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.

Gender Roles in Vietnam and in the United States - 1178 Words

This paper I interviewed my grandmother with gender role because I think she knows more about that. So she could help me understand more about gender roles between the two countries such as Vietnam and the United States as well as what is a difference compared to the past and present. My grandmother was born and raised in Vietnam has more than 45 years ago, before my grandmother emigrated and lived in the United States so far. I posed various questions about the gender role with her. She replied that when she was born and grew up, she is considered a woman. She is also expected to become a successful woman, and take care of her family. She said that maybe she was a lucky woman than many other women because she was going to school and became a teacher before she married. Vietnam was lived in a conservative mode. She said in her country, womens inequality compared to men. Men have more power than women because women are considered to be housewives. People think that women are powerless in society because they are weak. Often, the family will let men go to school more than women. Women are not expected to achieve as much success because society thinks they should follow the order of the husband after marriage. People think that men can do any kind of work. They believed that the man could do some jobs better than women such as industrial and military. The notion that a woman should devote themselves to home and family was very popular. People thought that women should giveShow MoreRelatedThe Hmong Culture : A Community Is Defined As A Group Of People1713 Words   |  7 PagesA community is defined as a group of people that live in the same place and share the same characteristics and behaviors. David Hackett Fischer in his book states that many diffe rent characteristics make up a community and make them unique from other communities. Many different components go into making a community and defining a particular groups behaviors and ways of life. These traditional behaviors and ways of life are known as folkways. Folkways include but are not limited to: family waysRead MoreThe Battle Of The Vietnam War Essay1431 Words   |  6 Pagesforever change the landscape of America. However, the discussion of the Vietnam War was never far from people’s minds. This war would serve as an introduction to what war was to the home front. It was in the homes of America where so many had been previously sheltered from the realities of war. During previous conflicts, there had been a military censorship on all media that pertained to war. This would not be the case in Vietnam, it would be completely uncensored. 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The Ukrainian Revolution and the Russian Takeover ot the...

The Ukrainian revolution of 2014 and the Russian takeover of the Crimean Peninsula presented the US with what appeared to be unique political challenges. On closer inspection, the Ukrainian crisis is actually quite similar to the Cuban Missile Crisis, with the opponents in opposite positions. With these two crises in mind, the paper will discuss how the ability to understand ones enemies, gain public support, and effectively utilize nuclear weapons presents a significant challenge for the US to leverage its military power to accomplish its political objectives. In order to discuss the Cuban Missile Crisis, it is important to go back to the roots of US involvement. According to the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, it is clear that the US†¦show more content†¦Although the US had credible intelligence from human sources, the intelligence community generally favored technical sources [Absher, pg 2]. The reliance on satellite and overflight imagery led the US to over assess the Sovie ts nuclear and missile strengths. It also prevented the intelligence community from prioritizing HUMINT sources to establish the objectives of the USSR. Finally, on 14 October, a U-2 spyplane took the first photos of Soviet missiles in Cuba. Once again, the Soviets deceived the US on 18 October, when the Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko assured President Kennedy that offensive missiles would not be placed in Cuba [Absher, pg 3, 48-57]. The United States had the ability to correctly assess the Soviets intent to deploy nuclear missiles to Cuba. If the US had a true understanding of the USSR and Castros intent, the crisis could have been avoided through other coercive and military measures. The US certainly had a nuclear advantage which it could have flexed to limit Soviet support to Cuba. Additionally, substantial military support could have been provided to the Bay of Pigs invasion to overthrow the Castro regime. Failure to understand the enemys intent in a timely manner preve nted the utilization of US military might to achieve US objectives. A second challenge for the US to translate its military power into political outcomes is the difficulty to generate public

The Theory Of Multiplication As Equal Groups Through A...

