Cultural Similarities and Differences

The Indian culture has different languages, which include Hindi, Bengali, and Urdu. The officially recognized language is Hindi with other local languages not recognized by the central government. Texans officially use American English with various variations and accents. Australian languages Include Australian slang, Indigenous Australian languages, and variations of Australian English (Dally, 1998). Nigeria has over 50 indigenous languages with very many local dialects. The predominant languages are Your, Bio, Afro -Asiatic and Kanji. The official language is English ND Is used across all states to unite the people.

Except India, the other three countries share a salary language (I. E. English) though It has small variations In accent and pronunciation. Family Systems Indians maintain close personal ties with their families including the extended family members. Family relationships are hierarchical and the father is the patriarchal leader of the family. All members have mutual obligations to their families and they maintain deep rooted trust among all relatives (Maker, 2008). Nigerian maintain an extended family system with relationships guided by hierarchy and seniority.

Individuals are obliged to give the extended family members financial assistance and guidance (Coelenterates. N. D). The American family unit Is nuclear with the extended family living away from it. Individualism is highly practiced. The family set ups across the four countries recognizes the father as the head of the family. The role of extended family members is emphasized in Nigerian and Indian cultures where people recognize the senior members of the society. Australian and Texan cultures emphasize individualism and the societies generate highly independent people. Behavioral Norms

In India, greetings follow seniority with the most senior person being greeted first. Though shaking hands Is common, men seldom shake hands with women because of religious beliefs and It Is mandatory to bid each person farewell Individually when leaving a group. In Nigeria, shaking hands is the most common form of greeting. Men 1 OFF other person’s well being. Direct eye contact is avoided when meeting with older and senior members of the society and as a sign of respect one is expected to bow. Nigerian place importance to professional titles and surnames. In Texas greetings are casual, a handshake, a smile, and a hello are enough.

Men use only handshakes but women and children may hug and shake hands even in formal settings. Introductions are very important before any communication. It is considered rude to call senior persons by their first name. Men are supposed to be polite to ladies, they pull chairs and open doors for them and ladies are expected to say a polite thank you in return (Celebrities, 2012). Australian forms of greetings are informal and brief; shaking hands is common in formal setups. Ladies generally do not greet each other. Australians maintain good relationships with all people as they are down to earth ND modest.

Religion India is a secular state with a lot of religious diversity. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jansenism, and Schism are practiced by most of the people. Christianity is practiced by a minority. Texas has a wide range of religious diversity with Christianity being practiced by the majority. Adherence levels are very high and individual religious beliefs are tolerated. Religious diversity in Nigeria is great with Christianity and Islam being practiced by the majority. Native religions that believe in deities, spirits, and ancestral worship are spread throughout the country. The country constitution remunerates freedom of worship.

Majority of Australians are Christians with Islam being practiced by a few. Traditional aborigine religious cultures are practiced by a few aborigines as the others have converted to Christianity. The country laws are tolerant to different religious beliefs. Across the four countries, religion influences the culture of the people with Christianity, Salamis, Hinduism, and Judaism being recognized and accepted by the societies. Freedom of worship is allowed by their respective constitutions; but in Nigeria emergence of radical Salamis has affected he culture of the societies living in the affected areas.

Business Etiquette There are various ways in which business is approached in various societies. In Indian society, it is customary for all sides to personally know each other before any business transaction take place. Business meetings are planned by appointments and punctuality is kept as a sign of mutual respect. Negotiations are non confrontational and the final decision is made by the person with the most authority. Decision making is slow and informal and successful negotiations are concluded by a word of mouth and celebrated over a meal. Formal dressing during meetings is expected and shows respect.

In the Nigerian culture, developing a personal relationship is essential before any business transaction. Business is conducted in a formal setup and decision making involves all the stakeholders. Nigerian are overly suspicious and proceed with business cautiously. Punctuality for meetings is very important to Texans and it is a sign of disrespect to be late. There is little emphasis on small talk and business is conducted rapidly. To conduct business, an appointment is necessary in Australia. Business is conducted rapidly in a relaxed environment. Personal relationships and show of emotion is not important in their business transactions.

Conclusion The culture across all the four countries is steeped with differences and similarities continually changing with advent of globalization and information technology. The family and religious inclinations of these societies fundamentally influences their behavior, norms, and way of thinking. The cultures have inherent mechanisms of maintaining their way of life. In all the cultures, younger members are expected to respect their elders and this maintains social order. Though fundamentally different, arioso cultures have a lot to teach and are universally almost the same.

Read more

Cultural Differences in the Global Business Environment

As the world gets smaller and everyone gets closer through globalization, more and more people get to know first hand about the concept of cultural differences. We are able to know what other people from other countries are like, how they live and how they do things. This is evident in all aspects of globalization, including that of the global business world. In the global business environment, the cultural differences play a big role, as it can make or break a company or firm, either strengthening or destroying it, depending on how the concept is handled.

For me, this topic is an eye opener, because it makes you realize that this world is composed of a lot of people with different lives and practices, which is then applied to business. No country is alone, that’s why they shouldn’t act alone when it comes to business. They should always consider their every action in a multicultural level (Quappe and Cantatore). One business may not just focus on a single culture alone, as the trend out there in the market has been a free for all.

Businesses cannot cater the needs of other people if they wouldn’t be sensitive about other culture and about cultural differences. For me, it is everyone’s responsibility to deal with these matters for the sake of a better business environment (Transcultural Careers). The people tasked to adjust with this concern on the national level are the politicians and the business leaders. They are the ones who can make the business environment a suitable place for people who bear different cultures. Because the United States is a wide country, some overlook the matter and just let States handle these concerns.

However, because of our openness when it comes to different cultures inside the country, cultural concerns such as these in the business are not regarded with much difficulty (WorldBusinessCulture. com). More and more people are open to other cultures, and this is also evident in their reaction when it comes to business. But not everything turns out right however. There are those who are affected by these matters, and this is more on the small scale business. Because of the lack of funding, these small scale investors aren’t able to cope with cultural issues and differences (Quappe and Cantatore).

A small shop owned by an Asian friend of mine only has a few customers because not all people can make good use of what they are selling. It came to a point that they decided to turn the place into a mini mart in so that they could cater to the needs of other people. We should all accept the inevitability of the cultural differences in the global business environment. Because of the innovations and new technology we are experiencing, the more we are getting close to a lot of other cultures, that’s why adapting to these changes should start in our selves.

Works Cited: Quappe, Stephanie, and Giovanna Cantatore. “Cultural Differences: Not Just Hr’s Business, It’s Everybody’s Business “. 2003. June 17 2008. <http://www. culturosity. com/articles/CulturalDifferences. htm>. Transcultural Careers. “Cross Cultural Differences in Business”. 2007. June 17 2008. <http://www. transculturalcareers. com. au/cultural_difference. htm>. WorldBusinessCulture. com. “World Business”. 2007. June 17 2008. <http://www. worldbusinessculture. com/>.

Read more

Cultural Differences in Turkey

Social studies Cultural differences between the youth in Turkey and the Netherlands. penn Cibii 012013001 Inhoudsopgave Introduction This project is made for the cultural studies class and will contain the differences between the younger people in Turkey and in the Netherlands. It’s common that people go abroad and face with a lot of cultural problems. This is because there are a lot of cultures and they all differ from each other. Sometimes its very difficult for people to understand cultural things that are not normal fort hem but instead normal for the people of that culture.

To understand why thats so difficult we have to look at the differences of 2 cultures. I chose Turkey and the Netherlands because i am from the Netherlands but i have a Turkish identity and i see a lot of differences between the Turkish and the Dutch people. For example i am here with a classmate who is dutch and from Holland. She is dealing with cultural differences and sometimes she really doesnt understand that some things are normal here because in Holland that things wouldn’t accepted. The differences will be measured with the study of Hofstede. Gerard Hendrick hofstede is a dutch social psychologist.

His most notable work has been in developing cultural dimensions theory. The tlve dimensions are : Individualism, masculinity power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and long term orientation. He write the books ‘Culture’s conseuenses’ and ‘cultures and organizations’. The five dimensions will be discussed in this project to define the differences between the youth in Turkey and the Netherlands. After the five dimensions the mwthodology of study will be explained that includes the participants, methodology and materials. After that the findings will be explained with charts and despriction of data.

After the findings comes the discussion with the analysis of data and what it means. At the end there wille be a conclusion which will include implications, limitations and further research and a statement. You can find the reference list and the appendices at the end of the project. Background In this paragraph I am going to explain the study of Hofstede and what all the dimensions mean. There are five dimensions which are seen as criteria to see the differences per culture. These are : Power distance, Individualism versus collectivism, Masculinitu versus femininity, uncertainty avoidance and the Long term rientation degree.

