Cross-Cultural Communication in Business

This assignment delves into the crucial topic of cross-cultural communication within a business context. It examines the diverse perspectives and communication styles prevalent across various cultures, highlighting the potential challenges and opportunities that arise in international business dealings. The provided resources encompass academic articles, case studies, and news reports, offering insights into effective intercultural communication strategies and best practices for navigating global business interactions.

Running head: BUSINESS ETHICS – CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Business Ethics – Cross Cultural Communication
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note

1BUSINESS ETHICS – CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Table of Contents
1. Why is cross cultural communication (CCC) a business issue?..........................3
2. Why is CCC an ethics issue? How would an understanding of ethics assist a
professional to communicate effectively with people from other cultures?..............................4
3. What do you think the author meant by “Recent economic challenges further
highlight the need for organizations to develop the internal communication capacity
necessary to control and monitor external threats’?...................................................................5
4. Explain why 'cultural proficiency doesn't mean memorizing every cultural
nuance of every market; it's knowing when to listen, when to ask for help, and when—finally
—to speak' 6
5. The author argues that 'Focus should be placed on using individual differences'.
Why do you think this approach might be more effective than ‘promoting cultural
adaptation’? 7
6. Explain why 'Companies that are successful in communicating cross-culturally
have a competitive advantage' (Genevieve, 2007).....................................................................8
7. Compare and contrast the communication styles of your home country and
Australia. How do they differ? Are there similarities?..............................................................9
8. Give an example of how one of the differences that you have identified might
lead to misunderstanding. How could this have a negative effect on business?......................10
9. Why might ‘The obsession to overemphasize the differences between different
cultures may result in stereotypes being conceived and such perceived notions may prove to
be a hindrance in communicating with people’?......................................................................11
10. Give examples of how Australians stereotype people from your country, and
how people from your country stereotype Australians. Do you think these stereotypes are

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accurate? 12
References....................................................................................................................14

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1. Why is cross cultural communication (CCC) a business issue?
Cross cultural communication refers to a field of study that attempts to look at the
ways in which the various people hailing from the different cultural backgrounds do
communicate with each other (Carbaugh, 2013). It also aims to study the ways in which
communication does take place among the various cultures. The understanding of the cross
cultural communication proves to be an important aspect for the business organization that
employs a diversified workforce or develops plans to conduct a business on a global range
(Bochner, 2013). This particular type of the communicational study might involve the
understanding of the communication of the employees belonging to the different cultural
communities, the manners in which they perceive their surroundings and the ways in which
they speak with their co-workers.
The cross cultural communication helps the business organizations to be more
effective in the communication towards the concerned clients. The companies that do practice
the cross-cultural communication within the organization do have better chances at
explaining to the concerned clients the ways in which their products are superior to those that
are marketed by the rival organizations (Samovar et al., 2014). The cross-cultural
communication might help the concerned organization to build better employee relationships,
efficient business partnerships and the building the global client base of the company. The
effective cross-cultural communication in an organization helps in the enabling of the smooth
functioning of the businesses. The effective cross-cultural communication also helps the
concerned business houses to communicate with the partners in business as well as the clients
who belong to different cultures.

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2. Why is CCC an ethics issue? How would an understanding of ethics assist a
professional to communicate effectively with people from other cultures?
The cross cultural communication aims to aid the business organizations in the fields
of growth in the global market, the technologies of the other companies in the market. The
cross-cultural communication within a certain business organization also helps in the
management of the staff of the organization who might belong to the various cultures that are
present within the society (Moran, Abramson & Moran, 2014). The cross-cultural
communication taking place within a certain business organization might involve the
participation of a number of members of the staff who belong to different ethical
communities. Thus, the cross-cultural communication might involve the participants who
might need to be trained on the ethical practices prevalent in the concerned social culture.
The understanding of the ethical practices is very necessary for a professional in order
to communicate effectively and correctly in a given situation. A professional should have a
very good understanding of the ethical activities and codes of conduct that are followed by
the individuals belonging to different cultural backgrounds. The communication skills that
are required by a professional in order to convey the message must be in accordance to the
ethical codes that are followed by the addressee (Cavusgil et al., 2014). The difference in the
ethical backgrounds of the employees of the concerned members of the business organization
might cause the professionals to have a clearer knowledge in matters pertaining to the ethical
practices that are followed by the concerned employees. The body language of the addressor
might be another factor that is to be taken into consideration while engaging in conversations
with people who belong to ethical backgrounds that differ from that of the addressor
(Klitmøller & Lauring, 2013).

