Cultural Impacts on International Business1

1、cultural impacts on international business文化對國際商務的影響cultural impacts on international businesscontentsabstract.1key words.1i. introduction.21.1 culture and communication.21.1.1 the basic function of culture. 21.1.2 the ingredients of culture.21.1.3 the elements of communication.31.1.4 the link betwe

2、en culture and communication.41.2 communication and cross-cultural communication. 51.2.1 the definition of cross-cultural communication.51.2.2 the link between communication and cross-cultural communication.6ii. international business.72.1 the definition of international business.82.2 main forms of

3、communication in international business.92.3 cultural differences in international business.11iii. the main elements of cultural conflicts.133.1 the definition of cultural conflicts.133.2 the elements of cultural conflicts .13iv. the effect of culture on international business.144.1 the role of cult

4、ures in international business144.1.1 the language barrier and its consequences: real and perceived.144.1.2 the relationship between language and culture.154.2 the influence of cultures on international business .15v. cultural differences in international business negotiations.165.1 the impacts of c

5、ultural differences on international business negotiations.185.2 negotiation manners in international business.19vi. conclusion.21references.21cultural impacts on international business摘 要: 這篇文章旨在簡要地向讀者介紹文化沖突的主要因素和它們對國際商務的影響，并從文化的多個方面，比如語言，行為方式，習俗，價值觀念和態(tài)度，來證明文化沖突對國際商務的影響，從對它們相同點和不同點比較研究和分析的基礎上找到一些有效

6、的方法去避免或消除跨文化因素對國際商務產(chǎn)生的負面影響。無論什么時候，不同語言和文化障礙必定是交叉的，當然，這兒還存在一個潛在的交際問題，這將在很大程度上決定一場國際貿(mào)易是否成功。價值觀是被個人內(nèi)在化的一種共享的信念或組織標準，態(tài)度是建立在這些價值觀念基礎上對條件的評價。在文化價值方面的差異會影響計劃的執(zhí)行，決定的做出，策略的實施和人員的評價。理解不同行為方式和習俗在國際商務談判方面非常重要，因為建立在個人參考框架上的說明解釋可能會導致完全錯誤的結(jié)論，而在國際商務中要解決文化沖突方面的問題和調(diào)節(jié)這些文化因素就顯得尤為重要。關鍵詞: 文化; 語言; 價值觀念; 習俗; 跨文化交際; 國際商務abs

7、tract: this thesis is briefly to try to present before readers the main elements of cultural conflicts and dimensions on international business, such as languages, manners, customs, values and attitudes on the basis of a comparative study and analysis of their differences as well as similarities so

8、as to find out some effective ways to avoid or mitigate the adverse impacts the cross-cultural elements might produce on international business. every time a language and cultural barrier must be crossed, there is a potential communication problem, which will largely decide a success or failure of a

9、n international transaction; values are shared beliefs or group norms that have been internalized by individuals. attitudes are evaluations of alternatives based on these values. differences in cultural values affect the way in which planning is executed, decisions are made, strategy is implemented,

10、 and personnel are evaluated; understanding manners and customs is especially important in business negotiations, because interpretations based on ones own frame of reference may lead to a totally incorrect conclusion. to solve cultural conflicts and coordinate those cultural elements in conduction

11、of international business seems to be much more important.key words: culture; languages; values; customs; cross-cultural communication; international businessi. introduction1.1 culture and communication1.1.1 the basic function of cultureculture is a complex, abstract, pervasive matrix of social elem

12、ents that functions as an all-encompassing form or pattern for living by laying out a predictable world in which an individual is firmly oriented. culture enables us to make sense of our surroundings, aiding the transition from the womb to this new life. from the instant of birth, a child is formall

13、y and informally taught how to behave. children, regardless of their culture, quickly learn how to behave in a manner that is acceptable to adults. within each culture, therefore, there is no need to expend energy deciding what an event means or how to respond to it. the assumption is that people wh

14、o share a common culture can usually be counted on to behave “correctly” and predictably. hence, culture reduces the chances of surprise by shielding people from the unknown. try to imagine a single day in your life without access to the guidelines your culture provides. without the rules that gover

15、n your actions, you would soon feel helpless. from how to greet strangers and how to spend our time, culture provides us with structure. to lack culture is to lack structure. we might even go so far as to say that “our primary mode of biological adaptation is culture, not anatomy”.1.1.2 the ingredie

16、nts of culturealthough scholars may lack a definitive ingredient list for culture, most agree that any description should include the three categories submitted by almaney and alwan (1982: communicating with arabs. waveland). they contend that culture may be classified by three large categories of e

