Cross-Cultural Communication

This essay explores the importance of cross-cultural communication in international business and provides insights into the case of Mary's firm's intended expansion into Japan. It discusses the differences between the national cultures of Australia and Japan based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory and offers recommendations for effective cross-cultural communication.

Running head: CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Cross-Cultural Communication
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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As opined by Harrell (2016), one of the most important factors which affect the
business operations of the different business firms operational in the international business
arena is the factor of cross-cultural communication because of the inherent differences
between the national cultures of the diverse nations. Bird and Mendenhall (2016) are of the
viewpoint that the factor of intercultural or cross-cultural communication comes into play
when the business firms are conducting cross border business or for that matter when
individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds are involved in the process of communication.
The aim of this essay is to shed light on the process of cross-cultural communication through
the usage of the case of Mary’s firm’s intended expansion into the nation of Japan. The
objective of this essay is to gain a thorough understanding of the process of cross-
communication and also to gain an insight into the factors that the firms are required to take
into account while conducting business into the business markets of the nations which are
culturally different one another.
Mary, an Australian is the owner of “The Aroma Shop”, which specialises in the
manufacture of different kinds of condiments like chili sauces, jams, chutneys, pastes and
others. More importantly, her parents since an early age had ingrained within her a love for
different kinds of food products and this is one of the major reasons why she had established
the business under discussion. Presently, it is seen that she is trying to enhance the scope of
her firm and is thereby considering expanding her business in the nation of Japan as well
apart from Australia and for this she had taken an appointment with Mr. Muro, a Japanese
popular store owner.
Lu and Fan (2015) have articulated the viewpoint that the entity of culture had a
profound impact on the business style or etiquette which is being followed within the
different nations of the world and this is perhaps one of the major reasons why the different
firms which are operating on an international basis need to take into account the element of

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national culture. Mary in order to make the appointment that she had with Mr. Muro would
have to take into account the differences between the national cultures of the two nations,
namely, Australia and Japan and thereby modify her approach on the basis of the same. An
analysis of the national cultures of the two nations under discussion here on the basis of
Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory clearly reveals the fact that the national cultures of
these two nations are drastically different from each other (Refer to Appendix 1). For
example, it is seen that the nation of Japan scores higher than that of Australia on the index of
power distance which means that the people of Japan not only respect seniority as well as
authority but at the same time like to follow them in an ardent manner (Hofstede Insights
2019). This is important since within the nation of Japan it is seen that the senior employees
or the managers are not always accessible by the employees who are lower in designation to
them (Gökmen 2018). On the other hand, in the nation of Australia this is not the case since it
is seen that the seniors or the individuals holding the important designations of the firm are
easily accessible by all the employees of the firm.
Another important difference between the national cultures of the nations of Australia
and Japan becomes apparent when the index of individualism is taken into account. In this
regard, it needs to be said that the nation of Japan unlike the nation of Australia scores very
low on the index of individualism which means that the Japanese people like to indulge in
group or collective kind of work (Hofstede Insights 2019). The net result of this is that the
different business firms of the nation of Japan try to foster the kind of organisational culture
with their firms which will support collective or group work (Caligiuri and Lundby 2015). On
the other hand, within the nation of Australia it is seen that the individualistic kind of work
culture is more predominant and the Australian rather than indulging in collective or group
work generally like to work in an individualistic manner.

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The differences between the national cultures of Australia and Japan also becomes
apparent from the difference between the score of the two nations on the masculinity index.
In this regard, it needs to be said that the Japanese people have a higher score on the
concerned index which means that they are more likely to get influenced by the factors of
competition, success, achievement and others in comparison to the Australians who score
lower on this particular index (Hofstede Insights 2019). The net result of this is that the
different Japanese firms try to use these factors not only for motivating their employees but
also for the purpose of improving their performance or productivity as well (Brannen,
Piekkari and Tietze 2017). More importantly, the Japanese people also score higher than the
Australians on the aspect of uncertainty avoidance which means that the Japanese people like
to avoid uncertainty and thereby like to take the help of the kind of actions or strategies
which have sure outcomes (Hofstede Insights 2019). On the other hand, it is seen that the
nation of Australia has an average score of this index which means that the Australian neither
completely embrace uncertain events nor completely repudiate it.
The nation of Japan has a higher score than Australia on the index of long-term
orientation which means that the failure or the success of the business firms in the concerned
nation is being determined by their past and also the long-term value that they can offer to
their stakeholders (Hofstede Insights 2019). On the other hand, the Australians score low on
this index which clearly represents the idea that the Australians determine the failure or the
success of the business firms operational in their nation on the basis of their short-term
performance and the value or the rewards that they are being able to provide their
stakeholders. Lastly, the nation of Japan scores lower than Australia on the index of indulge
which means that the society of Japan is a restrained one and the net result of this is that the
concept of work-life balance, employee engagement and others are very popular in the nation
of Japan (Hofstede Insights 2019). However, at the same time it is seen that within the nation

