...Introduction to Cross Cultural Psychology Patrice Jones PSY/450 May 7, 2010 Joseph Gaines Introduction to Cross Cultural Psychology Cultural and cross cultural psychology is the field or branch of psychology the focuses primarily on culture, and the effects culture has on the mind and behavior. Culture is the symbols, attitudes, and behaviors shared by a group of people and passed on to the next generation. Culture affects how an individual thinks and in turn affects an individual’s behavior. Cultural psychology focuses on how culture affects an individual’s mental processes and behavior within that culture. Cross cultural psychology compares at least two cultures to see how culture affects an individual’s mental processes and behavior. Cross cultural psychology not only focuses on the differences between cultures, but also on the similarities and the reasons for these differences or similarities. Cultural psychology focuses on the effects culture has on an individual’s mental processes and behavior within that culture. Cultural psychologists try to find out as much about a particular culture, and how that culture affects the individual’s that lives there. Cultural psychologists can have a better understanding of a behavior when viewed in its sociocultural context. Cross cultural psychology compares two or more cultures to determine how culture affects an individual’s mental processes and behavior. Cross cultural psychology does not focus on only one culture at a time...
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...Cross Cultural Management of Japan & United States One concern of the merger between these two companies involves group interaction and sense of space. People in the United States take great pride in themselves on individualism and informality. The Japanese culture values groups and formality. People in the United States admire a person who excels above everyone else. If this merger takes place and it makes the price of stock to rise, the American company might want to buy more stock and the Japanese might not agree with this and be more cautious which could result in a cross-culture conflict. Cultural differences and cross culture conflicts is the biggest challenge in terms of cross-cultural management that will arise in the merger of these two companies (Chen, 2013). Due to differences in culture in terms of beliefs, priorities and lifestyles, management of cross culture operations will be difficult for both companies. It is because cultural differences affect the human thinking, feeling, acting and behavior that can result in cross culture conflicts within the organization (Adekola and Sergi, 2012). For example, in terms of language, religion, value, and attitudes, there are several cultural differences in both countries: U.S. and Japan, which can affect decisions and choices of employees or people from these countries and can cause to cross culture conflicts (Yoder, 2011). The women who are employed at Tokyo Electron worry that their jobs might be eliminated...
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...Managing cross cultural communication Introduction Globalization is a phenomenon that is in vogue nowadays. In this rapidly changing world to succeed it’s imperative for an organization to adopt the phenomenon of globalization. On one hand globalization cultivates scores of benefits for the organization. On the other hand, it also generates various dilemmas for management. One of these dilemmas is of effective communication management. This phenomenon of globalization presents challenges of understanding and managing cross-cultural communications. According to Stephen Roberts: “Culture is the framework in which we communicate” This suggests that various factors give rise to the problem of cross-cultural communication. These factors include: language, environment, technology, social organization, the perception of authority and non-verbal communications. Having the ability to assess these variables is vital in ensuring for managers to convey messages and conduct business across a wide range of cultures. This paper addresses communication within multicultural project teams and the significance of leadership style in managing cross-cultural communications. The aim of this paper is to reveal different ways or skills that managers need to adopt to make the process of communication effective. Furthermore, this paper sheds lights on variegated barriers that may exist in effective communication process in a cross-culture environment. Literature review Zapf...
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...any behaviour, particularly behaviour that is different to your own, to culture and so ignore the many similarities”. Consider this statement with reference to contemporary research on cross-cultural negotiation and use examples to illustrate your analysis Introduction: Former President and charismatic leader of the United States John F. Kennedy once stated that, “We cannot negotiate with people who say what's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable” (Kennedy, 1961). This timeless quotation epitomizes and typifies in essence what can commonly be regarded as cooperative negotiation. Formally, the term negotiation is commonly defined as two or more parties or groups deliberating amongst each other endeavoring to achieve a decisive result, which is mutually beneficial for both entities. When considering the process of negotiation across contrasting geographic locations or countries, negotiators have to understand the repercussions which heterogeneous cultures have in the final outcome of a potential deliberation. Culture is defined as the ‘unwritten rules of society’ (Hofstede et al, 2010) and most typically refers to those characteristics or values, which are unconsciously embedded in a large group of citizens through the ongoing processes of tradition and various forms of education. Understanding the pertinence of cultural differences and the significance which they bare in terms of cross-cultural negotiation, is essential to reaching an eventual agreement which is mutually...
