Assessment 2: Effective Business Communication - Intercultural Challenges at BeautyPro

Assessment 2
Effective Business Communication

Contents
1. Introduction...................................................................................................................................3
2. Analysis of the current situation........................................................................................................4
a. Different cultural values and etiquette...........................................................................................4
b. Direct versus indirect styles of communication.............................................................................5
c. Different cultural norms of decision making..................................................................................6
3. Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................8
4. Recommendations.............................................................................................................................9
Different cultural values and etiquette...............................................................................................9
Direct versus indirect styles of communication...............................................................................10
Different cultural norms of decision making...................................................................................11
5. References.......................................................................................................................................13

1. Introduction
For an organisation, it is important to have an effective communication in order to carry out
its day-to-day tasks. If any communication gap occurs, then it may lead to some serious
impact on the organisational performance. There are many challenges and barriers to an
effective communication process. These can be due to distortion, inadequate communications
skills, defective equipment, cultural barriers, physical barriers, etc. In this report, the
intercultural challenges to an effective communication process will be talked about in the
context of BeautyPro. In addition to this, the role of etiquette and cultural values in
disrupting the mode of communication will be discussed in detail. For that purpose, various
literature studies will be referred. Moreover, the report will also highlight the impact of
having a direct and indirect mode of communication. Furthermore, the report will elaborate
on various types of cultural norms of decision making. The report will end with the
recommendation for the three aforementioned intercultural challenges to the communication
faced by BeautyPro.

2. Analysis of the current situation
a. Different cultural values and etiquette
According to Lavie, et.al, (2012), the modern era is characterised by the phenomenon called
“globalisation”. This process has made the world smaller as now organisation can run their
business in overseas countries. Such organisations often face a wide range of intercultural
challenges and the most crucial is culture values and etiquette. The paper talked about the
difference in workplace etiquette as one of the infinite workplace differences which are
common around the world (Lavie, et.al, 2012). For example, when dealing with the clients, or
subordinates or any colleague, the formality of addressing them with the title is very
perplexing. Some people would like to be addressed by an appropriate title/or some may
prefer to be called by surnames or just names. This is an issue of great concern. In the
majority of the Asian countries, such as China, India, South Korea, Singapore, etc., people
prefer “Mr/Ms. Surname”, whereas the Canadians and the Americans tend to be called by the
first name only. Another aspect of etiquette is punctuality which can also be considered
differently by different people in two different business environment (Okoro, 2012). These
forms of issues are majorly faced by the BeautyPro in the cross cultural business. Many
organisations have a strict timing policy and defined working hours. The concept of “being
on time” can be While in some countries like Japan, long working hours can also be
misunderstood and can lead to a negative perception. For example, a Canadian may come
into the meeting hall a few minutes early, whereas a Mexican may come several minutes late
and still considered punctual. Another aspect of the cultural differences is the conflicting
attitude. People may show a different attitude towards things, such as the workplace, assumed
working hours, rules and regulations, and confrontation. People in Japan may consider
working for a long duration as an achievement and a sign of commitment. On the other hand,
some people may consider this as an extra burden due to lack of efficiency.
According to Ting-Toomey and Dorjee, (2018), different societies have different values and
cultural norms regarding intergroup or interpersonal interaction. In the case of intercultural
communication, there is hardly any norm that poses any great hindrance to the
communication. The importance of personal and cultural values and norms in business
culture is well known and identified. In the paper, the values have been defined as the
characteristics that an individual or a group of people considered to be important. On the
other hand, the norms are defined as the set of guidelines of dos and don’ts for a person on
the basis of morality (Ting-Toomey and Dorjee, 2018). In other words, the values can be