Intercultural communication business practices of the country - 1375 Words

Intercultural communication business practices of the country (Essay Sample) Content: Intercultural Communication Business in Japan Name Institution Instructor Date A shared set of outlooks and beliefs form culture. Therefore, culture is the perspective by which certain groups of people operate. Consequently, when other people from diverse cultures interact, they generally come with different expectations, perspectives and approaches which are likely to can make communication a big problem. When doing business globally or even when mixing with people of different nationals' origin and ethnicities into business, most people are likely to run into communication concerns that don't end as most might people might think. Accepting cultural differences and gaps can assist most business people to overcome them. In regards to the origin of paralanguage most individuals tend to make rulings about what is being talked, the person talking it and listening roles, and the reliability of the message. Conversely, judgments about persons based on the paralanguage can be just as untrustworthy as judgment on body type. A chain of command and the distribution of respect based on ranks vary widely throughout the globe (Holliday, 2010). In different countries, like Japan, business communication styles and practices focus heavily on a person's position and title in a business. An employee speaks respectfully and officially to a manager, and is doubtful to object against or defy a supervisor. In most countries that have less power distance, like the United States, the communication, between an employer and employee may be friendlier and, in some organization cultures, disagreement in limits is encouraged. "Hear One, Understand Ten" pronounced as (ichi ieba ju wo shiru) is a common Japanese phrase which summarizes up the Japanese approach to business communication. The main notion is that two employees working in the same organization should be in tune with each other to avoid wordy explanations. Ideally, a brief statement of "one" facilitate the other person to understand the other nine remaining. The impression is that a mutual background puts both people on the same wavelength. Additionally, there is also a great emphasizes on non-verbal communication, such as facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, posture and non-word sounds (hmmm, umm, ahh, etc.) (Bjerregaard, Lauring KlitmÃÆ'Â ¸ller, 2009). This is different from the American method, which highlights verbal precision. Such can cause most Americans to protest that they aren't open about distributing vital information and opinions." When an Americans want to say ten, he says all ten, and even can say eleven in most cases just to be sure. This surprises many Japanese as needlessly verbose, and when joined with the language barrier can make them feel speechless with words. Some cultures communicate more directly than others. Some cultures expect that when a person is asked any question, that individual should answer with a complete answer. In other cultures, a person may respond more scarcely, and response only to what they are asked exactly (Crossman, 2011). For instance, in an American workplace, a question concerning what time someone arrives from a trip might produce a response that the journey was scheduled to arrive at 1:00, however, due to delays, it probably won't arrive until 2:00, meaning that the person in expected might not arrive in the office until 3:00. In other cultures, like Japan, the answer might simply be that the person in question was scheduled to arrive at 1:00. Holliday (2010) affirms that Japanese communicates while conducting business with an utmost sense of smartness. Bowing is an essential part of Japanese society used as a form of communication when meeting, to demonstrate gratitude or to express compassion or as an apology. When doing business in Japan, Westerners are not being expected to bow. However, an outsider will most likely be met with a handshake with a slight nod of the head. Communication using business cards when contacting a business in Japan includes ritual behavior. The communication via business card is understood to represent the individual, and must, therefore, be held with respect. Japanese People throughout the globe use non-verbal cues to aid them express themselves. In cultures, individuals from diverse cultures tend to transform their use of such signs according to their cultures. Bjerregaard, Lauring KlitmÃÆ'Â ¸ller (2009) explain that most people from contact cultures that are, cultures which encourage contact and promote displays of availability, warmth and closeness tend to stand near to each other when interacting, seek full sensory experiences, and regularly touch. However, countries with low-contact cultures deject such behavior. France, Saudi Arabia and Italy are countries that are categorized to having contact cultures. People from such society enjoy the closeness of contact during conversations and interaction. In contrast, Japan has low or even lower-contact cultures. People from this country value privacy and consequently maintain more distance from one another when interacting. However, when different cultures interact with each other, this can course a problem. An American employee who is likely to address a Japanese chief executive officer too casually can cause a tense environment. Similarly, a person who originates from a culture that a high degree of power long distances may seem too aloof or subservient to their American co-workers. Managers must become aware of these differences and address them to create a successful outcome (Crossman, 2011). Crossman, (2011) add that silence is one of the important elements in the communication method; nevertheless silence is the absence of both verbal cues and paralinguistic. Bjerregaard, Lauring KlitmÃÆ'Â ¸ller, (2009) affirm that vocal hesitations and silence are very communicative, extremely influential messages that frequently speak volumes. Spoken pauses are normally short in duration, whereas silence denotes to extensive time frame without sound. Silence is difficult conduct. In some cultures, silence may show empathy and respect when another person is disclosing private information and communicating, however, in other cultures silence means the dark side of verbal communication. Persons in authority, in main cultures or in a big position of power may silence others. This case is common in most organizations or even in government institutions. Such form of non-verbal communication is generally insensible but plays an important role in human relationships. Chinmoku or Silence in particular, can be regarded as communication ability, not just a method of emptiness between vocal words. Different cultures understand silence in different ways, basing on their cultural values. In Japanese communication Chinmoku has a particular distinct feature, which originates from the primary values of Japanese culture which determine how silence functions and appears in communication in the Japanese society (Crossman, 2011). In common conversations, school settings and business meetings in Japan, silence is much more than daily activity and is applied for a longer duration compared to Western states. There are different reasons why silence is so ubiquitous in Japanese communication. The two reasons include the dominance of cluster awareness and r historical factors in Japanese life (Bjerregaard, Lauring KlitmÃÆ'Â ¸ller, 2009). It is evident that silence is very significant to J...

