Cross-cultural Communications under the Conditions of Globalization of Modern Society - Coursework Example

Student’s Name Instructor Course Date Cross-cultural communications under the conditions of Globalization of Modern society Table of Contents 1.2 Object field and problem definition 5 1.2.1 Globalization field 5 1.2.2 Cross-Cultural Communication Concept 6 1.2.3 Intangible Cultural Heritage 7 1.3 Necessity of developing of cross-cultural communication in the modern society 8 1.4 Conditions for Development of Cross-cultural communication 9 2.0 An Analysis of cross-cultural communication 16 2.1.2 The Cultural Diversity Lens 18 2.2 Safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage as an attempt to preserve the traditions of interpersonal communication culture by the example Fado in Portugal 20 2.5 A need for effective interpersonal communication skills 25 2.6.1 Differences in mentality 27 2.6.2 Communication problems 27 2.6.3 Language problems 27 2.6.4 Absence of common topics, absence of understanding of the integral world 28 Works cited 33 1.0 Introduction Cross cultural communication is a complex and difficult experience. It brings people from different backgrounds and cultures to a platform where they can be able to share ideas and information. Understanding the meaning and intention of another party is a fundamental requirement for a successful communication. The success of cross-cultural communication is based on the success of mutual understanding, tolerance of culture and good attitude among persons involved in the communication. Globalization has turned the world into a global village where people from different backgrounds and beliefs come together to share common ideas. To a bigger extent, globalization has fostered the rise of cross-cultural communication. Globalization has enabled the rise of worldwide technology, and the presence of effective- fast communication and consumption of products that are popular and sourced from all corners of the world. The existence and establishment of bodies, events and organization such as UNESCO, UNO, NATO, European Union, Scientific conferences, Nobel Prize, Festival movement among many others have helped in the realization of globalization among many nations. There are many challenges that face cross-cultural communication in the world today. These barriers range from social, economic, environmental and political factors all which are important to consider for effective cross-cultural communication. This research investigates the role of cross-cultural communication in the face of globalization. In addition, the paper defines peculiarities of the contemporary process of cross-cultural communication. The research focused on ‘cross-cultural interdependence’ instead of traditional views of comparative differences and similarities between cultures, based on the culture concept derived from 19th century cultural anthropology. Cultural Globalisation is the current trend among nations that are fostering the growth of economy and technological advancements. This research will be done in the cross-cultural communication level of organization and individual level by the example of intangible cultural heritage Fado, in Portugal. General Objectives of the research are: What are the peculiarities of the cross-cultural communication of international organizations? What are the peculiarities of the communication on the interpersonal level? One of the data collection methods used in this report was secondary sources such as books, internet, magazines and journal articles. Books, magazines and journal articles provided relevant information for this report. Additionally, the internet provided up to date data that was equally relevant for this report. It also provided reliable, accurate, and timely information on the subject of cross-cultural communications. 1.1 Globalization and Cross-Cultural communications Globalization integrates world economies through elimination of barriers of trade, while strengthening communication and interaction between states. Globalization brings nations closer together and hence the world appears like a global village. Improved methods of information dissemination such as the use of the internet contribute positively in globalization to speed. Culture and ideas are exchanged without many limitations which were experienced earlier before globalization. That results to cohesion and understanding among nations. The process of Globalization has been an invaluable process in the rise and development of cross-cultural communication among both developing and developed countries. Through the rise of globalization, knowledge has been transferred from western countries to developing countries with the sole aim of improving the capabilities and skills of the people receiving it. 1.2 Object field and problem definition 1.2.1 Globalization field Webster’s dictionary is believed to be the first dictionary to address the definition of globalization. According to Websters dictionary, globalization is the act of globalizing or to render global as cited in Malcolm Walters (2). Giddens (2003) defines globalization as the amplification of worldwide social relations which connect distant localities in a manner that events occurring many miles away may shape the local happening. These local events will have been influenced by the forces of globalization. According to him, globalization started during the sixteenth century in Europe. Armand describes globalization as one of those instrumental notions as well as tricky words that affect market logic and without awareness of the citizens. The citizens’ consciousness is naturalized to the point of becoming essential for establishing communication between people of different cultures (Armand 97). According to him, globalization has a dominant role in decoding and organizing the meaning of the world. Beck refers to globalization as the process through which Sovereign national states are crisscrossed and undermined by transnational actors with differing prospects of power, orientation, identities and networks” Beck (11). He also refers globalization as the Intensification of transnational space, problems, events, conflicts and biographies. In his view, the world is moving to second modernity that is seen through growth of information technology, economy, civil society, communications and the tremendous changes in the environment. He perceives globalization to be discontinuous, conflictual and yet irreversible because according to him it is of no difference to other historical processes. Combining the views of the above cited authors; globalization can be defined as an intensification of political, economic, and socio-cultural relations in the localities of the world. 1.2.2 Cross-Cultural Communication Concept Cross-cultural communication is a terminology which many authors have tried to explain over the last decades. Giddens describes cross-cultural communication as the communication between people belonging to different beliefs, cultures, possessing different histories, values, traditions, references and languages in order to achieve common goals and objectives and being aware of the cultural diversity of the participants as an inwardly added value which should be cultivated and respected (Giddens 13). The term cross-cultural communication describes the ability to create, foster and cultivate good relationships with members of a culture different from one’s culture’s values perceptions, social structure, manners and decision-making practices, and understanding of how members of the group communicate in various business and social contexts. 