Intercultural Communication In Global Business: An Analysis Of Benefits And Challenges

The twenty-first century business environment is expanding and increasingly attracting the interest of countries from developed and developing nations of the world. As countries of the world become increasingly interdependent and interconnected because of global market and diverse consumer needs, it is critically important that participating countries and their organizations understand and appreciate one another’s cultural differences in order to ensure growth and sustainability in international business. Recent studies have traced the failure of some international business ventures to three significant factors: lack of intercultural skills and competence, inability to communicate effectively at a global level, and failure to practice acceptable etiquette in business negotiations. Therefore, businesses from different countries need to appreciate the importance of understanding the cultures and values of their counterparts as well as develop intercultural communication sensitivity and decorum. This paper then is an attempt toward analyzing the significance and role of intercultural communication and etiquette in international business. Recommendations for appropriate practices and acceptable conducts among nations are provided

Cultural differences and business interaction : an analysis of conflicts between Chinese and American ways of life

This study uses an anthropological perspective to discuss the cultural differences between Chinese and Americans in business contexts. Through an analysis of case studies related by businesspersons involved in Sino-US trade, and by an analysis of literature on the subject, it describes how cultural differences contribute to the problems and misunderstandings of business encounters, and eventually affect the outcome of business ventures. The data of this study are taken directly from interviews of twenty-two businesspersons from Chins and the United States, who are actively involved in Sino-US trade. This study identifies eleven sets of conflicting cultural characteristics in Sino-American business interaction. These characteristics are closely related to Professor Hsu's theory that Chinese are situation-centered. The theme of Chinese culture is mutual dependency. Americans are individual-centered. The theme of American culture is self-reliance. This study tries to answer the questions such as: Why are personal relationships so important when doing business with Chinese? Why are some Chinese not compelled to keep business contracts or time schedules? What does face mean to a Chinese? and What kind of restraint do Americans need to deal with Chinese? This study also intends to show how important it is for businesspersons to be aware of cultural differences, and to be able to identify them. When in a cross-cultural situation, businesspersons who can control the situation and adapt to a different cultural environment will be more successful

Protocol and etiquette for doing business in Italy

This project builds a basic knowledge for the business traveler visiting Italy about protocol and cultural awareness. For those who have not been to Italy or lived there, this guide will enlighten those contemplating a trip to Italy and advise them about what to expect. The protocol and cultural characteristics will be addressed. This will include: country familiarization, culture differences, cultural awareness, language briefing, social dos and don\u27ts, business practices, procedures and knowledge of business in Italy. In addition, this project builds added awareness from several seasoned travelers. Each of these travelers have spent considerable time doing business in Italy. Their knowledge helped to confirm the work established in the literature review and intercultural training program model

COVID-19 Pandemic: Impacts on Small Businesses, Tourism, and International Students Globally: A Review

COVID 19 pandemic has substantially affected the globalized world. It has emerged as the black swan subsequent to the economic crisis of World War II, which has had a rippled effect on the healthcare sector as well as business infrastructure globally. To analyze the impact it has had on the overall globalized world, this research was performed. Using the descriptive research design, this research assessed the impact of COVID 19 on small businesses, tourism, as well as international students. The survey was performed where the individuals from different demographic backgrounds were analyzed. This included the individuals belonging to the small businesses, the tourism sector, as well as the educational sector with operations that are held internationally. The survey showed that individual across the three-sector has substantially been affected. This was due to the restricted mobilization, which affected the trade as well as traveling. The international students further experienced emotional distress and found their life to be affected. However, the research also revealed that the businesses that worked online proliferated as a result of COVID 19. Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic, Small Businesses, Tourism, International Student. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-6-09 Publication date:March 31st 202

Central Place Theory

Abstract. Central Place Theory seeks to provide an explanation of the numbers, sizes, and locations of urban settlements in essentially rural, farming regions. Why is it, for example, that there are few large cities, many more towns, and an even larger number of small villages or hamlets in such regions? Why is it that the smaller places are located closer together and the larger ones further apart? What are the relations between the roles of the different-sized urban settlements? How do these patterns and arrangements change over time and from one region to another? These are the sorts of questions addressed by central place theory. Kink, Leslie J. Central Place Theory. Web Book of Regional Science. Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University. Edited by Grant Ian Thrall, 1985; Randall Jackson, 2020. Scientific Geography Serieshttps://researchrepository.wvu.edu/rri-web-book/1007/thumbnail.jp