Power Distance This dimension expresses the degree to which the less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. The fundamental issue here is how a society handles inequalities among people. People in societies exhibiting a large degree of power distance accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further Justification. In societies with low power distance, people strive to equalise the distribution ot power and demand justification for inequalities of power. Individualism versus collectivism

The high side of this dimension, called Individualism, can be defined as a preference for a loosely-knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of themselves and their immediate families only. Its opposite, Collectivism, represents a preference for a tightly-knit framework in society in which individuals can expect their relatives or members of a particular in-group to look after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. A society’s position on this dimension is reflected in whether people’s self-image is defined in terms of “l” or “we. Masculinity versus femininity The masculinity side of this dimension represents a preference in society for achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material reward for success. Society at large is more competitive. Its opposite, femininity, stands for a preference for cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life. Society at large is more consensus-oriented. Uncertainty avoidance The uncertainty avoidance dimension expresses the degree to which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity.

The fundamental issue here is how a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: should e try to control the future or Just let it happen? Countries exhibiting strong UAI maintain rigid codes of belief and behaviour and are intolerant of unorthodox behaviour and ideas. Weak I-JAI societies maintain a more relaxed attitude in which practice counts more than principles. The long term orientation The long-term orientation dimension can be interpreted as dealing with societys search for virtue.

Societies with a short-term orientation generally have a strong concern with establishing the absolute Truth. They are normative in their thinking. They exhibit great respect for traditions, a relatively small propensity to save for the uture, and a focus on achieving quick results. In societies with a long-term orientation, people believe that truth depends very much on situation, context and time. They show an ability to adapt traditions to changed conditions, a strong propensity to save and invest, thriftiness, and perseverance in achieving results.

Methodology of study participants, place (preserve anonymity) The participants for this study are the younger people between the ages 18 and 25 in the Netherlands and Turkey. I choose this as the target group because the younger people travel a lot and have to face the most and sometimes at first with cultural ifferences. They go abroad to go on vacation, to study or to live in another country. Place Because its limited to 2 countries the places of course are in the Netherlands and Turkey.

The place where the interview is held is on my school in Holland ; Fontys economische hogeschool Tilburg and my school in Turkey; Fatih university in Istanbul. I choose the school because I could find here the best participants who are speaking English and belong to the right target group. methodology (qualitative/quantitative; case study, ethnographic etc) In this study there is made qualitative and quantitative research. Quantitative research is made hrough deskresearch and qualitative research are the questions that you can’t answer with deskresearch so you need the fieldresearch for.

For the fieldresearch I made questionnaires. I decided to hold the questionnairies with 10 persons in each country. So 10 questionnaires in The Netherlands as 10 questionnairies in Turkey. The people who were asked for the questionnaires are all in the age group 18 till 25 and all speak English. I made the questions with multiple choice answers so it will be easy to process the data and make a conclusion. materials; data collection instruments (observation, questionnaires) The data ollection instruments are : internet, literature and questionnaires.

Read more

Cross Cultural Differences – China and the USA

Table of contents

Cross-Cultural Issues in Tourism & Hospitality

Culture, as defined by Geert Hofstede, is the “the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from another”. (Hofstede, 2011) It is due to the research carried out by scholars such as Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars that we are able to understand cultural values, and the difference in cultures more thoroughly. This information gives us the ability to understand, and interact people for other cultures that may be drastically different from our own.

Such research also gives a basis by which social and business dealings can be held. Knowledge of other cultures is imperative when dealing with business relations; it has been helpful in the age of globalization where cross-cultural business is at a dramatic rise, and even aids in such things as the training and communications. It is also crucial in the face of tourism and social life, as it gives us the understanding of how people from other cultures function as a result of their particular set of cultural values.

The aim of this essay is to provide a deeper understanding between the cultural differences between two very different cultures: those of China and the USA. The essay is divided into two parts: the first will explore the different cultural dimensions present in a social and business context according to the research by Hofstede and Trompenaars. The second part will give an example of a practical application of this information in the hospitality industry, and will provide recommendations upon which American hotels can better accommodate Chinese guests.

As mentioned above, Hofstede was a Dutch scholar who performed intensive research in order to fully understand his five cultural dimensions, of which this essay looks more deeply into three: Power Distance, Individuality and Long Term Orientation. From his results, we can compare the differences in these dimensions between China and the USA.

These figures give us a starting point to understand these differences more thoroughly. Power Distance is the extent to which people respond to inequalities in different organizations and institutions. The PDI of China is considerably high, meaning there is “ high level of inequality of power and wealth within the society”. In social terms, this means that authority figures such as the father of a family are given utmost respect to. Furthermore, in all situations, one must address a person by their title is order to give them the respect of their status.

This is also reflected in a business atmosphere, where hierarchies are clearly defined. Those on top of the hierarchy are respected, and unquestionably obeyed by those lower in the hierarchy, who are given clear instructions of what is to be expected of them. (Patent, 2009) There is a limited level of communications between these different levels. This is a fact that is prevalent and accepted all throughout Chinese society. On the other hand, the PDI of the United States is very low, and almost leans toward egalitarianism. This is indicative of a greater equality between societal levels, including government, organizations, and even within families“. Socially, Americans are more comfortable around one another, regardless of their ranking. This is reflected in social life, where this is much lower emphasis on titles and qualifications. It is apparent in day-to-day dealings in which Americans greet each other by shaking hands and often call each other by first names, regardless of the person’s title.

In a business context, leaders may be respected, but more so for their abilities and success rather than their positioning in the hierarchy. (Patent, 2009) They often take on the role of mentors with whom employees are unintimidated and motivated to work with. “Individualism on the one side versus its opposite, collectivism is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups“. China is a highly collectivist culture, where all individuals are part of the unit, with the most fundamental unit being that of family.

The prosperity of these units is ultimately more important than that of individual persons. Collectivism is apparent in all parts of life, from the attention given to group behavior more than individual behavior, to small everyday activities such as crowding on to a bus with numerous other passengers, such as seen in bustling Chinese cities such as Shanghai. (Gallo, 2009) These beliefs stem from the Confucian values of “ harmony, strong interpersonal relationships and group loyalties. ” (Fitzgerald, 2002) Loyalty to relationships is emphasized, even in a business context.

For this reason, employees are dedicated to the company they work with, and in turn they are treated with the same loyalty, transforming the business environment into a somewhat family environment. (Gallo, 2009) Also in business, every employee regards himself as part of team, and all his efforts are solely to work towards the success of that team. Collectivism in Chinese culture can be summed up in one term ‘ guan xi’, which can be loosely translated to mean “to concern, to relate, to make connections, to make relationships’. Fitzgerald, 2002) The United States, on the other hand, is a highly individualistic society. Every individual is looking for ‘the American dream’, a better state than they presently are in (Cultural, n. d. ). Individuals believe in working hard and performing well for one’s own benefits, and relationships and group culture is one of less importance than the concept of “I”.

This is a common element of American society: it is accepted and rewarded. The same goes for the attitudes seen in a business environment. There is a lesser concept of teams, and a higher concept of individuals working hard for their own success rather than for that of a larger unit’s. Likewise, individual high performers in a company are rewarded for their efforts. (Gallo, 2009) “Long- term oriented societies foster pragmatic virtues oriented towards future rewards, in particular saving, persistence, and adapting to changing circumstances. (Hofstede, 2011) According to Hofstede’s analysis, China is a country that is very long term oriented, with a high factor of 118. This is one of the most commonly seen values in Chinese society, and is founded upon the teaching of Confucian, which are engrained in the Chinese culture. They are seen in everyday behavior: the Chinese are always looking to a better future and working towards this through the saving of money, perseverance, and the ability to adapt to changes surrounding them.

Another value of this long-term orientation society is to have a sense of shame, which is why Chinese people always remain highly composed and respectful no matter the situation. (nwlink, 1997) This composure is further complimented by their hard work and determination in business-matters. They believe that the future matters more than the present or past, and therefore put all their potential into working for better things to come. “Short-term oriented societies foster virtues related to the past and present such as national pride, respect for tradition, preservation of “face”, and fulfilling social obligations. (Hofstede, 2011) The USA comes in with a relatively low LTO factor at only 29. Short term oriented societies are concerned with the Truth of matters, which Americans view as science, religion and management. Following the same values, they believe that the truth may be manipulated in order to obtain the desired results. (nwlink, 1997) As Americans are extremely concerned about personal solidity, these values about truth tie in well with both their social and business lives. In social lives, Americans are very protective of themselves and their ‘face’ or reputation as they are in business life.

