Coastal and Marine Pollution in Australia - Case Study Example

Name: xxxxxx Tutor: xxxxxx Title: Coastal and Marine Pollution in Australia Institution: xxxxxx Date due: xxxxxx Case Study Rice Land Food Limited (RLFL) is one of the leading Thai rice exporters exporting rice to worldwide market. In their partnership with the German company the Thai manager faces several issues while conducting business with the German based company. The issues include the difference in the trade requirements in the German market compared to that of Thai Market rules, differing business culture, which presents different time orientation, communication problem and negotiating with the German manager, in addition, the lack of international management experience to trade poses an issue to the manager of Thai Rice Company. Entry and macroeconomic environment for Germany German has several trade requirements which are imposed to importers. Such restrictions are always tighter when it comes to food quality and safety. The German population has a higher per capita of 12 pounds per year hence it gives them a higher purchasing power for commodities such as rice. Therefore the Thai rice company would establish their global market in Germany if their rice meets the standards and rules set by the government of Germany. However, this would be an issue for the Thai company to advance their processing process so as to produce quality rice that can meet the standards stipulated by the German law on food safety and quality. (Wallace 2007) points out that this rule cannot be overlooked because the media and the political scenes have a very close watch concerning the adherence of these standards. The consumers in Germany are highly price sensitive in addition to being quality sensitive. This calls for the manager to initiate techniques that produce the highest quality rice while minding the price too not to be high so as to win the exportation deal in the German market. Issues faced: Time orientation In arranging the meeting with the German Manager the secretary arranges an appointment for the Thai manager. The secretary however does not recognize the fact that the time in Thailand is quite different from that of Germany. The business time runs between 8 am to 4 Pm daily which is termed as the business hours. The secretary calls the German Manager at 10.00 am. According to Thai time, this is however not a business time in German; according to their time, it is actually 5 hours behind. That is, it is 5 am in Germany. This is already not quite a good start for aspiring business partnership. Therefore the secretary has to be precise and keen with the global time differences so as to maintain the business ethics and language. Germans as known would not want to be called for business arrangements while at home unless the matter in question carries an emergency. Even though the secretary calls the German manager and arranges for the business meeting for the two managers, other issues still underlie their meeting. The mistakes included introduction mistakes and lack of communication between the two managers. In conducting business one can encounter several personal lifestyle or cultural differences. Among the differences, you will encounter some as simple as an individual’s degree of formality or the way of picking on a conversation. Other differences however, can reflect a complex blend of customs and individual values. Issues would also develop over differing perspectives on the role or purpose of the communication made (telephone call received during non-business hours) or, even minor issues such as how close someone stands to you matters a lot in the values that guide the business communication. Communication in the Business culture Issues of diversity adversely affect the way individuals approach business communication. (Burke 2006) suggests that different people from all over the world represent a unique cultural background and ethnicity. Mostly everything including reaching an agreement and addressing a given misunderstanding could be challenging. For instance, the understanding between the Thai manager and the German importer could have been a great challenge. In an example, if there was a British employer in conflict with an employee, he would rather maintain harmony rather than resolve the issue. In this case, his cultural beliefs are reflected in the way he wants only to keep peace rather than going to the bottom of the issue to resolve it. In the case of the Italian employer, he would resort to the avoidance of the issue. The bottom line here is that sometimes issues arise in business communication as a result of the cultural values that we uphold, values that define the normal way we carry out our activities either formally or informally. The Thai manager would not talk after the German had talked. This was a complication that arose maybe because of the different values that exist in German and Thailand. There would also be non-verbal communication misunderstanding and different attitudes concerning disclosure and frankness. In the business culture of the German people, they discuss business matters after a moment of general talk so that they can familiarize and strike a form of acquaintance with the business partner. In many parts of the world, there exist differing ways in which a deal is reached at. Individuals can meet and sign the contract right away. This would somehow sound to be rude by other people. Business people could meet more times and hold conversations so that they would gain that secure and mutual trust and loyalty. After this process, then the business deal would be given a room to transpire. In most of the Asian countries such as Thailand, it is customary to come along with a gift for the person with whom you want to strike a business deal with. This is just a cultural sign of good faith. Receiving gifts in business matters is not welcomed in the German culture contrary to the customary believes of the Thai people. Therefore when dealing with international business grounds one has to be aware of the business do’s and don’ts so as to pave a good way for reaching a fair consensus with the business negotiations. Business etiquette is a very crucial matter for anyone doing business globally. (Cole 2009) writes that the required business etiquette is gotten from what is believed to be appropriate in a given cultural context. It is therefore required by anyone who wants to conduct a business deal on international grounds to research on the acceptable customs and etiquette of the country in question before travelling to the country for business. Negotiation issues People develop various perceptions concerning the actions or the things we say especially in cross-cultural business context. The new information will always be filtered through the established systems of looking at situations or events. These views are then used in support of partisan perceptions selectively. Cultural differences bring various issues for many business operations because it is inherently nebulous and always difficult to understand. Someone would violate the cultural customs of another given country without being aware of his actions. In addition, individuals from different cultural background may feel uncomfortable when they are in the presence of individuals of another cultural background without having any reason, in this case, the Thai manager cannot say anything despite the fact that the German manager has been talking. The Thai manager continued unconsciously to try to adjust to reach a compatible interpersonal distance that would make him a little bit comfortable. According to the German manager’s perception, gifs are not applicable in a business context especially when the person giving the gift is not a usual acquaintance. In addition, the German people would seem to appear unfriendly unless you get to know them closely. Effective communication with individuals is more challenging. This is because people’s ways of thinking, seeing, hearing