Agency, Power, and Identity in Business Meetings: A Comparison Case Study Between Kuwaiti and American Organization

abstract: This dissertation examines the organizational discourse of business meetings in a Kuwaiti financial organization (Innovative Kuwait Co., pseudonym) and an American non-profit trade organization (Global Phoenix, pseudonym). Specifically, I explore the discourse and social identities, agency, and power used in staff members' task-oriented business meetings (Bargiela-Chiappini & Harris, 1997). The study is based on ethnographic business meetings data collected during eight months of fieldwork in 2010, 2011 and 2012. I used three major qualitative methodologies: observation, audio recording, and feedback focus group. In this study, I propose three research questions: 1) How does agency of staff members reflect membership in the corporate culture of an organization as a whole? 2) How is power used in relation to agency in business meetings? And 3) How are discourse and social identities of staff members enacted in business meetings? The analyses of ethnographic and fieldwork data demonstrate similar and different business linguistic behaviors in the two companies. In Innovative Kuwait Co., male managers are responsible for opening and closing the meetings. They also perform power by using language directives and suggestions directed to staff members. In contrast, female staff members in the Kuwaiti company participated insignificantly in meetings and produce more nonverbal cues. However, in one meeting, a female manager organized the discussion by controlling topics and giving directions. In Global Phoenix, female managers outnumber their male counterparts; therefore, agency, power, discourse, and social identities are performed differently. Female managers are responsible for opening and closing the meetings and for organizing the overall discussions. Additionally, female and male staff members participate equally and they interrupted their colleagues less frequently compared to staff members in Kuwait. Interestingly, American staff members laugh and joke more together than staff members in Kuwait. The findings of this dissertation will contribute to existing linguistic literature on business discourse and the examination of social meanings and structures in organizations, explaining how language shapes the actions and relationships of business staff members. This dissertation will also encourage business people to become mindful of the role of language and language training in developing and maintaining the corporate culture of their organizations.Dissertation/ThesisPh.D. English 201

Re-mediating identities in the imagined homeland: Taiwanese migrants in China

This dissertation analyzes the identity formation and transformation of Taiwanese migrants to China in light of globalization. Combining migrant studies and media studies, it explores how the identities of Taiwanese migrants are shaped and reshaped through the ongoing interactions of mediated communication and lived experience in the place of adoption. Against the linear model of assimilation, three discourses on transnationalism argue for the pluralization and deterritorialization of identities among contemporary migrants, including continuous home-country loyalty, diasporic hybrid identities, and cosmopolitan consciousness. However, this case study also encounters historical particularities, such as the opposition of Taiwanese and Chinese identities in Taiwan, Taiwanese migration to their imagined homeland, and China' authoritarian media system. While attending to these issues, I analyze the migration patterns of Taiwanese migrants, their use of the media in China, and the relations between mediation and identity. Primarily based on in-depth interviews with 68 Taiwanese migrants conducted in 2008, I found that Taiwanese migrants' spatial and upward mobility upon migration contributes to their class distinction and outsider mentality in China. Moreover, despite different settlement plans, migrants tend to see their migration as sojourning. Mental isolation from Chinese society, along with distrust of the Chinese news media, makes migrants heavily dependent on Taiwanese news media for information. They also utilize such communication tools as SMS and the Internet to forge and maintain Taiwanese-only social networks and interpersonal communications. As for entertainment media, migrants prefer foreign and Taiwanese media products to Chinese ones. Much of their transnational communication is sustained through the use of illegal means, such as satellite TV and pirated videos. Everyday experiences--lived or mediated, local or transnational--enable migrants to renegotiate their own similarities with and differences from the Chinese. A kind of Taiwanese consciousness based on pride develops among migrants. Nevertheless, as far as national identity is concerned, Taiwanese migrants remain divided, although they have also become less nationalistic and more realistic