Transcript Document
Patterns of Cross-Cultural Business Behaviour by Sigrid Brevik Wangsness 16 and 23 January 2013 Our textbook: R. Gesteland’s Cross-Cultural Business Behavior What do we know about the competence of the author? (Why should we trust him?) What kind of a book is this? His sources? What are his two iron rules of international business? (Why do they make sense?) Why patterns of cross-cultural business behaviour? What are the five major patterns that Mr. Gesteland emphasizes? Explain his concept of the “Great Divide”. How important/useful is this divide? Outline the geographical distribution of D-F and R-F cultures. 1st pattern: D-F cultures vs. R-F cultures What does Gesteland mean by his statement that relationship building in business is “a question of degree”? (Does this to some extent undermine his insistence on clear categories?) How are we supposed to make initial contact with RF cultures? Explain the concept of “guanxi”. The significance of the “Great Divide” Case 2.1: What happened when a Singapore-based company used the same marketing strategies in Taiwan as they had done in Australia and New Z.? What should they do next? According to Mr. G, how are strong personal relationships developed in business? (Cf. Cases 2.2 and 3.1) The significance of the “Great Divide” What are the major challenges for D-F business people in R-F markets? To what extent have e-mails, mobile phones, video and Web-conferencing eliminated the need for international business travel and face-to-face meetings? 2nd pattern: Communicationdirect vs. indirect language What are the most important elements of cross-cultural competence, do you think? Explain the difference between direct and indirect language Why do D-F and R-F business people communicate so differently? Give examples of how Asian business people may say no without saying no (E.g. Case 4.1) The concept of face: Losing face vs. saving face Explain the concept of face Why do East and Southeast Asians tend to hide negative emotions? Is the concept of face specific for Asian cultures? What did a Nordic brewery do to cause their Vietnamese partners to abruptly stop negotiations on a joint-venture project? (CCBB,p.43) The concept of context Explain Edward T. Hall’s distinction between low-context and high-context communication. (How is this distinction related to the contrast between direct and indirect communication?) Outline the geographical distribution of low-context and high-context cultures. The concept of context Give examples of distinctions within the groups of L-C and H-C cultures. To what extent is there room for nuances within these two categories? (CCBB: pp.45-46) What could be the consequences of some Asian cultures’ reluctance to report bad news? (Case 4.2) 3rd pattern: Formal vs. informal b. cultures What is the main difference between formal and informal business cultures? Alternative terms? Outline their geographical distribution. Why is this a particularly important distinction for an international negotiator? Formal vs. informal b. cultures Where did an experienced Danish export manager go wrong when he unintentionally insulted a Mexican customer? (Case 5.1, pp. 52-53) Which rules of protocol did a Canadian executive violate when he deeply offended a potential Egyptian customer? (Case 5.2, pp. 55-56) Formal vs. informal b. cultures What are the major status barriers in strongly hierarchical cultures, and how can these be overcome? (E.g. Cases 5.3 and 5.4) To what extent are these barriers present also in more egalitarian cultures? 4th pattern: Rigid-time vs. fluid-time cultures Explain the difference between these two types of cultures. Which concepts does E.T. Hall use for the same distinction? Explain how this contrast may cause conflicts in international business. Outline the geographical distribution of RT and F-T cultures. Rigid-time vs. fluid-time cultures The distinction between rigid time and fluid time can be a regional phenomenon rather than a national phenomenon Recent changes: national cultures vs. business cultures How can the concept of time come into conflict with the concept of respect? 5th pattern: Expressive vs. reserved cultures There are three types of interpersonal communication – which? Why is this important in cross-cultural communication? Describe the communication gap between emotionally expressive and emotionally reserved cultures. Outline the geographical distribution of expressive and reserved cultures. Expressive vs. reserved cultures Mention some non-verbal ways of showing respect. (CCBB, p. 57) How can a loud, clear voice and enthusiastic gestures be a problem in cross-cultural communication? (Case 7.1) Explain the concept conversational overlap. Expressive vs. reserved cultures What are the four key elements of nonverbal behaviour? (CCBB: p. 79) Which cultures require the least personal space? Which cultures are high-contact c.? (How do you react to a soft handshake?) Which cultures have the most intense eye contact? Mention examples of ambiguous gestures. Overall perspectives: Gesteland’s “patterns” approach How are Gesteland’s five patterns often connected? (Which patterns, generally, occur together?) How does Gesteland indicate that his classification of cultural variables into opposites/ “logical patterns” may be too categorical?