Having looked at Hofstede’s differences in the cultural dimensions between China and America, we can now take a look at these differences from a different perspective. Trompenaars, who was also Dutch, was a professional in cross-cultural communication and drew up a model of culture with seven dimensions. This essay will pay particular focus to the dimension of universalism and particularism in USA and China. Particularist societies such as that in China are those societies in which people believe that a clear and right decision can be made on the grounds of the relationships and the situation it in based on.

It may be said, “Particularism is based on logic of the heart and human friendship. ” (Cultures, 2011) For this reason, Chinese people believe in the value of all relationships and they make the required effort to base these relationships on a strong foundation for a long lasting outcome. The Chinese are known for being good hosts, and often participate in small gestures, such as giving gifts. In businesses as well, the Chinese try to build a relationship with the person they are doing dealings with.

They like to take their time in business dealings and negotiations, rely on a mutual trust and respect to get the process finished, and believe in the simplicity of such dealings. (Cultures, 2011) In Universalist societies “There is a belief that what is good or true can be discovered, defined, and applied to every situation”. These societies, such as that of the USA take a universal point of view and believe that all matters are relative. Socially, they are okay with having weak relationships with friends or family members.

But this universalism can really be see in a business aspect, as Americans are very concerned with terms and conditions and contracts; basically, the little details entailed in a business dealing. They are usually even lawyers involved in seeing to a smooth running of the matter, and this is reflected in the fact that there are more lawyers per person in the USA than anywhere else in the world. (Cultures, 2011) After looking at these four cultural dimensions and the differences they show between China and America, a great deal of understanding may be acquired in why these countries work in the way they do.

The next part of this essay will apply this understand in a Tourism and Hospitality context: it will provide recommendations for the Industry in America on how it could welcome and deal with Chinese guests. As well have already seen, the Chinese are loyal, hardworking people who give great importance to status, relationships, and the future. In order to give them a satisfying and pleasurable experience in the USA, American hotel and tourism managers must reciprocate these values. Because China is not, per se, a religiously founded country, there are not many strict dietary restrictions or other practices that the Chinese people follow.

This makes it easier for the American hosts to welcome their guests, as the only alterations they really need to make is that in their behavior and attitude in order to fit with the personal value system of the Chinese. During their stay at a hotel, Chinese guests must be treated in the same way that they would treat guests in their country. They should be welcomed graciously, and perhaps given a small gift as a token of appreciation for their arrival and as a gesture that implies the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Too much eye contact should be avoided as the Chinese may misconstrue this as being rude.

What’s more, Chinese guests should always be addressed by their title, and although friendliness is appreciated, an overly boisterous or excited manner may be considered as not being genuine. To make their stay more comfortable, Chinese guests should be given their privacy in room that have all the amenities required, but they should have the knowledge that they are always being accommodated and that if they need anything, it would be at their doorstep in a moment’s time. For families, there should be a range of activities so that the guests know that their hosts, too, understand the importance of family and relationships.

On departure, the guests should be given personal attention by hotel staff members and should be asked about their trip and their stay in the hotel. They should be aware that they will be welcomed back at any point of time with the same hospitality and that in staying with the American hotel, not only has a business dealing been made but a long lasting relationship has been established. It is important that the guests feel like their stay has been a worthwhile investment of their money and time. For the tourism industry to be more adaptable to Chinese guests, there are numerous things they could do.

As with the hotel industry, they must approach the guests in a respectful manner and be able to make them feel comfortable, content and confident in the investment of their money and time. Due to the collectivist nature of the Chinese people and because their Confucian values urge them to seek constant knowledge and education, informational group activities would be perfect for Chinese guests. For example, if in New York, a group tour that takes the tourists to all the important landmarks and locations, such as the Statue of Liberty, whilst providing an interesting and educational background will be very pleasing for the guests.

As will events that provide an opportunity for Chinese tourists to meet with others, communicate and enjoy what may be the start of a great relationship. Such events may be organized dinners, cruise trips, exhibitions and so on. There should also be a large range of family activities, such as trips to theme parks. As long as the Chinese are given an entertaining and informational environment to enjoy their trip, they should be very satisfied and looking forward to come back for more.

In conclusion, the work and findings of Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars has given us a thoroughly insightful look into the vastly different cultures of China and America: in both a social context and in a business context. It is incredible and inspiring to see how much this information can help individuals and professionals to act and interact with people from other societies, and how it can be applied in a range of different areas, such as in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Truly, such information provides us with an “edge of understanding” (itim International, n. ) by which only more and more successful cross-cultural interactions can be expected in the future.

References

  1. Bing, J. W. (2004, February). Hofstede’s consequences: The impact of his work on consulting and business practices. Retrieved May 28, 2011, from ITAP International: http://www. itapintl. com/facultyandresources/articlelibrarymain/hofstedes-consequences-the-impact-of-his-work-on-consulting-and-business-practices. html
  2. Chan, S. (1999). The Chinese Learner-a question of style. Education and Training , 41 (6/7). China, C. D. (2011).
  3. Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions: China vs. World Average . Retrieved May 28, 2011, from Cultural Dimensions in China: http://www. geert-hofstede. com Cultural, C. (n. d. ). Individualism. Retrieved May 26, 2011, from Clearly cultural: http://www. clearlycultural. com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/individualism/ Cultures, I. B. (2011).
  4. Universalism versus particularism. Retrieved MAY 28, 2011, from International Business Cultures: http://www. via-web. de/universalism-versus-particularism/ cyborlink. (2011). United States of America. Retrieved May 27, 2011, from Hofstede Analysis United States of America: http://www. cyborlink. com/besite/us. htm
  5. Fitzgerald, H. (2002). Cross Cultural Communication for the Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: David Cunningham.
  6. Gallo, F. (2009, June 23). Individualism Vs. Collectivism in China. Retrieved May 28, 2011, from Calypso Consulting: http://chinacalypso. com/content/individualism-versus-collectivism-china
  7. Hofstede, G. (2011, n. d n. d). Culture. Retrieved May 29, 2011, from Geert Hofstede: http://www. geerthofstede. l/culture. aspx International, I. (n. d. ).
  8. Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved 5 28, 2011, from Itim International: http://www. geert-hofstede. com/ Kwintessential. (2011).
  9. Individualism. Retrieved May 26, 2011, from Kwintessential: http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/intercultural/individualism. html Li, F. M. (2008).
  10. Culture as a Major Determinant in Tourism Development of China. Current Issues in Tourism , 11 (6), 492-513. Mathilde, C. (2008, February 1).

Read more

Era of globalization cultural differences

Table of contents

Introduction

In this epoch of globalisation in concern environment, companies are spread outing their concern all over the universe, i.e. in different states and each of them with different civilizations. One country in peculiar of turning importance is intercultural direction accomplishments. Culture in international concern presents is recognized to hold a major function to play in the international gross revenues, selling, enlisting, direction and amalgamations.

“ In short, civilization is behind everything we do or state. ”

( www.kwintessential.co.uk )

Therefore, in the international and multi-cultural concern community, there are really much possibilities of misinterpretations which can hold a negative consequence on the people which will intern impact the productiveness of the organisation. This complexness requires a director to accommodate in order to offer modern solutions to these jobs. ( www.kwintessential.co.uk )

Culture is:

  • Something shared by all or about all members of some societal group.
  • Something older members of a group attempt to go through to younger members.
  • Something ( as in the instance of ethical motives, Torahs, and imposts ) that shapes behaviour, or structures one ‘s perceptual experience of he universe. ”

Therefore civilization is all that one needs to cognize in order to be accepted in a society or an administration which is a sum sum of all the beliefs, values and norms shared by a group of people who have been brought up in a society to believe, experience, construe and respond in a peculiar mode. Or it is a human demand of accommodating to fortunes and conveying these accomplishments and cognition to the following coevalss. It can besides be said as civilization as mental scheduling is besides crystallisation of history in the custodies, heads and Black Marias of the present coevals. ( Hofstede, 2001 ) .