1.2.3 Intangible Cultural Heritage Intangible cultural heritage are the practices, expressions, representations and expertise transmitted by communities from one generation to another. According to UNESCO, intangible cultural heritage provides communities with a sense of continuity and identity, while stimulating creativity and social-wellbeing. This, in turn, contributes to the management of the natural and social environment and income generation. Intangible heritage is best described as a map or a compass through which human beings select, interpret, reproduce and disseminate their information in cultural heritage as a whole. Intangible is mainly a tool in which tangible heritage is expressed and through which internal landscape of monuments and objects are turned into living archives of cultural values. In spearheading the development of cross-cultural heritage, UNESCO has played an essential role in ensuring its success. In the 2003 UNESCO convention, UNESCO spearheaded the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage that aims at preserving and safeguarding fragile heritage by ensuring full advantage is taken of its potential for sustainable development. Thus, intangible heritage is a larger framework in which tangible heritage obtains its shape and significance. The sustainable cultural diversity is a critical issue to be considered in the intangible development, and without the intangible development, there can be no sustainable development. Despite the fact that there are many efforts to support development in a holistic manner and to see values, people and social capital as a fundamental part of the development, there exists a powerful tendency to measure and define development through measures and methods which are primarily material: hospitals, schools, dams, seeds, factories, ploughs, clothing, houses, medicines. These intangible aspects of development have not been adequately linked to cultural diversity and cultural capacities. The challenges of intangible cultural diversity and sustainable development cannot be addressed in isolation from one another. They are critical elements that require to be harmonized to enhance cross-cultural interactions and communication. In the recent past, policies, measures and values concerned with diversity and dignity have been developed separately from those focusing on poverty, social equity and technology. Globalization is a necessary evil in the current society and technology. The nations which have embraced the demands of education and culture are increasingly unable to handle their own flow of images, ideas and resources which tremendously affect cultural development. UNESCO positioned itself to tackle the challenges that require revitalized dialogue between culture and development. 1.3 Necessity of developing of cross-cultural communication in the modern society Communication is an important means of expressing information to a different party or individual. The cultural diversity of people causes misunderstanding in terms of communication. The means and way of communication varies from one country to another. It is important to understand the way on how to communicate and avoid miscommunications and misunderstandings. This can be achieved by knowing the aspects of different cultures. This provides the reason for cross-cultural communication as an essential exercise to be undertaken by a person visiting a country, interacting across borders and cultural boundaries. Cross-cultural communication endeavours to bring together unrelated areas such as cultural anthropology and other developed areas of communications. Cross-cultural communication in the modern society embraces several fields such as anthropology, psychology, cultural studies and communication. The study of other languages other than the mother tongue is very crucial in understanding the cultural diversity and the different languages knowledge and understanding. The understanding has paramount implications in respect of developing awareness of social relationships and the way other communities work. Giddens emphasizes that cross-cultural communication is a way of life of the members of the society or groups within a society (Giddens 22). With the increase in globalization and the increase of international trade, it is obvious that different cultures will meet, blend together, and sometimes conflict against one another will arise. The people, who come together to conduct business, sometimes are faced with challenges of cultural diversity. This diversity may cause misunderstanding or miscommunication to the people in business. 1.4 Conditions for Development of Cross-cultural communication There are several conditions that favour the growth and development of cross-cultural communication that exist in the modern society. The emergence of globalization has increased the need for understanding cross-cultural communication. The following are the basis of cross-cultural communication, that is, social and media conditions. 1.4. 1 Social Conditions Today’s world has become a place of extraordinary population. A research which was conducted by Powell (5) suggested that the world is composed of various ethnic and racial subgroups with different cultures. Pollit (30-52) in his studies stated that diversity is concerned with embracing other’s differences. The biographical characteristics have an impact on people’s behaviour and understanding in the workplace, education institutions and the society in general. Few companies, for instance, embrace the concept of diversity in their workplace. The problem of cultural diversity in the workplace, learning institutions and the society at large, has been in existence since time immemorial. Globalization has been the main factor that has enhanced this concept. There was a time when all an organization required to do was to get better i.e. during the 19th century. During the 20th century, the aspect of global competition as well as information technology radically changed the trend. An organization that pursues incremental enhancement of results through such measures as cost effectiveness and process reengineering is doomed to fail in the 21st century. In modern times, the main reason that can cause a business organization to collapse is not rival firms performing better but somebody somewhere doing things differently. In many firms, the pursuant of the status quo is so high that employees are discriminated and stereotyped and not given equal opportunities with their counterparts due to their background characteristics. Usually, discrimination and stereotype in the workforce is inhospitable to cross-cultural communications. A common belief among many scholars today is that cross-cultural communications occurs virtually in all organizations. In a multinational firm for instance, foreign workers and minority group may misinterpret instructions given by their senior managers. In addition, they may fail to observe the laid down procedures due to communication problems. With this regard, different employers have mixed reactions. Local employees are, thus, perceived to have excellent judgment skills. These workers are deemed to lean on quality. Their level of employment commitment and loyalty is also high. On the other hand, most employers believe that foreign and minority- group employees do not embrace the concept of information technology perfectly as opposed to local ones. Other employees hold the view that, minority-group workers and immigrants have lower productivity. They, thus, opt to hire local employees because they believe they are vibrant and energetic. Due to communication problems, immigrant and minority-group workers interactions with the fellow workers may be marked by numerous misunderstandings. Performativity according to Felman (6) is a term that refers to the capacity of speech