Assessment 2: Effective Business Communication - Intercultural Challenges at BeautyPro

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This report analyzes the intercultural challenges faced by BeautyPro, a company expanding into the Chinese market. It examines the impact of different cultural values and etiquette, direct versus indirect communication styles, and cultural norms of decision-making. The report provides recommendations for addressing these challenges and fostering effective communication within a multicultural environment.
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Assessment 2
Effective Business Communication
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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
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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.
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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
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defined as the behavioural patterns and beliefs about what is right and should be morally
done while the norms can be defined as the attitudes and behaviour of a person that reflects

these values. According to
He & van de Vijver, (2013), cultural differences can be found to a
greater extent because in places where two or more organisations from different nations

merge. The corporate entities from countries have developed their unique set of beliefs,

values, and behavioural pattern. There are people from different background and therefore,

their attitude toward work, employee-management relationship, workplace modus operandi,

and decision-making hierarchy, and individual roles & responsibilities are different (
He &
van de Vijver, 2013)
. The merger and acquisition of organisations are often characterised as
linguistic barriers, the difference in values, and preferences of the consumers. All these

factors should be taken into account at the time of strategic planning. The various forms of

the cultural values are faced by the
BeautyPro which affects its business and the working
behaviour and the capacity.

b. Direct versus indirect styles of communication

According to
Furham, (2012), it is crucial for a business venture to take care of the effective
communication in order to succeed. The company operations are heavily dependent on the

quality of communication and information. There are high chances of information getting lost

while travelling through the channel (
Furham, 2012). In most of the MNC, the most of the
communication takes place in English as it is the language of business. People from Finland

often choose the direct mode of transmission while in Asian sub-continent, an indirect form

of communication is equally given importance. Even if the direct communication is widely

used within
BeautyPro, the company should also understand the significance of non-verbal
communication in the international business environment. Talking about the indirectness in

the process of communication, it is a widely used a form of communication in the business

world. One of the major challenges in intercultural communication is the indirect method of

communication. People use symbols and body language to convey any information. The

meaning of one symbol varies from one culture to another. This can lead to a great confusion,

misinterpretation of data, and finally misunderstanding among the professionals of the same

business. In many countries, the indirect mode of communication is a part of the cultural

norm. However, the level and degree of usage vary with the geographic region and the local

culture.

It is very important for the
BeautyPro to understand the key difference between direct and
indirect mode of communication. Hence the employees or the individuals needs to be
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developed. However, the majority of the countries presume Australians to be direct
communicators. Direct communication is straightforward, can be a bit rude or insensitive.

There are many merits and demerits of having a direct communication. It promotes a healthy

environment within a workplace. In a multicultural team, it is often seen that there are

internal disputes between two or more team members. This can be resolved by establishing a

channel that facilitates the process of communication between them. A multifunctional and

multicultural team cannot work solely on either of the two modes of communication i.e.,

direct and indirect. Even if all the members in a team follow the indirect mode of

communication, they would still be a communication gap. This is because different people in

a team understand a message differently.

In addition to this,
Park, et.al, (2012) found that people who use direct communication mode
often fail to decode the information that comes from indirect communicators. They miss the

main part of the message completely. In order to build a channel of communication with the

indirect communicator, direct communicators should learn how to be polite and gentle while

communicating with them. They need to understand and learn the storytelling skills in order

to convey the right meaning. On the other hand, when a direct communicator wants to have a

meaningful conversation with the indirect people, they should first send a written report

stating the issues prior to face to face encounter (
Park, et. al, 2012). Direct communicators
should clearly mention the goals and expectations within the report while dealing with

indirect ones. This also helps
BeautyPro regarding the maintenance of the balance between
the work and the other things. They should avoid surprising each other and should allow

indirect people some amount of excess time in order to decode the message, process it, and

develop their reply before having a face to face conversation.

c. Different cultural norms of decision making

Cultural logic is defined as the ability to understand the fundamental beliefs of culture and

how these beliefs interact among themselves and with the information. This understanding is

important when two or more people from different cultural background meet and interact.

Cultural differences influence almost every aspect of one’ life. Cultural differences within an

organisation also affect the organisational decision-making. The decision-making process is

the crucial part of the planning (
Nunn, 2012). These differences affect each and every aspect
of the organisation.
Kirmayer, (2012) explain this concept by quoting an example of how
cultural differences affect the final health care decision. These differences influence a

person's way of perceiving an illness or treatment. In addition to this, cultural issues affect an
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individual's willingness to comply with the recommendations given by doctors (Kirmayer,
2012).
Culture influence controls all the aspects and levels of business as well. From
communications and interactions with clients, partners, stakeholders, etc., selection of a

supplier, purchasing raw material, processing of the material, and selling them in the market

is under the influence of cultural differences. It is important for the management of the

company to make sure that decision making in the company is done by using structural and

fact-based models such as cost-benefit analysis.