This essay will speak about the cultural difference between India which is my place civilization and UK which is the opposite number. I have chosen UK because I have been to UK for my Supervised Work Experience ( SWE ) and during my stay in UK I ne’er paid attending towards the UK civilization dimensions and would now like to analyse with regard to the different theoretical accounts. But before that Lashkar-e-Taibas have a expression at some imposts or values that are followed in these states:

India – Hindooism

  • Social freedom amongst the sexes is non appreciated.
  • Use of first name to turn to people is avoided.
  • The method of recognizing depends on the societal position of the individual you are run intoing i.e. if a boy is run intoing his male parent normally he greets him by bowing down and touching his pess. Where as educated people, in concern meeting agitate custodies to welcome or recognize each other.
  • If invited for dinner one may merely hold the dinner with the concern spouse and non the whole household and make non acquire disquieted if you host asks you several times to hold some more nutrient. It is Indian usage to do certain that the invitee does non acquire up hungry from the tabular array. Besides at the tabular array 1 should utilize the right manus in go throughing nutrient as Indian consider left manus as impure.

United kingdom:

  • British people are formal, sophisticated, value privateness and are sensitive.
  • Within UK controlled concern environment, maintain decorousness and avoid familiarity in frock and conversation, volume and cheering is excessively forbidden.
  • Family names and first name are preferred.
  • British people are good negotiants as they are tolerant and good hearers.
  • All right manners and good etiquette are expected at all societal occasions.
  • Gift giving is non a normal usage in UK.

( Harris, 2004 & A ; Rodrigues, 2001 )

Hofstede Model

Cross-cultural survey to happen out the differences in national civilizations, this was done by Hofstede across 60 different states which included matched samples of concern employees. These surveies together identified four independent dimensions of national civilization differences. The dimensions explored werePower distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism verses Bolshevism and Masculinity verses muliebrity.

The first of four dimensions discovered by Hofstede is called power distance. Power distance is the extent to which the less powerful member of an organisation or an establishment accept and expect that the power is distributed unevenly( Hofstede, 2001 ) .The basic job which is prevalent here is to what extent in a civilization the grade of inequality between a less powerful single and a high powerful person is expected and accepted. India stands at the 10/11 place in the study with a mark of 77 whereas Great Britain is on the 42/44 place with a mark of merely 35. ( see appendices- )

For illustration– During my SWE the service operation caput of the whole hotel concatenation was really friendly, who was besides the caput of my section. I used to portion my personal jobs with her and even travel out for dinner. This illustration would be farther analyzed in the competences.

The 2nd dimension is labeled as uncertainness turning away ( UA ) . It refers to the extent a civilization or organisation prepares its members to experience comfy or uncomfortable in an unstructured state of affairs ( Hofstede, 2001 ) . The issue involved here is the degree to which a civilization or society would accept rigorous Torahs and ordinances over uncertainness and hazard. States or civilizations hiting high on UA have long history and the population is homogenous. Risks even calculated are avoided and new thoughts and constructs are hard to present whereas states on low UA tonss are wholly opposite. Although there is non much of a difference in the ranks given by Hofstede but still India scores a higher rank than Great Britain, besides this dimension does non hold a major function in the nucleus competences. ( see appendices- )

The 3rd is individuality and Bolshevism which is the grade to which a civilization emphasis on that right of an person as compared to those of a group. Countries hiting high on individuality live in the “ I ” civilization and strive for personal ends and accomplishments. In such states it is acceptable to prosecute personal ends at the disbursal of other. Whereas a state hiting low in individuality has the “ we ” civilization. Individual desires and end could be suppressed for the good of the group.

For Example– In UK civilization people ever consider themselves as an Individual, they are more daunted about themselves even if they belong to same household, whereas in India people consider each other as a portion of a group and that ‘s the ground articulation households still exist in Indian society.

The last 1 is maleness and muliebrity which refers to the distribution of function between the two genders i.e. male and female. States with high maleness are observed to hold the undermentioned features i.e. Precedences in life for people are achievement, wealth and enlargement. Normally people settle struggles through aggressive means.Women and work forces have different functions in society. OftenProfessionals in these states work for longer hours and short holidaies. Whereas in counties which are low in maleness the followers is observed. Precedences are the household, relationships and quality of life.Conflicts are normally solved though negotiation.Men and adult females portion equal places in society.

Masculinity/Femininity are every bit powerful but in regard to Hofstede, 2006 research both India and UK portion common Masculinity civilization as in both of these civilizations societal gender functions are clearly distinguishable. ( see appendices )

Hall ‘s Model

The critical differentiation is made by the anthropologist Edward Hall between high and low- context civilizations and how these contexts have an consequence on communicating. In High Context cultures high context communicating: information is either in the physical context or internalized in the individual with small communicating in the expressed words or message and on the other manus a low context civilization communicating most information is contained in expressed codifications, such as words ( Harris, 2004 ) .

High context civilizations depend to a great extent on the external environment, state of affairss, and non-verbal behaviour in making and construing communications. In high context civilizations when persons communicate they try to happen out how much the hearer knows about what is being discussed. Peoples in high context civilizations emphasize on interpersonal relationships, besides developing trust is really of import factor or measure which should be made before get downing a concern. Peoples are collectivized and work on their intuition instead than on grounds and are more indirect every bit good as formal. India is high context civilization.

Whereas in Low Context cultures the environment is less of import, and not -verbal behaviour is frequently ignored. While communicating is traveling on the hearer knows nil or small and need to be told about what is being discussed. Peoples in low context civilizations emphasize legal paperss instead than bury personal relationships or trust. Peoples are individualistic and work based on logical logical thinking and non on intuition, besides they are direct and informal. UK is a low context civilization.

For illustration– During my SWE I was asked by my co-worker to assist her with the work burden. Alternatively of stating I can non, I said it would be hard. The illustration would be analyzed in the competences countries.

The 2nd construct given by Hall was to make with the how different civilizations construction or pull off their clip i.e. polychronic verses the monochronic clip orientation. The polychronic civilizations believe in making many things at one clip and the monochronic civilizations believe in making one undertaking at given point of clip and clip is low-level to interpersonal relationships. UK belongs to monochromic civilization and India is a polychronic civilization.

Pigeonholing

Another of import factor or variable that the directors in the organisation demand to maintain in head is pigeonholing.“ Stereotypes are set of attitudes that causes us to impute qualities and features to a individual based on the group to which that single belongs. ” ( Harris, 2004 )

It fundamentally involves categorising and doing perceptual experiences about people based on one ‘s experiences and it guides one ‘s behaviour towards that group of people in a peculiar manner.

Teamwork

A squad is a figure of individuals associated in same joint action, while teamwork is described as concerted or co-ordinated attempt on the portion of individuals working together towards the realization of a end ( Harris, 2004 ) . A hotel house can merely last if the employees are ready to work and bring forth an effectual squad. As each and every operation in the cordial reception industry is interrelated to each other. For illustration front office is depended upon housekeeping section for clean suites and eating house is dependent on kitchen for cooking nutrient. Therefore in order to hold a successful multicultural squad member should hold complimentary accomplishments and should believe in favour of the squad. ( illustration see appendices- )

Communication

All activities involve communicating. In the planetary epoch different managerial activities like motivation, taking, dialogue interchanging information etc are all based on the director of one civilization to pass on efficaciously and successfully to people of other civilizations. Communication can non merely verbal or written but besides non-verbal i.e. organic structure linguistic communication, looks etc( Adler, 1997 ) .In international Hospitality and Tourism industries linguistic communication plays a really of import function, as both of these industries include direct guest contact ; good linguistic communication and communicating accomplishments can either do or interrupt the feeling of the organisation – particularly hotels. ( illustration see appendices )

Conflict and Negotiation

Conflict- “ A province of inharmoniousness between incompatible or antithetical individuals, thoughts, or involvements ; a clang ”

( www.ANSWER.COM )

Causes of struggle

  • communicating failure
  • personality struggle
  • value differences
  • end differences
  • methodological differences
  • substandard public presentation
  • deficiency of cooperation
  • differences sing authorization
  • differences sing duty
  • competition over resources
  • non-compliance with regulations

( www.geocities.com )

These are some of the factors which causes struggle in an on the job environment of an organisation which needed to be resolved through assorted manners and agencies

  • Force
  • Negotiate
  • Bargain
  • Avoid
  • Adjustment and Appease

( Mead 1998:2005 )

The most of import tool is negotiation which ‘s is used to decide struggle

“ Negotiation is a procedure in which two or more entities come together to discourse common and conflicting involvements in order to make an understanding of common benefit ”( Harris, 2004 ). In international concern dialogue, there can be misconstruing due the difference in the civilization to civilization in linguistic communication, cultural conditioning, dialogue manner, attack to job work outing etc. Negotiation plays a really of import function in Hospitality and Tourism Industries, such as dialogue on room rate with invitees and travel agents in different states etc. As India belongs to polychromatic civilization, while taking determinations people from India tend to affect other people ( co-workers ) into the dialogue procedure which makes the procedure longer. This besides confirms the stereotype associated with them. This besides happens as India a leftist and high PDI state. Whereas UK which is monochromatic civilization they see clip as an plus and measure to be scheduled, they emphasize on doing dockets and complete the work or taking the determination in clip. Negotiation can besides be effected by the communicating manner of the state i.e. as explained earlier the construct of high and low context civilizations i.e. misconstruing due to miss of lucidity amongst the two civilizations therefore taking to unsatisfactory consequences of dialogue.

