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ХудшийЛучший 

Balabukha K.V.

PERSPECTIVES ON TEACHING INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CULTURE

National University “Odesa Academy of Law

 

Teaching international business culture gains vital importance in currant development of world business communication. This paper aims to describe complicated structure of business culture, its impact on building international relations and collaboration. The author gives perspectives on delivering the course of international business culture to non-native English speakers.

Key words: intercultural communication; business culture; etiquette; international relations; globalization; business; conduct; custom.

Навчання культури міжнародного ділового спілкування набуває провідного значення в умовах сучасного розвитку світових ділових зв’язків. У статті розглядається складна структура культури ділового спілкування, її вплив на встановлення міжнародних звзків та налагодження співпраці. Автор описує перспективи викладання курсу культури міжнародного ділового спілкування для неангломовних студентів. 

 Ключові слова: міжкультурне спілкування; культура ділового спілкування; етикет; міжнародні відносини; глобалізація; бізнес; поведінка; звичай.

Human beings draw close to one another

 by their common nature, but habits

and customs keep them apart”.

Confucius.

In a concurrent development global cooperation, high educational establishments have realized the importance of preparing the graduates for their post graduate training abroad or work in the international business arena. As a consequence, some of them offer specialized English speaking courses in country study, business correspondence and various areas of international law. Although there is wide awareness of the need to include cultural dimensions in the training of skilled personal, little attention has been paid to the development of appropriate course materials and approaches for teaching international business culture as an integral part of intercultural communication.

The problem of international business culture and intercultural communication has been wildly discussed in foreign literature (K. M. Asante, R. Brislin,                        L. H. Chaney, I.A. Ivaschenko, W. B. Gudykunst, Kim Young Yun, W. Klopf, C. Kluckhohn, J. S. Martin, J. McCroskey, T. Morrison, J. Reeves) but got considerably brief review by Russian and Ukrainian observers (N.І. Formanovskaya, І.І. Haleeva, P.F. Liadov).

 As markets globalise, the need for standardisation in organizational design, systems and procedures increases. A foreigner has to adapt to the local characteristics of the market, the legislation, the socio-political system and the cultural system. This balance between consistency and adaptation is essential for business success. There are many things like culture, economy, politics, etc. that impact the working of international businesses in today's world. When the two aspects of human society, culture and business, interact with each other, it leads to the development of interesting conditions or scenarios. When different cultures converge at a common point with business as the platform, the clashes are bound to take place. But most importantly, such a scenario helps adapt to challenging situations.

The international business culture, as a whole, is a congregation of various business practices, cultural influences and the thought processes followed in different nations. The various things that impact an international business are mannerisms, communication, time, etc. Modern business is global and demands people travel to foreign countries and mix with foreign colleagues. Each one of those cultures will also have their own etiquette rules, many of them unwritten. When two or more different cultures mix, it is easy for small etiquette mistakes to be made that could have negative consequences. The way or view to see a problem might change from country to country, across the globe. Sometimes, not understanding the etiquette of another culture means you show a lack of manners. This can and does lead to soured relationships, lost deals and in the end poor business collaboration. Anyone working on the international stage needs to understand international business etiquette.

International business etiquette manifests in many shapes and sizes. Throughout the world people from different cultures have varying etiquette rules around areas such as personal space, communication, gift giving, food, business meetings and much more. As business becomes more global and the workforce ever more diverse, the issue of “culture” becomes increasingly important for leaders and managers and their organizations.

Initially, the word ‘culture’ referred to the cultivation of good manners, but gradually the meaning extended to include a whole range of intellectual and social activity and improvement. Manners and etiquette (increasingly elaborate rituals of behaviour) exert control over individuals and the self, and they call for individual and collective restraint in the presence of persons more eminent than oneself. A growing awareness and interest in the habits of table manners, personal hygiene and social relations can all be seen taking place from the fifteenth century onwards [5].

The achievement of researchers in the field of culture and international relationships reached its apex in the late 1980s and 1990s when there was much talk of ‘multi-cultures’ and cultural ‘clashes.’