and non- verbal cues to construct an identity through verbalized social interaction. According to Robin (15-29), the audience contributes to the individual’s performance significantly. It does not just serve as a passive part but it conditions and channels the performance. In other words, the audience determines much of the subject’s choice of words, tone and delivery. Performativity, therefore, largely relies on communication, which means that the role of the sender and the recipient are not permanent, the subject at a particular point becomes the audience. Cultural subjectivity largely influences performativity because both the subject and the audience have preset standards and expectations. The way a student addresses the teacher, the way a political leader addresses the crowd or the way peers talk among themselves is all-dependent on their cultural subjectivity. The power distance in the different cultures come into play when the people of different social classes, academic levels, ages and familiarity engage in conversation. Both the verbal and non-verbal communication varies in the different situations. Cultural constructs are the characteristics people ascribe culturally to social categories as gender status, illness and death. Because different communities and groups have different cultures, it means that what one may consider right may be considered relatively wrong by another. Culture and subjectivity become one because they depend more on opinion than on reality. Culture is a collective brainwashing of the mind that differentiates the members of one group or category of individuals from another. To illustrate this, is the example of honour killings, which is a practice of some Muslim cultures. While the media and non-Muslim communities may consider this practice evil, the members who practice it consider it holy. Their cultures subject them to think of honour killing as an appropriate punishment to deal with infidelity. According to other cultures, it may be unheard off. It would seem inappropriate to consider subjectivity as an innate or naturally existing concept. Factors usually present at birth determine the innate issues. Subjectivity depends on opinions and experiences or knowledge, which are not present at birth. They are as a result of experience and culture. Ortner (20) considers subjectivity as the group of modes of perception, affect, thought, desire, and fear, which animate acting subjects. Subjectivity as a cultural construct involves the cultural and social formations that form, organize, and provoke the above modes. Every different group of people, professions, religions and cultures have their own standards, against which they measure achievement or failure. These standards are set and accepted over time according to the cultures of the different people. The different individuals perform different tasks and judge the performance of these tasks with subjective minds influenced by their experiences and knowledge, which is a product of their cultures. On the performance, we cannot ignore the gender roles. As such, many cultures define the roles for the male or female. Even as the gender equity agenda continues to change the perspectives of gender, many cultures choose to stick to the traditional gender roles. The desire to recognize diversity in the workplace is steered by women participation in formal and informal employment. In the past few decades for instance, the number of UK women participating in the workplace was relatively lower than men. Most employees believed that gender differences had an impact on job performance. Both men and women have a different way of solving issues. Their level of motivation, as well as their learning ability, also differs. Thus, women were more suited to perform domestic works, which required fewer skills, whereas men were deemed to perform well in science, mathematics and engineering fields. In recent years, the number of women involved in meaningful employment has risen steadily. It is essential that people know the possible problems of cross-cultural communication, and therefore, makes an effort to overcome these problems. This is done by changing attitude towards the different type of people around us. In addition, a person should exercise patience, be forgiving, and understand the cultural diversity of people. To develop this cross-sectional successfully, each party should be able to listen carefully and stop jumping into premature conclusions. 1.4.2 Media Conditions The media has contributed much in cross-cultural communication in both twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Media includes magazines, newspapers, books, radio, Television, music and movies. These forms of modern communication have reduced the distance within the four corners of the world. This drastic change has made events and information taking place in any remote area to be instantly reported all over the vast locations of the world. Problems and issues from Northern Ireland to South Africa, from mainland China to Bosnia, look as if they are the events in our own history. This has made the world to be a global village where people of different cultures and background share information and ideas. According to Movius (6), globalization and messages are closely interlinked. She cited early theorist ‘Marshall Mc Luhan’ who made the first connection between Media and globalization by combining the concepts of the “global village” and “the medium is the message.” Since the time immemorial many scholars have put forward the ideas of globalization and media as a great contributor to cross-cultural communication throughout the globe. According to Rantanen (4), most theorists are in agreement with the fact that there is practically no globalization without media communications. He highlights the role of media and cross-cultural communications in his definition of globalization. The media is the centre point as far as globalization and cross-cultural communication are concerned because of three reasons. The first is that media corporations have in the recent years globalized their operations. The second reason is that the global communication infrastructure has facilitated the efficient and quick flow of information. The third reason is that the global media play a key role on how people view the cross-cultural sharing of information across the world (Movius 6-11). According to Rehman (19-35), media is playing a big role in global understanding. The media is making valuable contributions by presenting compassionate and true portrayals and images of distant people and places. It exposes people living in remote areas of the world to interact with people living in major cities and developed countries of the world. Therefore, cross-cultural communication is allowed by the media since people can share ideas using the media. The new media technologies enable the media content to flow smoothly across borders, across different tribes, communities and cultures. News is spread to a wide number of people around the globe thereby contributing much to cross-cultural communication among different groups of people and individuals (Wellman 7). Movius (8), in her article ‘Cultural Globalization and Challenges to Traditional communication Theories,’ stated that social networks and social communities have led to debates about surfacing of new model of social interaction to create a new shape of society, which is considered as a network society. Communities that are online shed light on the emergence of new appearance of sociability enabled by technology, an exit from previously partially bounded social interaction. These online communities include people from different cultures and nations and hence development of