Maori Culture & Business Communication

This assignment examines the cultural dimensions of Maori New Zealand society, comparing it with the United States. It delves into Hofstede's cultural dimensions (power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation, indulgence vs. restraint) to highlight key differences. The analysis explores how these cultural nuances can impact business communication between US enterprises and Maori businesses.

Running head: BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Business Environment
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................2
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................2
Task 3...............................................................................................................................................3
Task 4...............................................................................................................................................5
References......................................................................................................................................12

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Task 1
Wakatu Corporation is an organization that is owned by Maori people. The organization
is based in Nelson, New Zealand. The owners of the Wakatu Corporation are the beneficiaries of
New Zealand treaty settlement. They have vineyards, orchards and marine farms. They produce
food and beverages. The Maori people are honest and they will be the best suppliers that Trump
enterprises can ever get. Maori people’s main occupation is agriculture so they are the best
providers of agricultural yields (Wakatu Incorporation, 2017). They know the techniques for
quality yield that can provide competitive advantage to Trump enterprises in America. The
customers of America demand fresh and natural products and partnership with Wakatu
corporation Trump enterprises can fulfill as well as satisfy the needs of its customers.
Task 2
Significance of Treaty of Waitangi New Zealand has given the Maori and the other
inhabitants of New Zealand their right over their lands and its yield. The immigrants and traders
from other countries exploited the people of New Zealand. Merchants used to trade natural
resources in return of clothing, guns and other products. The Waitangi agreement between the
British and the Maori people provided sovereignty to the Maori people over the land and
resources. The Waitangi Act 1975 was modification of the initial treaty. The treaty of 1841 had
two versions and created a lot of conflicts but the treaty of 1975 made Waitangi tribunal. Today
Waitangi Treaty is can be called as the foundation of New Zealand because it provides equality
in the country. It is called the founding document (Orange, 2015). There is no single document
as the constitution of New Zealand rather there is multiple documents and principles treaty of
Waitangi is one such document.

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There were two versions of the treaty, the Maori version and the British version. The
British were known as Pakeha in the Maori language. The differences between the two versions
became a major reason for conflict. The conflict was because the word sovereignty has been
translated wrongly as Kawanatanga in Maori but it means Governance. Similarly the English
version of the treaty guaranteed “undistributed possession” of all the assets while the Maori
version guaranteed “ tino rangatiranga” which means full authority over the “taonga” which
means intangible. Maori people as per their values give importance to said words so for them
spoken words were equally important as documented words. The difference in the two versions
was the main reason behind the conflict and it continued for very long time.
Biculturism is the condition where people retain their cultural identity even if two
cultures exists. Whereas, multiculturism occurs where there is cultural diversity. It refers to
enjoying the oneness of different cultures. Principle of partnership is referred to the guidelines
that form the basis of partnership between two parties. Mutual benefit forms the basis for the
principle for partnership.
Task 3
Principle of partnership will be those guidelines that the parties, Wakatu Corporation and
Trump enterprises will have to follow. It will affect business and business relations of the both
the parties. Bothe parties should cooperate and work in harmony with each other. Principle of
partnership will be terms of the business that both parties will have to agree upon so that later
there are no conflicts of interests between the parties.

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Fig 1: Elements of Partnership, (Source: Scheele, 2016).
The picture above shows important elements of partnership. It should have guiding principles,
transformative experiences, quality processes and Meaningful outcomes. The elements combine
together to form authentic partnership. Principles of partnerships are made with the input and
agreement of all the partners. These principles help in good decision-making and conflict
resolution. The companies forming a partnership with mutual agreement establish the principles
of partnership. Both the partners have their own goals, missions and objectives. When the
companies come under partnership their goals, objectives and missions are to be aligned.
Principles of partnership form the basis for the companies to form a strong bonding that affects
both the companies (Scheele, 2016). The principles will positively affect the relationship

