Intercultural Competence in Business

This article discusses the importance of intercultural competence in business and how to develop it. It also touches on the author's personal experiences with culture and religion. The subject is intercultural competence in business, and no specific course code or college/university is mentioned.

My family is made up of my father and my mother. We are 3 brothers, having another 2
sisters, I being the youngest. I had no relationship with my father, but my mother
compensated for all the shortcomings, being a very strong and balanced woman. My maternal
grandparents have been very active in my life, in my education but I can't say the same thing
about my paternal grandparents. I was raised in a very loving family being surrounded by my
aunts and uncles, cousins, all part of my mother's family. My sisters had a very important role
in my life, learning from them what is the love and care of a brother, in understanding
homework for school. My mother, father, grandparents are Romanian nationality and I
understand from my mother the paternal grandfather was Romanian nationality, but her
paternal grandmother was Greek! I will never forget my mother's diligence for
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, to prepare our presents, dinners and Christmas tree. For a
long time, I thought that Santa Claus exists, this is because of my mother who took care to
keep the magic of Christmas and Santa Claus for a long time in my life as a child. Although
our life was not easy, as a child being a mother it took care to never feel it! Still keep the
tradition to go with my family and sisters to the dinner at the mother, to sit all at the table, to
eat the culinary goodies that my mother cooks, and to stand to tell the stories that happen to
us in everyday life. And my move to a bigger city when I started high school was just in time
to prepare me for the adult I became today.
In school it was easy because I had the support of my older sister in everything I couldn't
handle. It was a little more difficult when in secondary school, I moved to another city, but
my sisters and teachers helped me in accommodation! All once when I wanted to quit school,
my mother advised me not to do this because it will affect me in the future, and now I can
only thank them for all the advice and guidance given!
In secondary school, as I said, I moved with school to another city, since then I learned to
handle myself, to learn to cook something (although my mother always sent us food
packages) to do cleaning after me. Another important step was when I came from Romania to
England, but I passed more easily over these with family close to me my wife and son, but
life as a teenager in another city had prepared me for the change of living in another country.
I also had difficulties, I had to learn English, to have a completely new job for me – HGV
driver, because in Romania I had other types of jobs, the way and traditions of this country to
make it easier for me to adjust and live here in England. My mother had a main role in my
school education, she supported and guided me in primary, secondary and college. I did not
want in my teenage years to continue my university studies, because I did not give them

much importance, but now I have to continue my studies to make my life easier and get the
job I want! The most important thing in my life was the birth of my daughter, thanks to her I
got the desire to be better at what I do, to want to advance in all my projects and to be a
perfect father for her!
At a young age, I accepted Christ and was baptized, and God has been the centre of my life
ever since. Mom and dad never want me to get away with doing what the market expected of
me, and they raised me to a Christian standard. Mom reminded me several times that if I
wanted to call myself a Christian, I had to act like one as well. So that's what I did, and it cost
me a lot of money, the cost of being an outcast. Because of the hardships I've had living a
Christian walk, Kerrie Masters' song "Outcast" almost perfectly portrays my life as a
Christian. Because I talked openly about my faith, I lost a lot of friends when their fathers
didn't want their kids exposed to Christianity. I attempted to explain about my faith as a
friendship rather than a religion, but it didn't seem to matter to others who saw me as
religious. Kids who were dedicated atheists called me things like "Jesus freak" and "Heaven"
on occasion (Something I am now very proud of). I was treated as an alien even in church.
For three years, I was a member of the worship team and youth group, bringing some of my
school mates as I could, but when the high - quality and innovative department's leadership
changed, my friends refused to speak to me, and I was shunned by faculty members together.
My family, on the other hand, understood the truth and stood by me in the face of all the
criticism and condemnation. As a junior in high school, I quit the youth group and began
attending adult services. Many of the youth at my church reject control and adults, but I am
extremely comfortable allowing wiser persons than me to speak into my life because I grew
up around so many grownups. Many households embraced me as non-blood affiliated
grandsons, daughter, and sister during main service because the previous generations could
see my heart. It was difficult at times, but God still was watching out for me and guiding me
through every one of my travails, turning bad into excellent for His praise. God has also
played a significant role in my educational choices. When I was in middle school, he
encouraged me to attend public school rather than private school. There, He put my faith and
obedience to the test by making sure I didn't go down the path of conformity. He instilled in
me a desire to make a difference, no matter how tiny. In middle school, all but one of my
friends were non-Christians, yet they showed respect for me by not cussing in my company
since they knew about my connection with God. In seventh grade, I began a two-year radio
show at my church radio station to encourage young Christians in their faith through uplifting