cross-cultural communication amongst them. The drastic evolution of technology, mobile platforms and social networks is transforming classical notions of community and cross-cultural communication, giving new ways to circulate ideas and drive engagement. The more aggressive organizations throughout the world have anchored their business strategies on the technology platform. Thus, technology has provided the tools to level competitive barriers hitherto separating small organizations from big ones. Where it has been properly utilized, technology has succeeded to erase market barriers between smaller and larger organizations across the globe. The media in every nation today informs the citizens on what is happening within their country and internationally. According to Louis da Costa et. al, the first criterion for the selection of news stems from political option that is widely adopted in Africa (7). The report allows dissemination of information to countries speaking French and with relation with French country. Louis da Costa et al pointed out that During French election, the African countries speaking French, devoted programmes and news to that event. This showed the solidarity between the French speaking countries in Africa and France, as a country. Therefore, news can bring two or more countries together by sharing common ideas and information of what is happening in other countries. This trend has caused an increase in cross-cultural communication among nations. The news has acted as a breeding ground for strong cross-cultural communication among nations. 2.0 An Analysis of cross-cultural communication The world is now referred to as a global community, as a result of an increase in globalization. The diversity of people in countries and cities implies an element of cross-cultural communication. Globalization has enhanced issues that cut across national boundaries, cultural, interconnected systems on ecological, economical, technological, political and social networks that have seen success in the development of cross-cultural communication. The widening of globalization internationally has several impacts on the cultures and communication worldwide. The different conflicting economic blocks have been able to reach compromise level in some issues, and therefore, fostering economic growth and advancement in technology. For instance, the capitalists have been able to develop strong emphasis on free trade in their economies, whereas the communist have developed policies that favour the development of their communities. 2.1 Analysis of the cross-cultural communication on the level of international organization-UNESCO The objectives that UNESCO was pursuing include the promotion and incorporation of the principles that help nations to create and exchange products across boundaries, awareness-raising, standard setting and capacity-building. Therefore, it is true to say that UNESCO has played a role in the promoting cross-cultural communication among nations and communities by harmonizing the international cultural relations. 2.1.1 Culture for Sustainable Development Globalization plays a critical role of raising awareness between different cultures. With the advancement in technology, all parts of the world have been interlinked. This has, in turn, enabled mass production of goods and services. The world has become smaller due to globalization, and people’s needs have been adequately met. Understanding cross-cultural differences enables marketers to understand the buying behaviour. This includes issues such as the number of buyers in a given region, size of purchases and other related issues. They, in turn, develop effective market plans in order to minimise losses and maximise profits. Different products have a specific market that influences how they supply the product. Studying consumer behaviour improves supply chain management and other logistic issues. Studying consumer behaviour leads to market segmentation based on the characteristics of consumers that make it possible to classify them. Therefore, marketers separate consumers into groups with different potential. This makes it possible to increase effort and focus on groups that form the main target market. Cultural heritage has played a crucial role of enhancing the local people’s living standards. As a result of rich and varied heritage in many countries, major development works have been initiated, and this has in turn created jobs to local people. It has also enhanced the injection of new money from other countries thus, spurring growth of national economies. Most locals usually work in restaurants, tour companies and service stations that work hand in hand with the tourism industry. The increasing tourist needs in these countries have paved way for such infrastructural facilities like superb road, health amenities and schools (Dredge 364). Dredge (364-365), in his studies, argued that tourism has also empowered the local community through involvement and cultural appreciation. This, thus, plays a prominent role of revitalizing the local’s culture. However, in order to achieve sustainable development, people must respect and protect their cultures. Every nation has a unique heritage, as well as diverse environmental sites with enormous potential to contribute to the economic growth. In this respect, there is a need to encourage social cohesion in order to achieve sustainable development. 2.1.2 The Cultural Diversity Lens UNESCO universal declaration on globalization and cultural diversity in the general conference meeting on 11 September 2001 indicated that intercultural communication and dialogue are the best strategies to guarantee peace and overcome the clashing of civilization and cultures. The declaration was targeted to promote cultural diversity that is not perceived as being unchanging heritage but as a process that ensures the survival of humanity. It would prevent segregation and other cross-cultural communication barriers in the name of cultural differences and bring harmony of ideologies and understanding among individuals, organizations, and nations. The cultural diversity lens is a tool which is applied by UNSECO to determine whether the objectives enshrined in September 2011 have been met. The cultural diversity lens, therefore, enables policy makers to know the cultural environment in which they operate, identify gaps and challenges and formulate alternative programs to overcome these shortcomings. 2.1.3 Holistic cultural governance system Different countries have an extraordinary rich heritage of what the ancient people experienced, did and transmitted on to their younger generation. This cultural heritage plays a crucial role of linking indigenous forefathers and mothers with their children. According to scholars such as Dredge (360-367), a rich heritage enables future generation to have a feeling of what their past generations used to do several years ago. Tourists across the globe travel to areas with a rich heritage in search of adventure, archeology, and history and to interact with the local communities. Over the past two decades, cultural tourism heritage has become an appealing aspect of tourist destination. Some of the heritage resources include the way of life of indigenous communities. A tourist who hails from urban centres usually gets attracted with the way of life of local communities. For instance, tourists throng the Brazil’s Amazon rainforest in order to interact with the Kayapo people. Brazilians loves fun and are very friendly. Visitors come across this hospitality in all places that they travel, whether in rural areas or in towns. Brazilians have a strong obsession of soccer and sport is usually organized along national lines. The country