Globalisation and Cross-Cultural Business
Case Study: “Hold the Pork, Please!”
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First, culture could be regarded as the “set of values,
... [Show More] beliefs, rules, and
institutions held by a specific group of people,” their paradigm or
“taken for granted assumptions of the world around them.” Second,
ethnocentricity is the “belief that one’s own ethnic group or culture is
superior to that of others.”
Globalisation demands that business people discard completely ethnocentric
thinking, i.e. the belief that ones own ethnic group or culture is superior to that
of others. Companies need employees who function without blunders of
ethnocentricity. Here are some of the ways companies such as Haribo could
consider creating a global mind-set and avoid future potential cultural faux
pas’: -
Cultural adaptability
Managers need the ability to alter their behaviour when working with people
from other cultures. The first step in doing this is to develop one’s knowledge
of an unfamiliar culture. The second step maybe is to act on that knowledge
to alter behaviour appropriately in response to cultural expectations. This can
help a manager to evaluate others in a culturally unbiased way and to
motivate and manage multicultural teams.
‘Bridging the Gap’
The United States generates many management ideas in the past and still
today, yet when applied in countries whose cultures are different from the
West, a large gap can emerge between theory and practice. “the U.S
management principles may be accepted throughout the world, but the
Anglo-Saxon business customs and practices (on which they are based)
may not be,” says management advisor Kim Tae Woo, “before
implementing any new guidelines, managers should examine a nation’s
business culture, and the personnel and corporate practices of local
companies”.
Building a Global Mentality
Companies can apply personality-testing techniques to measure the global
aptitude of managers. One test designed to capture a person’s global
aptitude is the Global Mentality Test. The test evaluates an individual’s
openness and flexibility in mindset, understanding of global principles and
terminology and strategic implementation abilities. It also identifies areas in
which training is needed and generates a list of recommended programmes. [Show Less]