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Reasons for understanding cultural differences
Reasons for understanding cultural differences
5 dimensions of culture differences
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COURSE WORK 4 RESEARCH METHODS THE IMPACT EXTERNALISATION HAS MADE TO REDUCE CROSS-CULTURAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS BETWEEN CHINESE MNC`s AND LOCAL HUMAN RESOURCE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.
QN
What role has externalization by Chinese MNCs played in limiting cross-cultural misunderstandings in sub-Saharan Africa?
Abstract
According to the IMF China has the world`s largest purchasing power parity and as by 2015, it was the world’s second largest economy with growth rates averaging about 10% annually. This environment has generated the development of multinational companies which are keen to maximize their economies of scale and economies of scope through expansion and setting up in new countries. In view of that, Sub Saharan Africa which also has some
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Introduction
Cross- cultural misunderstandings. A cross culture misunderstanding is when there is a difference between two cultures in the interpretation of a behavior, words, gesture that have different meanings in the different societies. In today’s multicultural business environment it is instrumental that managers are culturally aware so as to enable productivity and maximum efficiency of their human resource.
Culture
This is a way of life, customs, beliefs and norms of a given society by which they direct and live their lives. This can be seen in the way they behave, work, and even think given the circumstances before them.
Another definition to this
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Not only the defense between the countries but also within the countries, whereby most countries have over 50 ethnic groups speaking over 20 different languages leaving aside foreign languages adopted from their colonizers like English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. And since the Sino- African trade has been at its best over the past 10 years, this has made for suitable ground for investment from Chinese firms since Sub Saharan Africa also has some of the fastest growing economies in the world currently. The combination of all these factors provides grounds for the research being
It seems China’s interest in African countries is not in territorial occupation, but rather in international prominence and expanding its rapidly growing economic agenda. Kenya’s richness in commodities and weak commercial laws are an idealistic setting for rapid market entry, therefore China has been able to effortlessly influence and expand its mercantilist ambitions without distress of competition from the west. Even though the United States is focused in providing conditional aid to Kenya, the effects of Chinese expansion in Kenya on U.S. interest are alarming, for China is offering cold hard cash that is f...
Priscilla. “The World Economy and Africa.” JSpivey – Home – Wikispaces. 2010. 29 January 2010. .
It is thought-provoking, in the sense that Africa’s need for foreign created a race to the bottom, much like what Pietra Rivoli described in The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy. Due to some African states’ reliance on foreign aid in order to mine and profit on their resources, they allow business standards to be lowered and for Chinese firms to tip the contracts moresoever in the favor of Chinese firms. This lowers the potential earnings of African states by lowering royalty rates, for example. Additionally, Burgis’ research was thorough and transparent. When he did not receive a response or if his questions were dodged, he made it obvious to the readers. Sure, some could view this book as too anecdotal to be used as a credible source of Africa’s situation. However, this is due to the nature of the system Burgis is writing about; after all, they are shadow states for a reason. Some readers will be saddened by this text, others angry, most curious to learn more, but above all, everyone will be intellectually stimulated and
In today’s ever-changing and highly integrated world, corporations have a growing need to hire and maintain an exceedingly diverse and multicultural workforce. With globalization, multinational corporations have a great opportunity to work with people from different cultures and with a diverse pool of skills. However, there is a major cost of working in a foreign culture. Several problems arise when managing a culturally diverse workforce; management needs to solve them. Understanding different cultures improves employees’ efficiency and productivity. However, many issues in cross-cultural analysis arise because of the lack of understanding of other cultures and at times about that very culture we live in. This can result in confusion. This confusion results in distortions about the very cultures we are trying to understand. The paper will highlight several theoretical and practical cross-cultural management issues recommend solutions.
In many workplaces now days friendly touching employees is a common act, but many people for cultural or religious reasons dont welcome this and may find it offensive. Being aware of the cultural differences of the employees and understanding thier retuals can eliminate cross cultural misunderstanding in the workplace, ("Safe Work Australia 2013, para .1). Non verbal communication such as touching discrourages employees even though it is a normal gesture for the employee or supervisor. In this essay i will be looking at the touching issue and ways this can be prevented in the workplace if one is not confortable with it such as , Facial expression, Body gesture, Eye contact and Posture.
Nearly all of mankind, at one point or another, spends a lot of time focusing on the question of how one can live a good human life. This question is approached in various ways and a variety of perspectives rise as a result. There are various ways to actually seek the necessary elements of a good human life. Some seek it through the reading of classic, contemporary, theological and philosophical texts while others seek it through experiences and lessons passed down from generations. As a result of this, beliefs on what is morally right and wrong, and if they have some impact on human flourishing, are quite debatable and subjective to ones own perspective. This makes determining morally significant practices or activities actually very difficult.
