Avoiding Cross-Cultural Miscommunication

Proactive Recommendations for Avoiding Cross-Cultural Miscommunication

Prepared by: Carleen A. Gumbs

MBA 6601 8E 2

Columbia Southern University

Memo

To: Executive Management

From: Carleen Gumbs

Date: May 26, 2010

Re: Proactive Recommendations for Avoiding Cross-Cultural Miscommunication

According to Daniels, Radebaugh and Sullivan (as cited in International Business Environments and Operations 11th, edition) culture is defined as the specific learned norms of a society, based on attitude, values and beliefs of a group of people. Attitudes and values affect business behavior, from what product to sell to how to organize, finance, manage and control operations.

International business can encounter problems of cultural collision when implementing practices and employees inability to accept or adjust to foreign behaviors. International business is subject to potential cultural problems because it includes people from different cultures therefore it must be sensitive to the cultural differences in order to be successful.

Ethnocentrism occurs when an international businesses overlooks national differences, because they believe what works at home should also work aboard. This can be avoided by the existence of Geocentrism. That is, when an international business based its operation on an informed knowledge of its culture along with home and host country needs, capabilities and constraints. This increases the introduction of innovation and decreases the likelihood of failures.

The success of an international business also depends on its competitive advantages. This may require the transferring of products or operating methods from one country to another. Strategies for establishing this change are:

1. Value system – when change upsets values the more resistance it will encounter in accepting it.

2. Cost benefit...