Building global business relationships depends on the innate ability to learn about other cultures and proper training to help a person adjust once he or she is in another culture. Whether one is traveling for business or pleasure, new cultures are generally part of the process. Although there are many differences between cultures in the world, there are also similarities. The similarities do not get foreigners into trouble, but the differences can destroy a business deal or diplomatic negotiations. Learning some facts and some of the patterns of other cultures, as well as various customs, can help a specialist be successful. Preparation, support, and training before venturing abroad can help meet the challenges of an intercultural assignment or trip. Employees who work globally should be trained in technical knowledge, such as import and export laws of other countries, comparative management styles, and business protocol, etiquette, and ethics. Regardless of how much one learns about another country, it is always should be remembered that he deals with individuals who may or may not possess the aspects of the culture that learned. Stereotypes are as dangerous as ethnocentrism. We are all individuals, and when traveling abroad a professional must learn to handle every individual separately.

Advertising posters in Heathrow make a good point about cultural differences concerning how the grasshopper is viewed: “U.S.A.—Pest, China—Pet, and Northern Thailand—Appetizer.”  This example is a considerable evidence of the fact that culture determines how the same thing can be perceived in different countries [2].

Different cultures may have different customs around who addresses whom when and how, and who has the right, or even the duty, to speak first, and what is the proper way to conclude a conversation. No matter where one is, some ways of commencing a conversation or concluding one will be considered as rude, even disrespectful.  These are artificial customs, to a certain degree, and there is probably no universally right or wrong way to go about these things, short of behaviors that all cultures would likely consider to be vulgar or abusive.  This topic includes modes of address, salutations, levels of deference to age or social position, acceptable ways to conclude gracefully and so on. 

In some places, it is considered vulgar to speak openly about money, for example, let alone about the kinds of intimate family issues that commonly form the basis of afternoon television “talk” shows in the West.  Business people should learn the customs that surround the making of deals, the transaction of commerce, and the degree to which details are specified in advance and enumerated in writing across cultures.

 In some cultures, the work ambience is very formal and transgressing any code of conduct of this officially prescribed and sanctioned formality is taken serious cognizance of. For example in Japan, if an employee takes off his blazer for his comfort while working, this act may earn him frown there because it is against business etiquette, whereas in America such an act will not raise people’s antennae. It will be considered normal and acceptable. Similarly, in some cultures status plays a pivotal role in the assessment of a person. When a person gives a suggestion, the suggestion is not valued in isolation but in the context of the designation he holds. That is, why in countries like China business messages bear official titles in the inside address, in lieu of proper names because the position tag is considered more important than the individual.

A particularly revealing illustration of how some Western customs can strike non-Westerners as offensive. Surely kissing is one of the most natural things in the world. But to a whole lot of people kissing is not at all natural. It is not something that everybody does, or would like to do. On the contrary, it is a deplorable habit, unnatural, unhygienic, bordering on the nasty and even definitely repulsive. The  races of mankind such as the New Zealanders (Maoris), the Australian aborigines, the Papuans, Tahitians, and other South Sea Islanders, and the Esquimaux of the frozen north, were ignorant of kissing until they were taught the technique. The Chinese considered kissing as vulgar and all too suggestive of cannibalism.

Memorizing facts about a new culture is helpful; however, the real goal to cultural sensitivity is to be able to recognize and determine cultural differences, learn about the cultural differences, and respond appropriately in a new setting. To be culturally sensitive, one must monitor internal and external cues. The more cultural and emotional intelligence individuals have, the easier it will be for them to acculturate and assimilate in a new culture and build relationships. Culture consists of some layers. F. Trompenaas and P. Wooliams distinguish three main layers. Firstly, the outer layer is what people primarily associate with culture: the visual reality of behavior, clothes, food, language, etc. This is the level of explicit culture and it deals with the expressed manifestations of culture. Secondly, the middle layer refers to the norms and values that an organization holds: what is considered right and wrong (norms) or good and bad (values). Values are the shared orientations of a group of what people define as the things they like and desire. Norms are shared orientations of what people believe should be done. Values are what a person would prefer to do and feel comfortable doing. When a culture is successful, values become norms. When there is a tension between them, then this is the source of energy for change. Thirdly, there is the deepest inner layer of the culture: the level of unquestioned, implicit culture. This is the result of human beings organizing to reconcile frequently occurring dilemmas. It consists of basic assumptions, many series of routines and methods developed to deal with the regular problems that people face. These methods of problem-solving have become so basic that, like breathing, people no longer think about how they do it. For an outsider these basic assumptions are very difficult to recognize. Understanding the core of the culture is the key to successfully working with other cultures and achieving successful alliances and cross-border collaboration [4].

