Culture Of Iceberg Essay

Culture The following sections explore the cultural differences encountered by all businesses desiring to expand their organizations internationally. For most, international culture is typically associated with visible and/or audible elements such as language, food, music and fashion. The “Iceberg Theory” provides a good visual model to broaden ones understanding of all cultural elements which should be considered. The iceberg (Figure 1) depicts both visible (on the surface) and invisible (below the surface) cultural elements (MacLachian). In an international setting, the elements below the surface are the most significant and all too often overlooked. The subsurface elements include cultural aspects such as thought processes, gender

Awareness of culture when traveling to a foreign country is invaluable knowledge which only serves to enhance one’s travel experience. “There is no more noble calling than to help the people of the world live together in peace and understanding with a fully developed spirit of inquiry about other cultures and their ways (Kohls).” As it relates to international business, cultural awareness will significantly impact intercultural management for the organization within the desired host country. Therefore, an organization starting and/or expanding their business in a new country should consider cultural factors as a hedge to success. The first factor to consider is cultural sensitivity, which is the awareness of and concern for others culture. The empathy resulting from this sensitivity is necessary for effective cross-cultural management (Payne). Remember, culture is not inherited. On the contrary, culture is learned

In the case of Snap Fitness’s target country Japan, the culture has evolved significantly over the last millennia. Historically speaking, the first recorded Japanese culture, the hunter / gatherer culture, dates back to approximately 12,000 BC. Today, Japan is regarded as having a contemporary hybrid culture with influences from Asia, Europe and North America (Wikipedia). Typically, a country with a long established cultural history would be resistant to the idea of cultural convergence. On the contrary, Japan seems quite willing to adopt western culture. Surprisingly, Japan seems eager to adopt American culture, despite the horrendous acts of man which ended World War II. Since WWI the Japanese people are continuing to readily adopt western culture and are actually quite fond of