Measuring myself- Me, As a director

After finishing my brooding pattern assignment and following up the undertakings given to us. After making the Hofstede ‘s mensurating cultural differences approach theoretical account or exercising and I found that I measured maleness more than muliebrity which clarifies that the occupation which is given or I undertake is done to acquire personal sense of achievement and I look for new and ambitious chances for a high success.I would depict my ego as low power distance human being as I would wish to work with those troughs which makes determination by sing all the employees view points instead doing their ain personal determination I would focused more on Bolshevism instead on Individualism as I look for more chances to better upon my accomplishments and develop new accomplishments by accommodating to new on the job conditions ( see appendices- )

Cultures are usually attributed to groups of people but, within group each person has his/her ain person characters which make the individual stand out from others. I would depict my ego as a good hearer, good perceiver, concerted with employees, Flexible and competitory ( see appendices- ) . These single features make me stand out from other members of different civilizations. The consequences of CCAI indicate that my strongest are is Personal Autonomy and my weakest country is Flexibility/Openness. While tonss in Emotional Resilience and Perceptual Activity about the same. ( see appendices- ) The country in which I lack the most is communicating among different civilizations ; while I can easy manage state of affairss in which things do non travel as per program or state of affairss and in which emphasis and tolerance occurs. I lack in country where I am expected to pass on among different civilizations, despite of the fact that, I would love to pass some clip with people from different civilizations. By bettering my intercultural accomplishments such as communicating i.e. how to respond on different thoughts, people and experiences and I should non concentrate on what other people are stating and making instead do my ain determinations. This will do me a better individual while I am in different civilization and in my ain civilization. Besides I should larn to appreciate different people and disbursals.

In the following six months by following up the action program I would better on my communicating accomplishment by reading novels and newspapers and besides at the same clip seek interact and discourse on different issues with people in college whom I usually do n’t interact with, as it will besides assist me in appreciating different people as good. Completing this exercising would assist me in covering with different people at my hereafter work topographic point and besides pass oning efficaciously with them. ( see appendices- )

Decision and Recommendations

The chief focal point of this essay was to analyse similarities and unsimilarities among Indian and UK civilizations. This was done though usage of two theoretical accounts of cultural analysis done by Hofstede and Hall. It was realized that both the civilizations are excessively different from each other. As cordial reception and touristry industry are turning at a rapid graduated table and due to globalisation of the concern, the demand for multicultural employees is increasing, but pull offing employees from wholly different civilizations like in India or UK would be great challenge faced by the directors in the industry. Besides international visitants frequently expect that service suppliers should understand and esteem their imposts, beliefs and civilizations, if non it may take to traverse cultural struggles. Following are the recommendations for UK and India based directors:

  • Cross cultural preparation should be provided to the employees so that they can set in new civilizations. Information about other civilizations should be provided which will take to better understanding amongst the employees and enhanced teamwork.
  • While pass oning with Britishers, Indian people should utilize simple words which are grammatically right should be used and direct communicating should take topographic point as British people belong to a low context civilization and prefer messages/communication to be structured straight, that they get immediate to the point and province decisions and bottom line.
  • Proper apprehension of other civilizations and taking appropriate dialogue procedure can bring forth effectual and utile dialogue. A director must happen out the common and the uncommon values of his and opposite numbers civilization in order to carry on effectual and successful dialogue. While negociating between UK and Indian civilizations, directors should take attention of the organic structure languages, Gestures and usage of grammatically right linguistic communication for communications should be used besides, importance of clip should be taken into consideration.
  • Cross cultural preparation should be provided to the employees so that they can set in new civilizations. Information about other civilizations should be provided which will take to better understanding amongst the employees and enhanced teamwork.
  • Another consideration for planetary directors is that they should have/develop good hearing accomplishment.

Bibliography

  1. Adler.N.J, ( 1997 ) , International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, 4th Edition, South-Western, United States.
  2. Abercrombie.N and Warde.A ( 2001 ) , The Contemporary British Society, Black good PublishersLtd, Great Britian.
  3. Brislin. W.Richard, ( 1981 ) , Cross Cultural Encounters, Pergamon Press, USA.
  4. Brislin.W. Richard and Cushner. K, ( 1996 ) , Intercultural Interactions, 2ed, Sage Publications, USA.
  5. Barker. C. ( 2002 ) , Making Sense of Cultural Studies, Sage Publications, London.
  6. Conflict: Definition, Synonyms, from answers.com ( online ) cited on 2 November URL: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.answers.com/topic/conflict
  7. Francesco, A. M. & A ; Gold, B. A. ( 2005 ) International Organizational Behavior: Texts, instances and exercises Upper Saddle Row, New Jersey, Pearson/Prentice Hall.
  8. Grazia. V. ( 1981 ) , The Cultural Of Content, University of Cambridge, Cambridge
  9. Hooker.J, ( 2003 ) , Working Across Cultural, Standford University Press, Califonia.
  10. Hofstede.G, ( 1985 ) , The Cultural Relativity of Organizational Practises and Theories, London.
  11. Harris. P. , Robert.T. M & A ; Sarah. V. M, 2004, Pull offing Cultural Differences – Global Leadership Strategies for twenty-first century, 6th Edition, Elsevier, London.
  12. Hodgetts. R, Luthans. F, Doh. J, 2006, International Management – Culture, Strategy, and Behavior, 6th Edition, Tata McGraw Hill Publishing Company Ltd, New Delhi.
  13. Hofstede. G, 2001, Culture ‘s Consequences, 2nd Edition, Sage Publications, London
  14. Kwintessential ( 2008 ) , Intercultural Training ( online ) cited on 3 December URL: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/intercultural-training.html
  15. Mead, R. 1998 International Management: Cross Cultural Dimensions 2nd edition Cambridge MA. Blackwell Publishers
  16. Mead, R. 2005 International Management: Cross Cultural Dimensions 3rd edition Cambridge MA. Blackwell Publishers
  17. Rodriguez. C, 2001, International Management – A cultural Approach, 2nd Edition, South-Western College Publication, United Kingdom
  18. Robinson. M. ( 1999 ) , Cultural Conflicts In Tourism Inevitablity and Inequality, CAB Publication, USA
  19. Schneider.C.Susan. and Basoux Louis.J, ( 1997 ) , Pull offing Across Cultural, Prentice Hall, Europe. Storry.M and Childs. P. ( 1997 ) , British Cultural Identities, Routledge New York
  20. Samovar. A.Larry and Porter.E. Richard, ( 2003 ) , Intercultural Communication, 10th edition, Thompson Learning, USA
  21. Singh.Y. ( 2002 ) , Culture Change In India, Rawat Publication, Jaipur.
  22. Yokel: Causes of struggle ( online ) cited on 4 November URL: hypertext transfer protocol: //geocities.yahoo.com/causes of struggle

Read more

Cultural Differences Analysis

Human resources (HR) face several dilemmas on the international stage. Often, these dilemmas are related to cultural determinants that may deeply affect HR strategies and practices. The main aim of this study is to address the topic of cultural diversity within organisations operating in highly divergent cultures.

In particular, the analysis will be focused on the strategies and practices implemented by Italian companies to manage HR in China, by estimating the growing influence of Chinese cultural values on the dynamics and complexity of intercultural human resource management (HRM) and suggesting that different approaches should characterise companies’ strategies when dealing with distinct cultural backgrounds.

The study, which was undertaken with 149 executives from Italian companies in Mainland China, demonstrates the degree of knowledge of a cultural environment has a direct correlation with HR strategies and practices. The results show that a better knowledge of cultural values of Chinese individuals may represent a strategic tool to Italian companies in China. The findings of the study have potential to help decision makers of Italian companies to develop strategies able to overcome cultural barriers, to formulate effective HRM policies and to increase company competitive advantage.

Introduction

Observing an image in a mirror is the common example used by several scholars to represent a business relationship between Western and Chinese counterparts (Hofstede & Bond 1988, Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner 1998). Actually, operating in China could be better represented by the reflection in a pond. Like the image reflected by the water, the edges of the intercultural business relationship may appear not clearly defined. What is considered usual or common in the Western experience may involve distinct and non easily comprehensible meanings in China.