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...Review Key issues in cross-cultural business communication: Anthropological approaches to international business Tian Guang* and Dan Trotter Shantou University, Shantou City, Guangdong Province, Southern China. Accepted 8 March, 2012 Cultural factors have long been known to influence the communication and success potential of competition. Cultural awareness shapes how business firms behave in cross-culturally reflected international markets. It is broadly recognized that cultural factors act as invisible barriers in international business communications. Understanding cultural differences is one of the most significant skills for firms to develop in order to have a competitive advantage in international business. This paper probes some key elements of cross-cultural issues in international business communication and provides a framework for creating competitive advantage for firms engaged in international business. Culture affects many aspects of international business communication. It impacts free trade policies, localization and standardization strategy decisions, advertising, brand effectiveness, business relationships, international business management, international marketing, international negotiation, and consumer behavior. Seven themes are suggested as guidelines for further research: Cultural impacts of markets, international versus domestic business communication, standardization versus adaptation in cross-cultural communication; cross-cultural dimensions of business...
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...reduce cost etc. However, Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) not only need to know the political, legal and regulatory environment in host country but also the culture difference which is very important to lessen the cultural problems and know how to solve it wisely. Companies may be abandoned by customers or spend a lot of money to recover their reputation if MNEs’ managers do not understand the cultures of the countries they deal with. The influence of international trade liberalization has presented not only substantial opportunities but also some challenges for domestic and international companies (Watchravesringkan 2011). The aim of this essay is to discuss the importance of culture difference to MNEs. In this essay, culture and society will be discussed in the first part. The following part is about the importance of cultural difference to international managers. Finally, it will discuss the methods to understand cultural difference. Dowling & Liesch (2009) state that culture is a system of values and norms those is shared among a group of human beings and form a pattern for living when brought together. Culture is gained knowledge that human beings use to explain experience and develop social behaviour and this knowledge forms values, generates attitudes, and affects behaviour (Luthans and Doh 2012). Moreover, culture influences the way of people’s thoughts and behaviour, for instance, the type of handshake is very different to western and eastern...
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...country usually neglect the need to decrease inconvenience aroused by cultural diversity, which may makes it difficult to broaden their business or win market share in other countries with different cultural contexts. In multi-domestic phase, firms begin to cater to the needs of each market segment with different cultural backgrounds since they realize that cultural diversity is a huge challenge in business expansion. Multinational phase witnesses the expansion of global market, where a large majority of multinational firms providing identical products emerge. Thus, the need to differentiate subtle cultural differences is weakened since cost control becomes an effective way to gain profits. In global phase, cultural difference is again emphasized. The way to quickly respond to customers’ needs in any market segment in a cost-efficient production mode dominates, which makes the ability to handle multicultural interaction essential for multinational firms. 2. Identify and describe Hofstede's dimensions of cultural differences. According to Hofstede, the five important dimensions of cultural differences include individualism/collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, career success/quality of life, and Confucian dynamism. Individualism, influencing individuals through external moral bounds, is contrary to collectivism that exerts influence via inner pressures. In individual culture, people value personal freedom, advocate individualism and behave...
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...Journal of Comparative International Management 2009, Vol. 12, no.2, 73-89 ©2009 Management futures Printed in canada Cross-cultural Communication and Multicultural Team Performance: A German and American Comparison by Steven W. Congden University of Hartford, U.S.A. Alexei V. Matveev College of Staten Island – CUNY, U.S.A David E. Desplaces College of Charleston, U.S.A. This study builds on work by Matveev & Nelson (2004) which investigated the relationship between cross-cultural communication competence and multicultural team performance using American and Russian managers. This study examines the impact of national culture on German and American subjects. While a relationship between cross-cultural communication competence and multicultural team performance was found, it did not differ by overall national culture. Of the four dimensions of cross-cultural communication competence, only Cultural Empathy was found to be significantly different between Germans and Americans. No differences were found for the dimensions of Interpersonal Skills, Team Effectiveness, and Cultural Uncertainty. 1. Introduction Worldwide intercultural cooperation drives corporate growth and development across the globe resulting in a heightened demand for a qualified but diverse workforce. researchers have documented that the successful performance of multicultural teams is a vital and contributing factor to organizational success (Jackson, may, & Whitney, 1995; Snow, Snell, davison, & hambrick...