†¢ 1. The teacher established a mathematical goal to focus learning. In the beginning of the reading it said â€Å"Mr. Harris wanted his third-grade students to understand the structure of multiplication and decided to develop a task that would allow students to explore multiplication as equal groups through a familiar context† (Ex. Lines 4 and 5 provide evidence of established a mathematical goal to focus learning). The teacher also reminded the students of the initial goal,† ‘So, tell me about your picture. How does it show the setup 28 of the chairs for the band concert?’ (Ex. Lines 28 and 29 provide evidence of established a mathematical goal to focus learning). †¢ 2. He then implemented a task the promoted reasoning and problem solving.†¦show more content†¦Lines 63 provides evidence of posed purposeful questions). †¢ 7. Support Productive struggle in learning mathematics. The teacher did this when the students were working on their own methods of solving the problem. He allowed time for the students to draw out their representations. It never said, in the reading, how much time was given for the students to draw arrays, but based off molly’s representation she had enough time to draw 160 individual boxes. Also, in the reading the teacher goes by and sees that some students have changed their method of solving the problem (Ex. Lines 38 provides evidence of Support Productive struggle in learning mathematics). That would not have happened if there was not enough time to have a productive struggle. †¢ 8. Elicit and use evidence of student thinking. He did this throughout the whole lesson. He saw evidence of his students thinking when he asked them to draw arrays of their own representation of the problem (Ex. Lines 33 and 34 provides evidence of Elicit and use evidence of student thinking). This was also used in his lesson when he asked them to write â€Å"He knew this informal experience with the distributive property would be important in subsequent lessons and the student writing would provide him with some insight into whether his students understood that quantities could be decomposed as a strategy in solving multiplication problems.† (Ex. Lines 81-83 provides evidence of Elicit and use evidence of student thinking). 2.Show MoreRelatedLiberal Perspective of a State7979 Words   |  32 Pagesbelief in the importance of liberty and equal rights and so, the main theme of liberalism throughout the period of its development was that the purpose of state is the promotion and protection of human freedom and equality and ensuring of human happiness. Liberalism meant the removal of traditional distinctions that were imposed on people. 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Is It Really All About Race Essay - 1142 Words

As an American, I have noticed that race is a contributing factor to how the justice system treats many Americans. For example â€Å"African Americans are arrested for drug offenses at rates 2 to 11 times higher than the rate for whites† according to a 2009 report on disparity in drug arrests by Human Rights Watch. This semester I want to further examine how all races, White,†(A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa)†Black or African American, â€Å"(A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa)†American Indian or Alaska Native,† (A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America)†Asian,†(A person having origins in any of†¦show more content†¦It can ruin a person’s reputation, and it occurs more often to certain races like Blacks and Hispanics. Growing up as an African American child I was never affected by racial discrimination. I grew in up the suburbs of south Florida and had many friends of all races. As a child, I was raised to judge people by who they are and what they do rather than on the color of their skin. However, when I moved and began high school in a different state I started to notice that many of the students, professors, and even local officers were, for lack of a better word, racist to not only African-Americans but also Hispanics and Middle Easterners. One example of this is the Trayvon Martin case where in the end a man who was clearly guilty was acquitted because of the fact that the suspect who he killed, Trayvon, might have been a â€Å"17 year old undisciplined punk thug† who was putting Zimmerman’s life in â€Å"danger†(Qtd from Sundance). It hurt me to see that as a world we have not learned from our past mistakes. After seeing so many cases of swayed judgment due to racial bi as, I wanted to look further into how race affects the judgment of others and if that leads to racial profiling. I found many sources that look at the creation of racial profiling, clear evidence of the occurrence of racial profiling, and how it has affected the lives of the people who are wrongly accused. One source I found is a scholarly article written by Professor David D. Cole, a professor atShow MoreRelatedIssues of Race in Dawn Essay784 Words   |  4 PagesHow do we know that we are human? How do we know that we got saved by another race? What is are race? Humans have many races Lilith, a human form the planet earth showed me that we really don’t know how to be human into we are put in are nature averment. The book is bass on the idea that human have distort them self’s in a war. The way that are society is we depend on race, religion, and cuter. In the early days we did not always black to be with white. 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Symbolism in Gran Torino free essay sample