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3. What do you think the author meant by “Recent economic challenges further
highlight the need for organizations to develop the internal communication
capacity necessary to control and monitor external threats’?
According to the author, the need to communicate globally across all the barriers that
exist in the terms of the existent cultural boundaries has increased with the increase in the
global connect of the society (Padhi, 2016). In order to build a certain value for the
stakeholders and to fulfil the mission of the concerned organization, it is necessary for the
concerned professionals to be well-versed in the ethical codes that is followed by the different
members who have been working within the same organization. The studies suggest that it
might be a big challenge in the modern world to communicate effectively with all the
members of the organization due to the varying ethical codes followed by the people who
belong to different cultures. The author suggests that the employees at any business
organization must be well versed in their understanding of the ways in which they might
communicate effectively with their counterparts belonging to the different ethical and cultural
communities.
The author opines that it is necessary for the professionals employed at the various
organizations must be trained well-enough in order to help them to communicate effectively
both within the organization as well as with the clients of the concerned organization. The
poor communication between the members of the organization might lead to the poorness in
the overall performance of the organization. This might also lead to the conditions wherein
the concerned organization might suffer due to the lack of the skills of the employees. The
capacity to control the internal communication within the concern might help the
organization to both avoid as well as control the external threats that the company might be
facing.

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4. Explain why 'cultural proficiency doesn't mean memorizing every cultural
nuance of every market; it's knowing when to listen, when to ask for help, and
when—finally—to speak'
Cultural proficiency generally refers to the level of the skills that are based on
knowledge and the understandings of the subject that is generally required by the concerned
employee in order to interact effectively with the co-workers who might belong to the
different cultural backgrounds. The cultural proficiency of the concerned employee helps to
accomplish the assigned work while holding respect for the colleagues who might belong to
different cultural backgrounds (Kinloch & Metge, 2014). The cultural proficiency of an
employee helps him to employ a self-assessment of the beliefs, values and other biases that
are followed by him in the process of maintaining one’s own cultural humility. A culturally
proficient employee might help to maintain an ongoing vigilance of the dynamics related to
the diversity, the power and the differences as well as the expansion in the matters of the
expansion of knowledge in the matters that are pertaining to the cultural practices that help to
recognize the cultural bridges that are conveyed in both the ways.
In order to carry out an effective communication between the two members of the
given concern who belong to two different backgrounds, it is necessary for the concerned
members to develop an understanding of the cultural nuances that are prevalent in the cultural
backgrounds that they follow. It is necessary on the part of the employees to have a sound
knowledge about the different cultural nuances of the other members by observing their daily
habits (Ferraro & Briody, 2017). This might help the professionals in the field to implement
effective communication among the members of the society which leads to a better
understanding among the members of the organization and in turn helps the organization to
avoid the external factors that might pose to be threats to the concern.

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5. The author argues that 'Focus should be placed on using individual differences'.
Why do you think this approach might be more effective than ‘promoting
cultural adaptation’?
Cultural adaptation refers generally to the process and the time that is taken by an
individual in order to integrate himself into a relatively new culture and to be comfortable
within the system. A person might have to experience a number of different emotions during
the phase of cultural adaptation within the given organization (French, 2015). The author
suggests that a professional must focus more on the individual differences that exist within
the members of the organization in order to develop good communicating skills within the
given organization. The author suggests that the leaders of a business organization should lay
more stress on the cultural adaptation of the employees in order to build a strong
communication within the organization.
The employees of the given concern should be aware of the differences that exist
within the other members of the organization in the matters that pertain to the cultural and the
ethical backgrounds of the members. The author suggests that the differences in the ethical
and the cultural backgrounds of the concerned employees might hold the keys to the building
of a successful cross-cultural community within the given organization. According to the
leaders of the successful companies, the recognition and the adaptation to the differences that
exist within the employees, the customers and the suppliers of the organization might help the
concerned organization to flourish better within the given industry (Kratzke & Bertolo,
2013). The understanding of the differences that exist within the employees of the
organization might help the leaders to establish a strong communication within the
organization.

