Communication Foundations and Taxonomies in the Countries - Essay Example

Intercultural communication

Communication is important in any relationship that involves two parties and it must be properly managed to ensure people understand each other. However, issues relating to differences in culture lead to poor communication consequently affecting relation between people in a society(Novinger, 2008). The paper will discuss the example of poor intercultural communication, which affected the international commerce and foreign policy in the countries involved. Further, the paper will address the issue involving lack of intercultural communication with clear definitions of cultural patterns in the two countries, theories that exist in the two cultures, identity and bias between the two cultures. Further, the paper will discuss the communication foundations and taxonomies in the countries. In this essay the two culture that will be used for the example is the United States and Mexico. The essay will cover will cover two intercultural communication theories which require to be looked at and possibly resolved by the two countries.

The relationship between the United States and Mexico are strong and the two countries have tried their best to reduce the issue that might exist between them. The United States especially emphasizes on maintaining a good relationship with the country since they share a large percentage of their borders in addition to a port and other important factors. However, their relationship does not exist without challenges, which the two countries have tried their best to resolve. One such issue is the issue of country of origin labelling which is a result of poor communication(Villareal,2015). Mexico claims that the mandatory requirement set by United States, whichinvolves the labelling of animal products lead to discrimination of their products. The labelling of meat products based on their countries of origin creates a kind of incentive for the same products from the United States. Thus, the requirement to label products according to their country of origin is seen as an unfair trade barrier by the Mexicans. The labelling of meat products affected the foreign policies in both countries(Villareal,2015). Thiswas proved by the study, which showed that the United States citizens prefer meat products that originate from the country and they tend to discriminate those products from Mexico. This issue is also a good example of poor intercultural communication, which affected the international commerce and foreign policy of United States and Mexico.

The cultural patterns are divided into various components, which are; the nature of the beliefs held by the two cultures, their values, norms and their social practices(Novinger, 2008).These patterns in a culture create a way in which the verbal and non-verbal symbols are interpreted. Further, since all cultures have distinct patterns the symbols do not contain an interpretation that is international or a similar degree of favorability.

The social practices in both countries are different where each culture has its own practices, which are very distinct form the other. For instance, in Mexico family is placed first before anything else where one has to make the family their priority. This involves dealing with the needs of the family and ensuring their families are comfortable before they can think about fulfilling the needs at the work place(Novinger, 2008). On the other hand, in United States, family is not given the first priority and instead work is given the first priority. People in the United States have to put their work first and ensure the interests of the organizations they work for are fulfilled even when it means they will fulfill this at the expense of their families(Novinger, 2008). A good example is a person has to ask for permission from their work place in order to take their child to hospital and lack of doing so may sometimes mean the loss of a job.

Another example is the social status in Mexicois based on how a person dresses or grooms him or herself. This means that people will judge you based on how well you can dress and groom which will involve a look at how expensive the clothes of a person are which will determine their social status(Novinger, 2008). However, in the United States, the social status of a person is not based on their appearance but it is based on other factors. Thus in this a person’s social status is based on other factors other than on their dress code and grooming. The United States judge the social status of a person based on their performance in either their workplace or their daily activities(Novinger, 2008). People who perform better in the United States are said to be of higher social status than those whose performance is low.

In addition, the issue of time in the two cultures differs in the way they perceive it. In the United States culture, emphasis is placed on saving time and time is perceived as a precious commodity with monetary value hence the saying time is money(Novinger, 2008). In the Mexico however, a person spends time and it is perceived, as an opportunity to live hence the saying to live for time is to live for nothing(Novinger, 2008). Thus in the United States people focus on one activity at a time during the interactions and communication activities while in Mexico people engage in many activities at the same time since their culture is polychromic in nature(Novinger, 2008). Further, due to the polychromic nature of the Mexican culture, personal relationships are important. This type of relationship is difficult to establish and involve the use of resources in terms of time. Therefore, people in Mexico ensure they establish personal relationships before they can engage in business transactions. In America however, personal relationships are not important and they emphasize taking as little time as possible in to complete a business transaction.

Further, an analysis of the values held by the two cultures show that they have different values where each culture bases it values on various factors. For instance, in the United States a quote exists which states that the difference that exist between right and wrong and the truth is absolute(Novinger, 2008). Therefore, in the United States right and wrong are two very distinct factors that cannot be mixed up. What is termed wrong in the culture is wrong and it does not change even when the circumstances change. The same goes for truth in this culture where truth cannot be replaced with anything else. However, in Mexico truth is judge by the need for diplomacy, which means that anything can be true at any time based on the value it will have(Novinger, 2008). Thus, truth in Mexico is defined by the need to ensure good relations are maintained between people thus it can be replaced anytime it threatens the maintenance of good relations. Therefore, looking at the definition of truth in Mexico then the ethics of the country can be questioned.

Moreover, on the issue of time there exists another great difference, which is the issue of punctuality. In Mexico, arriving late for social meetings is considered polite while arriving early is seen as a lack of etiquette. However, in United States, arriving late is considered rude and one is expected to show up for social gatherings in good time before the stated time by the host. Further, the working hours are different in both countries where in Mexico the normal working hours start at 9.00 am since people take time with their families first. In the United States, on the other hand the working hours start at 8.00 am since they take work as a priority.

These differences in culture bring about difficulties in the relations between Mexico and United States. For instance, the approach toward time applied in the United States makes Mexicans perceive them as people who are too quick to get to the point and rather disrespectful since they do not take time to create personal relationships. This is due to the culture of the people in the United States, which forces them to ensure they do not waste time for the other person thus a simple greeting is enough for them. however, for the Mexican’s this is seen as rude and cold.

The two countries apply the use of personal communication devices PCDsthatare used to communicate within the country or outside their borders. These are wireless devices that are portable and are commonly referred to as mobiles. In both countries people use mobile phones for communication and the only differences in this issue is the rates charged for making calls both within the country and internationally.

To solve the intercultural issue in the two countries the anxiety-uncertainty management theory can be applied. This theory states that intercultural relations are characterized by uncertainty and anxiety at very high levels especially in situations where the two cultures are very different(Villareal,2015). This is the case for the United States and Mexico where their business transactions are characterized by high levels of uncertainty due to the differences in their cultural practices. The theory recommends the management of anxiety and uncertainty both in an individual and in the other individual a person is communicating with(Villareal,2015). This theory can be applied in the example to reduce uncertainty by ensuring they reduce chances of cultural conflict. This can be done by having a great understanding and knowledge of the practices of both cultures thus avoids chances of conflict or dissatisfaction.

Therefore, the differences in culture pose a great challenge to international relations and foreign policies. This leads to creation of conflicts between countries, which can even lead to wars(Villareal,2015). The issue is accelerated by the differences in believes, practices, norms and social relations held by each culture which leads to poor communication. Thus, countries with different cultural relations should ensure they work together to eliminate issuesrelating to cultural differences. This can be done through the management of communication to ensure poor communication issues are addressed. The theory of anxiety and uncertainty management will assist in solving the problems that may arise due to cultural differences among countries.