This is mainly due to the fact that individuals tend to use their own cultural values to interpret actions and behaviours of other members of different cultures. This often leads to serious miscommunication problems. As a consequence, business relationships between Western and Chinese companies may be affected by different degrees of cultural conflicts and misunderstandings. The main literature has identified a set of critical determinants that are linked to the economic success of Western companies in China (Hofstede & Bond 1988, Ward, Pearson & Entrekin 2002, Fang 2006, Chinta & Capar 2007).

The most part of them is related to cultural issues, business etiquette, language skills, Chinese politics and history, negotiation strategies, communication and logistics. In particular, knowledge and comprehension of Chinese culture and etiquette represent a fundamental key to unlock the opportunities offered by the Chinese market. The significance of family and group ties, the concepts of guanxi, ‘face’ and harmony, Confucian ethics and philosophy deeply characterise the Chinese socio cultural framework and influence individuals’ and group behaviour as well as interpersonal and business relationships.

Therefore, companies interested in penetrating the Chinese market should carefully comprise a proper evaluation of the potential outcomes of cultural aspects when planning their strategies. As stated by Adler (2002), one of the most important challenges of the 21st century is to create multinational organisations able to support an economically vibrant and culturally diverse global society.

In an international context, characterised by tendencies of global integration and local differentiation, several scholars have stressed the need to develop HR strategies and practices as fundamental sources of competitive advantage (De Cieri 2003, Schuler & Jackson 2007). In spite of the significant changes of the international markets, many organisations tend to use traditional tools to manage human capital on global scenarios, based on the mere transfer of HRM solutions from the home country to the international markets. This choice often leads the firm to face several problems that may affect its economic results in the foreign market.

Therefore, in order to trace a long term path on distant and different markets it is necessary to develop strategies to manage human capital able to encompass a particular attention to cultural issues (Dowling, Schuler & Welch 1994). Cultural determinants still have a deep influence on the Chinese society, and by means of shaping individuals’ behaviour and their ways of thinking and acting, they also affect business and organisational relationships (Su Nie 2008). Therefore, the knowledge of these aspects and their correct management within an organisation is a lever that may lead the company towards successful paths in China.

Nonetheless, Western firms tend to give negligible importance to the problems that may arise in a cultural different universe. This short sighted position does not consider that these difficulties may generate barriers able to negatively influence the economic and financial management of the firm. This study aims at suggesting a study model, in order to analyse the relations between the degree of knowledge of the main Chinese cultural values and HRM in China, by providing empirical evidence of the central role that should characterise cultural sensitivity in leading HR strategies and practices.

In particular, the analysis will be focused on Italian companies in China. The choice of Italian firms lies in their peculiar socio cultural framework. As suggested by Hofstede (1991), the results calculated for Italy, in terms of power distance, individualism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance are remarkably different from those computed for China. Indeed, there is widespread understanding the cultural background of a country affects the organisational structure of a company, with particular reference to the strategies, policies and practices followed to manage the human capital.

Therefore, more powerful company strategies are likely to integrate cultural sensitivity and adaptation when dealing with different cultural environments. Merely transferring HRM policies to cultural diverse markets often means generating unsolvable problems for the firm. With reference to these issues, the study addresses how Italian firms manage culturally diverse HR in order to reconcile the cultural dilemma and develop successful paths in the Chinese market.

Literature Review and Hypotheses

Cultural differences influence the organisational performance of a firm by a complex interaction between individuals and environment. The environment can be considered as the sum of organisational and group forces (Cox 1993). Group assumptions can affect motivation and satisfaction degrees as well as behaviour and results of individuals. Besides, the individual level can influence the organisational dimension, in terms of quality, productivity, absenteeism, turnover, profitability and market shares. Together with these indirect effects, it is possible to stress a direct impact of cultural divergence on organisational performance.

More precisely, the degree of diversity, within formal and informal structures of an organisation, affects creativity levels, problem solving capabilities and intra organisational communication (Gilbert, Stead & Ivancevich 1999). Several authors have suggested the growing impact of cultural issues on HRM. In particular, Laurent (1986) stated that HRM reflects culturally determined patterns. Newman and Nollen (1996) pointed out that work teams can achieve better results if their management practices are compatible with national cultures.

In order to develop human capital results and improve firm performance, companies should adapt their HRM practices to the culture of the host country. Cultural issues deeply affect HRM, especially in international markets (De Cieri 2003, Erez 2006). The determinants of international human resource management (IHRM) are influenced by the tension between global integration and market peculiarities (Hannon, Huang & Jaw 1995). As a result, a standardised approach to HRM can create significant problems for companies, mainly due to the lack attention towards cultural diversity (Adler 1983).

Chinese Cultural Values

Although several scholars have analysed the influence of cultural diversity on managerial issues in China (Hofstede & Bond 1984, Boisot & Child 1999, Martin & Larsen 1999, Jaw, et al. 2007), and most of them have mainly examined the role played by guanxi (Alston 1989, Fan 2002, Luo 2007, Gu, Hung & Tse 2008), only few have focused on other fundamental Chinese cultural determinants: jiating, renqing, ganqing, lian and mianzi, li jie and ke qi as well as feng su xi guan (Garrott 1995, Leung & Chan 2003, Fang 2006, Qian, Razzaque & Keng 2007).

Guanxi is based on interpersonal ties and can be described as a personal connection, in which an individual is able to persuade another to accomplish a favour or service, or be persuaded. It can also be interpreted as a network of contacts, to which a person can appeal when something is needed and through which he or she can exercise influence on behalf of another. Guanxi obligations can sometimes be described in terms of an extended family and the relationships created through the guanxi medium are personal and not transferable (Boisot & Child 1999, Fan 2002, Gu, et al. 2008).

However, guanxi cannot be considered as the only value of the entire Chinese culture. Other fundamental elements should be deeply analysed. In particular, jiating reflects Chinese familiar relations. Boisot and Child (1999) suggested that the family represents the foundation of the Chinese society. Faure and Fang (2008) considered that family and group links deeply influence individual behaviour in China. Renqing represents the moral obligation to maintain the relationship and deals with the exchange of favours, in respect of social norms and behavioural codes. Wang (2007) defined renqing in terms of empathy between two people.

Ganqing reflects the depth of feeling within an interpersonal relationship. Adler, Campbell and Laurent (1989), and Haley and Haley (2006a) pointed out its importance within working groups: ganqing plays a central role in maintaining and developing the relations based on guanxi, changing impersonal business relationships into more personal links. Lian and mianzi are concepts related to the idea of ‘face’. Lian can be described as the confidence of a society in the moral character of a person, while mianzi represents the social perceptions of the prestige of a person.

‘Face’ is important within Chinese social relations because it affects goodwill and is related to power and influence. The loss of lian would result in a loss of trust within a social network, while the loss of mianzi would result in a loss of authority (Ho 1976, Fang 2006, Faure & Fang 2008). Li jie and ke qi refer to customs and etiquette. Leung and Chan (2003), and Faure and Fang (2008) identified the strict relationship between these values and the concept of harmony: group harmony should always be protected; personal emotions are hidden under a surface of harmony.

Feng su xi guan reflects tradition and past orientation of the Chinese society. Garrott (1995), and Qian, et al. (2007) considered that tradition and past orientation may impact on the behaviour of Chinese individuals. Even though it is particularly difficult to reduce the complexity of a cultural universe to a finite number of determinants, it is believed that these seven Chinese cultural dimensions are able to provide an adequate representation of the main Chinese cultural values, beliefs and principles.

Knowledge of Chinese Culture and HR Training and Development Several scholars have stressed the relationship between a better comprehension of local cultural traits and HR training and development schemes. In particular, it is believed that Italian companies should improve their cultural training and motivational programmes as well as the international experience of expatriate managers, in order to increase workforce performance levels in China.

Black and Mendenhall (1990) suggested that cultural training strategies and policies promote higher levels of interaction within multicultural working groups. Cushner and Brislin (1997) showed that cultural training leads working teams towards better results. Along with training policies, Reuber and Fischer (1997) considered the international experience gained by expatriate managers as a crucial factor to foster integration within group functioning. And Adler, et al.

(1989) stressed that international experience allows expatriate managers to better understand the emotional and cultural aspects of local staff, fostering a better relationship with them and the hierarchy as well as a better job commitment. In addition, Schwartz and Bilsky (2008) suggested that motivation policies of local staff can promote better results within working groups. The relationship between the knowledge of the main Chinese cultural values (CC) and HR training and development policies and practices in China (TD) has not been empirically tested.

