Cultural Aspects In International Business Essay

3. Dynamics of cultural aspects s in international business communication

Culture illustrates accepted norms and values and traditional behavior of a group of people and it is a pattern of responses which is discovered and developed, during the group 's history of handling problems that arise from the interactions among its members, and between them and their environment. The culture of each country or group has its own beliefs, values and activities. In other words culture could be defined as an emerging set of collective values, beliefs and attitudes. Through culture people develop a sense of belonging, personal and cognitive growth. Direct benefits of a strong and vibrant culture include health and wellness, skills development, social

Culture has an impact the individual right from his/her birth until his/her adulthood; this gives culture the highly persuasive quality. In many countries, cultural traits could prevent a person from habits that is common in another culture or would encourage a behavior that is uncommon elsewhere. While the visible aspects of culture are often easy to spot, it usually requires more time and effort to understand and appreciate the importance of the invisible ones. Many aspects of culture came through thousands of years and are most likely to continue so long as they are being taught to children from a young age. Nations are always reluctant to let go of their culture and actively try to preserve it against foreign influence. Thus, understanding the importance of culture and its valuable role in intercultural communication is vital (Bratu, 2011). Developing both tolerance and acceptance of cultural differences is crucial for accomplishing communication objectives especially in international business. It is important that business

For example, Latin American, Mediterranean and Asian cultures often communicate as much through facial expression and tone of voice as through words. On the other hand, English-speaking and Germanic cultures normally state the intended meaning explicitly. Another difference among cultures is the importance of emotion. For example, in the U.K and Japan there is no outward show of feelings, while the United States, France and Italy accept a show emotions is a strong element of acceptance even in business. Language differences present a common stumbling block in international business communication. Whenever a business negotiating party is using a second language or a translator, the potential for misunderstandings increases. Even when dealings with bilingual speakers, slang, jokes and figures of speech can cause problems (Farnen,