17、lements: artifacts (which include items ranging from arrowheads to hydrogen bombs, magic charms to antibiotics, torches to electric lights, and chariots to jet planes); concepts (which include such beliefs or value systems as right or wrong, god and man, ethics, and the general meaning of life); and

18、 behaviors (which refer to the actual practice of concepts or beliefs).these authors provide an excellent example of how these aspects might be reflected within a culture: “whereas money is considered an artifact, the value placed upon it is a concept, but the actual spending and saving of money is

19、behavior,”other inventories provide additional listings of the content of culture. some of these additional ingredients of particular interest to intercultural communication include cultural history, cultural personality, material culture, role relationships, art, language, cultural stability, cultu

20、ral beliefs, ethnocentrism, non-verbal behavior, spatial relations, time, recognition and thought patterns.1.1.3 the elements of communicationin international business, as in most other areas of life, the best idea in the world can fail if it is not communicated effectively.communication is both sit

21、uational (organizational) and personal (stylistic). successful business communication depends on answering a few crucial questions: have you mastered and organized all the relevant information? have you taken into account the personal and organizational context? have you defined a clear, achievable

22、goal? have you considered the needs of your audiences? have you expressed yourself as clearly, vividly, and forcefully as possible? have you chosen the right communication channels?managers send messages through writing, speaking, actions, gestures, electronic media, graphics, grapevine, and force o

23、f personality. good business people devote tremendous attention to shaping their message and deciding how to deliver it. experienced managers insist that success depends largely on effective communication.a communicator, or source, sends a message to a receiver, or audience, provoking a response. bu

24、ilding on this model, which originates far back in the history of communication research, we suggest seven categories that will help you define and analyze any business communication situation.1. source: who is initiating action, and why should she or he be believed?2. audience: what will move them

25、to support you? is their attitude toward your proposal positive, neutral, or negative? are there any hidden audiences you havent considered?3. goal: what result do you seek? weigh it against the costs of achieving it. can it stand on its own merits? does it conflict with other goals of equal or grea

26、ter importance? how, in short, will you measure success?4. context: communication occurs in a specific environment. it can involve an effort to reach one person, or to reach millions. it can mean working within the norms of a particular corporate culture, its history, its competitive situation- or c

27、hallenging those norms. before you plan your communication strategy, be sure you know the territory.5. message: what message will achieve your goal with these particular audiences? consider how much information they need, what doubts theyre likely to have, how your proposal will benefit them, how to

28、 make your message convincing and memorable.6. media: which medium will convey your message most effectively to each significant audience? should you speak, write, call, send e-mail, meet, fax, produce videotape, or hold a press conference? sending a memo to an office mate, for example, may express

29、an unwillingness to talk face to face.7. feedback: communication is not an act, but a process. a message provokes a response, which requires another message. the business communicator doesnt shoot an arrow at a target, but sets a process in motion designed to achieve a considered result. this means

30、polling your audience at every stage of the communication and, more importantly, giving them an opportunity to respond. in that way you know what they think and can tailor your message accordingly.even a brief consideration of these seven analytical tools will reveal that any business communication

31、task is really a management task. many communication situations happen spontaneously to a manager rather than occur as planned events. some of your key topics and goals may not be listed on any overt agenda. how can these realities be turned into an advantage? considering the source, audience, goal,

32、 context, message, media, and feedback provides you with an economical framework for introspection in any business situation, whether youre planning a broad strategy or devising a particular communication effort.1.1.4 the link between culture and communication.it has been said that without a culture

33、 we cannot see anything, but with a culture we are forever blind. in other words, each of us is born into a culture that teaches us a number of shared meanings and expectations. we usually learn our own cultures ways of doing, speaking, and thinking so well that it becomes difficult to think, feel,

34、and act as people in other cultures do.the basic building blocks of communication is that although words communicate meaning, as we have seen, the meanings of words are much influenced by culture. meaning is in the person, not in the word, and each person is the product of a particular culture that

35、passes on shared and appropriate meanings. thus, if we want to learn to communicate well in a foreign language, we must understand the culture that gives that language meaning. in other words, culture and communication are inseparably linked: you cant have one without the other. culture gives meanin

36、g and provides the context for communication, and the ability to communicate allows us to act out our cultural values and to share our language and our culture.developing cross-cultural awareness: developing cross-cultural awareness usually goes along with learning a new language and being exposed t

37、o a new culture; such exposure reveals both cultural similarities and differences. and sometimes it is the similarities between cultures that surprise us as much as the differences. once a little four-year-old american traveling in china was overheard exclaiming, “l(fā)ook, mommy, that little boy is eat