However, following the studies by Triandis, Brislin and Hui (1988), Black and Mendenhall (1990), and Cushner and Brislin (1997), it is believed that a better comprehension of local culture, as well as cultural training strategies and programmes, should be considered as crucial factors in order to support the interaction between individuals from different cultures as well as the relationship with the sociocultural environment of the host country and to improve the potential results for multicultural working groups. As a result, a positive relationship is likely to exist between CC and TD.

H1: CC has a positive influence on TD Knowledge of Chinese Culture and HR Appraisal and Control Recent evidence has pointed out that cultural differences may influence work team management and functioning (Gibson & Zellmer-Bruhn 2001). A number of links can be observed with regard to potential conflicts (Cox, Lobel & McLeod 1991, Oetzel 1998), leadership issues (Ayman & Chemers 1983, Pillai & Meindl 1998), goal definition (Earley & Erez 1987), group performance (Gibson 1999, Miah & Bird 2007), and team organisation (Kirkman & Shapiro 2001).

A better knowledge of local culture can be considered as a fundamental factor in order to develop proper HR appraisal and control techniques in the host country. This conclusion is believed to be correct also in the Chinese market, where the concepts of ‘face’ and harmony have a deep impact on individual and group behaviour. It is reasonable to assume that Italian companies should comprise high levels of cultural awareness when planning HR appraisal and control practices in China. Wilkins and Ouchi (1983), and Adler, et al.

(1989) analysed the role of HR control practices within multinational companies. In particular, Gilbert, et al. (1999) suggested that a human capital division in the host country is an important determinant to manage cultural diversity and can to lead local HR towards expected results. This could be achieved if multinational companies are able to incorporate a particular attention towards cultural issues when dealing with the dynamics of IHRM. Schwartz and Bilsky (2008) stressed the central role played by HR managers when leading multicultural teams.

In fact, as stated by Adler, Brahm and Graham (1992), cultural distance between HR manager and local staff can generate significant problems of integration and high power distance, in particular with reference to the Chinese market. As a result, employees’ motivation and appraisal as well as organisational and control systems should encompass cultural sensitivity. Consequently, a better comprehension of Chinese cultural values (CC) is believed to have a positive relationship with HR appraisal and control techniques of Italian companies in China (OA). This conclusion is supported by the work of Maznevski, et al.

(2002). They showed that a HR manager, who shares cultural values with local workforce, can lead to a better relationship between employees and the hierarchical organisation. These considerations jointly support a potential positive relationship between CC and OA. H2: CC has a positive influence on OA Knowledge of Chinese Culture and HR Attitude and Qualifications Recent studies have emphasised the influence of culture on HRM, both from the motivational as well as the behavioural point of view (Jackson & Bak 1998, Wang & Cowham 2008, Wright, Berrell & Gloet 2008).

Several scholars have also stressed how Chinese cultural factors can affect organisational culture (Boisot & Child 1999, Jaw, et al. 2007), group and leadership issues (Satow & Wang 1994, Littrel 2002), job satisfaction and commitment (Wang 2007). In particular, these studies have showed that a better comprehension of the host culture may lead Western companies to develop more suitable HRM strategies and practises, and be able to improve HR attitude and skills. Consequently, it is possible to assume that a stronger understanding of local cultural traits should support Italian companies in enhancing Chinese HR work behaviour.

Nes, Solberg and Silkoset (2007) suggested that cultural distance may affect the degree of job commitment and responsibility of HR, by identifying four items. These items have been listed as (a) importance, (b) attachment, (c) maximum effort to maintain the relationship, and (d) maintain forever the relationship. Wang (2007) studied the attitude and qualifications of employees on the basis of two items: (a) job satisfaction, (b) and organisational commitment. Haley and Haley (2006b) pointed out that the attitude of human capital is influenced by job commitment and communication skills, while Adler, et al.

(1989) suggested that hierarchy, attitudes toward authority and rules compliance deeply influence employees’ work behaviour and qualifications in China. Alas (2008) focused on job commitment, punctuality and rules compliance. In addition, Selvarajah and Meyer (2008) analysed the employees’ behaviour, with reference to communication and language skills, and Dyer and Reeves (1995) analysed the results achieved by employees and the influence of cultural issues on them, by considering workforce attitudes and behaviours, absenteeism and turnover rates.

If a better knowledge of the local cultural system enhances HR attitude and qualifications, then it is possible to assume that a better harmony between cultural values and HR behaviour should lead to increased HR performance levels. Furthermore, Chinta and Capar (2007) described the behaviour of Chinese staff and its relationship with authority and power distance perception by suggesting that the comprehension of cultural differences is essential, since culture influences the way HR behave.

As a consequence, these facts support a positive relationship between CC and HR attitude and qualifications in China (HO). H3: CC has a positive influence on HO HRM and HR Attitude and Qualifications Several scholars have analysed the relationship between HRM strategies and practises and HR attitude and qualifications. Becker and Huselid (1998) suggested that HRM systems directly influence employees’ attitude and qualifications and working groups structures. These factors affect employees’ behaviour and performance.

Neelankavil, Mathur and Zhang (2000) also suggested that a proper appraisal of local HR is a fundamental solution in order to ensure higher levels of job commitment. Additionally, Huselid (1995), and Schuler and Jackson (2007) considered that training, motivation, appraisal and control represent fundamental tools in HRM practices. Moreover, Dickie (2009) stressed that organisational systems of training and development, social support, job involvement and job rotation are designed to influence job satisfaction and organisational commitment.

With reference to the Chinese market, many scholars have emphasised the impact of HRM on HR attitude and qualifications (Zhu & Warner 2004, Wang 2007, Selvarajah & Meyer 2008, Wright, et al. 2008). In particular, these studies have stressed some issues related to HRM in China that deeply affect HR performance levels: training and motivation, degree of employees’ commitment, turnover and job hopping rates as well as multicultural working groups management.

It is reasonable to assume that HRM policies and practices of Italian companies in the Chinese marketplace should impact on the degree of attitude and qualifications of local HR. In particular, it is believed that HR training and development policies (TD) as well as HR appraisal and control practices in China could affect employees’ behaviour, attitude and qualifications. This will imply that TD and OA may be positively related to HO Sample and Site Data were collected from a population of 1,464 Italian companies operating in China, analysed by Prodi and Ronzoni in 2007.

After deleting firms with only representative offices (368), a total of 1,096 companies were identified. A total of 67 per cent of them was located in three main economic areas: the Beijing Hub (BJH), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and the Pearl River Delta (PRD). The BJH consists of the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, YRD comprises the municipality of Shanghai and part of the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and PRD consists of Hong Kong and the province of Guangdong.

The study focused on Italian companies located in these three main areas (734). The reason for this choice lies in the fact that these areas represent the main economic hubs of China, where most Western companies have their headquarters. Data were obtained from 149 respondents, who represented a convenience sample of Italian business executives of the top five senior managerial levels of Italian business organisations in Mainland China.

Procedure

The study was undertaken during the period April to June 2008 and involved the submission of questionnaires by email and fax to the business executives of the identified Italian companies in Mainland China. An explanatory letter highlighting the aim of the survey and the time frame for data collection accompanied all the questionnaires. ‘Follow up’ emails and calls were made to the respondents in order to confirm the receipt of the questionnaires, to obtain suggestions about the study and to remind them of the time frame involved. A total of 734 questionnaires were distributed and 173 replies were initially collected. However, due to incomplete information, 24 questionnaires were rejected. Therefore, 149 replies were finally surveyed, with a net response rate of 20.3 per cent.

Measures

The questionnaire showed 21 items adapted from the main literature that collectively provided responses for the four study variables. These variables were: (a) knowledge of Chinese culture, (b) HR training and development in China, (c) HR appraisal and control in China, and (d) HR attitude and qualifications in China.

Knowledge of Chinese Culture (CC)

The knowledge of Chinese culture construct measures the degree of knowledge that every Italian company has with reference to the suggested cultural elements: guanxì, jiatíng, rénqíng, ganqíng, lian and miànzi, li jié and kè qì as well as feng sú xí guàn. The seven items in the scale refer to perceptual phenomena and are rated on a four point interval scale from a very low level of knowledge of the item (scored as one) to a high level of knowledge of the item (scored as four). The Cronbachalpha of the construct was 0.94.