boasts as one of the country’s that has a soccer history. The country has won State Championship on many occasions than any other country in the world. As a result, most admires their passionate about the sport and like to identify themselves with the green and yellow colours of Brazil’s national flag. Despite their rich and varied cultural heritages, most countries throughout the world face challenges in exploiting the power of culture for sustainable growth. UNESCO has partnered with these countries in order for them to attain sustainable development. In the recent past, UNSECO has come up with a policy through which countries can compete and cooperate at the international level. UNSECO has established a holistic cultural governance system that will ensure the countries benefit from their rich and varied cultural heritage. Among the measures taken by the UNESCO include the diversification of the product base, addressing the financial and regulatory impediment, enhancing the skill levels and industry standards and encouraging the preservation and conservation of the cultural and natural heritage. In addition, UNESCO has encouraged fledging economies to focus on niche markets and the business yields to achieve sustainable tourism growth. UNSECO has also carried out liaison and research functions with major stakeholders in an effort to safeguard and promote the heritage of these economies. 2.2 Safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage as an attempt to preserve the traditions of interpersonal communication culture by the example Fado in Portugal UNESCO recognizes the important role the intangible cultural heritage play as far as upholding diversity in the face of globalization is concerned. As such, UNESCO has established a list of intangible cultural heritage in order to ensure their preservation and also to create awareness of their importance. Fado, a popular song of Portugal, is among the intangible cultural heritages which are listed by the UNESCO. The Fado music culture was not a common phenomenon in Portugal until early 18th century. Today, the concept of Fado music festival has been largely embraced throughout the country as an effective way of expressing feelings such as love. UNESCO established the lists of Intangible cultural Heritage in 2008, to protect important global intangible cultural heritages and making everyone aware of their significance (Kurin 67). Lisbon’s mournful song and Portuguese most traditional genre, Fado, was unanimously added to the list in the November of 2011 (Kurin 67). Preserving the traditions of interpersonal communication through protecting the intangible cultural heritage is very important (Kirshenblatt‐Gimblett 54). Tangible and intangible things that signify cultural heritages carry information and raise feelings. Cultural heritage is made up of history and culture linked together. Intangible heritages such as Fado, life of the nobility or dinosaurs’ era and material heritages such as bones of dinosaurs, castles or music instruments have an interdependence relationship (Leal 34). Tangible heritages offer support or complement intangible heritages. The inclusion of Fado, a widely performed poetry and music genre by communities in Lisbon, in UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, represents a good attempt to preserve traditions of interpersonal communication culture. 2.2. 1 Including Fado on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage UNESCO added Fado in its list of intangible cultural heritage due to its ability to empower the local community through involvement and cultural appreciation. The traditional dancers normally provide visitors with the much needed entertainment. As such, Fado plays a key role shaping social interactions and socially-generated behaviours of the members of the community. In turn, Fado influences the image and reputation of a community in the eyes of visitors and tourists. As Leal (34-36) explains, tradition music genres provide community members with an opportunity to develop a sense of belonging to the local community. As well, traditional music genres such as Fado provide opportunities for community members to establish social networks, which contribute to the creation of social capital and establishment of social cohesion. Fado was included in the UNESCO’s list of Intangible cultural Heritage in November 2011. It was developed in Lisbon early 19th century as an expressive form of communication, in the form of poetry and music. The genre voiced many social-economic situations and formed part of the collective expressions that reflected the attitudes, values and ways of life of the communities in Lisbon. Through its transmission, over various generations, Fado communicated the valued and attitudes of the earlier generations. It, therefore, contributes to the intangible cultural heritage of the Lisbon communities (Gray 109). 2.2.2 Causes One of the reasons of adding Fado to this list is because it portrays great versatility in its lyrical and musical expression, thereby strengthening the identity and feeling of belonging in Lisbon. The practices and repertory of the genre are continually transmitted to the younger performers by the leading practitioners (Kurin 76). The second reason was that its inscription would ensure awareness and visibility of the intangible cultural; heritage, consequently, promoting dialogue between cultures due to its continued interaction with other music genres (Gray 151). The third reason was to honour the efforts and commitments of the local communities, museum of Fado and other bearers, with the aim of safeguarding Fado further through publications, education and other programs. Finally, its inscription represented the informed and free consent of those who participated in the nomination process and the fact that it existed in the Museum of Fado catalogue (Antunes 456). 2.2.3 Workflow Fado was one of the forty-nine proposals to be included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage for Humanity. The decision was voted in favour by twenty-nine delegates (Holton, Kimberly 110). Fado had been the last proposal to be assessed by the delegates in the UNESCO meeting. This decision was a great honour to the musicians, singers and composers of Fado, who had worked very hard to safeguard it for those years (Antunes 456). Fado songs are mostly performed by solo female or male singers, with the accompaniment of Portuguese guitarra and acoustic guitar. Over the years, the instruments that accompanied Fado were expanded to a bass guitar and Portuguese guitar. Fado has been performed professionally in small Fado houses in Lisbon neighbourhoods. The young performers are taught by the older respected performers in traditional settings, and this is continued for successive generations, within the same families (Nielsen, Ana Maria and Carlos 298). 2.2.4 Implications Inclusion of the Fado into the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity has had various implications. Firstly, it has reinforced the position of the Fado as symbolizing Portuguese identity. It has strengthened the feeling of belonging within communities in Lisbon and a sense of identity. This practice will, therefore, exist for many generations to come. It has also facilitated cross-cultural exchange with other musical cultures. At national and international levels, the inclusion of the Fado into the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity will make musical genres to interact and cause awareness and visibility (Antunes 456). 