Due to the rise in the level of globalisation, the economic independence among the countries

also increases. It should be noted that cultural perceptions and expectations are the values that

can be represented in the individual's mind. It is important for an individual to understand the

culture as it can help them in preparing them for some contemporary international business. It

is quintessential for the manager to understand the cultural differences as it is required to

interact with the overseas clients, partners, and competitors. There are six critical aspects of

culture, namely values, norms, roles, social collectives, and beliefs. Hence all needs to be

followed by the
BeautyPro to sustain in such a global environment. According to Spencer-
Oatey & Franklin, (2012)
, the universal model which argues that there is a very minute
difference in how a person belonging to a different culture makes his/her decision. When

working with people from different background, it is quite natural that two people start

appreciating that their culture is distinguished. They make decision-based on the values help

by their society or families. Globalisation has brought the multicultural environment.

Therefore, one needs to address the ethical standards in advising situations in order to avoid

ethical challenges (
Spencer-Oatey & Franklin, 2012).
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3. Conclusion
To conclude the report, it can be said that the impact of cultural differences might be harmful

to the company if not handled with care and in a strategic manner. These issues not only have

the potential to disrupt the operations of the company but might also impact the expansion

strategy of BeautyPro. It is important to note that there are certain strategies that can be

implemented by the management of the company to solve these issues. The implementation

of these strategies might have as positive as well as negative impact which makes it

significant for the company to critically evaluate these strategies before its implementation to

solve real-world business problems.
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4. Recommendations
Different cultural values and etiquette

The main issue that is affecting the operations of Beauty Pro in the Chinese markets is the

differences in culture and workplace diversity. Different cultures and diversities have a major

impact on the company. This makes it important for the management to make sure that these

issues are removed in an effective manner. According to Brown et. al., (2016), while cultural

and diversity issues might create a challenge for the company when it operates in a new

market, it is important to note that there are various overwhelming benefits that can be used

by the company to gain competitive advantages. One of the best ways which can help in

managing and eradicating the issues that are faced in workplace diversity is to undertake a

close review and analysis of the existing policies and training in the organization (Brown et.

al., 2016). It is also required that the company should take into consideration the development

of new policies as well. This strategy can help in addressing the issues at hand and will help

the management to establish a new culture of acceptance within the organizational structure.

Thus, Diversity Related Initiatives, if related to mission and vision statement of Beauty Pro,

can help the company in addressing the issue of intercultural diversity and etiquette (Grayson

et. al., 2016).

Another strategy that can be taken into consideration by the management of the company is

Diversity Training Programmes which can be beneficial for the organisation in a various

number of ways. This is inclusive of enhancing retention, engagement, and productivity of

the employees. These training can be provided to the Chinese as well as to the Australian

Employees. Additionally, it has been identified that the creation of opportunities for

employees can help them to mentor each other and engage in collaborative learning as well

(Wrench, 2016). This would prove to be a useful strategy which can assist in bridging the gap

between employees of different culture and will also help them to establish effective

relationships as well.

The third strategy that can be taken into consideration to remove the etiquette differences is

by the means of holding people accountable for their actions. As per the words of Fullan

(2014), it is required by the management of BeautyPro to implement non-compliance with

diversity policies such that problems can be eradicated. It is important to lay strict ground

rules against actions such as sexual harassment, discrimination, prejudices and the issue of

retribution as well. it is important for the company to monitor the inappropriate behaviours

displayed by the employees of the company such that strict actions can be taken against the
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involved parties. It is important for the company to make employees understand the
importance of working with others that differ from them in a cultural manner (Fullan, 2014).

Understanding the significance of professional environment should be the main focus of the

employees of the company and this value should be embedded into the mindset of employees

regardless of their title or rank.

In practical application, it has been identified that one of the most successful strategies that

have been employed by the majority of organisations that penetrate into new markets is the

creation of cross-cultural teams. Here, making teams work might pose an insurmountable

challenge at times but this is s a strategy which can effectively help in predicting and

preventing certain serious issues which might hamper the interpersonal relationship among

employees (Stahl & Tung, 2015). One of the major causes that increase negative impact of

varied diversity is miscommunication. This can be managed by the implementation of self-

service software. Incubating this technology in the organisational structure if the company

might help in preventing the issues amongst team members and also helps in ensuring that all

the teams work to achieve a common goal as well (Wilton, 2016).