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6. Explain why 'Companies that are successful in communicating cross-culturally
have a competitive advantage' (Genevieve, 2007).
The companies that have successfully maintained a cross-cultural communication
within the given organization are found to have a better competitive advantage over the other
business organizations in the same industry. The companies that have been able to establish a
successful cross-cultural communication within the organization tend to provide
encouragement in the matters that pertain to the team effort that is put in by the employees of
the organization. The cross-cultural communication helps to promote the sharing of the
experiences that have been incurred by the concerned employees and the related information
on the matter (Neuliep, 2017). Cross cultural communication helps the organization to
function better in the areas that need to have members from different cultural and ethical
backgrounds to work together.
The cross cultural communication among members of an organization helps the
members to share the same common goal. The cross cultural transformation within the given
organization tends to help the concerned members to share knowledge which ensures that
they stay up-to-date with the objectives and the goals of the given company. This in turn
ensures that the quality of the work that is provided by the employees involved is of a high
and superior quality (Thomas & Peterson, 2017). An organization that employs a team of
workers who are qualified in a variety of skills has chances of outperforming those
organizations that lack some of the necessary skills or are unable to organize them in a proper
manner. The organizations that employ a huge number of people belonging to various
cultural and ethical backgrounds tend to promote within the organization team efforts thereby
helping to increase the responsiveness and the flexibility of the given organization.

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7. Compare and contrast the communication styles of your home country and
Australia. How do they differ? Are there similarities?
The communication styles followed by the Sri Lankans can be described to be very
polite. The communication style may also be termed as indirect and ambiguous. The Sri
Lankan speakers tend to deliver to their communication counterparts the content that they
wish to hear in order to avoid any conflicting situations. The speech style of the Sri Lankans
tends to be more courteous. The speakers tend to have an indirect style of the speech. The
speakers generally tend not to be explicit in conveying the meaning of their speech rather
they prefer to insinuate the concerned subject. The Sri Lankan speakers tend to pay respect to
the hierarchical factors determined by the society while communicating with each other. The
communication styles that are followed by the people of Sri Lanka majorly tend to follow
hushed tones in public (Culturalatlas.sbs.com.au, 2018). The speaker might attract negative
attention in cases where the loudness of the tone is used. In the non-verbal way of
communication, the Sri Lankans depict the practice of minimal body contact during the
conversations.
Unlike the Sri Lankans, the Australians tend to follow a direct way of communication.
The communication style followed by the Australians tends to be purposed more functionally
in order to convey the intended message more clearly. The Australians tend to incorporate
within their speech a reasonable amount of sensitivity and are very honest with the speeches
that they deliver. The Australians too maintain a general distance of about an arm’s length
while maintaining communication with one another similar to the practice that is followed by
the residents of Sri Lanka (Culturalatlas.sbs.com.au, 2018). The Australians, like the Sri
Lankans do often consider pointing their fingers at someone to be offensive. However, unlike
the Sri Lankans, the Australians do tend to maintain a direct eye contact with the other
conversant while engaging in a conversation. The Australians do introduce themselves using

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their full name but expect to be addressed by their first names, unlike the Sri Lankans who
consider that improper in business contexts. The Australians tend to maintain the punctuality
in case of meetings unlike the Sri Lankans who tend to believe in the relaxed sense of time.
8. Give an example of how one of the differences that you have identified might
lead to misunderstanding. How could this have a negative effect on business?
The residents of Sri Lanka tend to believe in the relaxed sense of time which may be
perceived to be a lack of punctuality by a resident of Australia. The people engaged in the
conversation are encouraged to be explicit in their messages. This might help them to avoid
the unnecessary glitches that may arise due to the misinterpretation of the messages that are
delivered. The ambiguity in the conversation might lead to the interpretation of the concerned
matter in a negative manner. In order to avoid this, the initiator of the conversation might put
forth the information that he might want to share in a very explicit manner so that the chances
of misinterpretation are reduced to the minimal level.
In case of the Australians and the Sri Lankans, the people engaged in the conversation
should maintain the code of conduct that is prevalent within the cultures that are followed in
both the countries. The Australians prefer to be addressed by their first names in the business
contexts while their Sri Lankan counterparts are more comfortable when addressed by their
professional titles or other such honorable titles. The use of the first names is not considered
to be appropriate in the Sri Lankan work culture. This might be the cause of
misunderstanding between colleagues who belong to the differing cultural backgrounds. The
Australian residents do exchange business cards as a part of the informal activities that take
place during the introductions while their Sri Lankan counterparts exchange the business
cards in a very formal manner. The Sri Lankans do find it necessary to maintain some
etiquettes while dealing with the business cards. The defying of those etiquettes may be

