Communication in Business for Hofstede Models - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theCommunication in Business for Hofstede Models. Answer: Introduction The present study analyzes about given case study that highlights on the significance of cross cultural communication while expansion of business in new market. Cross cultural communication is crucial for the business as it helps to build international customers, business partnerships and relationship with employees. This study reflects that Mary being an Australian businesswoman wishes to expand her business in China but is not certain about how to conduct business with the Chinese (Bochner 2013). The Chinese business etiquette along with the strategies adopted by the businessman for expanding business in China is also explained in this essay. Furthermore, the method that Mary should implement for conducting business with the Chinese is mainly discussed in this essay. In order to address this section, few recommendations are also provided in this study. In context to this, the occurrence of potential cross- cultural miscommunication is also elucidated in this essay by applying Hofst ede models of culture. Chinese business Etiquette Business etiquette refers to the set of behavioral standards in which every individual treats others respectfully and also exhibit good manners in every interaction. Good etiquette in the business helps to protect the employees and business owners from conflicts by setting high business standard by all (Chua 2012). Proper business etiquette provides impression to the clients that business has successful as well as productive environment. Business etiquette generally differs among the countries. It has been opined by Guffey Loewy (2012) that, Chinas business culture and practices differs from other developed nations. If the business owner plans to expand the business in China, then it is necessary to understand local customs of Chinese business etiquette in order to attain success. Business in this nation heavily depends on the personal relationships. Although doing the market research is vital in China, personal relationship is also essential for achieving success in business. Howev er, it is extremely important to establish as well as maintain good relation with the government officials and business contract in this nation. There are some proper ways of starting relationship building procedure in Chinese business, which involves- Attending the networking events of the industry Following up specially on personal introductions Contacting associations within the industry and municipal investment However, adopting this relationship building procedure will facilitate the business owner to introduce open culture within the business and attract large number of workers. This in turn increases total productivity within the business and achieve the target within a specified time period. Furthermore, it is also vital to remain conscious about the potential scams that might be encountered while doing business in China (Okoro 2012). Some of the common scams are given below: Some unknown Chinese business enterprise might approach new business owner with huge purchase order of considerable value Another instance that occurs in Chinese business is insisting on a specific contract quickly Some of the Chinese business also insists new business owners to come to this nation for signing the contract as well as pay notarization fee However, it is necessary to become aware and understand the business practice and etiquette before notarizing contract in China. It has been founded by some researcher that the Chinese are highly affected by Confucianism that give emphasis to respect for authority, age and education. Although modern Chinese might not follow the Confucian principles in rigid way, these principles still continues to strengthen several customs as well as business practices. However, the business entering the Chinese market is bounded to follow these principles for maintaining etiquette (Taras, Steel Kirkman 2012). Within Chinese culture value system, the Confucianisms main value of politeness and etiquette is the vital foundation of the business dealings in this country. In addition to this, these patents in numerous practical customs are important for effectively engaging with the Chinese business. As building good relationships and trust are crucial in the Chinese business, proper communication with potential clients and business partners is necessary. Apart from this, the Chinese business people always prefer to create good relationship with the clients before closing the deal in order to achieve success and attain more contracts. Ting-Toomey (2012) opines that one of the Chinese business etiquette is to greet their clients by bowing heads and shaking hands. Additionally, Chinese business cards are also exchanged while meeting their clients. Besides this, body language, art of conversations and dress codes are some of the business etiquettes that are prevalent in Chinese business. Apart from this, offering gift is another common Chinese business etiquette that the business visitors maintains while doing business with this nation. Methods that Mary can apply for making favorable first impression while visiting China to meet manager of popular store The steps that Mary can use for making favorable impression while visiting China to meet the manager of popular store are given below: Firstly, as first impression and appearances are vital in business culture of China, dressing conservatively will aid to signify modesty as well as status Secondly, as Mary is going to meet senior Chinese manager, entering room in proper order will help to demonstrate huge respect towards the manager. Thirdly, as handshake is general way of greeting Chinese counterpart, Mary can initiate this gesture for showing respect towards this Chinese manager Fourthly, as body language is crucial in Chinese business, the body posture should be formal as well as attentive since it demonstrates respectfulness and self- control. However, staying composed throughout the whole conversation will help to make favorable impression. Fifthly, as Chinese business people are careful about negative statements, Mary must maintain good art of conservations. Sixthly, presenting business card to the Chinese manager will also help to show respect towards the Chinese manager. However, presenting the card in proper manner is also crucial for maintaining business etiquette. Areas of potential cross -cultural miscommunication using Hofstede cultural model Cross- cultural communication has become crucial to expansion of business in the global marke (Carbaugh 2013). This mainly deals with the varied business customs, communication strategies and beliefs. The Hofstede cultural dimension theory mainly constitutes the framework that revolves around cross cultural communication According to Hofstede, difference in values are the main barriers in cross- culture communication. Hofstede proposed that there are some national as well as regional factors that contribute to the business culture. It mainly illustrates the impact of culture of society on values of the members. If the enterprise cannot manage differences in culture, it might lead to cultural conflict and miscommunication. This in turn impacts the relation between employees and managers and thus creates gap between them. There are few cultural dimensions of Hofstede model, which includes-high or low context cultures, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism vs individualism, long term vs short term orientation. In fact, these are the major factors that create cross -cultural miscommunication, which are explained below: Language barriers- Language usage has discrete differentiation among the cultures. However, misunderstandings arise in communication owing to improper application of language or varied interpretations of words. Apart from this, if the people speak similar languages in several nations, then also it can create miscommunication owing to varied cultural backgrounds. As the Chinese people speaks different languages, the business owners of other nations faces difficulties in understanding their language and this creates cross- cultural miscommunication. High context vs low context cultures- For the people with low- context culture, the people apt to be the indirect communicators and thus do not reveal information with other people (Hurn and Tomalin 2013). On the other hand, people living in high context culture tend to interpret shared information with others and thus becomes sensitive to the works spoken. The Chinese people living in high context culture are highly sensitive to words and hence business owners planning to expand business in this nation must be aware of it. Power distance- This refers to the extent of inequality among individuals that the population of the nation deems as normal. It is basically the degree to which less powerful organizations members accept as well as expect that the power is unequally distributed. As different nations have varied power understandings, there might considerable variations in culture. Hofstede research found out that, China has highest position of power distance characteristics (Minkov Hofstede 2012). As the people inherit Confucianism in Chinese business culture, it leads to cross- cultural miscommunication since it relies on unequal relationships. Nonverbal differences- This mainly indicates the body movement and attitude of the people. Similar body languages might be easily interpreted in different meaning across varied cultures. Non verbal differences can occur if the people from other nations expand their business to China. However, this also leads to cross- cultural miscommunication. Recommendation Some recommendations are provided to Mary for doing business in China, which are described below: The psychology of the Chinese consumer should be understood before expanding business in China Knowledge of the Chinese language should be known Proper knowledge about the Chinese business culture should be taken before expanding the business to this nation. Proper information about Chinese business etiquette should be gathered Conclusion From the above study, it can be concluded that business etiquette is important while doing business in China. Effective business etiquette helps the business owner to achieve success while doing business in China. Moreover, proper cultural communication also aids the business owner to understand the Chinese psychology and provide service according to their preferences. The business owner must adopt proper strategy in order to avoid cross-cultural miscommunication and expand business effectively. 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