38、ing ice cream, too.” cross-cultural awareness is the ability to understand cultures- your own and others- by means of objective, non-judgmental comparisons. it is an appreciation for, an understanding of, cultural pluralism- the ability to get rid of our ethnocentric tendencies and to accept another

39、 culture on its own terms.studying a second language without learning the culture is like learning how to drive a car by studying a drivers manual and never getting behind a steering wheel. we study a foreign language in order not to communicate with people who have leaned their native language in a

40、 classroom, but in natural, everyday interactions with people and situations in their culture. they have learned the intentions behind words and phrases mostly without consciously thinking about them; it has been part of their culture and they have taken it for granted. we, however, as adults learni

41、ng a second language, must make a conscious effort to examine the cultural context of the language we want to learn.it is impossible to be entirely objective when we observe another culture. having been brought up within the context of a particular culture, we have been influenced and shaped by its

42、values, even if we cannot articulate them. although it should be ones goal to observe another culture with pure objectivity, this is very hard to do. we must remember that in comparing culture, “different” does not mean “bad” or “inferior”- it just means “different”.it is important to remember that

43、although many moments of discomfort occur when we are interacting with people from other cultures, no one culture is inherently better or worse than any other. each culture has its own set of values, norms, and ways of doing things that are considered “right” for it. that one cultures way of doing t

44、hings is right for its people does not necessarily mean it is “right” for everybody, and herein lays the potential conflict in cross cultural encounters.becoming more aware of the influence of cultural values has many positive consequences. it leads to better understanding of us and of others. we be

45、come more tolerant and less defensive, and we can enjoy cultural difference as well as the similarities. after all, variety is the spice of life!1.2 communication and cross-cultural communication1.2.1 the definition of cross-cultural communicationit doesnt matter if this is your first communication

46、course or not. youve probably heard many different definitions of the word “cross-cultural communication”. in this paper, you will learn how that communication itself is a cultural element by studying different models of communication. youll learn about the different ways communication and culture a

47、re studied and about the skills required to become more effective in intercultural communication.because cross-cultural communication is an element of culture, it has often been said that communication and culture are inseparable. as afred g. smith (1966: communication and culture: reading in the co

48、des of human interaction. new york: holt, rinehart & winston) wrote in his preface to communication and culture, cross-cultural communication is a code we learn and share, and learning and sharing require communication. communication requires coding symbols that must be learned and shared. godwi

49、n c. chu (1977: radical change through communication in maos china honolulu: university press of hawaii) observed that every cultural pattern and every single act of social behavior involves communication. to be understood, the two must be studied together. culture cannot be known with a study of co

50、mmunication, and communication can only be understood with an understanding of the culture it supports.1.2.2 the link between communication and cross-cultural communicationthe link between communication and cross-cultural communication is crucial to understanding cross-cultural communication because

51、 it is through the influence of culture that people learn to communicate. a korean, an egyptian, or an american learns to communicate like other koreans, egyptians, or americans. their behavior conveys meaning because it is learned and shared; it is cultural. people view their world through categori

52、es, concepts, and labels that are products of their culture.cultural similarity in perception makes the sharing of meaning possible. the ways in which we communicate, the circumstances of our communication, the language and language style we use, and our nonverbal behaviors are primarily all a respo

53、nse to and a function of our culture. and, as cultures differ from one another, the communication practices and behaviors of individuals reared in those cultures will also be different.our contention is that cross-cultural communication can best be understood as cultural diversity in the perception

54、of social objects and events. a central tenet of this position is that minor communication problems are often exaggerated by perceptual diversity. to understand others words and actions, we must try to understand how they perceive the world. in the ideal cross-cultural encounter, we would hope for m

55、any overlapping experiences and a commonality of perceptions. cultural diversity, however, tends to introduce us to dissimilar experiences and, hence, to varied and frequently strange and unfamiliar perceptions of the external world.in all respects, everything so far said about communication and cul

56、ture applies to cross-cultural communication. the functions and relationships between the components of communication obviously apply, but what especially characterizes cross-cultural communication is that sources and responders come from different cultures. this alone is sufficient to identify a un

57、ique form of communicative interaction that must take into account the role and function of culture in the communication process.cross-cultural communication occurs whenever a member of one culture for consumption by a member of another culture produces a message that must be understood. this circum

58、stance can be problematic because, as we have already seen, culture forges and shapes the individual communicator. culture is largely responsible for the construction of our individual social realities and for our individual repertories and for communicative behaviors and meanings. the communications repert