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considered to be rude on the part of the concerned conversant thereby leading to the
miscommunication between the concerned parties.
9. Why might ‘The obsession to overemphasize the differences between different
cultures may result in stereotypes being conceived and such perceived notions
may prove to be a hindrance in communicating with people’?
The communication between persons belonging to the different cultural backgrounds
might help the concerned persons to relate to the differences in the cultural and the ethical
barriers that exist between them. The overindulgence of the people belonging to a certain
cultural background might lead to the stereotyping of the concerned people. Stereotypes do
result from the wide acceptance of a theory on certain types of individuals or behaviors that
tend to describe the total community wherein the individuals or the actions do belong
(Prasad, 2015). The stereotyping of the individuals and their actions might result from the
highlighting of the differences that occur within the actions or the responses to certain actions
that might follow.
The stereotyping of individuals who belong to a certain area of the world or to a
certain cultural background might result in being a hindrance to the communication between
the people involved in the communication. The stereotyping might prove to be a hindrance
for the management of the concerned organization in the utilization of the skills that are
possessed by the concerned employee (Asante, 2013). The treatment of the employees based
on the stereotypical decisions that are taken by the management might result in the loss of
employees in the concern. Stereotyping might also lead to lowering of the employee morale
and thus might also affect the productivity of the concerned business organization. The
stereotyping of the employees affects the teamwork and open communication that is
necessary within the concern (Hurn, & Tomalin, 2013). The creativity and the abilities of the

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concerned company in the fields of solving the problems and facing the necessary
competitions are also hampered due to the failure on the part of the company to include
diversity among the employees of the concern.
10. Give examples of how Australians stereotype people from your country, and how
people from your country stereotype Australians. Do you think these stereotypes
are accurate?
The people of Sri Lankan origin staying at Australia do often complain of being
stereotyped due to the color of their skin. The Sri Lankan people staying at Australia do often
complain about the racist comments that they face due to the darker skin color as compared to
their Australian counterparts (News.com.au, 2018). The Sri Lankans also claim to be called
out for their food habits. The Australians do stereotype them due to their food habit that
mainly includes curries in the course of food that they have. The Sri Lankan residents are also
stereotyped because of their higher degrees of assimilation with the members belonging to
same country.
The people of Sri Lanka find it difficult to travel to Australia with the intention of
settling down in the country. The Sri Lankans are observed to stereotype the Australians on
the basis of the cost of living that they incur. The residents of Sri Lanka do believe that the
job scenario in Australia is worse than that which exists in Sri Lanka (Vice.com, 2018). The
surveys report that the Sri Lankan residents do find the culture of Australia to be foreign to
them and difficult to adjust with for the native people of Sri Lanka.
The stereotypes might not be termed to be accurate due to the fact that there might
exist a number of instances that prove these stereotypes to be incorrect. There might be Sri
Lankan natives residing in Australia who might not be having the food habits that are
prevalent among the other members of the country. In a similar manner there might be

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instances where the Australian counterparts might be observed to be contradicting the beliefs
that the Sri Lankans do generally possess for them.

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References
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Carbaugh, D. (2013). Cultural communication and intercultural contact. Routledge.
Cavusgil, S. T., Knight, G., Riesenberger, J. R., Rammal, H. G., & Rose, E. L.
(2014). International business. Pearson Australia.
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Ferraro, G. P., & Briody, E. K. (2017). The cultural dimension of global business. Taylor
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Hurn, B., & Tomalin, B. (2013). Cross-cultural communication: Theory and practice.
Springer.

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Kinloch, P., & Metge, J. (2014). Talking past each other: problems of cross cultural
communication. Victoria University Press.
Klitmøller, A., & Lauring, J. (2013). When global virtual teams share knowledge: Media
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