Business Export and Import - Case Study Example

? Research Paper: BUSINESS EXPORT AND IMPORT of the Determine the major elements and dimensions of the business culture inthe selected country. The four countries England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Islands form United Kingdom (UK). The residents being British generally use English language to communicate with one another. The companies of UK have a very different work culture than that of any countries work culture. In order to do business in United Kingdom the following business culture is to be followed: 1) Hierarchy: Almost all the British companies are now characterized by different hierarchy. The instructions are given to the employee politely but the mangers are quite effective and firm. 2) Teamwork: Team works are preferred in UK and thus the individual aim will not overshadow the organization’s aim. British still follow the differences in the social status by observing the dress code and the manner of speaking. An employee’s educational qualification and family background plays an important role in the organization (Minkov, 2011). 3) Meetings: British business tycoons prefer to work with those groups of people whom they know from before, with whom they can relate with and also with those persons who can be identified by them. They prefer to make small talk before they start with the main discussion topic about the business. The discussion can be informal but since the British are task oriented they want that each participant in the meeting should be leaving the table only after getting their specific jobs (Michigan State University, 2013). 4) Negotiations: British business men are skillful but tough negotiators. While negotiating it is important to stay calm and polite but sometimes little humor can suppress the serious situation. They always follow a practical approach; they basically formalize the negotiation on paper. 5) Decisions: The discussion about any decision may look as if it is informal but the managers of UK are the sole decision makers in the organizations. 6) Time perception: They are very punctual and they are quite late in having their dinner and lunch when they are at work. They work till late hours, skip their lunch and often take their pending works home and do it. 7) Meetings and Greeting: Humor is the integral part of subtle communication. British businessmen are quite famous for their humorous nature but quite often the non-native speakers misunderstand their opponents. 8) Business Cards: Business cards are exchanged after and before the meetings. The card displays one’s job title, surname and the first name. 9) The British businessmen expect that the protocols and formalities are to be maintained throughout the organization. The business organizations in United Kingdom are basically multi-layered with a vertical chain of command. 10) The presentations in the meeting are detailed and also subdued. They are well known business man. They take the pride of being internationalist (Smithers, 2012). 11) The British business aims at reducing waste and also reusing resources that have made them efficient in the business world (Communication Group Ltd., 2009). 2. Determine how these elements and dimensions are integrated by local residents conducting business in the country. UK has been a prosperous country with regard to the business. Every organization in UK has adapted the business culture of UK open heartedly. Their success lies in their business culture. The ways they do business with others have become a statement for them only. They are not that friendly during any business meetings, but they are very much professional and just follow a routine professional way when interacting with the business clients. Successful companies have proved that this type of business culture can succeed in real world. What matters to them is professionalism and nothing else. For them business attire is not mandatory but the employees should be conservative dressing style at work and that is important for both men and women (Morrison, 2008). The business men in UK are interested in short term results and thus have the tendency to make short term plans. The businessmen in UK are very much concerned with the customer care service that they provide to their customers. Thus it is seen that the customers in UK are satisfied with the customer care services that are provided by the organization and give good feedback when they are interviewed about the services. 3. Compare both the major elements and dimensions with U.S. culture and business. The difference between the business culture in US and UK lies in the way they define success. In US the businessmen prefer to form capital enterprise that has changed the definition of success for them. In US a successful businessman can be defined as a person who earns a handsome salary and has achieved a financially successful position in the society. These businessman generally hold the highest position in the organization but the position often does not matter to them. However, in UK, position is what matters for the businessmen irrespective of the fact if they are earning a handsome salary or not. The US and UK people have a different form of life after they have finished their work. If a person is satisfied after work and gets to spend time with his family and friends he will be happy with the work he is doing, if not he will not be satisfied with the type of work he is doing. In US the employees and even the top level mangers do socialize with their co-workers and spend time with them in order to know them better. The manager does interact with their employees after work to make them feel comfortable to work with them. The business executives are often seen in the baseball match or doing charities or doing social works. They finds satisfaction in doing so and thus makes them contend to have contributed to the society. But in UK this is just the opposite; no such social works are encouraged by the business executives. The managers do not show that concern for their employees after work. Business culture is changing everywhere in the world as so in US and UK. Few things that were taboo once like discussing the salary openly are becoming quite accepted now. A big change which is happening in both US and UK is the emphasis on the work-life balance. This change has greatly been adapted by the US people. The Americans previously used to devote themselves to their managers and thus they did not get that opportunity to spend personal time with their close ones. But now, the organizations have understood the fact that their employees are multi-faceted and they have their own personal life also. Thus now the Americans have started to balance their work and personal life. In UK though this culture is not accepted widely by the organizations but in few organizations the employers do acknowledge their workers responsibility towards their family. When one meets a new person during the travel or in meeting, one must adjust the topics of chatting during those conversations. In US and UK small talks are different and finding common grounds proves to be difficult if preparations are not made in advance. In UK businessmen are quite inclined towards sharing the world news during the small talks. Americans are focused on the homely affairs and are interested in celebrity gossip during the small talks. Americans also like to discuss about their families and are interested in comparing the mutual acquaintances. On the other hand, the British people are quite reserved and do not encourage in discussing their family in the small talk with any unknown person. In UK the business men are quite interested about the short term outlook and do not depend on the long term prospects. They do not encourage changes in the organization quite often. They do not reveal any reaction and as they are work oriented (Gertsen, 2008, p.143). They always try to avoid doing extravagant claims about their products or plan. In US changes are encouraged and thus they keep on up dated with the changing technology and the socio-economic environment (Shweder, 2002, p.165). Americans are interested in long term prospects as they do not work for short term benefits instead they try to seek ways which can make them able to stay in a prosperous position in future also. Decision making is slower in UK and in US. The British mangers do not rush to come to a decision instead they take time and then make a fruitful decision. But the American executives are direct and they take decision at once they held a meeting (The US-UK Fulbright Commission, 2013). 4. Determine the challenges for U.S. businesses that wish to conduct business in that country. The challenges that are faced by the US companies in UK are mainly due to the different business culture the two countries follow. The US companies encourage changes but the UK business culture does not encourage such changes (Moran, 2011, p.167). Thus a US company in UK can face problem with this issue. The changing technological and socio-economic environment has tempted every nation to change their way of working but UK has been stagnant with their old technology, strategies and plan and do not encourage change quite often (Brislin, 2008, p.234). References Brislin, R. (2008). Working with cultural differences. Westport: Praeger Publication. Communication Group Ltd. (2009). Doing Business in UK. Retrieved from http://www.communicaid.com/access/pdf/library/culture/doing-business-in/Doing%20Business%20in%20the%20UK.pdf Gertsen, M. (2008). Cultural dimensions of International mergers and acquisitions. Berlin: Desktop Publishing. Michigan State University. (2013). United Kingdom: Culture. Retrieved from http://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/united-kingdom/culture Minkov, M. (2011). Cultural differences in globalizing world. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing. Moran, R. (2011). Managing cultural differences .Burlington: Butterworth-Hienemann. Morrison, T. (2008). Business etiquette in Britain. Executive Travel. Retrieved from http://www.executivetravelmagazine.com/articles/business-etiquette-in-britain Shweder, R. (2002). Emerging cultural difference. California: Sage Publication. Smithers, R. (2012). Efficient resources use could help drive UK economic recovery. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/06/resource-economic-recovery The US-UK Fulbright Commission. (2013). Cultural differences. Retrieved from http://www.fulbright.org.uk/pre-departure/us-culture/cultural-differences Read More