and interpreting situation or events is shaped by their culture. In these same words, events or situations would have different meaning for people from different cultural backgrounds. According to (Miller 2003) the probability of misunderstanding is even higher when the language poses a barrier. The German Importer speaks a little English while the Thai manager also speaks a little English, hence even though they communicate, there is a probability that the right intended message would not be passed across. In case someone is travelling internationally for business he or she is required to learn at least few words of the culture he is intending to visit. This is a beneficial step because it will wipe out a few differences that would be present as a result of language barrier. Understanding the basics of the other language would also wipe out the probable misunderstandings that would arise if none of the two parties would communicate at all. Lack of International Management Experience The Thai manager seems to be uncomfortable around the German importer; this could be attributed to lack of experience of international management experience by the Thai manager. He is emotionally constrained to the point that he can barely say anything to keep the conversation going. (Garry 2007) suggest that before any business negotiations begin it is advisable that individuals familiarize with each other so as to establish a mutual trust between them. Someone would ask how that would be achieved if the Thai manager could lack anything to say. The ability to initiate and sustain a conversation is mandatory for managers of any business. The ability to convince a business partner so that the deal closes on fair terms is important. If the Thai Manager would not talk it implies that either they did not reach a consensus or the deal could have closed on the terms that are not favorable on the side of the Thai manager. Different cultures will control their emotional display in different ways. (Stephan 2004) suggests that some cultures would get very emotional when they are debating a given issue, they would get afraid or frustrated or exhibit their anger. In this case the Thai manger was afraid of their conversation with the German Manager or we would say he kept his emotions hidden may be by the fact that the German is superior to him. Even if he was superior, he needed not to get intimidated by him rather he would have drawn the power distance and talk with him in respect to that boundary of power instead of lacking anything at all to tell. Culture would have behavior constraint that could somehow explain the situation of the Thai Manager. (Dixon 2005) points out that each culture carries its own rules concerning the right behavior that would impact the verbal and the non verbal communication. Such behaviors would include; how one stands close to each other while talking, whether they look him in the eye or whether they talk overtly what they want to imply. These present the rules governing politeness given the cultural contexts they are in. Conclusion It is widely known that globalization has brought with it cultural homogenization and that businesses around the world are adopting the western business culture by adopting the English language. As a result of this any business people who would want to travel to other countries for business matters have to familiarize themselves with the culture of the country in question by learning their language and the ethics that rule their business culture. Conducting a global business blindly would be the least thing an international trader would do as it could put him in comprising situation such as the Thai manager. For negotiations to succeed, first impression matters. The impression could be made when one is familiar with the cultural beliefs and values that exist in the country in question. Time orientation of the different countries should be observed as business hours in one country would not apply in another. Recommendations The major key to inter-cultural business understanding is to learn more or the important aspects that govern the business culture of the other trade partner. This is because the business norms require that the business transactions favor the cultural norms of the dominant party. That is. The Thai Manager was supposed to adhere to German business culture and not his. Therefore he was not supposed to bring on gifts with him for business talks. Control of one’s emotions when attempting to negotiate business transaction requires attention, assertiveness and the ability to construct mutual trust between oneself and the other business partner. The Thai manager needs to learn much concerning the ways he can be able to effectively conduct international business communications. Proper communication usage in business deals is a vital part in international business transactions that the Thai rice company has to learn and which the rest of the staff of the business has to put in mind. For instance the secretary calling the German rice importer according to the Thai local time without reference to global time converter is a huge mistake. Some individuals, especially the Germans would not want to be called for business matters while at home unless it is an emergent case. Reflection Cultural differences in business communication always present a major problem. Even if someone shares the same language but they are from different cultural background, they can still have a problem of feeling comfortable around each other. For instance, the body language of one individual of a different culture would appear rude and confusing to the person of different culture. To some extend some cultures will handle issues differently. Some practices would not be appropriate if done in a different cultural context. For instance, the Thai manager carried a gift with him to take to the German business partner, he however did not seem to appreciate the act because this is not applicable in the German culture. They do not bring gifts to business matters further more when the one advancing the gift is totally new. The Thai could have been intimidated by the way of talk by the German manager. (Adler 2005) points out that the tone of voice would convey certain emotions which would be wrongfully interpreted by the Thai. A soft tone on the other hand would imply friendliness, could it be that the tone of the German manager was loud or harsh that made the Thai manager feel uncomfortable or was it just a wrong perception of the Thai concerning the German? Well, it is believed that people who are from non-white cultural background wrongfully interpret the volume and tone of the voice. To some cultures, getting loud would imply excitement or enthusiasm while others would see this as harshness or rudeness. References Adler, R 2005, Business Communication: Principles and Practices for Business and the Professions. New York: McGraw Hill Burke, S 2006, Diversity Issues In International Business Communication. A Journal of International Business ethics and Communication, 3(6) 23-27 Cole, F 1999, Making Deals in Strange Places: A Beginners Guide to International Business Negotiations. A Journal of Business Practice and Communication, 6(5) 12-17 Dixon, L 2005, Strategic Communication in Business and the Professions. New York: Houghton Mifflin. Gary, P 2007, The Cultural Dimension of International Business. International Business Journal, 13(8) 133-145 Miller, H 2003, Intercultural Business Communication. A Journal of Business Practice and Ethics, 4(7) 34-39 Stephan, T 2004, Cross Cultural Adversity Research: Influence of Culture on Adversity. A Journal of International Communication. 34(15) 123-134 Silverman, R 2010, Cultural Issues Play Big Part When Making Deals. Denver Business Journal, 6(5)123-129 Wallace, P 2007, European Trade Requirements. A Journal of International Trade, 12(5) 67- 73 Wood, M 2007, Asian Etiquette And Ethics In Business. Asian Business Communication Review. 6 (5) 56-63 Read More