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of Australia these are extremely important factors and the performance of the employees
depends greatly on the ability of the firms to offer these facilities
Mary for the process of her interview with Mr. Muro would have to take into account
the Japanese cultural traditional and also the business etiquettes which is being followed
within the concerned nation. In this regard, it needs to be said that she also would have to
modify or amend the business style that she had been used to following within the nation of
Australia. For example, she would have to take into account the factor of power distance and
thereby respect the seniority of Mr. Muro during the entire course of the interview. More
importantly, during the entire course of the interview she would have to highlight the
collective manner in which both of them would work and also the long-term success both of
them would be able to gain through the intended collaboration or partnership. Furthermore,
following the Japanese cultural she would also gain in a significant manner if she greets Mr.
Muro in a respectful manner and also takes some gift to give to him as a token of friendship.
In addition to this, she would also have to clarify that there are no uncertainties involved in
the business deal that they are going to undertake. These in short are some of the most
important recommendations that Mary needs to follow during the entire course of her
interview with Mr. Muro so as to make a good or positive impression on him and also to
avoid any kinds of cross-cultural miscommunications.
To conclude, cross-cultural management and effective cross-cultural management are
the two important aspects that the firms undertaking international business need to follow in
an ardent manner so as to gain success in the diverse host nations. This is important because
of the fact that the national cultures of the diverse nations are different from each other and
the business prospects of the firms significantly depends on the effectiveness with which they
are being able to mitigate the adverse effects of the same. Thu, the firms not only need to gain
a working knowledge about the national culture of the different nations in which they are

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operational but also try to use them within the business style or etiquettes followed by them
in the concerned host nation. These aspects of the contemporary business world and also
cross-cultural communication become apparent from the above analysis of the national
cultures of Australia and Japan and also the measures that Mary needs to use to make the
interview with Mr. Muro a successful one.

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References
Bird, A. and Mendenhall, M.E., 2016. From cross-cultural management to global leadership:
Evolution and adaptation. Journal of World Business, 51(1), pp.115-126.
Brannen, M.Y., Piekkari, R. and Tietze, S., 2017. The multifaceted role of language in
international business: Unpacking the forms, functions and features of a critical challenge to
MNC theory and performance. In Language in international business (pp. 139-162). Palgrave
Macmillan, Cham.
Caligiuri, P. and Lundby, K., 2015. Developing cross-cultural competencies through global
teams. In Leading global teams (pp. 123-139). Springer, New York, NY.
Crane, D., Kawashima, N. and Kawasaki, K.I., 2016. Culture and globalization theoretical
models and emerging trends. In Global culture (pp. 11-36). Routledge.
Gökmen, A., 2018. International Management, Differentiating Factors, and its Relation to
Culture. International Journal of Sustainable Economies Management (IJSEM), 7(3), pp.30-
39.
Harrell, L., 2016. A Critical Review on the different Perspectives of Cross-Cultural
Management. Splint International Journal of Professionals, 3(4), p.39.
Hofstede Insights 2019. Country Comparison - Hofstede Insights. [online] Available at:
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/australia,japan/ [Accessed 9 Apr.
2019].
Lu, C. and Fan, W., 2015. Cross-cultural Issues and International Business Communication
Practice: From an Anthropological Perspective. The Anthropologist, 22(1), pp.15-24.

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Appendix 1
Figure 1: Comparison of the national cultures of Japan and Australia as per Hofstede’s
cultural dimensions
Source: Hofstede’s Insights 2019