Intercultural Competence in Business

This report discusses the importance of intercultural competence in conducting business operations in diverse environments. It includes a case study of John Smith and provides recommendations to overcome cross-cultural barriers. The report covers various intercultural communication theories and provides suggestions to enhance cross-cultural understanding.

Intercultural
competence in business

Table of Contents
Executive summary:.........................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................4
Findings ...........................................................................................................................................4
Where did John go wrong? ........................................................................................................4
Suggestions to John for better understanding cross-cultural problem .......................................5
Intercultural theories ..................................................................................................................5
Advice to John ............................................................................................................................6
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................6
Recommendations............................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

Executive summary:
The concept of cultural competences are defined as the intercultural competences that is
continuous process that is related to provide life long journey to an individual. It facilitates a
person through enhancing skills understanding as well as intellectual knowledge of a person that
help them to perform various functions in different culture in most efficient manner. There are
various competences are included in cultural competences such as knowledge, awareness,
knowledge and attitude. The whole report is about the case study that is related John Smith, there
are four questions that are related to case study are mentioned. Furthermore, different
recommendations are discussed in this project report.

INTRODUCTION
Intercultural competence are referred as the skills, capabilities and competencies of an
individual that enable them to perform functions and activities in other culture with most
efficient manner. It facilitates to communicate with others as well as performing business
activities properly who belongs from different culture and boundaries. Each and every country
has its own culture, values and beliefs that differentiate it form others. It is the skills and
competencies that helps business to conducts activities with others in diverse cultural
environment (Abugre, 2018). This report is based on the case study that is related to John Smith
who was engaged in cross cultural activities. In this report various questions are covered that are
related to cross cultural problems, there are various intercultural communication theories are
covered that help an individual to establish effective communication with others. Furthermore,
there are recommendation to overcome cross cultural barriers are covered in this project report.
Findings
Where did John go wrong?
As per the case study, It is analysed that John was the retired military officer in the
country of Middle East. After his retirement, he has been hired in the organisation of English
Software for representing company in different Persian Gulf countries. In order to make deal,
John mate to Al-Amrani Khalid who is the well known industrialist (Chen, 2017). The main
objective of conducting meeting is to discussed their perspectives and perform business activities
through joint venturing. Both John as well as Khalid were from different culture that represents
different values and belief. They have started conversation, to make mutual understanding,
Khalid asked to John about his old father and John suddenly answered with out wasting any
second that his father working well. Apart from that, he told that he mate with his father in a
nursing home several months ago because he has lost his weight.
After this statement, Khalid took less interest in conversation because he analysed that he
has no frequent connection with his father. It is the point when John went wrong in conversation
that impacted their deal with Khalid. John did not meet with his father for last several months
and he stated that his father was well that affect Khalid point of view towards him (Woodin,
2018). As the statement shows that John was not connective person that created disinterest of

Khalid towards John. After this meeting, John was not invited for further discussion on their
Joint-venturing business process.
Suggestions to John for better understanding cross-cultural problem
As both parties belong form different countries that contains different culture, values, beliefs
and understating level as well. This situation created cross-cultural problem that impacts overall
conversation between them. Some suggestions that are provided to John are mentioned below:
 It is suggested to John that he should know enhance his understanding and knowledge
regarding different attitude and culture. He should understand sensitivity of culture as
well as their effective disclosure that every culture is not frank related to their emotions
and personal information. He should reflect his connectivity towards the person from
whom he is dealing (Chen, ed., 2017). First of all, he should try to understand the nature
and temper of other person than try communicate accordingly.
 It is suggested to John that he should maintain effective and meaningful communication
with other person for the purpose of improve cross-cultural competence at work place. He
should communicate to others in most precise manner that enhances mutual
understanding and facilitate to run business activities in most efficient way.
 John should provide all answers to other parties with patience, attentiveness and conclude
conversation with more effectiveness.
Intercultural theories
Intercultural theories plays important role in enhance effectiveness of speakers as well as
facilitates to attain defined outcomes in social interaction. Effective intellectual communication
help to maintain cultural diversity in proper manner (Holliday, and Macdonald, 2020). There are
various intercultural theories are adopted by the organisation that helps business to conduct
operations at international level. Some theories are mentioned below: Cultural convergence: As per cultural convergence theory tow people of different
culture are come together for the purpose of sharing their similarities, ideas and concepts.
It helps them to understand each other and maintains mutual understanding. According to
case study, it is analysed that there are free communication is happened between John
and Khalid but at some point it is restrictive that impacts overall conversation. As John
has no connectivity with his older father and he stated that his father is well that enhance

