Cross Cultural Issues in Tourism and Hospitality - Term Paper Example

Cross Cultural Issues in Tourism & Hospitality Prof. Geert Hofstede s, “Culture is more oftena source of conflict than of synergy, Cultural differences are nuisance at best and often a disaster”. It is amazing how people behave in different cultures especially for business operating on cross cultural levels. Usually, we believe human happen to be the same from deep inside but actually we are not. Therefore, emotions display based on ones own assumption of culture may direct towards wrong decision making and convey harmful message (Hofstede).Importance of understanding cultural differences multiplies when we consider it in the context of tourism and hospitality industry. An analysis of the cultural differences to understand tourism and hospitality service requirements reveals cross cultural differences.The paper examines Japanese and American cultures and describes the differences in social behaviour of each of these cultures. Tourism and hospitality industry, being the most booming one in past decades contribute to the economic and employment development of countries. It is the kind of service which has both subjective and intangible in nature. Understanding tourism service climate and culture is undeniable for sustaining competitive advantage (Kusluvan 487). Clark suggests that national character, defined as the pattern of enduring personality characteristics found among the populations of nations, has profound impact on buyer-seller interactions (qtd. in Kusluvan 237). One way in which national character influences service transactions is through culturally specific norms regarding how and when emotion should be expressed (Feldman and Morris 1995; Grayson 1998 and Mann 1997 qtd. in Kusluvan 237). Ekman states,“Considerable differences regarding display rules exist across cultres”(qtd in Kusluvan 237).For example,according to Mann,in muslim culture,smiling for a woman can be interpreted as an indication of sexual interest and muslim woman is socialized for not smiling at man.On the other hand American’s norm of service is the display of smile absence of which can harm a female provider’s career(qtd. in Kusluvan 237). “While no empirical research exists which systematically examines ways in which cultural differences impact display rules and consequently the emotional labor requirements of hospitality and tourism workers,Hofstese’s(1980) frame work of culture offers interesting possibilites” (qtd. in Kusluvan 237). “According to Hofstede (1980),cultures can vary along four dimensions to include:individualism-collectivism,masculinity-feminity,high power distance-low power distanec and high-uncertainity avoidance and low uncertainty avoidance”(qtd. in Kusluvan 237). Power Distance According to Steensma et al. societies differ from each other in terms of degrees of focus on individual and collective pursuits and the extent to which norms emphasize cooperation or independence. High power distance cultures tens to allow considerable differentials in prestige, power, and wealth. Essentially, societies that depend on in-group (collectivist) depend more on authority figures and more willing to accept inequality.(qtd. in Kusluvan 238) According to Kusluvan,this situation suggests that cross cultural differences can effect both type of emotion and gesture displayed during the service transaction and the interval or number of times emotions are displayed(238).For instance,Graham observed, In a large power distance society such as Japan,the seller has been considered ‘little more than a beggar’.Display rules in this environment appear to emphasize emotional expression which shows great respect and liking on the part of the seller.This,in turn,implies that the frequency and duration of emotional display will be much greater for hospitality and tourism workers in high power distance cultures than in low power distance cultures. (qtd. in Kusluvan 238) In high power distance countries(most agrarian countries),bypassing a superior is unsubordination.In low power distance countries(US,northern europeans,Israel) bypassing is not usually a big deal.In the US,superiors and subordinates often interact socially as equals.An outsider watching a party of professors and graduate students typically cannot tell them apart(“Differences in Cultures”) Uncertainty Avoidance According to Adler,uncertainity avoidence is a measure to which people of a certain society or culture feel threatened by unexpected and uncertain situations.Some socities are more anxious about uncertain situations in future.Such socities need to have established structures and appreciate formal laws in order to minimize the uncertain siuations.Leidner supports, “within the context of service,this suggests that emotional displays in high uncertainity avoidant cultures will be tightly scripted allowing service providers little varience in how and which emotion is to be displayed” (qtd. in Kusluvan 238). Feldman and Morris state,Because long duration and wide variety of emotions to be displayed increases the risk of awakwardness and encourages greater expression of actual felt emotions,cultures that are high uncertainity avoidance should generally encouraged frequent but short display of mildly positive emotions in which all parties know the appropriate and expected interaction format.(qtd. in Kusluvan 238) Masculinity and Feminity Masculinity refers to the toughness and competitiveness of a society in general on the basis of which countries can be distinguished from each other. According to Hofstede people of masculine societies tend to be more aggressive and domineering than the feminine societies. In such cultures, independent thought and conflict are highly appreciated. One artifact of these cultures reflects highly differentiated roles for man and women. Therefore, more masculine a culture, more separation and differentiation based on gender can be observed. Most importantly, some career choices come under special domain of men (qtd. in Kusluvan 238). Hochschild argued that in United States(a country Hofstede identified as high masculinity) women were clearly expected to be more nurturing and to be employed in occupations that required more emotional labor.Thus,it appears that a cultural orientation towards masculinity leads to different emotional labor requirements for men and women.Female role occupants in masculine cultures or service providers interacting primarily with customers from high masculinity cultures will generally have emotional labor requirements that require frequent display of attentive positive emotion with little tolerance for expression of negative emotion. (qtd. in Kusluvan 238) Pierce points out, On the other hand male members of masculine societies are given more flexibility; they can show less attentiveness and emotional display, be it less in duration or intensity. They are even allowed and expected to show negative emotions especially when they are dealing with female customers (qtd. in Kusluvan 239). Although emotional dissonance is always an individual-level variable,the potential impact of national culture on emotional dissonance is intriguing.In general,the greater the cultural distance and the greater the conflict between cultural display norms,the greater