Implementation of the strategies above would help the company to ensure that there is a

smooth functioning in the organisation. While there might be certain challenges faced in the

current scenario, effective integration of strategies with organisational goals helps in ensuring

that the company enjoys varied benefits in the long run.

Direct versus indirect styles of communication

As stated by Neuleip (2017), one of the major issues that are faced in the organisational

communication is related to addressing the conflict between direct and indirect

communication in the company. As it is required by the management to effectively address

the elephant, the companies try to avoid the conflicts. At times this avoidance can become a

clog in the drain and might hamper the smooth working of the organisational system. This

makes it essential that the company must levy their main focus on addressing the style of

communication that is being followed (Neuleip, 2017). As stepping into Chinese markets

would be an amalgamation of two new cultures in Beauty Pro, one of the major challenges

that would be faced by the multicultural teams of the company is the conflict between direct

versus indirect communication. The conflicts that arise from this issue get even more

exacerbated when this communication takes place on a virtual level. At times a blunt email
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might seem like an obtuse response whiles on the other hand, the silence of team members
can time erode trust and productivity among the team members (Holten & Brenner, 2015).

Most of the teams that are inclusive of employees from different cultural backgrounds

generally reflect a wide range of perspectives regarding direct vs indirect communication.

This can be the case even if the team is homogeneous in nature. In order to effectively solve

this issue, it is important that there are certain strategies taken into consideration. One of the

most important things to consider is to gain an understanding of indirect communicators. It is

important for direct communicators to understand that indirect communication might be

aggressive- passive and at times dishonest as well. Most indirect communications would feel

hesitation in passing on the bad news and will also avoid giving direct answers as well

(Barak, 2016). The basic strategies that can be taken into consideration to address the issues

of communication faced in the company have been stated below as follows:

Spend time to gain the understanding of the preferred communication styles of
employees from different backgrounds.

Creating a set of guidelines can also be implemented by BeautyPro. These guidelines
should be specific of the information that is required to be shared over varied

platforms such as emails, phones, texts etc. It is important to determine the

understanding of the guideline by each team member. Guidelines are required to be

specific in nature which can help in avoiding the issues before they even take place

(Harvey & Allard, 2015).

It is also important that the team leader in the company is required to undertake a
culturally intelligent approach such that they might be able to help multicultural teams

address the issues with cultural and communication differences. It is also required for

the leader of the company to demonstrate the agility to undertake direct

communication and use indirect situation if required by the situation. It is important to

stay conscious of the differences which are required to be combined with the

intentional plan to improve the productivity of the team (Tjosvold, 2017).

Different cultural norms of decision making

It should be noted that cultural perceptions and expectations are the values that can be

represented in the individual’s mind. These values are generated in the mindset of the

individuals which is relatively linked to their environment and upbringing. This further

implies that the value, in a certain manner acts as guiding principles which can help the
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persons to take major and minor decisions about their lives. It is important to understand that
the values of persons can directly or indirectly influence the decisions that have been made

by them. This is further reflected in their decision-making styles as well. This further states

that the main constraint that can have a major impact on the decision-making style of the

individuals is the cultural environment of the individuals. It should be noted that the

collectivist values have a major impact on the social aspects of the problems and issues faced

(Guillaume et. al., 2017). Perceiving the problems is majorly based on the judgement of the

individuals and the people around them. In cross-cultural management, this judgement might

get hampered in a negative and ambiguous manner. This calls for implementation and

generation of new and effective strategies.

Being practical is one of the most successful approaches that can be taken into consideration

while managing decision making in the organisation. It is important for the management of

the company to make sure that decision making in the company is done by using structural

and fact-based models such as cost-benefit analysis. This can help in ensuring that the

decisions are not biased by the theoretical arguments. This can help the company to take the

best decision possible (Rao & Tilt, 2016).

Another strategy that should be taken into consideration to enhance the decision making is to

take opinions from employees with a different background. This will help the company to get

more ideas which are based on different experiences under varied circumstances. This can

help the company to narrow down the options available with them. It is important to make

sure that the best decisions are acted upon which calls for narrowing down the options

available with the organisation (Downey et. al., 2015).

At times the decisions of individuals might get influenced by issues, personal biases and

inter-personal conflicts which might have an impact upon the decision making of an

individual. In order to deal with this issue, the strategy that would be recommended for the

management of BeautyPro is to take decisions which are based on critical research.

Making decisions with a group can at times be a stressful and complicated event. The

inclusion of multiple parties and cultures might increase the chances of conflict and in such a

situation the management should prepare themselves by the means of conflict management

(Epstein, 2018).
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5. References
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