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Week 2 – Assignment
International and Intercultural Communication
After reviewing section 2.4 of the text titled International and Intercultural Interpersonal Communication, visit The Hofstede Centre (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.(https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/) and continue to explore national cultural dimensions. Here you will choose two countries to compare and contrast in terms of cultural dimensions.
Develop a two-page, APA-formatted paper that addresses the following:
Describe how the two countries are similar in terms of Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions.
Describe how the two countries are different in terms of Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions.
Given a scenario where two organizations, one located in each country, are to do business with each other, provide recommendations that would be beneficial in helping management address communications in terms of the different cultural perspectives. Your paper must be two pages (not including title and reference pages) and must be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide. You must cite at least two scholarly sources in addition to the textbook.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
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Running head: INTERNATIONAL AND INTERCULTURAL
International and Intercultural Communication
BUS600: Management Communications with Technology Tools
Ashford University
01/17/2017
International and Intercultural Communication
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INTERNATIONAL AND INTERCULTURAL
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The business world is a fast moving, fast growing phenomenon that not only relies on
investments and capital but also on all aspects of communication, and how well you can
maneuver the World Wide Web and all that comes with it. Globalization is at an all-time high
and growing small businesses at a very fast pace, it is because of this that having great
communication skills and being culturally competent is essential if the business owners want to
continue to prosper.
Communication
There are many components or ingredients to being a successful business, however the key
component to becoming a successful business is effective communication. Communication
starts with that initial desire to start a business then later to grow a business. Many business
leaders have gone global which usually means they have started operating internationally. Many
successful organizations have found it to be very important to learn the culture of the nation in
which they are expanding to, to not only be efficient but effective as well. There are quite a few
barriers or challenges involved when it comes to communication, the barriers of international and
intercultural communication are just the tip of the ice-berg. Every manager should know how to
pinpoint these barriers, asses the possible damage and be able to fix it buy using effective
different forms of communication.
Geert Hofstede
Geert Hofstede proposed one of the most widely-cited cultural dimensions. Per Baack,
(2012) those dimensions are power, distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance,
and short or long term orientation. Two countries were chosen to compare these six dimensions.
The United States of America and China. These two countries are one of many powerful
countries who are leading the business world.
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USA vs China
The culture dimension between the two are very different and yet somewhat similar in
certain aspects. These two countries are extremely involved in conducting business with one
another. China’s economy relies mostly on export to stay afloat and the USA imports a lot from
China Therefore, it is important for each one to be diverse in their knowledge for another’s
culture to have efficient communication and a steadily successful business.
Masculinity
When it came to masculinity both countries scored similar. Masculinity is the dimension
in which society is driven or motivated by competition and the idea of acheiveing their golas and
gaining success. When measured, the difference was not that much. While China did score
higher it was not by a lot, it was by 4 points more than that of the U.S. This could have been for
many reasons; however, it is believed that it was a result of a person’s desire to achieve their
goals and eventually be the best in their field. (Neeley, 2015). The phrase “live to work” can
easily be applied to both nations where the strive to be successful begins in adolescence.
Power Distance
When power distance was compared between China and the U.S., China’s power distance
resulted with a higher ranking than the U.S. The distance between leaders and their teams in
collaborative relationships ranked higher because the Chinese believe that inequalities among
their people is acceptable and the norm. In the U.S., they believe that everyone should be equal
and inequality is viewed as something bad not just by the leaders of the county but by their
followers as well. In China, the people are not expected to achieve or aspire beyond their social
rank. (Bourne, 2016). This difference between the two nations could make it difficult to have
effective communication. Both countries should learn and understand the social norm within
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that country so that communication is not lost. The miscommunication will make it difficult for
an American to seek employment in China since the American is used to equal opportunity and
career advancement by means of social liberation.
Recommendations
To have effective communication among both countries and to be able to handle and do
business the following need to be enforced:
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Cultural competences must be understood by both countries
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Respect of each countries beliefs
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Socially accepting of one another’s differences and can embrace them.
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Be open minded with one another
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Learning each other’s culture and helping bridge the gap between them
Conclusion
In today’s fast paced business world, it is imperative that both countries doing business
with each other understand the importance of cultural competence and must understand that
diverse knowledge will continue to grow around the globe, especially for growing businesses.
International and intercultural communication is key to growing your business and being
successful in that business.
References
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INTERNATIONAL AND INTERCULTURAL
Baack, D. (2012). Management communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.
Bourne, J. S. (2016). Exploring Intercultural Communication Challenges: A Case Study on
Chinese-English Interpreting. China Media Research, 12(1), 14-24.
Neeley, T. (2015). Global teams that work: a framework for bridging social distance. Harvard
Business Review, (10), 74.
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