music and relevant scripture texts. Finally, in high school, I was elected president of the
campus Christian club, where I attempted to inspire young Christians to live as Christ did and
to pursue a personal relationship with God. God also blessed me with a group of female
friends who embraced me for who I was and whom I am still fortunate to call my friends
today. My family loves to travel and see as much of the world as possible, so I've been
fortunate to be exposed to many various cultures. My family immigrated to the United States
from Germany and Canada. We were initially known as Roberge on my great grandfather's
side of the family, but the English men couldn't speak it correctly, so it was changed to
Roberts. I consider myself fortunate to be a middle-class American. Some people believe I
am spoiled since I am an only child, but this is not the case. My parents trained me from a
young age to value what I have and to handle my jobs as if I would never receive another if it
were to break. Mom also instilled in me the value of being thrifty and shopping for deals
rather than brand names. My parents taught me that nothing lasts forever, so we must respect
what we have and work to save it. Every Christmas, my family and I go out and cut a tree to
decorate together, and we have a fancy fresh cooked feast together. Being any combination of
white is a minority in my community, contrasted to the Mexican and Indian culture that make
up the vast majority of the population. I've learned a lot about Indian culture and religion
through my Indian pals. Many school clubs, such as field visits to nearby temples and
sympathy fortnight, adding to our understanding. Family is the vehicle through which
historical values and fragments of our families are passed down from generation to
generation. When I look in the mirror, I can see not only myself, but also my mother's brown
eyes and my father's grin. I'll recall the vital practises my parents instilled in me when I
decorate my room for the occasion, commemorate a holiday, make a foolish joke, or pray
with my neighbours. Growing up in a Bloody hell family has helped me not only establish
my own connection with God, but also my members of both the Roberts and Heaven's
families. My mother's Catholicism put a strong emphasis on social duty. This could have
driven me into social work or education early, but I'm a bit rebellious by nature, so I resisted.
I went my own way to get there. I learnt how subjective my perspective was and how it could
blind me to how others perceived the world through a few terrible cross-cultural experiences.
As a result, I am always putting myself in circumstances where individuals can assist me in
gaining a better grasp of the world. Working with children who grew up in poverty taught me
that life is full of inequities and that I was fortunate to have grown up in a privileged
environment. Growing up, I was impacted on a cultural level by a history I witnessed as a

child: activism, such as the civil rights movement of the 1960s, anti-Vietnam war rallies, and
the rising use of technology. There was a greater awareness of environmental issues. I
understood the world might be a terrible place, but I believed that through education and
action, I could help to make it a better place. These are a few of the sources of inspiration for
my work on issues of equity. Working with gang members taught me how sensible decisions
in particular situations could appear irrational from the outside. Working with schools and
community organizations taught me that even with the best of intentions, things can go
wrong. I recognized that the world was a bad place, but I believed that by educating myself
and taking action, I could contribute to making it a better place. These are some of the people
that have influenced my work on issues of equity. Working with gang members taught me
how rational judgments in specific settings can appear irrational to others. Working with
schools and community organizations has taught me that even the finest intentions can
backfire. Not only must I be inclusive of race as a prospective teacher, but also of religion.
We may not understand that our pupils have a variety of religious affiliations or none at all,
and it's critical that we respect religious diversity without drawing unwanted attention to
them. This brings us back to the idea of avoiding "naming names" when we question about
students. When a student actively wants to debate their hobbies and ties, it's one thing; when
we ask delicate questions without a student going to us first, it can come across as
overbearing. When we serve each individual separately, for this, by favouring some kids over
others, we are demonstrating to our children that we do not regard them and that other
individuals are more important. I was exposed to a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds
while in high school. Some of my peers were extremely wealthy, while others were
experiencing more hardships and, as a result, had too little in terms of tangible possessions. I
hadn't realized that what you owned and how you displayed it showed other kids how much
money you had. I was up in an upper-middle-class home where I was taught the value of
humility and modesty, as well as the significance of always being tolerant of everyone,
regardless of what other people had.