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between Wakatu corporation and Trump enterprises because it would be established keeping in
mind the interests of both the organizations.
Trump enterprises needs to indentify the interests of Wakatu Corporation to frame
principles for partnership. They should consider cultural factors that are important for the Maori
people. Trump enterprise should not create an impression to Wakatu Corporation that it is just a
business deal. Sustainability should be the considered while making the principles of partnership.
Building mutual trust and maintaining proper channel of communication as there are chances for
miscommunication. Maori people are simple and honest people so trump enterprises should help
Wakatu Corporation in taking crucial decisions. Trump enterprises should also be honest and
transparent (Stevens, 2016).
Task 4
a. The national culture of a country is core values and beliefs of the country. These
values and beliefs are norms that determine the actions of the citizens residing in the
country. It determines their behavior and lifestyle, types of products they use and the
services they avail. Business organizations operate in the same society and so it is
important they operate as per the national culture of the country. The values and
beliefs of the people of the country should be the basis of their business. It cannot be
ignored. National culture influences the core functions like, human resource,
marketing, finance and operations of any business organization. It affects the
strategies the companies implement. In international business companies planning to
operate in another country needs to conduct a research on the culture of that country
or else their business might incur loss. At times multinational corporations come

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across extreme cultural differences that make management difficult (Mark,
Chamberlain & Boulton, 2017).
b. Application of Hofestede’s Cultural Dimensions
Trump enterprises
Power distance-
The power distance dimension recognizes that the individuals in the society are not equal at any
point of time and how these inequalities among different group of people affect the culture of a
place. Trump enterprises can be placed high in the power distance index. Trump enterprises are a
centralized organization. The management of the company is super influential with the owner
being the President of the USA. This takes the whole power distance relationship among the
employees and the management to a whole new level. There are large gaps in the compensation,
authority and respect.
Individualism versus collectivism
Individualism is the degree to which the authority of the individual is recognized and whether a
society or organization is individualistic or collective. Trump enterprises can be said that it has
individualist culture because high value is place to the time of the people and their need for
privacy and freedom. “Liberty and justice for all is the premise on which America stands, and
this is the backbone of all the organizations operating in the country.
Masculinity versus femininity
Masculinity is the index which denotes that whether a society or organization is more of logical
and competitive, on the other hand feminine index denotes that the society is driven more by

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emotional quotient. Trump organization can be seen to be high on masculinity factor and this is
evident from typical American behavior. The organization is achievement oriented and
competitive.
Uncertainty avoidance index
Uncertainty index denotes how a particular culture or organization handles the uncertainty and
unpredictability of the future. The enterprise can be placed low in the uncertainty avoidance
index because it ventures to partner with a Maori enterprise. In earlier years as well Trump has
ventured into new regions and new ventures and has reflected itself as the perfect risk taker.
Pragmatic versus normative
Trump enterprise can be termed as pragmatic because of the long-term orientation. The company
eyes on projects that may not be paying high dividends immediately but that would be helpful on
the long-term. The partnership of Trump enterprises with Wakatu Corporation makes the
company pragmatic. It shows that the enterprise focuses more on sustainability (Hofstede, 2014).
Indulgence versus restraint
Trump enterprises are high on indulgence index. The pragmatic and bold moves of collaborating
with organizations that are not so well known but having good potential is evidence to this fact.
Trump has invested in almost every corner of the world even in disturbed areas. The organization
has an optimistic culture.
New Zealand

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Image 1: Hofstade Model of New Zealand
Source: (Hofstede-insights.com, 2018)
Power distance- The score of New Zealand in the power distance Index is 22, which is a very
low score for power distance. This shows that there is equality within the culture. The superiors
in any scenario is accessible to the sub ordinates and there is a friendly relationship. Managers
and employees consult with each other.
Individualist versus Collectivist- For this dimension New Zealand scored 79 which means that
the culture of the country is individualist. The society gives more importance on individualistic
traits rather than collective identity. Merit and talent of each individual takes him or her forward.
Masculinity versus Femininity- New Zealand is mostly a masculine society. The score is 58. The
country runs on logical reasoning and everyone strives to compete against each other to get the
top position and recognition.