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...Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology Paper Aspectsof Culture in PsychologyCultural context is a major element in understanding human behavior and psychology. Berger (2011) explains, “Culture affects every action—indeed, every thought” (p. 13). The culture that an individual lives in along with the similarities and differences between cultures provide vital information in understanding psychological processes. Cultural Psychology Cultural context is not separable from the person; it is a vital part of individual psychopathology. Shiraev and Levy (2010) explain that cultural psychology studies the individual within a specific culture. The cultural psychologist seeks out meaningful links between a specific culture and the individual in that culture. The cultural psychologist examines the individual in a cultural norm. Cultural Influences on the Individual According to Shiraev and Levy (2010), “Before reaching adulthood, most of us do not choose a place to live or a language to speak” (p. 2). These cultural elements influence many aspects of human developmental processes. From the moment of birth, cultural elements play an important role in human development, development of personality, and individual psychological aspects. It is impossible to separate human behavior from cultural experiences because cultural exposure forms individual value systems,belief systems, and knowledge bases for each individual within any specific culture. The goal of cultural psychologists...
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...Cross-Cultural Psychology Samantha Mortinsen 9/18/2011 Psy/450 Dorothy Rodwell Cross-Cultural Psychology Culture, we all have grown up knowing one, or at times more than one, kind of culture. Everyone has different beliefs and ways of doing things and this usually has to do with our culture and the way we have been raised and brought up. This type of psychology looks into these many different cultures and studies how they affect us as humans and our development, mental processes, and behavior. Cultural psychology is a field in psychology that assumes that the idea that culture and mind are inseparable and that psychological theories in one culture are likely to be limited in applicability when applied to different cultures. Cross-cultural psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes, under diverse cultural conditions. Both of these types of psychology have similarities but are different in their own ways. Cultural psychology focuses a lot on just one culture at a time and the people within that culture, whereas, cross-cultural psychology looks at different cultures and compares them to each other and then to people within each culture. Both types of psychology are important in studying humans and their behavior and thought processes. The focus of cultures is important to psychology because it helps psychologists see how individuals have been raised and what things might play a part on their behavior and thoughts due to the things that happen...
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...CROSS CULTURE COMMUNICATION Sondra Pham University of Memphis Abstract This paper explores cross culture communication by dissecting the term. Cross-cultural communication is a newly studies and researchable topic due to the businesses going global and the interaction between different cultures. In this paper, it will define communication and culture along with helpful tips and strategies to better understand how to communicate between different cultures. This paper examines the do’s and don’ts during cultural interaction in the business world as well as the tools for communicating with different cultures. Cross Culture Communication The importance of effective communication is immeasurable in the world of business and in personal life. Communication and cultures have always existed, but with the global market growing, it has been more common for business to do business with people from different cultures. The way of communicating will not be the same in all countries. Cross- cultural communication is essential in order to have a successful business and relationship with companies around the world. There are many aspects that go into consideration when communicating with people from a different background. Before fully understanding cross culture communication, one must first understand communication. Understanding Communication Communication is our ability to share our ideas and feelings. Whether people live in Hanoi, Vietnam, a city in Brazil, the mountains of North...
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...STUDY ON BARRIERS OF CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN ELECTRONICBASED COMPANIES 1 Bibi Noraini Bt Mohd Yusuf, 2Zurina Bt Zulkifli, 3Intan Maizura Bt Abd Rashid, 4Syahida Bt Kamil, 1,2,3,4 School of Business Innovation and Technopreneurship Universiti Malaysia Perlis 1 bibinoraini@unimap.edu.my, 2Zurina@yahoo.com, 3Intan Maizura@unimap.edu.my, 4syahida@unimap.edu.my, Abstract Rapid growths in economic development and trade globalization have necessitate the number of firms to expand and extend their businesses abroad. A sizeable number of firms have been opening new plants in other countries or hiring their employees from overseas, creating a diversity of workforce. A diversified workforce will create cross-cultural differences leading to cross-cultural communication. This research aims to analyze the barriers of cross-cultural communication in electronic-based companies. The subjects for this study, comprising company operators and middle to top management were randomly selected from electronic-based companies domiciled in Northern Peninsular Malaysia. This study adopted a quantitative approach method, where questionnaires were distributed among 200 employees. Analysis of data compiled was carried out using the SPSS version 20.0 mode. Through an in-depth analysis and application of this study, there is a bigger impact of multinational firm communication in the cross-cultural communication. In addition, the dimensions of national cultures, high and low context...