the emotional dissonance should be.However,drawing upon social identity theory(Tajfel & Turner 1985),it is possible to suggest a competing proposition. (qtd. in Kusluvan 239) Ashforth and Humphrey suggest, “it may be that host-country employees of service multinationls will experience less emotional dissonance since these employees can attribute changes in their own behaviors to the demands of foreign alien cultures” (qtd. in Kusluvan 239). Differences in social behavior of chosen cultures Fig.1 Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (2003 ranking for United States of America) Fig.2 Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (2003 ranking for Japan) Hofstede states, United States of America’s second highest ranking is 62 on masculinity scale (see fig.1) (as compared with the 92 of Japan (see fig.2) average of which is 50. It indicates the highest level of differentiation in roles based on gender. Male represents the dominating force of social and power structure. It gives rise to a situation which generates assertive and competitive female population that move towards male role model rather than female role. The lowest ranking Dimension for the United States is power distance (PDI) at 40, compared to the world average of 55(see fig.1).This is indicative of a greater equality between societal levels, including government, organizations, and even within families. This orientation enforces a cooperative interaction across power levels and creates a more stable cultural environment. The last Greet Hofstede Dimension for the US is Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI), with a ranking of 46, compared to the world average of 64(see fig.1).A low ranking in Uncertainty Avoidance Dimension is indicative of a society that has fewer rules and does not attempt to control all outcomes and results. It also has a greater level of tolerance for a variety of ideas, thoughts, and beliefs (Hofstede).According to Differences in Cultures,The way of Japanese executive for telling that something is impossible is by saying,it isdifficult.They will not say it diresctly as it is considered as impolite. According to Rowland, Japanese businesspeople are also required to give costly gifts to their colleagues and subordinated for things like weddings, funerals, and holidays, as well as a mid-year gift on July 15 and a New Year’s gift on January 1.Goft giving is a $ 92 billion industry in Japan(139 qtd. In Miyagi) Rowland further explains that gift is mostly in form of money on wedding or funeral, special care is taken while giving it as unwrapped money is considered as “coarse”. An American will consider it to be a poor taste. It is also obligatory for Japanese gift receiver to return the half value gift in return (140-45 qtd in Miyagi). Miyagi states, Expensive dinner parties at upscale restaurants, nomiyas and izakayas are commonly held after a way at work for a Japanese company. These dinner outings may take place at not one, but two or even three different restaurants or nomiyas in one night, often continuing until the last train leaves, or even later(Miyagi). On the contrary, in American culture spending more time and money with family is important instead of spending huge money outside doing expensive dinners and pricy entertainment. On the other hand, “In Japan home entertaining is not often feasible because houses are so small” (Rowland 129 qtd. in Miyagi).Inviting someone at home is very rare and considered to be a great honor for guest if it happens(“Executive Planet” qtd in Miyagi). “The Japanese way of thinking is legitimate business entertainment reinforces legitimate business relationships” (Venture qtd in Miyagi). Rowland states; Unlike America, where more focus is placed on a simple business transaction and instant profitability for both parties, Japanese place more importance on the “human aspects of business, on making an honest effort to develop long-lasting personal relationships with both the people of their own company and those of the companies they are cooperating with.Creating a foundation of friendship and trust by being a team player is the key to successfully doing business in Japan (129 qtd. in Miyagi). Rowland states, “Foreign companies who do not know the social protocol in Japan often earn the reputation of “here today, gone tomorrow” for their tendency not to place such importance on business relationships” (162 qtd. in Miyagi). It may be considered as the symbolic representation of power. As Hendry states, it is may be due to the concerned approach towards group they belong. It should influence people belonging to another group, in this way world can take advantage in form of corporate objectives (155). Japanese find it very aggressive to introduce themselves or talk to stranger on business matter. It is not a good start as far as trust building is concerned. For this purpose a complex system of fixers is there who create a network and fixes meetings of people interested in working together (Alston and Takei 38).American’s style of meeting and greeting is casual and not restricted. Alston and Takei explain, for Japanese first impression is the last one. There is no culture of touching, they shake hand and prefer to bow in order to greet someone. A high prestige or high rank person bows less and lower rank person bow more which determine the class difference in Japanese culture. Japanese also follow the culture of frequent apology which is more than any other culture on earth (38). Conclusion The paper focuses on understanding cultural differences between Japanese and American culture by using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Uncertainty Avoidance, Power Distance and Masculinity-Femininity are the theories discussed. Understanding culture and underlying differences boost the efficiency of cross cultural tourism. It may also increase the participation of more diverse people in these facilities. For tourism and hospitality business, it is crucial to understand the dealing norms and values with diverse group of people and embrace their preferences and behaviors beyond ones own interpretation. Compton and Lamb (1986) argue that people within one target market may vary in their predisposition to use service offerings. An old aphorism among research chemists quoted by Crompton and Lamb, “Those who understand the barriers will make the breakthrough,” is equally applicable to utilization of tourism services by certain cultural groups. An understating of groups’ cultural orientations (i.e., individualism and collectivism (or power distance)) may facilitate this new perspective. (Chon et al. 168) Works Cited Chon, K.S. Kaye.et al. ed. Japanese Tourists:Socio economic marketing and Psychological analysis. New York: Haworth Press,Inc., 2000. Alston, Jon P. and Isao Takei. Chinese Business culture and practices. Lincoln: iuniverse, 2005. Differences in Cultures. n.d. 2009 November 2009 . Hofstede, Geert. Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. 1967-2009. 4 November 2009 . Kusluvan, Salih, ed. Managing employee attitudes and behaviors in the tourism and hospitality industry. New York: Nova Science Publishers Inc., 2003. Miyagi, Angelica Aiko. Filthy Lucre:wealth,health and everything in-between. 19 October 2009. 6 November 2009 . Read More