Communicating effectively in the international environment is far more complex than just knowing how to greet people from other foreign cultures, or just being empathetic and open to your counterparts. To be competent in dealing with people from different cultural backgrounds, individuals should go beyond understanding observable behaviors and develop an understanding of the deep content that is at the center of real messages. It is essential to understand the hidden cultural forces that shape the deeply rooted cultural behavior. Operating in a cross-cultural environment, individuals may consciously act like natives of that particular target culture at the surface level. Culture is the main factor that separates human beings from one another, and culture also creates the uniqueness of human beings. Culture is what makes Easterners different from Westerners. The knowledge of culture is essential to understand the communication process. Through communication, people can either be brought closer or separated. When communication takes place within the home culture, individuals are aware of the context and less likely to misinterpret the transmitted messages. However, when communicating with individuals from different language and cultural backgrounds without a shared context, the danger of misunderstanding increases.

A student studying international business culture needs not bury his head into texts analyzing nuances of the culture that the denizens of a particular ethnicity or nationality practice in their lives. Hence, needless to say, that the study of culture administered to the students has to be cast in a different frame. Thus the very first challenge is curriculum development that integrates business, culture and communication in the right interface. Then comes the challenge of delivery of this course, so as to make it effective for practical purposes. There are many concepts which are theoretically very well appreciated but they do not precipitate into concrete behavioral skill sets that will contribute to the overall business intelligence. As discussed previously, one of the challenges that the business communication teacher faces, is to study and to teach those aspects of culture which have direct bearing on business. Hence, the study should not be done through the lenses of a tourist who takes a front stage view of the culture, appreciating the exotic facets of culture with an inquisitive mind to comprehend a way of life totally different from his own. In lieu of taking this perspective, the teacher should study and point out those dimensions of culture which are likely to impact business communication. “Knowledge of traditional culture can be helpful in business transactions but all too often, such discussions get stuck in front stage of cultural behavior, what we can see. Instead, we need to emphasize the back stage, why these behaviors exist and how cultural priorities relate to business” [3].

Finally it can be observed that beyond all doubt today’s rapid development of international relationship and business creates vital necessity of young skilled professionals prepared for international business communication. It is obvious that for successful business collaboration a graduate needs not only perfect foreign language speaking skills but profound knowledge of international business culture that embraces protocols, etiquette, manners, value systems, cognitive style etc. 

 

The list of sources:

1. Brislin R. Intercultural communication training / K. M. Asante and W. B. Gudykunst (Eds.), Handbook of intercultural and international communication, 1989. -  pp. 441-457.

2. Ferraro G. The cultural dimension of international business. - Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall,  1990. – 346p.

3. Iris Varner, Communication in Global Workplace. - MCfraw – Hill / Irvin, 2004. - 432p.

4. Fons Trompenaas and Woolians. Business across culture. - Capstone Publishing Ltd., 2003.-362p.

5. Reeves, Julie. Culture and international relations: narratives, natives, and tourists / Julie Reeves. – Routledge. – 2004. - 221p.

 
КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ:
  • "Современные проблемы и пути их решения в науке, транспорте, производстве и образовании'2011"
  • Дата: Октябрь 2011 года
  • Проведение: www.sworld.com.ua
  • Рабочие языки: Украинский, Русский, Английский.
  • Председатель: Доктор технических наук, проф.Шибаев А.Г.
  • Тех.менеджмент: к.т.н. Куприенко С.В., Федорова А.Д.

ОПУБЛИКОВАНО В:
  • Сборник научных трудов SWorld по материалам международной научно-практической конференции.