2.3 Peculiarities of the cross-cultural communication of UNESCO and Portugal’s celebrities Portugal’s celebrities such as Mariza, who is a singer and acts as the international ambassador for Fado and Carlos do Campo received the news of the inclusion of Fado in the list of Intangible cultural Heritage with jubilation. They felt that UNESCO had honoured the musicians, performers and the communities that presented Fado greatly. The celebrities also felt that Fado was a symbol of identity and it was something in their blood and not learnt. The celebrities acknowledged that much about the genre was passed down from generation to generation other than being documented (Kirshenblatt‐Gimblett 64). 2.4 Analysis of the cross-cultural communication on the individual level Interpersonal Communication is what connects two people to share ideas or information amongst themselves. This is an ongoing and ever changing process that occurs when a person interacts with another person either through face to face, or by using other means of communication. With the diversity in culture in the current world, people come together to trade or undertake projects, and therefore, good communication is needed. Every individual in the society has unique characteristics that define them and distinguish them from the rest. Each person represents a unique combination of psychological, physical, gender, education, and cultural characteristics that distinguish them from one another. People interacts with those who share same characteristics, and also, with those whose life experiences, attitudes and perspectives differ. There are many channels through which two people in the present world can communicate effectively regardless of distance between them. The current trend of urbanization and technological advancement has made people of different backgrounds to come together. The emergence of international institutions like colleges and universities bring students and lecturers of different backgrounds to come together. Cross-cultural communication takes place between members of different cultures either in contact or through their cultural representatives. Cross culture communication, can happen in the aspects of either low or high context cultures, or oral, written and nonverbal. In the aspect of high or low context, the stimuli of the environment determine the kind of communication (Lustig, Jolene and Enping 46). For example, high context cultures refer to the ones an individual has a lot of knowledge about, and therefore, needs little background information. Low context culture, on the other hand, refers to the cultures where an individual has very little information about and needs a lot of background information. Fado falls into the category of the oral, written and nonverbal whereby it facilitates the audience to pay special interest to specific expressions to get the intercultural message (DeVito 234). 2.5 A need for effective interpersonal communication skills Interpersonal communication is the process through which people exchange feelings and information using verbal and nonverbal messages. It does not only focus on the actual message but also the nonverbal messages gotten from gestures, body language and facial expressions, the language used and how the actual message is said. Communication happens when two or more people are aware of each other even when there is no speech. It is, therefore, important to have effective interpersonal skills to avoid sending the wrong messages. To achieve this, communicators have to be aware of the message, feedback, noise, channel and context (DeVito 234). The effectiveness of interpersonal communication depends on the degree to which we practice and demonstrate interpersonal skills. The existence of a person living with other people of different cultures and backgrounds necessitate him or her to learn effective communication skills. The culture of each person, his or her gender, the individual’s goals, and the environment will determine how that person approaches and processes interpersonal communication. A male individual has away in which he relates to fellow men, and that might be very different to the way he relates to women. This also applies to women and the different groups of people depending on the relations between them. Individual’s goals in life may affect the way they communicate with other individuals in the society. For example, a person intending to be a political leader will communicate differently compared to pastor, musician or celebrity. A political leader communicates the national issues that are affecting the nation and the way the government should be run. On the other hand, a pastor will communicate to people concerning the spiritual matters affecting their lives. A musician communicates with friends and colleagues on the recent trends in the music industry and the new patterns of music. All these groups of individuals learn the skills on how to communicate effectively with the intended audience in order to pass the information and get the feedback they want. 2.6 Factors affecting interpersonal communication based on cultural diversity There are many factors affecting interpersonal communication and cross-cultural communication amongst people of different cultures and backgrounds. Communication across cultures is a difficult experience because of the difference in perceptions and interpretation of messages. Effective communication is achieved when one person understands the meaning and intention of what another person is saying. The skill to associate with rewarding and effective cross-cultural communication seems to be elusive to many people who do not have experience of this form of interaction. There are various reasons why interpersonal communications do not work. In many instances, the message may not be perceived exactly the way the sender intended it (Lustig, Jolene and Enping 50). Most of the world’s population lives in societies that are collectivist in nature. Only societies that are in the western countries are individualistic in nature. This difference has the potential to cause potential misunderstandings, and therefore, miscommunication among people of different cultures. The following factors affecting interpersonal communication provide a broader sense to cross-cultural communication in the face of globalization. 2.6.1 Differences in mentality The psychological state of the message recipient may influence how the message is received. If an individual has personal worries, they may be preoccupied with personal problems and distress and be non-receptive to the message than if they were not. The attitude of the receiver of a message is also a significant barrier to interpersonal communications. Attitudinal barriers may occur because of personality conflicts, resistance to change, poor management, or lack of motivation. Effective recipients of messages should attempt to triumph over their own attitudinal obstacles to enhance effective communication. 2.6.2 Communication problems Cross-cultural communication is challenged with many communications breakdown by individuals communicating. This breakdown starts with the perception of the message being given by one of the parties in the communication. Perception is the way a person interprets and understands the reality. A different understanding of the information may occur because of listening to the small amount, or part of the message that the sender is giving. A different perception also may spring out of selective listening. An individual may listen to part of the message and ignore the rest of the message. 