Decision Making and Group Oriented Culture
Topic Summary:
Culture is the shared, learned, and enduring orientation patterns in a society. People demonstrate their culture through ideas, values, behaviors, symbols and attitudes. Culture is the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. It is also the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by people in a place or time. Culture represents one of the four major risks associated with international business. Cross-cultural risk is a situation that causes cultural misunderstanding that puts some human value at stake. It could be differences in language, lifestyles, mindsets, customs or religion. Cross-cultural risk is aggravated by ethnocentric orientation, which is when we use our own culture as the standard. Polycentric orientation denotes a host-country mindset in which the manager acquires a strong like-mindedness with the country he or she is doing business with. Geocentric is what all managers should strive for. It is a global mind-set in which managers are able to understand a business without regard to country boundaries.
Article Summary:
The article is about Japanese culture which is very different from the American culture. It starts off talking about how only team players will succeed in Japan’s group oriented culture. The article describes how to address a Japanese associate and to never use first names unless invited to do so. The Japanese traditionally greet each other with a bow. The older the person, the lower you bow. When establishing credentials, business cards should be written in both English and Japanese. When you receive a card you take it with both hands and take a moment to read it out loud. Same with presenting a card, it is done with both hands and the Japanese side should be facing up. Try not to be too abrupt or to display negative emotions. Be especially differential to older acquaintances, who will usually be the most senior in rank. Do not single anyone out,
Culture is the shared, learned, and enduring orientation patterns in a society. People demonstrate their culture through ideas, values, behaviors, symbols and attitudes. Culture is the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. It is also the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by people in a place or time. Culture represents one of the four major risks associated with international business. Cross-cultural risk is a situation that causes cultural misunderstanding that puts some human value at stake. It could be differences in language, lifestyles, mindsets, customs or religion. Cross-cultural risk is aggravated by ethnocentric orientation, which is when we use our own culture as the standard. Polycentric orientation denotes a host-country mindset in which the manager acquires a strong like-mindedness with the country he or she is doing business with. Geocentric is what all managers should strive for. It is a global mind-set in which managers are able to understand a business without regard to country boundaries.
Article Summary:
The article is about Japanese culture which is very different from the American culture. It starts off talking about how only team players will succeed in Japan’s group oriented culture. The article describes how to address a Japanese associate and to never use first names unless invited to do so. The Japanese traditionally greet each other with a bow. The older the person, the lower you bow. When establishing credentials, business cards should be written in both English and Japanese. When you receive a card you take it with both hands and take a moment to read it out loud. Same with presenting a card, it is done with both hands and the Japanese side should be facing up. Try not to be too abrupt or to display negative emotions. Be especially differential to older acquaintances, who will usually be the most senior in rank. Do not single anyone out,