...Barna`s claims that language, nonverbal communication and high anxiety are stumbling blocks in intercultural communication are supported by experience. As we all know intercultural communication can be very stressful and create uncomfortable moments, when someone speaks to a person from a different cultural without knowing or able to speak the same language, sometimes can make things more difficult and could end up creating problems because the other person didn`t not understand what they meant. In today`s society people don`t need to leave there house or go a day without speaking to a person from another country, so is very easy to live this experience in a daily basis. In the essay “Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks” LaRay M. Barna identified the different stumbling blocks that create barriers in cross-cultural communication. Barna`s claim that language, nonverbal sing and high anxiety are stumbling blocks in intercultural communication are supported by experience. Barna claims in her essay “that language is one of problems people can find in intercultural communication, since language is the most important communication problem that we seem to have the most” (69). For example, in the essay called mother tongue by Amy Tan she mentions her mother and said “how some people would understand 50% of her English and some people would understand more, but she said that she understood her mother perfectly fine” (48). Another example, I have is when I used to work as a furniture...
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...One of the issues in communication theory is the importance of purpose in communicating your ideas. In order to communicate effectively in English speaking culture you need to have purpose. This means that you need to be clear about your reason for communicating and organise the message to achieve your purpose. Usage of communication channels to the best advantage. For example are you communicating via email or more formal written channels, over the telephone, or face to face? And recognise that your non-verbal communication may be contradicting what you are actually saying, and finally give your receivers the opportunity to respond, so that you can see whether they have understood your message. Cross-cultural communication tries to bring together such a relatively unrelated areas and establishment area of communication. Its core is to establish and understand how people from different cultures communicate with each other. Its aim is to produce some guidelines with which people from different cultures can better communicate with each other. The key to effective cross-cultural communication is knowledge. It is essential that people understand the potential problems of cross-cultural communication and make a conscious effort to overcome these problems. And it is important to assume that one’s efforts will not always be successful, and adjust one’s behaviour appropriately. This essay will discuss the importance of the issues and problems concerning the effectiveness of cross-cultural...
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...Cross-Cultural Communication Essay Nguyen Hong Minh Business Communication October 30, 2013 Douglas Foster Cross-Cultural Communication Essay Different cultures lead to different way of thinking and behaviors (Hofstede 1991). For this reason, many problems in communication across countries occur when people are unaware of culture differences, especially to high-context culture. Hall (1976) suggested that one must put great efforts to understand the message from a context-dependent communication. It is essential that business people bear in mind that learning cultures and intercultural communication are vital. In the current increasingly diverse world, intercultural communication obviously plays an important role (Germaine, 2006). As a developing country with high-context culture, Vietnamese workers should be well prepared to overcome difficulties when dealing with other cultures in global business integration process. This essay will look at specific aspects of cultural elements of communication in Viet Nam and compare barriers in Viet Nam to those in the UK. Through these boundaries, the essay suggests several intercultural competencies that Vietnamese managers should train their employees in order to work well under multi-cultural environment. Communication in Viet Nam According to Das and Kumar (2010), Viet Nam’s culture, which is among Asian countries, is classified as high-context. In this system, communication...
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... SOCIAL SCIENCES, AND DESIGN January-April 2011 Subject name: Mass Communication Research Subject code: SM 312 Lecturers: Kenneth Teo Student ID: 1000922384 Topic : Benefits of learning intercultural communication to university student. Chapter 1 Introduction Background of the Study Anthropologist Edward T. Hall is the founder of intercultural communication during the 1951-1955 when he was at the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of States. The scholarly field of intercultural communication was then mainly advanced by university-based scholars of communication in the United States and Japan, and in other countries. The development of intercultural communication in the U.S. and Japan is analyzed here. Intercultural communication is one of the most important communications and also a structure of global communication as the world today is characterized by an ever growing number of contacts resulting in communication between people with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. This communication takes place because of contacts within the areas of business, military cooperation, science, education, mass media, entertainment, tourism but also because of immigration brought about by labour scarcity or political conflicts. Hence, there is communication which needs to be as constructive as possible, without misunderstandings and breakdowns...