2.6.3 Language problems The problem of language diversity among communities around the world generates a barrier to cross-cultural communication. According to Stockinger, foreign language deficit brings many challenges to interpersonal communication among individuals (24). He explains that there is a lack of linguistic competence, and individuals strive to speak correctly and to understand another’s mother tongue. He argues that lack of appropriate competence of interaction verbally, bodily and visually with the culturally routine cause adverse barrier to interpersonal communication across different cultures. The language and linguistic technicalities may act as a barrier to interpersonal communication. A person communicating one language may use a terminology which may act as a barrier to interpersonal communication if not well understood. If a person uses many jargons and abbreviations in his or her message, the recipient may not be able to understand the message that is not familiar with the terminology used. The presence of regional colloquialisms and expressions in many cultures may be misinterpreted by the receiver. In addition, it can be considered to be offensive. 2.6.4 Absence of common topics, absence of understanding of the integral world Communication is made easier and attractive when there is a common and understandable topic to be discussed. When an individual misses out a common issue, he or she may not be able to pass the information effectively. Additionally, there is a need to have a fundamental or primary word of communication that is well understood. 2.7 Overcoming communication barriers and an emergence of traditions in the international society of Portugal One of the ways communication barriers were overcome in the international society of Portugal was through presentations of traditional music like Fado. Having been developed in Lisbon, people expressed their views concerning various social situations. This began with the emigrant communities and later it spread to the upper class. It was performed in events such as bullfighting and in theatres and it expresses social protests for the marginalized people and the workers. The use of Fado as a musical genre was, therefore, used as a way of overcoming communication barriers between the emerging traditions of the international society of Portugal (Antunes 456). 2.8 History of Fado from interpersonal communication to UNESCO Fado as a symbol of the Portuguese’s identity national meaning Fado is a widespread musical genre, developed in Lisbon, which can be traced back to the early 19th century in Portugal. It represents the most well known element of the Portuguese culture. According to Nielsen, Ana Maria and Carlos (298), Fado is a form of music that consists of mournful lyrics and tunes. Traditionally, Fado songs and poetry communicated about the life of the poor or the sea. They were characterized by sentiments of fatefulness, melancholia and resignation (Antunes 456). It is a constant presentation of emigrant communities and is helpful in forming national identity apologetic discourses. Narratives of the origin of Fado genre link it to criminality, slave traffic, prostitution, Portuguese colonial expansion and the Arabs legacy. Towards the end of the 19th century, Fado genre was embraced and performed by the upper classes. It was performed in upper class salons and bullfighting events (Kirshenblatt‐Gimblett 54). Furthermore, it featured in theatres, as a representation the workers, and marginalized classes’ powerful protests. However, the dictatorial regime of Portugal tried to control the popular nature of Fado. Censorship and professionalization of Fado was facilitated by the cultural policies of the Portugal regime. In state controlled radios, Fado became popular, and it made appearance in recordings and first sound films of Portugal. The popularity of Fado was however short-lived as it declined due to its association with the dictatorship regime after 1974 Carnation Revolution (Lustig, Jolene and Enping 56). 2.9 Fado as Intangible Cultural Heritage, International meaning Currently, both amateur and professional Fado continues to thrive in Lisbon with continued intensity portraying a lively and diverse culture of the communities in Lisbon. There are Fado performances in tourist houses and other historic places such as Bairro Alto and Alfama (Lustig, Jolene and Enping 46). For the tourist market, performing of Fado in typical Lisbon houses and Lisbon neighbourhoods represents authenticity of the Lisbon diverse cultures. In addition, Fado is performed in concerts, local bars, and recreational associations within neighbourhoods and in state functions. There was a however a social stigma of marginalization associated with Fado. In 1994, it featured in an exhibition that featured Lisbon as the European’s Capital City of Culture. In November 2011, Fado was included in the list of the Intangible cultural Heritage (Antunes 457). 3.0 Conclusion Human beings in the quest for fulfilling human needs and wants have led to the drastic emergence of globalization. The advancement in technologies used for communication and transportation and the tremendous increase in the international flow of capital have had an effect on the political, economic, environmental and socio-cultural sectors of many nations in the world, both in a positive and negative way. The development of cross-cultural communication has been supported by many factors. These factors as discussed above including economic, production and consumptions, politics, European unions, UNESCO, NATO, Media, Internet, and news. These factors and organizations have created a fertile ground for the rise in cross-cultural communication among communities and nations. The development of cross-cultural communication based on the above factors and organizations is grounded on the rise of globalization among nations. Cross-cultural communications have been facilitated by the favourable conditions of globalization in the modern society. In the past, the aspect of cross-cultural communication was almost a dream but with the rise of globalization and technological advancement in the present world, it is now a reality. The national meaning of Fado was to express the situations of the diverse communities in Lisbon, which were mostly mournful. It served as a symbol of Portuguese national identity, which has been reinforced by its dissemination and presentation in world music circuits. Internationally, Fado has led to a process of cross-cultural exchange that involves music traditions from all over the globe. Every culture is unique and when people from diverse cultures interact, they may experience certain preoccupations. The possibility of not being sufficient to remain detached is one of the factors that may affect interpersonal communication (Lustig, Jolene and Enping 50. Furthermore, people from different cultures can fear that the encounter might have a negative effect on them. They may also fear any form of confrontations and misunderstanding. This form of anxiety coupled up with language barriers and differences in values, attitudes and beliefs can affect interpersonal communication between diverse cultures (DeVito 234). 4.0 Future outlook Musical heritages such as Fado will be used to improve communication between diverse cultures through their expressions. Intercultural communication is very important because it provides people with knowledge about other cultures. In the future, more items from different countries should be presented to UNESCO for inscription in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. This will be useful in preserving cultures from all parts of the world. Works cited Alcino Louis da Costa, Yehia Aboubakr, Pran Chopra, Fernando Reyes MattaNews Values and Principles of Cross-cultural Communication . National Distributors of UNESCO Publications. France. Paris: United National Educational, scientific and cultural organization. 1980:2-15 Antunes, Pedro Girão, et al. "Automatic Fado Music Classification." arXiv preprint arXiv:1406.4447 (2014). Armand. Mattelart. Networking the World, Liz Carey-Libbrecht and James A. Cohen. Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press 2000. Beck, Ulrich. ‘What is Globalization?’ Cambridge: Polity Press, 1999. DeVito, Joseph A. Interpersonal communication. Vol. 11. Book. edisi, 2007. Doyle, Julie. “Picturing the Climatic: Greenpeace and the Representational Politics of Climate Change Communication.” Science as Culture. Vol. 16, No. 2, 129–150, June 2007University of Brighton, UK. 2007: 131-135 Dredge, Dianne.Stories of Practice: Tourism Policy and Planning. Farnham: Ash gate Publishing, Ltd, 2011. Felman, Shoshana. The Scandal of the Speaking Body: Don Juan With J.L. Austin, or Seduction in Two Languages. Translated by Catherine Porter. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2003. Giddens, Anthony. Runaway World: How Globalization Is Reshaping Our Lives. Cambridge. Polity publishing, 2003. Gray, Lila Ellen. "Fado's City." Anthropology and Humanism 36.2 (2011): 141-163. Gray, Lila Ellen. "Memories of empire, mythologies of the soul: Fado performance and the shaping of saudade." Ethnomusicology (2007): 106-130. Holton, Kimberly DaCosta. "Bearing material witness to musical sound: Fado’s L94 museum debut." Luso-Brazilian Review 39.2 (2002): 107-123. Ilbas, P. 2010. Estimation of Monetary Policy Preferences in a Forward-Looking Model: Bayesian Approach. International Journal of Central Banking 6 (3), 169-209. Kirshenblatt‐Gimblett, Barbara. "Intangible Heritage as Metacultural Production1." Museum international 56.1‐2 (2004): 52-65. Kurin, Richard. "Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in the 2003 UNESCO Convention: a critical appraisal." Msuseum international 56.1‐2 (2004): 66-77. Lammel, Birgitta. The Nobel Foundation:A century of Growth and Change. The Nobel foundation: June 29, 2000:2-37 Leal, João. "The making of saudade. National identity and ethnic psychology in Portugal." (2000). Lustig, Myron W., Jolene Koester, and Enping Zhuang. Intercultural competence: Interpersonal communication across cultures. Pearson/A and B, 2006. Movius, Lauren: Cultural Globalization and Challenges to Traditional Communication Theories. Journal of Media and Communication 2(1) (January. University of Southern California, US.2010, 6-18. Negri, de Berengere et al. “Improving Interpersonal Communication between Health Care Providers and Clients”. Quality Assurance Methodology Refinement Series, 2009:258-264 Nielsen, Christine Sarah, Ana Maria Soares, and Carlos Páscoa Machado. "The Cultural Metaphor Revisited Exploring Dimensions, Complexities and Paradoxes through the Portuguese Fado." International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 9.3 (2009): 289-308. Pollitt, David. Diversity in the Workforce. 3rd edition. West Yorkshire: Emerald Group Publishing, 2006. Powell, Garry. Managing a Diverse Workforce: Learning Activities .Ed:3.London: SAGE, 2010. Rantanen, Terhi. The Media and Globalization. London: Sage, 2005. Rehman, Sharaf N. The Role of Media in Cross-Cultural Communication. Intercultural Communication Studies: Northern State University, 1991. Robinson, D. Introducing Performative Pragmatics. London and New York: Routledge, 2006. Sherry, Ortner . Subjectivity and cultural critique University of California, Los Angeles. UCLA – Estados Unidos, 2004. Stockinger, Peter. “Intercultural communication, a general introduction.” NATO Regional Cooperation Course. North Atlantic Treaty Organizaiton: NATO defense college. 10th march 2010: 15 Walters, Malcolm. Globalization.2nd edition. Routledge Publishers, 2001 Wellman, B. “Designing the Internet for a Networked Society”. Communications of the ACM, 45(5), 2002: 91-96 Read More

1.1 Globalization and Cross-Cultural communications Globalization integrates world economies through elimination of barriers of trade, while strengthening communication and interaction between states. Globalization brings nations closer together and hence the world appears like a global village. Improved methods of information dissemination such as the use of the internet contribute positively in globalization to speed. Culture and ideas are exchanged without many limitations which were experienced earlier before globalization.

That results to cohesion and understanding among nations. The process of Globalization has been an invaluable process in the rise and development of cross-cultural communication among both developing and developed countries. Through the rise of globalization, knowledge has been transferred from western countries to developing countries with the sole aim of improving the capabilities and skills of the people receiving it. 1.2 Object field and problem definition 1.2.1 Globalization field Webster’s dictionary is believed to be the first dictionary to address the definition of globalization.

According to Websters dictionary, globalization is the act of globalizing or to render global as cited in Malcolm Walters (2). Giddens (2003) defines globalization as the amplification of worldwide social relations which connect distant localities in a manner that events occurring many miles away may shape the local happening. These local events will have been influenced by the forces of globalization. According to him, globalization started during the sixteenth century in Europe. Armand describes globalization as one of those instrumental notions as well as tricky words that affect market logic and without awareness of the citizens.

The citizens’ consciousness is naturalized to the point of becoming essential for establishing communication between people of different cultures (Armand 97). According to him, globalization has a dominant role in decoding and organizing the meaning of the world. Beck refers to globalization as the process through which Sovereign national states are crisscrossed and undermined by transnational actors with differing prospects of power, orientation, identities and networks” Beck (11). He also refers globalization as the Intensification of transnational space, problems, events, conflicts and biographies.

In his view, the world is moving to second modernity that is seen through growth of information technology, economy, civil society, communications and the tremendous changes in the environment. He perceives globalization to be discontinuous, conflictual and yet irreversible because according to him it is of no difference to other historical processes. Combining the views of the above cited authors; globalization can be defined as an intensification of political, economic, and socio-cultural relations in the localities of the world. 1.2.

2 Cross-Cultural Communication Concept Cross-cultural communication is a terminology which many authors have tried to explain over the last decades. Giddens describes cross-cultural communication as the communication between people belonging to different beliefs, cultures, possessing different histories, values, traditions, references and languages in order to achieve common goals and objectives and being aware of the cultural diversity of the participants as an inwardly added value which should be cultivated and respected (Giddens 13).

The term cross-cultural communication describes the ability to create, foster and cultivate good relationships with members of a culture different from one’s culture’s values perceptions, social structure, manners and decision-making practices, and understanding of how members of the group communicate in various business and social contexts. 1.2.3 Intangible Cultural Heritage Intangible cultural heritage are the practices, expressions, representations and expertise transmitted by communities from one generation to another.

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