the feeling of disinterest of Khalid towards John. Due to this restricted answer Khalid
neglect to deal with John business.
 Co-cultural theory: Co-cultural theory is related as the ideas as well as concept of people
and their behaviour who come from different cultures and places. In the reference of case
study, both partners John and Khalid belong from different culture. To maintain business
successful it is required to create cultural harmony that facilitates to develop mutual
understanding. In the case, Khalid observed John that analysed that he has no
connectivity with his old father for several months and he told lie that his father was
good. This non-connective behaviours create disinterest of Khalid towards John proposal.
Advice to John
As per the case study, John was assigned as a representative of Software organisation in
different Golf Countries. As there are various problems are raised during the conversation of
John and Khalid so, it is advised to John that he should communicate with other person in clear
as well as understandable manner that maintains mutual understanding and build relationship of
trustworthiness (Jackson and Oguro, 2017). Before conducting business in other culture, it is
required to gain proper knowledge, understanding and value of country with organisation want to
collaborate. There are various advices are provided to John that facilitates him to communicate
properly with other person.
Proper communication is required to maintain the aspect of cultural competences. As
John conducted business activities at international level, so it is advised to John that he should
understand other culture and develop faithful relationship through communicating actual
information that creates connectivity and trust among partners and confirms deal (Suzuki, Ando,
and Nishikawa, 2019). It is advised to John that he should stay positive even in the situation of
conflicts, learn form past experiences and never repeat them to improve efficiency. It is advised
that he should represent supportive and connective behaviour that help him to maintain trust as
well as influence others make deal with business.
Conclusion
As per above report, it can be concluded that in cross-cultural interactions and businesses
intercultural competence plays essential role in conducting various business operations and
activities in diversifies business environment. Culture and values of an country are different from

other, so to conduct business operations in different country it becomes important to understand
there cultural factors and language aspects. In international business various cross-cultural
problems and barriers are raised that impacts overall business activities and functions. There are
various intercultural communication theories are used by business to understand other point of
views and convey own ideas to others clearly. According to respective case study, it is analysed
that dis-connective natures as well as lake of truth in conversation in the problem that make
Khalid disinterest with John.
Recommendations
John was the represents his software organisation is various Gulf countries. As in the
conversation with Khalid, there are various problems and barriers are raised that impacts on their
overall communication and business deal as well (Pikhart and Koblizkova, 2017). Proper
communication facilitates to maintain effective intercultural competences. Some
recommendations are provided to John that help him to perform functions in efficient manner are
mentioned below:
 To overcome various intercultural barriers and problem, it is recommended to John that
should enhance his understanding towards various cultural differences as well as
communicate accordingly for the purpose of attaining defined objectives in best possible
manner (Oleynikova, 2020). He should maintain strong relationship with other that
influence then and motivates to make deal with organisation through joint venturing.
 It is recommended to John that he should maintain effectiveness and accuracy of
conversation through adopting various strategies and theories that help to influence other
person during the meeting.
 In meeting, John should listen others point of view and their expectation than answers
properly that enable him to fulfil all cultural requirements. He should create the
relationship of trust that influence other party to make deal with business through joint-
venture.
According to case study, it is analysed that there are various cross-cultural conflicts and
barriers are found in conversation that impacts business deal. There are various strategies and
policies are adopted for the purpose of overcoming the problems in efficient manner.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Abugre, J. B., 2018. Cross-cultural communication imperatives: Critical lessons for Western
expatriates in multinational companies (MNCs) in sub-Saharan Africa. critical
perspectives on international business.
Chen, G. M., 2017. 16. Issues in the conceptualization of intercultural communication
competence. In Intercultural communication (pp. 349-368). De Gruyter Mouton.
Chen, L. ed., 2017. Intercultural communication (Vol. 9). Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.
Holliday, A. and Macdonald, M. N., 2020. Researching the intercultural: Intersubjectivity and
the problem with postpositivism. Applied Linguistics, 41(5), pp.621-639.
Jackson, J. and Oguro, S., 2017. Introduction: Enhancing and extending study abroad learning
through intercultural interventions. In Intercultural interventions in study abroad (pp. 1-
17). Routledge.
Oleynikova, O., 2020, March. Development of international academic mobility: success stories.
In The Impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution on Engineering Education: Proceedings
of the 22nd International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL2019)–
Volume 2 (Vol. 1135, p. 443). Springer Nature.
Pikhart, M. and Koblizkova, A., 2017. The Central Role of Politeness in Business
Communication: The Appropriateness Principle as the Way to Enhance Business
Communication Efficiency. Journal of Intercultural Communication (45).
Suzuki, M., Ando, N. and Nishikawa, H., 2019. Recruitment of local human resources and its
effect on foreign subsidiaries in Japan. Management Research Review.
Woodin, J., 2018. Intercultural communication study in the United Kingdom. The International
Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication, 2, pp.1217-25.