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...Chapter 7 Cultural Diversity in Cross-Border Alliances Susan E . Jackson Randall S . Schuler Introduction Increasingly, firms are using cross-border alliances to strengthen and maintain their position in the market place . Although often seen as a relatively fast and efficient way to expand into new markets and incorporate new technologies, the success of cross-border alliances is by no means assured . To the contrary, such alliances often fall short of their stated goals and objectives . While some failures can be explained by financial and market factors, the failure of others can be traced to neglected human resource issues and activities associated with managing the cultural diversity present in these organizations . This chapter describes the special challenges that cultural diversity creates for effectively managing human resources within cross-border alliances . Drawing upon the extensive literature regarding the management of domestic alliances and domestic diversity, we offer suggestions for how human resource management practices might be used to improve the success of cross-border alliances . Regardless of industry, it appears that it has become all but impossible in our global environment for firms to successfully compete without growing and expanding through deals that result in cross-border alliances (CBAs) (Lucenko, 2000) . In some industries, e .g., insurance, cross-border alliances provide a means for moving into new markets . In other...
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...number of methodological issues that can be problematic in cross-cultural studies that use self-report survey instruments. This paper reviews the organizational research literature to identify the common practices being used in relation to these issues. A framework is established for this analysis that involves three stages related to the research process. These stages are 1) the development of the research question, 2) the alignment of the research contexts, and 3) the validation of the research instruments. A sample of cross-cultural studies was examined in the context of these three stages, and served as a basis for the identification of some “best-practices” that are meant to deal with cross-cultural complexities. Introduction International perspectives are becoming more prevalent in today’s study of organizations. As business continues to take a global outlook, theoretical constructs commonly used in domestic research will need to be applied to new cross-cultural arenas. Recently, researchers have begun to take notice of some important methodological issues associated with the use of survey instruments in cross-cultural research (e.g., Cheung & Rensvold, 1999; Riordan & Vandenberg, 1994). These issues can have a strong impact on a study’s results, and on the subsequent interpretation of those results. If researchers ignore the difficulties inherent in using self-report questionnaires in cross-cultural studies, the field as a whole may be subject to misinterpreting...
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...2012 International Conference on Technology and Management Lecture Notes in Information Technology, Vol.21 The Cross-Cultural Management of Chinese Enterprises’ Cross-Border M&A--- A Process-Based Perspective Bo Xu1, Xi Jiang2, Haiyan Yan3 1 1900, Wenxiang Road, Songjiang District, 201620 Shanghai, China brianxubo@163.com 1900, Wenxiang Road, Songjiang District, 201620 Shanghai, China jiangxi-219@163.com 1900, Wenxiang Road, Songjiang District, 201620 Shanghai, China yanhelen@163.com 2 3 Keywords: cross-border M&A; cross-cultural management; M&A process Abstract. This paper aims to investigate Chinese enterprises’ cross-culture management issues from the perspective of three stages of before, during and after the cross-border merger and acquisition. It proposed an analytical framework of cross-culture management under which the major focus was on the cultural distance measure, the choices of negotiation/information disclosure, integration mode selecting, culture conflict/ integration and culture innovation in the process of Chinese enterprises’ cross-border M&A. 1. Introduction According to the “China's Foreign Direct Investment Statistical Bulletin 2010”, China's foreign direct investment, the amount of direct investment, in the form of M&A, reached $29.7 billion in the fields of mining, manufacturing, electricity production/supply, professional technical services and financial sector in 2010. From the report of Chinese enterprises overseas mergers and acquisitions...
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