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...Derek Speegle February 20, 2015 Intercultural Communication: Speaking Understanding Intercultural communication is very important in today’s workplace. Mastering the complexities of different cultures and socioeconomical statuses will enhance any business venture. To understand one’s buyers is a strategical way to sell more and learn about clients and competitors. There are many ways that different cultures use both verbal and non-verbal interaction. These forms of interacting may seem like someone is saying something one way but through the lenses of a different culture or social group, they may be trying to express something else entirely. Because of this, it is important to strategize on how to use intercultural communication in today’s workplace and even in one’s personal life. Intercultural communication is the process of learning the dialectal of cultural differences and social groups. It is learning to understand that different cultures may talk or act differently and that whether it is for business, personal or just common courtesy it is important to use these tools to help connect with those other people. As it states on the website Wikipedia, different cultures and countries “communicate and perceive the world around them” in different ways and that it is important to “depict differences in communication patterns across different cultures.” For instance, bowing in japan is a sign of respect and honor, and to refuse that honor or not return it could be perceived...
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...Journal of International and Intercultural Communication Vol. 4, No. 4, November 2011, pp. 246Á251 (Re)conceptualizing Intercultural Communication in a Networked Society Damien Smith Pfister & Jordan Soliz We offer four theses about how intercultural communication is altered in a digitally networked era. Digital media shape intercultural communication by (1) producing new public fora capable of (2) hosting rich, multimodal ‘‘spaces’’ of contact on (3) a scale of many-to-many communication that (4) challenges traditional modes of representation. Keywords: Digital Media; Intercultural Communication; 2009 Iran Protests; Networked Communication As internetworked media technologies gradually diffused throughout the world, they have often been sparks for intercultural dialogue. Internet websites enabled web-savvy organizations, like the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, to circulate their views throughout the 1990s. The power of citizens to communicate directly with each other through digital media was not fully apparent until late 2002, when the pseudonymous Salam Pax began reporting through his blog what life was like for Iraqis in the run-up to the 2003 combat operations. Since then, citizens have relied on the tools of digital media to coordinate protests internally and communicate with outside audiences in a number of colorful revolutions: Rose (Georgia, 2003), Orange (Ukraine, 2004Á2005), Saffron (Burma, 2007), Green (Iran, 2009), and Jasmine (Tunisia...
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...Internationales Management: Intercultural Communication 1 Outline Activity 1.a. …...……………………………. p.3 Activity 1 b. and 1c. ……..……………………p.8 Activity 1 d. …………………………………p.10 Activity 1e.…………………………………. p.11 Reference……………………………………. p.12 2 Activity 1.a. • Establish 3 new folders on your PC: • Definitions of Culture • Culture Models • Articles on Cultural Difference • Create a new folder in your “favorites” called Culture. • Next, search your literature and the Internet (for instance, write in Google “definition of culture”) and collect and file at least 10 different definitions. • Discuss the contents with your tutor and select the one you like best. Definition of Culture There are lots of definitions of culture in scholar or public, in the book it defined:”Culture is the holistic interrelationship of a group’s identity , beliefs , values , activities , rules , customs , communication patterns , and institutions.”(Dodd, 1997, p.36)Furthermore , culture teaches significant rules , rituals , and procedure. Culture reinforces values. Culture teaches relationship with others.1 Culture Models This model demonstrates elements of culture composing a system.The inner core lies at the most significant level.The second and third set of elements are tied to the core , but remain an area for some degree of flexibility and change.(Dodd, 1997, p.38)2 Economic and Work Educational Technology and Material Religious Systems Kinship Systems Cultural Rules...
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...ESSAY To what extent are you convinced by Tange’s (2005) position regarding cultural adaptation? In the new global economy, the model of cultural acculturation proposed by Hanne Tange has become a central issue that concerns international business about sojourner adaptation into foreign society. Author points out that by recalling sojourners to their own country without completing the process of acculturation into the host culture will lead to the loss of obtained intercultural experience that is significant resource for profit of international business. The process of cultural integration is divided into three stages: the arrival in a new country, the two-year crisis and the intercultural phase. The purpose of this essay is to review recent research into multicultural business communication that has been presented by Hanne Tange in 2005, assistant professor in School of business. The author’s aim is to argue Lysgaards U-curve model that has been conducted in 1995 in relevant field among Norwegian Fulbright students in the United States of America, that has been most cited in cultural adjustment researches. The research examines the process of cultural integration of sojourners into the host country, particularly among seven Scottish immigrants in Copenhagen. The approach taken by Tange provides the opportunity to examine the immigrants’ experience in the host culture in a qualitative research framework. The methodology has a number of attractive and controversial features...