However, it starts with the African governments that are putting the countries at a disadvantage immediately. For example, China has expressed interest in improving and building the infrastructure in Africa, such as railroads, roads, education and health care buildings. Although building this involves debt to Africa, the IMF makes sure the African countries would be able to repay the debt before deals like this go through ("China 's Investments in Africa: What 's the Real Story?"). In Africa’s case, the deals that the governments make with China are often at a disadvantage because the African governments do not take the deals as seriously as it should be ("China 's Investments in Africa: What 's the Real Story?"). In fact, Africa could structure the deals made so it benefits the country in many different ways if the government hires advisors that are acting in the best interest of the country. For example, the African government could skew the deals so the work is being done in sub-Saharan Africa. To no surprise, much money invested by China is not towards sub-Saharan Africa, but the correct deals could make this happen ("China 's Investments in Africa: What 's the Real Story?"). Also, the deals made between the two countries can specify how many African workers can make these jobs occur, which creates economic growth, jobs and tax revenue. The opportunities are incredible with regards to building infrasctructure in sub-Saharan Africa. The main reason why China is bringing work to Africa is because the cost of paying Chinese workers is increasing. Therefore, the government needs to tailor the contracts that are being made in the favor of Africa and its citizens. Eventually, there will be a need from multinational companies from a developing country that has the infrastructure and workers who are willing to
Economic diversification holds great potential to increase Africa’s resilience and would contribute to achieving and susta...
Cross-cultural training stresses on training employees about other cultures and sensitizingthem to the discrimination and biases diverse employees feel (Farren and Nelson, 1999). Cross-cultural training aims at helping employees live and work comfortably in another culture. Organizations can use two approaches of training that can play a big role in managing
Cultural differences are more profound among foreign employees working within same multinational firms than those working for their native countries.cross-cultural management trains people to work in firms with employees and client population 's from several cultures(burke 1983).it describes organizational behavior within countries and seek to understand and improve the scope of domestic management 's and enhance international and multicultural interaction 's among employees.cultural diversity is a synergy that can improve efficiencies of a firm.therw are strategies that can be employed such as parochial,ethnocentric and synergistic .culture diversity brings organizational cultures which define how a firm operates.its made of values which are specific for a given country.it determines the present and future behaviours of members of a firm.the leaders create a vision or a philosophy and business strategy for the company.the employees then react and behave guided by the implemented philosophy.organizational culture directs the firm to derive goals, strategies and how to achieves the set goals .organisation culture dictates innovations, creativity,reward methods, communication channels, respect for others.according to the theory of competing value framework organisations can be grouped as a clan, adhocracy, hierarchy or a market.in clan type, leaders are facilitators, mentors and parents.it encourages cohesion and proper development human resources.in hierarchy type,
As Africa is receiving exceptional attention from large global companies, with the sizeable opportunities in oil and gas, mining and agriculture , followed by consumer-driven demand in the areas of consumer products, telecoms, and others, I believe South Africa needs to focus more on branching into Africa and take full advantage of the new markets opening up in the countries in Africa. We are well positioned on the continent with a decent business infrastructure to pursue new business associations with African countries and facilitate countries abroad. BRICS and Civets are important to us with regards to the global markets so we do need to keep our relationships with them, strong and positive as well as strengthening ties with the rest of Africa.
The way people communicate varies widely between, and even within, cultures. One aspect of communication style is language usage. Language has always been perceived as a link between people but it can also constitute a barrier. Across cultures, some words and phrases are used in different ways. For example, even in countries that share the English language, the meaning of "yes" varies from "maybe, I'll consider it" to "definitely so," with many shades in between . Furthermore, communication between cultures which do not share the same language is considerably more difficult . Each culture, has its distinct syntax, expressions and structure which causes confusion in intercultural communication. For example , in Asian countries the word “no” is rarely used, so that “yea” can mean “no” or “perhaps”. Therefore, an American traveling to Japan might be considered impolite if he ignores this rule. Furthermore, individuals who are not comfortable with a certain language may not be taken seriously. Such is the case in the classroom, where a student who has a perfect knowledge of the subject in question may have difficulty expressing his idea due to his inability to write properly and therefore he would not receive the grade he truly deserves. Similarly intercultural communication is dominant in the workplace. In the past, many companies and organizations could operate entirely within their country of origin and conduct their activities exclusively in their own native language. But now, due...
Cross cultural understanding simply refers to the basic ability of people within business to recognize, interpret and correctly react to people, incidences or situations that are open to misunderstanding due to cultural differences (Reynold, 2004:57 on ISI Denpasar article).
Being ranked as an upper-middle income economy by the World Bank, South Africa is considered to be a newly industrialized country. South Africa is becoming increasingly influential and an economic powerhouse for Africa with a gross domestic product (GDP) of more than 400 billion. South Africa’s economy is stable with GDP growth rates of about 2.8 percent and future expectations are to exceed at least 4 percent over the next five years (South Africa's Competitive Edge).
In Africa 2010 the economy Africa had a huge economic impact,especially a great impact in the industry effects. The National Associations of Automobile manuf...