Cross-Culture Management and Diversity: A Review and Briefing Paper

Cross- culture management and
diversity
Student’s name

Cross- culture and diversity 1
Introduction
Part one of this paper will review two articles related to business communication
across cultures. Part 2 consists of a briefing directed to managers of a computer
manufacturing company in Malaysia given the task to establish a long-term relationship with
a component supplier in Guangzhou, China. The briefing must help them understand the
culture and business practices of their Chinese counterparts.
The first case study of Judith Ainsworth, a Canadian researcher at the Université de
Montréal, Canada tried to find out if the business language initiatives – this is learning
foreign languages, one of the most obvious tools for cross-cultural communication – were
effective and sustainable. The purpose of her research was finding evidence on how concepts
of language trainings in colleges and universities contribute to the consolidation of the newly
learned language and its practical use in business.
A second case study, by Veronika V. Tarnovskaya of the School of Economics and
Management, Lund University, Sweden, and Leslie de Chernatony of the Università Della
Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland and Aston Business School, Birmingham, UK, is
about Ikea. Their research is a case study in Russia and China and tries to understand how a
brand that relies to a considerable extent on uniformity is internalised in very diverse cultural
contexts. The case study of Ikea is useful for other retail brands that operate transnationally.
Article 1
Ainsworth, J., (2013) Business Languages for Intercultural and International Business
Communication: A Canadian Case Study. Business Communication Quarterly, 76(1),
pp.28–50
This article highlights about the corporate communication, intercultural message and
the internationalization of higher schooling. In this, the tie-up in between language and
cultural knowledge is done. In addition, all is linked with the present corporate creation and
various policies of the integrated method are taken into consideration. Internationalization
majorly emphasis over native and worldwide aspect and comprises of diversity and
intercultural communication.
As it has seen over time that adoption of the higher education that helps in overall
expansion of unconventional communication and the technical facilities. Moreover, the
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Cross- culture and diversity 2
objective of this case is to give major emphasis over the marker share, knowledgeable society
and life-long learning for the graduates, which is increasing, globalized in the world
economy. Furthermore, it was also analyzed that it is important for the undergraduates to
understand the other nations, their languages, cultures so that they can appropriately learn to
handle the complex situations in working aspect and can perform effectively in these rapidly
emerging trends (Ainsworth, 2013).
The above-mentioned journal is based on empirical classification, which is related to
the business languages for the cross culture and international business communication, which
highlights about the Canadian case study, which majorly focuses on building the graduates
for handling the international workplaces. Along with this, it also displays the student's
attitude towards international communication and language courses, strategies; skills that are
to be taken into consideration for the proper understanding of the international business.
Article2
Tarnovskaya, V.V. & de Chernatony, L., (2011) Internalizing a brand across cultures:
the case of IKEA. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 39(8),
pp.598–618.
The article two highlights the internationalization of brand, the case, which it
displays, that IKEA, which is entering into China and Russia. This case states the complexity
of the internationalization of brand in concern of employees and issues regarding the cultural
environment of different countries. Certain brand vision, culture, workers attitude are the
major reasons behind this complex environment. Moreover, internationalization affects
culture, which is cognitive, effective and communicative behavior of the employees (Quer,
Claver, & Rienda, 2012).
Additionally, workers who work locally having a lesser sense about the brand
concepts and highly affect the brand activation and represent a discontinuity of brand
internationalization. In this case, IKEA, make their employees aware of their brand by
making them aware of the international culture, their communication style and their sense
towards the brand.
This particular journal is based on empirical classification, which keeps on analyzing
the employee's interactions in different cultural context. This case also highlights about the
cultural complex method towards brand internationalization in which values are highlighted
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as a vibrant blueprint for clarification of the results and accordingly workers needs to operate
(Tarnovskaya, & de Chernatony, 2011).
Discussion on the issues
Article1.
A survey was conducted in order to know about the attitudes of the student towards
intercultural communication skills for future business learning and handling core
management. In a survey, it was also analyzed that for graduates, learning of foreign
language is very useful for the workplace and helps in understanding the other culture at
work. As it was also analyzed foreign language and cross, culture knowledge in Canada as
through this they have to know more about the people and their culture. This also reduces the
chance of misunderstanding among people. By all this, the students were able to gain benefits
such as working with the multicultural teams’ members, learning about their cultural
diversity, helps in managing the overall workings, aids in developing soft skills and much
more. Moreover, learning and adoption of the foreign language and their culture build a
competitive advantage for the person to perform outstandingly in the workplace. In addition,
in employability concern, people out their thinks of an asset to business that is apt in foreign
communication and culture (Steers, & Sánchez‐Runde, 2017).
The major issue, which is highlighted in this case, is that, whether the student will be
able to adopt language skills with the core management skills for international business.
Moreover, it was suggested that yes! The addition of cross-cultural language and skills will
help the students to develop the competencies for business studies and for plans. Moreover,
it also generates a competitive advantage for employability.
The second issue, which was highlighted, was that what all strategies that have to be
applied in edict to assimilate intercultural and international proportions in the international
business prospectus. In this, they are concentrating on the various courses along with the
language training in order to improve the overall intercultural effectiveness in the worldwide
workplace.
Article2.
In this case, how do employees and managers act towards brand development, about
understanding and how do workers communicate about the brand with the other cultural
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