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Uncertainty avoidance- New Zealand’s score of 49 denotes that in this case the country follows a
middle path and judges the situation before taking a final decision. It does not unnecessarily take
risk and takes only when it is feasible.
Pragmatic versus normative- New Zealand scored low in the pragmatic index it means that the
country focuses more on cultures and traditions. The society is normative and hence the people
are more likely to give importance on tradition rather than future predictions and scopes.
The last dimension is indulgence versus restraint- People in New Zealand are indulgent, the high
score denotes how the people shows high desire to fulfill their desires and impulses.(Moran,
Abramson & Moran, 2014).
Maori culture
Power distance-
The power distance in Maori New Zealand is not much because there is equality between the
cultures. However, as the tradition of the tribe goes back to a long period of time, the older
people are given respect and younger members are expected to show their obedience.
Individualist versus collectivist- Maori New Zealand is collectivist because the people of the
community maintain harmony among themselves. People work for appreciation and recognition.
The Maoris have a long traditional history. They prefer to live in groups and there are whole
Maori villages who live like a family. Individuals can give up their individual desires and needs
when it comes to the society’s sake.
Femininity versus Masculinity

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The Maori tribe is more driven towards emotional decision making rather than being competitive
and logical at every footstep. Therefore, it scores high on femininity. In Hofstede’s model
femininity means that the society is largely driven by emotion and people take decisions based
on care for each other.
Uncertainty avoidance index
Maori New Zealand will be placed high in the uncertainty avoidance index because it is a
conservative society. The society doesn’t take much risk and prefer to go for the tried and tested
methods of success. High risk taking is not the behavioral pattern of the Maoris.
Pragmatic versus Normative
Maori culture can be termed as pragmatic because they do not value short-term profits. The
tradition of the culture has been to do things which are highly productive and having certain
amount of depth.
Indulgence versus restraint
Maori culture of New Zealand is restraint as they do not like change or even take risks (Findsen,
2016). The culture doesn’t approve high risk taking or being highly engrossed in indulgent
activities. People are conservative and follow regulations and rules.
c. The differences in cultural communication might affect the business largely. The
culture of USA is completely different from that of Maori culture. The culture of
USA is individualist while that of Maori culture is collectivist. There might be
conflict because of the cultural differences. Another difference is that Maori culture is
very conservative. They might face trouble while undertaking business

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communication as Maori might not be well aware about the American customers and
their requirement (Findsen, 2016). People of Maori culture are very close to nature
their main occupation is agriculture. They will be able to provide fresh and good
quality agricultural products like, wine, fish and many more. People of Maori are
honest, modest and so Trump enterprises can rely on them, and a healthy relationship
can be built.

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References
About.(2017). Wakatu Incorporation. Retrieved 23 November 2017, from
http://www.wakatu.org/
Findsen, B. (2016). Learning in later life: a bicultural perspective from Aotearoa/New
Zealand. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 35(5), 555-568.
Hofstede, G. (2014). nd, Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions: Understanding Workplace Values
Around the World. Mind Tools Ltd, viewed, 5.
Hofstede-insights.com. (2018). Country Comparison - Hofstede Insights. Hofstede Insights.
Retrieved 4 February 2018, from https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-
comparison/new-zealand/
Mark, G., Chamberlain, K., & Boulton, A. (2017). Acknowledging the Māori cultural values and
beliefs embedded in rongoā Māori healing. International Journal of Indigenous
Health, 12(1), 75-92.
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences.
Routledge.
Orange, C. (2015). The treaty of Waitangi. Bridget Williams Books.
Scheele, S. (2016). Safeguarding seeds and Maori intellectual property through
partnership. International Journal of Rural Law and Policy, (2), 1-9.

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Stevens, D. (2016). New Zealand’s Te Tiriti o Waitangi-Treaty of Waitangi: The past,
contemplated in the present, is a guide to the future. Asia-Pacific between Conflict and
Reconciliation, 3, 43.