Some symbols are obvious and some are easily missed if a person isn’t looking for them. Among the various symbols there are three that deserve extra recognition. They truly help to tell the story and fall perfectly in line with the movie’s underlying themes of life, relationships, and death. The first and most obvious is the Gran Torino, the car itself, representing the theme of life; the second is the refrigerator that Walt is moving out of his basement, less obvious but representative of a real turning point in the relationship between Walt and Thao, enhancing the theme of relationships; the third symbol, tying in with the theme of death, is the way Walt falls to the ground following the final confrontation with the gang. Considering it is the title of the film, one would expect the Gran Torino to play an active role in the movie. This is not the case, but the car still plays a very powerful role. This is not the case, but the car still plays a very powerful role. The vehicle is dually symbolic, being representative of Walt in one manner and of Thao in a very different one. The Gran Torino represents Walt in nearly every way, shape, and form. It is his connection to the past and to better times in his eyes. It is a symbol of a time when life made more sense to Walt. It represents the hard-working, patriotic era in which he was raised and the way he lived his entire life, which was holding true to those same attributes. And in the end, it is a symbol of Walt’s legacy. While the vehicle itself is part of his legacy, as it is passed on to another generation, it also passes on Walt’s beliefs and hardworking spirit. The Gran Torino evolves in its symbolism where Thao is concerned. It starts out representing the dangerous gang lifestyle that he is about to enter into when he is asked to and attempts to steal the car. As the story proceeds and Walt and Thao begin to form a relationship, it becomes a symbol of that relationship. Walt telling Thao that he can use the car to take a girl out on a date shows Thao that he has truly earned Walt’s respect and trust. Finally, at the end of the movie when Walt wills the vehicle to Thao, the Gran Torino comes to represent Walt himself. Thao will likely never be able to drive that car without thinking of Walt and everything the man did for him. The scene involving the refrigerator may be short, but it carries a lot of power in explaining the evolution of the relationship between Walt and Thao. Their initial association was forced and not welcomed by either side. As Walt watched Thao complete all of the neighborhood chores that he assigned, his attitude toward the boy slowly started to soften. Walt offers to sell the fridge to Thao for $25 as opposed to the $60 he was planning to advertise. This is the point where it becomes evident that Walt actually views Thao as a friend. This scene also shows that Walt’s â€Å"man training† is working. The personal transition that Thao is making is evident when he takes a stand and argues with Walt, insisting to lift the heavier top side when he helps Walt move the refrigerator out of the basement. It’s amazing how much a kitchen appliance can contribute to the story. The final symbol lasts no more than a few seconds but carries an immense meaning with it. In the final conflict with the gang, the viewers expect to see a heroic gun battle with Walt eliminating the entire gang. Instead what they observe is Walt managing to draw the fire of all of the gang members with no intent of ever fighting back. After being riddled with bullets, his body falls to the ground and lands with his arms straight out to the sides, much like the image of Jesus being crucified. This view of Walt in a Christ-like position carries the heaviest meaning of the entire film. Walt went to the gang’s house knowing that he would not walk away. He was willing to die to ensure that the gang members would be arrested, therefore unable to interfere with the lives of Thao and Sue, or cause any more violence in the rest of the community. Walt sacrificed his own life so that others would have the opportunity to live on and do so peacefully. Life, relationships, and death. These subjects probably lay the most common groundwork of the entire movie industry, but they are addressed in this film in a way that makes those ideas seem completely original. While one would not be hard-pressed to identify other pieces of symbolism in Gran Torino, the three addressed here are definitely some of the most important. There are many ways to tell a story. The car, the fridge, and the fall add so much depth to the film and offer an abundance of insight into the story and the characters that can’t be conveyed merely with dialogue.