International Business Cultures Nowadays - Essay Example

International Business Cultures International Business Cultures There has been an increase in the number of workers working in foreign counties. An example of a country whereby the number of foreign workers is significantly high is Germany. This is just one example of the many. This growing number of workers is a representation of the exchange of cultures that takes place and is taking place in the world. These workers experience the difference in cultures between their home countries and the countries they work in. However, difference in cultures is not only experienced by workers, tourists, and students experience it too. For this paper, students from different cultures paired up. They explored and researched on the difference in their cultures. From the exploration and research, a comparison of the cultural communication norms in the two cultures was obtained. The main differences between the two cultures, likely impacts theses differences could have on communication between people of these cultures, effects of the cultural differences on business relations and finally how one would try to solve the challenges the cultural differences may pose. To understand the concepts that these paper tries to describe, it is important to define what culture is. Culture may be defined as the summation of all laws, beliefs, practices artefacts, and institutions that typify a human population. In as much as definitions may vary, the main interest areas determine how it is defined. This is vital because studies that describe cultural differences take up a certain definition using various criteria which are subject to critic and appraisal. Globally, culture has various impacts on businesses. It is generally agreed that the main elements of culture such as language, values, customs, and religion affect a business if they are not taken into consideration (Kwintessential, n.d.). Britain is located in Western Europe. It is made up of several islands. Is capital is London. Britain has a population of around sixty million. According to the 2001 census, its ethnic composition is diverse with approximately 84.0% are English, 5.0% are Welsh, 9.0% are Scottish, blacks are 2% and others also make up 2% of the population. It must be noted that this numbers are rounded of to the nearest figures. The religions that are found in England include Christians who are the majority at 72%, Hindus at 1%, Muslims at 3% while others make up 2%. When these statistics are compared with Turkish statistics, a stark contrast emerges between the two cultures. Turkey is located in South-eastern Europe and partly in South-western Asia. Its capital city is Ankara. It is estimated to have a population of around sixty eight million persons which is roughly higher than England’s population. The ethnic makeup of Turkey is around 80% Turkish and 20% Kurdish. Turkey’s religion composition is roughly Muslim with 99.8% been Muslims of Sunni origin and while other religions make up the rest of the composition (Kwintessential, n.d.). Language is one of the most important aspects used in comprehension of a culture. Through the language that is commonly used, one can understand and describe a culture. It is generally recognized and accepted that English is the best business language. It is through language that people are able to communicate effectively. Communication is important in transfer of information in all cultures. However, communication norms differ among particular cultures. The British Cultural Communication norm is quite intriguing. The main language of communication is English with roughly seventy percent of the population speaking English as their first language. The British cultural norms can be described in various aspects such as etiquette and customs. In a business scenario, the most common method of greeting is a handshake. British are very secretive people and they do not make much eye contact. It is common to have follow procedure when introducing persons during a business meeting. This is generally viewed as a class characteristic (Kwintessential, n.d.). The ranks that define business meetings are emphasized with persons of higher status in the business meeting been introduced by their juniors. Exchange of gifts is particularly an important cultural norm in Britain. Gifts are exchanged between members of the family and friends who are close during Christmas and birthday celebrations. Usually, the cost of the gifts does not matter. It is common practice to have the gifts opened once they are received. Concerning time keeping, the British cultural norm values promptness, nevertheless, a fifteen minute gap is allowed after the agreed meeting time. It is very important that one remains standing until they are requested to take a seat. Greetings in the British culture, especially in business meetings involve firm handshakes regardless of the gender. They are undertaken at the start and during departure time. Titles are used to address persons during formal meetings. This is the correct form of address in business meetings. Communication in Britain is essential. It includes a mixture of different communication style. One on one conversation with persons who are viewed as of the same rank involves humility while direct communication with people they are conversant with involves more informality. On the other hand, written communication is guided by stringent regulations that follow a set of rules. Address in written communication includes the surname and title of the individual. The most common form of written communication is the E- mail. It is culturally normal for written communication to be fully written without the use of abbreviations or informal language (Kwintessential, n.d.). From this British cultural communication norm description, the Turkish cultural communication can be compared. While English is the main language of communication in Britain, Turkish is the main language of communication in Turkey. It is spoken by nearly ninety percent of the population in comparison with Britain’s seventy percent. The cultural norm in Turkey is that persons shake hands firmly just as in Britain. It is normal for friends to and relatives to greet each other with a kiss of two on the cheeks. This is not common in Britain. Rank is also considered just as in Britain with persons of higher rank been greeted first. Due to the impact of religion, Islamic greetings are normally utilized when greeting people, this is unlike Britain. It is uncommon for