Nowadays, there is more integration and interdependence of knowledge and physical resources between nations than ever before. We operate in a global market place where commerce and its affects are felt universally. Thus, recognizing how business is conducted in different cultures is central to creating and sustaining successful beneficial relationships as well as understanding and promoting the world's greater welfare. The internationally focused programs at the Henley Business School at the University of Reading in England immerses students into the context of key themes and emerging challenges facing businesses across the world. As an International
6. Analyse the cultural factors in two different countries that your chosen business operates in. You should consider; culture, language, religion, attitudes, customs, values, education, material culture, manners, institutions, work attitudes, infra structure.
The number of companies operating internationally is growing at a rapid rate. This has forced companies to gain an understanding of international business and the cultural differences they need to know when they are dealing with the country.
The 21st century business landscape will be challenging and competitive on an international scale. The curriculum at NYU will provide me the necessary foundation to personify creativity and innovation. With the accession of China into the WTO, the future of business and trade will surely create a new horizon and give many new opportunities to a new generation of students and aspiring business leaders, such as myself. Along with a substantive grounding in the social and cultural context of all business activity and interpersonal and communications skills essential to a successful business career, I am also Chinese. As a native to Taiwan, my fluency in Mandarin Chinese will further allow me to rise above the rest and thrive in a culture I am greatly familiar with.
Cross cultural studies has great impact especially to business managers. National culture or core culture that developed the individual before it is influenced by other factors in the environment and society is subject to change depending on how strong the influences would be. However for the individual to fit in, they have to embrace the new found culture or a new culture might have evolved combining the core values and the current society’s value.
At the beginning of this course it was made apparent that the class was not meant to be a monologue by the instructor but a discussion. From the numerous discussions held in class, I have come to the belief that ethics in international business was the most significant topic discussed in this course.
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.