HR Training and Development in China (TD)

The HR training and development in China construct measures the extent to which Italian companies develop cultural training and HR motivation schemes as important levers to mitigate negative cultural effects within multicultural working groups. The construct was scored with a four item scale adapted from the studies by Schwartz and Bilsky (2008), Cushner and Brislin (1997), and Reuber and Fischer (1997): Chinese workforce training, Chinese workforce motivation, Italian expatriates training and international experience of Italian expatriates. The four items in the scale are measured as dummy variables (1 = yes, 0 = no). The Cronbach alpha of the construct was 0.80.

HR Appraisal and Control in China (OA)

The HR appraisal and control in China construct studies the role of Italian companies’ appraisal and control practices in leading local HR towards expected results. It was evaluated with a three item measure adapted from the work of Gilbert, et al. (1999), Maznevski, et al. (2002), and Neelankavil, et al. (2000): existence of a HR division in China, HR manager country of origin and appraisal of local workforce to firm performance. Items one and three are measured as dummy variables (1 = yes, 0 = no), item two is measured by defining different scales for different countries of origin. The Cronbach alpha of the construct was 0.81.

HR Attitude and Qualifications in China (HO)

HR attitude and qualifications in China was assessed with a seven item scale adapted from the studies by Haley and Haley (2006b), Alas (2008), Selvarajah and Meyer (2008), and Dyer and Reeves (1995): job commitment, attitude toward authority, punctuality, absenteeism, rules compliance, language skills and degree of satisfaction of workforce qualifications in China. The construct measures attitude levels and qualifications of HR in China as seen by Italian companies’ executives. Items one to six are rated on a four point interval scale from a negative value (scored as one) to a significant positive value (scored as four).

Factor analysis, incorporating the varimax rotation, was implemented to reduce the set of items. Two dimensions were identified: work behaviour and language skills. The reliability of each dimension was tested with the Cronbach alpha coefficient. Table 2 provides the results of factor and reliability analyses. Item 7 is measured as a dummy variable. The Cronbach alpha of the complete construct was 0.85.

Analysis

Multiple statistical analysis techniques were used in this study. These procedures include exploratory factor analysis and a two level Structural Equation Modelling (SEM).

Prior to testing and estimating causal relationships between observed and latent variables, an exploratory factor analysis was undertaken to determine whether or not earlier research findings on the identified constructs could be confirmed. The factor analysis, incorporating the varimax option, assessed the validity of the measurement. Internal consistency reliability was tested and the Cronbach alpha results of 0.94, 0.80, 0.81; and 0.85 were obtained for the constructs of CC, TD, OA and HO constructs; respectively. The analysis supported the dimensional concepts used and provided fullest evidence of construct validity.

The five hypotheses were tested with SEM techniques based on a latent structure model with explicit causal relations. The estimated SEM, developed with LISREL (LInear Structural RELationship) 8. 51 (Joreskog & Sorbom 2001), follows a logic based on two steps. The first one is related to the process of estimating parameters, based on an interactive procedure aimed at minimising the gap between data produced by the model and observed data.

The second step is based on a comparison of the theoretical model with the data observed. If the gap between the matrix of the observed covariance and the expected matrix, generated by the programme, is higher than the gap attributable to the stochastic error, the model is rejected. The analysis will then determine if the model is able to represent the examined phenomenon, through four different sets of fit indices.

These indices are represented by the ?2 test, the Overall model fit indices, the Incremental fit indices and the Residuals indices. Prior to testing the complete model, several scholars have suggested that it should be useful to test each latent variable in order to provide the fullest evidence of measurement efficacy (Segars & Grover 1998, Apigian, et al. 2005). The TD latent variable has been conceptualised as a second order model, explained by four observed variables.

The fit statistics for the model are the Root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0; Confidence Interval for RMSEA (0; 0. 098), Normed fit index (NFI) = 0. 99, Non normed fit index (NNFI) = 1. 08, Goodness of fit index (GFI) = 1 and Adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) = 0. 99, confirming a very good model data fit. The OA latent variable has been conceptualised as a second order model, explained by three observed variables. The fit statistics for the model show a perfect fit.

HO latent variable has been conceptualised as a second order model, explained by three observed variables. The fit statistics for the model show a perfect fit. The CC latent variable has been conceptualised as a second order model, explained by seven observed variables. The fit statistics for the model are RMSEA = 0. 24; Confidence Interval for RMSEA (0. 20; 0. 27), NFI = 0. 86, NNFI = 0. 80, GFI = 0. 80, AGFI = 0. 60, confirming a sufficient model data fit.

Results

The integrated exam of the fit indices confirms whether the model is able to fit the data or not. ?2 scores 249 with 114 degrees of freedom, p value 0. Overall model fit indices show reasonable fit results. GFI scores 0. 83, while AGFI 0. 78. CN (Critical N) scores 75. 39. Incremental fit indices show even better values, able to support the conceptual model. NFI scores 0. 81, NNFI 0. 84, while CFI (Comparative fit index) scores 0. 87. Residuals indices confirm that the assumed model is able to explain most of the observed data.

The RMR (Root mean square residual) index scores 0. 016, standardised RMR 0. 065, while the RMSEA index 0. 089, with 90 per cent confidence interval between 0. 074 and 0. 1. Figure 2 and Figure 3 provide the main fit indices of the model and the path diagram with their regressors and stochastic errors estimation.

Read more

Cultural difference between US & China

The relative differences in the American and Chinese business background may well predict how transaction costs will be evaluated. On the part of the Chinese business criterion, it seems that the contrasting attitude of their business scheme may define a larger cost in trade investments for the American counterparts. The promising good trade partnership between American companies doing business with its Chinese segments may bring huge monetary concerns on the part of the former.

The most significant attribute in the Chinese business core is the fact that their business structure is purely based on experience. This is very much evident since most of the companies are family-based businesses. As a result, there is no exact business trend that will make the companies adhere to the normal business plan as compared to the companies in the United States. This fact contributes largely to the aspect of limiting the flow of investment within a specific domain of the family owned business.

One disadvantage when it comes to costs is that an American company may not be able to induce its influence on the transaction if they are to deal with the Chinese based companies. The structured and well organized scheme employed by American companies may not be useful at all since the transaction will purely be based on the way the Chinese handle its business. The unpredictability of the financial aspect might take its toll in the American company’s investments. These will likely to happen even if the labor and commodity cost in china is very cheap.

Also, there is not even a comparison of the Chinese and U. S. factory labor costs because reliable statistics from the Asian giant don’t exist (News Analysis). This is a somewhat big drawback if the American company needs to assess the appropriate wage that it should set aside from its capital. Another big concern that will predict a very large cost discrepancy would be in the aspect of formal agreement. The Chinese tend to use fewer contracts when involving other sources of investment.

This is very contrasting to the attitude of American companies where everything is settled on paper even before the activity proceeds. The Chinese companies tend to rely on trusted partnerships and loyalty of their background workforce for their own survival in the trade world. This could equate to a very high cost for the American company especially if the agreement will not be implemented according to the drafted plan. It is very possible that one segment of the production line will experience problems in business processing.

Such scenario will eventually take effect on both the Chinese and American company in partnership. However, the larger cost will be incurred on the American company’s account. This is so because of the large dependency in a specified business plan. Moreover, there will be a waste in monetary values together with the production time frame just to take full recovery of the lost trade opportunity. This is the most discouraging factor when it comes to unspecified productivity dilemmas.

The global economy is starting to implement a rather large opportunity for all markets. Apparently, because of this global merchandising capacity of various countries, it would be very much accepted that the efficiency and survival of a certain business lies directly on the trading partners where it seems to be compatible with. On the case of the American and Chinese business relationship, it should first consider how the financial cost of partnership will eventually influence each other’s trading posts.

A complete analysis of the cost attributes should be taken into consideration. Apparently, the behavior of Chinese business is very difficult to understand (Chen, 1999-2007). References: Chen, Ming-Jer. 1999-2007. Inside Chinese Business. QuickMBA. Retrieved May 8, 2007 from http://www. quickmba. com/mgmt/intl/china/. News Analysis. 2004. Just How Cheap Is Chinese Labor?. Businessweek. Retrieved May 8, 2007 form http://www. businessweek. com/bwdaily/dnflash/dec2004/nf2004122_6762_db039. htm.

Read more
OUR GIFT TO YOU
15% OFF your first order
Use a coupon FIRST15 and enjoy expert help with any task at the most affordable price.
Claim my 15% OFF Order in Chat
Close

Sometimes it is hard to do all the work on your own

Let us help you get a good grade on your paper. Get professional help and free up your time for more important courses. Let us handle your;

  • Dissertations and Thesis
  • Essays
  • All Assignments

  • Research papers
  • Terms Papers
  • Online Classes
Live ChatWhatsApp