The Great Cultural Difference In International Business Communication

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 a business perspective, the oriental and western cultures remain a huge difference. Low-context societies such as American egalitarian culture, they emphasize on logic and facts, verbal messages are more direct and concise, individualism and extremely tolerant to changes. However, high-context societies such as Chinese hierarchy culture, they prefer non-verbal methods to express meaningful communications, group-oriented, and pay more attention to interpersonal relationships during business interactions. For example, a successful business interaction will count on interpersonal relationships among businesses and government. On the other hand, business dealings can be completely transactional with Americans, without building relationships to do so.

In low-context cultures such as North American and Western European countries, communication usually takes place at face value whereas, in high-context cultures such as Asian and African countries, communication relies upon unspoken condition. They

Communication – verbal and otherwise – remains an important dimension of international management, and there are different communication styles, how communication is processed and interpreted, and how culture and language influence communication and miscommunication (Luthans & Doh, 2012).

Firstly, learning may influence work attitudes and ethics. For instance, work commitment and ethics are the backbones of a particular culture.

Culture is distinguished by the way of speaking, language, clothing, norms, values and beliefs. Culture differences influence the way people communicate. For instance, in China and Japan, exchanging inexpensive presents at first meeting is imperative. But in western countries, gifts are not anticipated initially. Gifts in number of four are prevented in Japan because four sounds like death. Similarly, in doing business, the role of formality is high in Asia but significantly lower in western countries. Therefore, the awareness of cross-cultural variations as well as similarities can lead to an effective international communication.

     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

Culture influences all aspects of an individual’s life including food and dietary habits, dressing, communication with others and the relationship with other members of the community among others. One of the most critical aspects of culture in business is communication. Cross-cultural communication is one of the perspectives of cross-cultural lifestyles. It refers to communication that takes place from a person in a particular culture to another person in a different culture (). In a globalised world, cross-effective cultural communication is a growing concern among enterprises that operate in different cultures, multinational corporations and those employing staff from different cultures. Cross-cultural communication must take place within a conscious context, where the sender of the

The objective of this study is to answer as to what the differences are in a low-context and a high-context culture and how one would advise a friend with a low-context culture to do business in a high context culture.

Knowing whether a culture is either high or low context can also create more effective communication among cultures. Because of the advancements in technology, people are having more and more contact with individuals from around the world. Understanding the meaning of high and low-context is of course important, not only in traveling, vacationing, and touring the world, but is even more important with the increase in diplomatic and business relationships that countries are developing with each other around the world. For example, in a business setting this is extremely important if an individual is giving a presentation to another country. If the presentation is given by a low-context group to a high-context group, the high context members may feel as though there is way too much information being given, and the presenter should just get to the point. The opposite can be said when high-context individuals present to a low-context group, there may be a feeling of ambiguity or vagueness because everything was not spelled out precisely during the presentation. These ideas can help support our ability to appreciate others and be understood.

Today, we are going to discuss and review How to Communicate Effectively in Cross-Cultural Communication.

International business communication is communication that crosses national boundaries for business purposes. Communication among people from the

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

As Jeane Kirkpatrick once said, “Cross cultural experience and communication teaches us not simply that people have different beliefs, but that people seek meaning and understand themselves and others in some sense as members of a universe ruled by God.” Effective cross cultural communication with people of different cultures can be especially challenging. Culture itself provides human beings with different ways of thinking and responding, which includes a variety of different ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world. While there are ways of translating the language of other cultures in order to have the ability to effectively use cross cultural communication (most specifically for collaborative purposes), the same words can mean different things to different people from different cultures, even when they speak the same language. In fact, when languages are diverse, and translation has to be used to communicate (cross cultural), the potential for misunderstandings and difficulty rises. In the case of “Strategies for Smooth and Effective Cross-Cultural Online Collaborative Learning” written by Junfeng Yang, Kinshuk Huiju, Sue-Jen Chen, and Ronghuai Huang, describes the difficulties with cross cultural communication and the findings of a study done by Hangzhou Normal University (China), Athabasca University (Canada), and University of North Caroline (United States) about this difficult subject and its gravity

Culture classifies as low-context or high-context, although very different (Chaney, 2013). The differences are important when planning approaches to negotiations. Adjusting situations accordingly is necessary for successful presentations. Furthermore, successful presentations depend on excellent communication. Miscommunication increases with language barriers in more than one way (Chaney, 2013). An interpreter is extremely important; a translator minimize miscommunication due to comprehending difficulties with both parties. Unforeseen questions and concerns lack immediate attention without an interpreter and often lost in translation. Furthermore, it is important for high-context cultures to bond (Chaney, 2013).