persons to exchange gifts in Turkey like in Britain. Concerning business meetings, most of them usually take place in restaurants. Just like in Britain, it was found that the person who invited the other for a meeting takes care of the bills. It is uncommon for Turks to do business with people who are new to them which is normal in Britain. Therefore, time is spent building up a relationship before any business deals are agreed upon. The cultural norm in Turkey is that courtesy is of uttermost importance which is unlike in Britain. Personal space in Turkey is not taken into much consideration like in Britain where people are secretive. While in Britain eye contact is usually avoided, in Turkey, it is essential that it is maintained. This is taken as a sign of openness. In Turkey, promptness is vital unlike in England whereby a fifteen gap is allowed after the agreed meeting time. Just like in Britain, business cards are exchanged informally. However, it is important that both hands are used when exchanging business cards. This cultural norm is not present in Britain (Kwintessential, n.d.). Key Differences between the Two Cultures The two cultures, Turkish and British cultures are very different when looked at from certain perspectives. One is religion. The religion composition of Britain is different from that of Turkey. In Britain, seventy percent of the population is Christian, while in Turkey; ninety percent of the population is Muslim. This has a huge effect on various culturally associated scenarios as will be seen in the next paragraph. Language can be a great barrier of communication. Hence, the different languages spoken in the two countries present a tactical and communication challenge. In Turkey, Turkish is the mainly used language of communication, while in Britain, English is used. British people value their privacy a lot unlike Turkish people who are more open. Many business agreements are determined by the level of openness in Turkey (Kwintessential, n.d.). However, this requires a level of understanding that is created by the relationship that is created between the business negotiators. In Turkey, it is particularly important that a relationship is created before an agreement is reached. Relationships are not regarded in Britain. What is important is that an agreement is reached. British people associate themselves with secrecy and privacy while the Turks do not mind about privacy provided a relationship has been established. In Britain, appointments are not necessarily important. However, in Turkey, this is different as they are very important. It is advised that appointments are made one to two weeks in advance. Due to their religion influence, Turks prefer that Ramadan is observed. This is not the case in Britain. Keeping time is very important in Turkey unlike in Britain. Turks take business as personal, while in Britain, business is viewed from the company’s viewpoint. Britain considers written forms of communication important. However, in Turkey, visual and oral communication forms are considered important. The decision making process in Britain is fast while in Turkey it is slow. Pressuring Turks and giving ultimatums in Turkey does not work and most Turks will pull out of a business while in Britain, these tactics are allowed. Financial benefits are not of much importance in Turkey as compared to non – monetary gains. In Britain, the financial details of a business meeting are vital (Kwintessential, n.d.). Impacts of these differences on Communication between People of these Cultures The likely impacts are that there is likely to be communication hindrances between people of these cultures as the two main languages differ, English and Turkish. These may call for the services of a translator or the use of written communication in both languages so that an understanding can be initiated. The religious differences that are associated with the two cultures may also effect communication negatively in that it is essential in Turkey to use the Islamic greetings. The British are not used to Islamic forms of greetings and a handshake may just be fine. The Turks consider relationship building a formal part of their day to day relations with other people. The British don’t and want their privacy to be respected. Hence, communication may be hindered due to the British view on privacy. However, this is not meant to criticize British culture. With punctuality been an important aspect of Turks, it may create unnecessary friction between people from the two countries if one does not observe punctuality. How the Cultural Differences may affect the way Business is done The cultural differences observed between the two cultures may affect the way business is done positively and negatively. One, it avails the opportunity for people from Britain to learn a thing of two about relationship building during business meetings. This is important so that one may know the people they are dealing with when conducting business. The non – monetary perspective of the Turks is also something that may affect the conduction of business. This may or may not hinder an agreement between the two business parties. Also, the language differences may result in misunderstandings arising from poor communication, miscommunication, or misunderstandings. Religion differences may break a business deal as the virtues and beliefs of the two main religions in these countries are different. For example, Muslims do not utilise interest in their business deals, while to Christians, interest is not prohibited. Finally, as an individual practising the British culture, these challenges would be overcome by making use of this research to take into consideration the cultural norms that define the Turkish culture. From these, it would be important to respect them and ensure am conversant with them. During communication, it is important to ensure greetings and a relationship is built up. Also, learning various Islamic greetings and ensuring that some Turkish words are known is important. Embracing the differences is vital in overcoming these challenges. References Kwintessential, n.d. Turkey - Turkish Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette. [Website], Retrieved from: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/turkey-country-profile.html Retrieved on 1st May 2014. Kwintessential, n.d. UK - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette. [Website], Retreieved from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/uk.html Retrieved on 1st May 2014. Read More