Cultural Dimension in Global Business - Book Report/Review Example

Your Full Your 13 June, Cultural Dimension in Global Business This paper examines the concept of cultural dimensions and how it influences the way business is done in the global and multinational context. In attaining this end, the research will examine the book titled Cultural Dimension of Global Business and present a thorough analysis of the various chapters of the book. Fundamentally, the book seeks to define the relationship between cultural anthropology and the conduct of business and its related activities. The first chapter of the book identifies the importance of culture as a means of providing a set of general frameworks and systems of conducting business. Geert Hofstede identifies that culture is the software of the mind and defines the way a group of people view things and analyze things. This implies that culture is a basis for the generalization of ideas and views about a people and this helps to provide the basis and impetus for dealing with different peoples from different backgrounds around the world. The fact that globalization is becoming the norm, rather than the exception indicates that there is the need for cultural sensitivity to become an important part of interactions between people from diverse backgrounds in international business processes. There is a fundamental discussion of how culture takes hold of a people. There are debates on whether culture is in-born or whether culture is one that is learnt. The writers seem to agree on the fact that culture is learnt. However, they concede that culture has a strong and far-reaching impact on the way people think and the way they do things. The second chapter of the book indicates that culture is diverse and different. The book identifies that culture defines values in every society. In other words, it defines what is important what is not important amongst different people and different persons. This gives the impetus for the definition of some headings or themes under which cultures can be grouped and studied in order to understand how different people behave and react to different people. Therefore, the chapter sets up the background for discussions into important and fundamental aspects of cultural discussions – also known as cultural dimensions. This sets the stage for the introduction of concepts like Individualism, Collectivism, Long-Term Orientation, Uncertainty Avoidance and others which is presented by authorities in the field of cultural dimensions. This chapter also introduces the reader to important scholars like Hofstede and Trompenaars who are important and significant in the area of cultural dimensions. After the first two chapters set the ball rolling into the discussion on cultural diversity, the next chapters discuss the application of these ideas and concepts in important areas of study. This includes the presentation of important discussions on communication and international cultural differences in Chapter 3. Communication is important in international and global business. This is because there is the need for different people from different backgrounds to interact in order to conduct business and come up with other commercial transactions. Hence, there is the presentation of the importance of communication across cultures and an application of the different cultural dimensions to these different cultural frameworks. It is noted from this section that there is verbal and non-verbal communication in different cultures and in different communities. Hence, there is a presentation of how these different dimensions to global communication and international discussions. This provides the basis for the discussion on the concept of effective communication and how it can be attained through the balancing of different cultural views and cultural conceptions in order to provide answers to situations and matters. Although most of us underestimate the importance of communication techniques and tools in our conversations, this book presents a deep insight into how different approaches and different methods are used to get information and messages across. One communication system that might be accepted in one culture might be frowned upon in another culture. These different methods and different means of communicating gives way for various degrees of divergences that can be classified under different headings and different frameworks for analyzing cultures and methods of relating to different peoples in international business. These differences provide different levels of awareness that apply to businesspeople and other parties in international interactions. A deeper insight is provided into the need for effective communication in international trade in chapter 4. The chapter focuses on language and the use of words amongst different cultures and different persons around the world. This provides various attitudes and various processes like direct communication and the use of idioms and other issues like attitudes towards “saving-face” amongst others. This chapter includes the introduction of global business communication and international communication processes like negotiations and the like. Since different cultures present different circumstances of communicating, there is an outline of how communication can be done in diverse cultural systems and settings. This culminates in the presentation of important ends of international communication like seeking long-term relationships, focusing on the main interest in the short-term, noticing timing, being flexible, preparation and ethical behavior. The main end of the communication provides the impetus for these forms of communication and they guide what the definition of effective communication is. This provides a yardstick within which different communication contexts can be analyzed and reviewed in order to provide some kind of proper or appropriate methods of communicating across cultures. Conclusion Cultural management is important in helping people to conduct business and other affairs in the 21st Century where international boundaries are being erased in favor of a unified and globalized world. To this end, it is important for one to understand the framework within which cultures differ. Hence, this book is written to provide information about how cultures differ and how these differences affect communication, leadership and interaction with other peoples. Once this is mastered, a person can manage across cultures without meeting challenges or facing conflicts. Works Cited Ferraro, Gary and Elizabeth Briody. The Cultural Dimension of Global Business. London: Pearson, 2013. Read More