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...A DEVELOPMENT OF CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR STUDYING COMMUNICATION COMPETENCIES AMONG DIRECT SELLERS IN MALAYSIA FOR THE 12TH ABC ASIA-PACIFIC CONFERENCE AT DOSHISHA UNIVERSITY, KYOTO, JAPAN ON MARCH 13 – 15, 2013 FIRST AUTHOR NUREDAYU OMAR (PRESENTER) UNIVERSITI UTARA MALAYSIA nuredayu@uum.edu.my CO-AUTHOR PROFESSOR CHE SU MUSTAFFA UNIVERSITI UTARA MALAYSIA chesu402@uum.edu.my *THIS MANUSCRIPT IS ORIGINAL AND HAS NOT BEEN PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE A DEVELOPMENT OF CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR STUDYING COMMUNICATION COMPETENCIES AMONG DIRECT SELLERS IN MALAYSIA Many studies have been conducted related to communication competencies since the last decade until now. However, the availability of the studies on communication competencies has not been explored in depth particularly in the direct selling context in Malaysia. To understand the direct sellers’ communication competencies, a conceptual framework will be built based on related literature studies. Literature reviews have shown a variety of studies on communication competencies from the behavioral and cognitive perspectives. Although numerous studies have provide understanding of communication competence in various context, there is a gap in viewing communication competencies in a more dynamic context, particularly in the process of communication of direct sellers with their potential customers. This paper attempts to discuss the importance of...
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...global markets. Culture is the “software of mind” that can influence people’s patterns of thinking and behaving. (Hofstede, 1997). Referring to a work of He and Liu (2010), different characteristics of culture result in thinking, understanding and communication diversity. These diversities more or less make organisational development and management difficult. Therefore, multicultural managers should create cross-cultural training in their companies in order to increase effectiveness across culture. This essay will be discussing whether effective cross-cultural management has to be grounded in a detailed knowledge of individual cultures with examples of two multinational companies: Wal-Mart and Alfa Laval. II/ The Debate on Cross-Cultural Management: Globalisation has increased the awareness of consumers, and made nations more inter-dependent. In these days, international corporations require managers who can adapt to various environment quickly and work with their partners as well as employees from other cultures (House et al., 2001). Today, business in different nations should increase their sensitivity and respect for one another’s cultural differences to gain benefits from the growth of international business. Mainly, intercultural...
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...perhaps that is the way of things. The intercultural communication between microcultures and macrocultures is almost always a challenging thing. This week's readings include Chapter 3 (Microcultures) and Chapter 4 (Environmental Context) in Neuliep and either Chapter 18 (Israel) or Chapter 20 (Belgium) in Gannon and Pillai. In your understanding of the matter, what is a central theme about microcultures – macroculture relations/communication and the natural or man-made environment (physical, political, historical, etc.) when/where communication occurs? You might make this about some experience you have had, something you realize overall or perhaps something about how environment makes a difference Remember in this essay, you must start with a clear, concise claim (a full, simple sentence). You also need to cite (with page number and quotations or paraphrasing) each of the 3 chapters involved, something from the relevant lecture notes, as well as some outside source. Despite your culture, at some point in your life you will be a part of a microculture. According to Neuliep, a microculture includes different types of groups that could be classified by age, class, geographic region, sexual preference disability (e.g., the deaf), ethnicity, race, size, or even occupation (Neuliep, 2015, p. 98). These groups of people usually differ from the macroculture because they are not understood the way that they need to and/or the communication between...