Analysis of the Issue of Inequality in Gloria - Literature Essay Samples

Of central importance to he short story â€Å"Gloria† by Suchen Christine Lim is the theme of inequality. It is a theme prevalent in the story ‘Gloria’, where a domestic helper experiences inequality while working in Singapore. As Gloria, who is the helper employed, is from the Philippines, she is discriminated by her employer who is Singaporean. Inequality can be observed in various aspects- discrimination, prejudice, injustice and poverty- in ‘Gloria’. Gloria is written by Suchen Christine Lim who was born in Ipoh in Malaysia but later moved to Singapore to study, thus this story may have originated from her empathy with foreigners living Singapore or in her observations of the way foreigners, especially those who do ‘unwanted’ jobs are treated unequally by Singapore citizens. Written in 2007, this short story was intended to highlight the plight of foreigners who experience prejudice as they struggle to earn money in Singapore to send back to their home. Poverty is a condition that Gloria’s background is plagued with, unintentionally having ten mouths to feed as a result of a relationship with an abusive boyfriend. People who are poorer value their resources more whereas those who are well-off are more wasteful. â€Å"We don’t eat leftovers. Throw them away unless you want to have them for lunch tomorrow,† highlights Gloria’s employer’s attitude towards leftover food while â€Å"Her brood would have rushed for the adobo† shows how Gloria’s children, having barely anything to eat, cherished any luxuries they were able to get. The author is trying to convey that society is wasteful and there are many others who would be grateful if they had the things we waste. Suchen Lim uses the technique of symbolism and contrast in ‘Gloria’ to show inequality in terms of poverty between the livelihoods of those in Singapore and Philippines. The ‘Limampung Piso’ which is described as dirty and crumpled and is worth 50 peso, showing the quality of the spending power of her household back in Philippines which is poor and ‘crumpled’. On the other hand, Gloria describes the fifty-dollar note of the Singapore currency, which she was given weekly to spend on sundry goods, as clean and crisp, portraying the comfort of secure spending which Singaporean households enjoy, giving them a ‘clean’ lifestyle. The author uses this contrast to show the difference in livelihoods between the average family in Singapore and Philippines and through this highlight the poverty present in Philippines which is the homeland of Gloria. Discrimination, which is the unjust judgement or treatment of a person due to differences such as race, gender and status, is prevalent in the neighbourhood that Gloria works in, from the unkind words of her employer to the seemingly mocking tone of the supermarket’s shopkeeper. This discrimination was largely due to Gloria’s background- she was a Filipino domestic helper in Singapore, a denomination of Singapore’s ‘diverse ethnic mix’ that is looked down upon and considered inferior by many due to their lower socio-economic status. Many Singaporeans in society used to discriminate against foreigners of other nationalities and backgrounds in the past as shown in the story by the cashier pretending to not understand what Gloria was querying about until Sarah stated that Gloria was her new maid. As Filipino women were stereotyped to be domestic helpers for Singaporean households, the uncle understood this stereotype and treated Gloria as one who was of a lower status. Unfortunately, this perception has not changed and can be still observed in Singaporean culture. One possible lesson the author wants to impart on us is to treat all people equally despite their differences as everyone is a human being and has their own strengths and weaknesses. Prejudice, which is a preconceived opinion not based on reason or actual experience, is rooted in the mind of Gloria’s employer and is a strong influence in her interactions with Gloria. During Gloria’s self-interrogation, one of her thoughts was â€Å"†¦That she was too stupid to understand their Chink-chong code?† The phrase ‘Chink-chong code’ is a fictional word used by Gloria to describe the cryptic unwritten code of conduct and lifestyle that the Singaporeans lived by. Also, the word ‘stupid’ describes the condescending attitude of the people Gloria interacts with towards her due to their prejudiced, propaganda-poisoned minds. This rhetorical question was written to portray Gloria’s desperation in trying to understand and overcome the prejudices, intending to evoke sympathy from the reader and strike the hearts of those who have heavily prejudiced opinions of others to change their notion of workers of non-Singaporean or igin. Injustice, which is the unfair treatment of a person, is fused into the actions and words of Gloria’s ‘ma’am’. Throughout the passage Gloria was instructed only to answer â€Å"Yes, ma’am† or â€Å"No, ma’am† to her employer when asked a question. Furthermore, when Gloria, who had motherly instincts after raising ten children, was seen by her employer hugging Timmy, the youngest child in the household, she was quickly sent off to do other household chores in an attempt to banish the separation caused by the preferential hugging of the two younger children and not John, the oldest child who was the result of the father’s previous marriage. Gloria experiences many different forms of inequality throughout the story and suffers as a result of the discrimination against her, prejudiced opinions and injustice faced as a result of her poverty-stricken background. Feminists and Marxists theorists would have an objection to the way Gloria is presented as a submissive creature without a brain of her own. Marxists would argue that the poorer working class would eventually realise the injustice faced and would break free from the control by the higher classes, which is in this case the household she is working in. Feminists would comment that Gloria should have had more control and power as a woman and not be subservient to Alex, in the same way how her female employer ran the household with authority in her husband’s absence. Arguably, Gloria’s employer’s attitude reflects the arrogant and apathetic attitude of the many Singaporeans who are well-off towards those who have a lower status than them, something that is still existent and deeply rooted in Singapore’s societal influences unfortunately, despite the eight year time lapse since this story’s publication. Gloria’s employer should have been more understanding and patient towards Gloria or at least not be as harsh in her tone, since impoverished, alienated workers are just as human as their well-off employers.