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...Julia Reaves Professor Tina Crafton MLA 1 17 February 2014 Communication in an Assumptive World In relation to politics, religion, social class or any number of categories, humanity has been compartmentalizing and in some cases exiling each other based on numerous cultural differences and classifications. For millennia, millions of humans lived and died seeing and interacting with only those geographically nearby. Mankind was, as a whole, a species organized by relatively low-population “tribes,” each with their own language, culture and societal mores. Clashes between societies based on cultural differences became evident as nations stretched further in the pursuit of conquest, with far-traveling conquerors arriving on the shores of the “savage” natives, and the misunderstandings that disrupted native life in the interest of the expansion of more “civilized” establishments. Planned or not, connected people living in the world today are going to have to face the issues Dean Barlund and Amy Tan chronicled due to the world-wide nature of the internet and the inherent differences of the connected cultures. Dean Barnlund explains in his essay the assumptive world in which we live today. He foretold the cultural difficulties that he saw to be an issue in communication; globally and locally. He described the presumptive perceptions humans have toward each other. Each culture is subject to their own way of living. He explains, “It is the differences in meaning, far more than mere...
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...CULTURE Decision Making Styles and Cross Cultural Misunderstanding Name: University: Course: Tutor: Date: Abstract In an organizational setting, the employees might be of different cultures and therefore have different values. This is likely to bring about a clash in the operations in an organization. Managers normally have difficulties in making decisions based on the fact that those decisions mar rub a certain culture the wrong way. This Essay looks at the ways in which cultural differences could impact decision making in an organizational setting. It also determines whether there are any ways in which this cultural difference can be exploited for the benefit of the organization. These cultural differences do affect the company’s decision making process and therefore slows down business activities that depend on decision making in order to run. This is a great challenge in a business environment and might bring the performance of a business to a halt. This essay therefore looks into ways in which this challenge can be minimized. The distinct cultural differences between employees of an organization play out in the day to day running of the organization. These cultural differences may be in the form of dressing, values upheld, punctuality, overtime working, teamwork, etc. For example, we look at the Russian managers and the Chinese managers. Chinese managers are known to be very hardworking, very punctual and are...
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...stereotypes are no longer a useful way of examining the human condition and economic activity? Choose an element in the texts which you find interesting and explain your reaction to it by giving examples from your own experience. It is commonly regarded that globalization is a world trend today, thus national and cultural stereotypes are drawing attention. Before reading, the definition of stereotype should be clarified. Stereotypes are traits but different from the country, language, culture and other factors. Furthermore, stereotype is ‘a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing’ (Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University Press, 2014). This essay will compare and contrast the ideas from two articles named ‘Intercultural communication for sale’ (Piller, 2011) and ‘East meets West: How the brains unites us all’ (Yong, 2009), then consider whether stereotypes are useful to examine people’s mind and business activities. It is shown in two texts that national stereotype is a common topic that both Piller and Yong discussed in their articles. Yong (2009) refers to stereotypes that easterners have a holistic world view, while westerners tend to think more analytically. Piller (2011) uses the ideas of stereotypes and shows how they can be exploited to help sell products. Moreover, both Piller and Yong have mentioned or implied that human thoughts can be shaped by different cultures. In Yong’s article, researches are referenced...
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...CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF DAILY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE VIETNAMESE AND AMERICANS OUTLINE Introduction Vietnamese - American cross-cultural communication: 1. Theories of intercultural communication 2. Vietnamese vs. American perceptions and communication styles 2.1 Vietnamese vs. American perceptions 2.1.1 Individualistic vs. collectivistic cultures 2.1.2 High- vs. low-context cultures 2.1.3 Face-saving 2.2. Vietnamese vs. American communication styles 2.2.1 Ways of greetings 2.2.2 Topics for conversation 2.2.3 Silence and Eye contact 2.2.4 Touching 2.2.5 Other nonverbal gestures 3. Cross-cultural communication strategies Conclusion Introduction Cross-cultural encounters have long provided a great source of interest for research. Globalization has increased contact between people from different cultures, but it has not evened out cultural differences as much as expected. The divergence of perspectives continues to survive in communication between people from different cultures such as Vietnamese and American. This paper aims to address the issues of intercultural communication between the Vietnamese and Americans in daily life. By juxtaposing the main traits of the two cultures while some common cultural misinterpretations are listed, I wish to give a comprehensive look at the Vietnamese- American daily communication, meanwhile improve mutual...
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