International Business Communications: A Study on Cultural Sensitivity and Communication Barriers Faced by Rowlinson Knitwear in Bulgaria

This report discusses the challenges faced by Rowlinson Knitwear in expanding its business in Bulgaria. It covers the application of Hofstede theory, critical analysis of cultural sensitivity, communication barriers, and appropriate communication strategies. The report highlights the importance of understanding the cultural differences and values of the target market in order to succeed in international business communications.

International Business
Communications

Table of Contents
Introduction .....................................................................................................................................3
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................3
Brief introduction of Bulgaria.....................................................................................................3
Application of Hofstede theory in order to understand international and intercultural
communication with reference to Bulgaria.................................................................................4
Critical analysis of cultural sensitivity when doing the business in Bulgaria supported by
relevant examples........................................................................................................................5
Study and analysis of different communication barriers which is experienced by Rowlinson
Knitwear in Bulgaria...................................................................................................................6
Appropriate communication strategies and other relevant recommendations in order to enable
the Rowlinson Knitwear company to succeed in Bulgaria.........................................................8
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................9
References........................................................................................................................................9

Introduction
International Business refers to the trade of technology, capital, goods and services
outside the national boundaries. It involves cross border transactions between individuals,
organisation, government or companies in more than two countries. It involves the foreign
investments and helps to increase the import and export service for the economic profitability.
For the present report, Rowlinson Knitwear is taken into consideration which is a manufacturing
company produces school uniforms and knitwear for school students. It was established in 1972
and conducted its business in UK (Azam and et.al., 2020). The report will consider the hofstede
theory of intercultural and international communication with reference to Bulgaria. In addition to
this, the critical analysis of cultural sensitivity when doing a business will be done in Bulgaria.
Apart from this the report will cover the different communication barrier which will be
experienced by Rowlinson Knitwear and will provide the appropriate strategies of
communication and relevant recommendations in order to overcome from these barriers and
success of a company.
Main Body
Brief introduction of Bulgaria
Bulgaria is situated in the south east Europe on the eastern Balkan Peninsula. It is
worldwide famous and best known for its opera singers, folklore and musicians. Culture of
business is characterised in Bulgaria through business etiquette, business communication, cost of
living, social media guide, business meeting etiquette, work life balance etc. In order to get the
business successful it requires good knowledge about the culture of foreign country. The one
need to be prepared to belief that influence the business decisions and encounter different
attitudes. In a developing country like Bulgaria it can be profitable for the Rowlinson Knitwear
because there is high demand for school uniforms, Opera uniforms and knitwear for students.
Before setting up business in another country they need to follow the rules and regulations as
every country has its own which is very important (Backmann and et.al., 2020). At first the

company need to apply for Bulgarian Business Number (BBN) and register its domain name. It
provides great opportunities and service of import and export which involves foreign investment
for economic profitability. It involves heavy documents and high risk to enter in a country like
Bulgaria for the expansion and is time consuming process also. There are various kinds of
barriers while starting or set up the business in different country especially in the developing
country like Bulgaria (Borges-Tiago, Tiago and Cosme, 2019). For this the company need to
make an appropriate strategies in order overcome these barriers and successfully establish their
business of apparel and knitwear.
Application of Hofstede theory in order to understand international and intercultural
communication with reference to Bulgaria
Individualism Vs Collectivism: In the society of individualists, public have the habit to
have their space and don't want to take others responsibility for actions. On the other hand in
collectivism societies, public support each other and suggest a tightly-knit framework where
public have the habit of taking responsibility of each others actions among groups and families.
In context to Bulgaria, the score 30 is considered as a collective society as it is a manifest in
close long run commitment to the group member.
Power Distance Index (PDI): It refers to the extent which accept the inequality in power
by groups or communities of the society. With low power distance in societies people strive the
demand justification and equalise the distribution of power for inequality of power. In Bulgaria
the score is high with 70 on the dimension which refers to that people accept the graded order
which needs no justification further and everybody has a place. In an organisation the hierarchy
is seen as centralisation is popular and reflecting inherent inequalities (Braunerhjelm and
Halldin, 2019).
Masculinity Vs Femininity: In masculine societies it is characterised by competitiveness
and high ambition, the major features of public in such societies where are passion for self
development, growth as well as accomplishment. In case of feminine society, individual prefer
peace of mind, cooperation, caring for the week, modesty and quality of life. In Bulgaria it
considered as relatively feminine society with a score of 40 and it focuses on the working in
order to live and on well being. Mangers strive for consensus and people value quality and
equality.

Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI): It refers to the extent to which the society member
feel uncomfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty are tolerated. In high uncertainty it indicates
the low tolerance for risk taking, uncertainty and ambiguity. Whereas in low uncertainty which
indicates the high tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. In context to Bulgaria, it has very
preference in order to avoid uncertainty and has a score of 85 on the dimension. It maintain rigid
codes of behaviour and belief and which are intolerant of unconventional ideas and behaviour.
Long Vs Short Term Orientation: On this dimension where countries scores low which
implies that groups prefer to value traditions and customs and that are obliged by societal norms.
On the hand the culture with high score takes more pragmatic approach as it encourage efforts
and thrift in modern education in a way to prepare for future (Chow and Schoenbaum, 2020).
Bulgaria has a score of 69 and has a pragmatic culture. With a pragmatic orientation in societies
people believe that truth depends much on context, time and situation.
Indulgence Vs Restraint: It is defined as an extent to which public are tend to control
their passions and desires as they are raised in that way. In indulgence it refers to the society
which allows relatively free satisfaction related to having fun and enjoying life. Where as in
restraint it refers to the society suppresses satisfaction of needs and wants and regulate it by
social norms. With reference to Bulgaria, it makes a strongly restrained culture as it has very low
score of 16.
Critical analysis of cultural sensitivity when doing the business in Bulgaria supported by relevant
examples
It is referred to simply cultural awareness or cross cultural sensitivity which is the
awareness, knowledge and acceptance of other cultural identities. In order to expand the business
of Rowlinson Knitwear in Bulgaria, it will consider the differences predominating in values,
assumptions, cultural beliefs and other dimensions (Engemann, ed., 2018). Both the countries
like Bulgaria and UK focus on fair and equal treatment to their employees inattentive of their
creed, caste and race rather than promoted on the basis of their calibre and talent. In order to
expand the business in Bulgaria, the Rowlinson Knitwear considered few cultural trends which
Bulgarian prefer.
Management Of Time: When it comes to work people of UK are not time bound and
tend to work at night. UK and Bulgaria have different approaches in order to maintain work life

balance. The people of Bulgaria and organisation have the propensity to complete their work on
time because to work late at night they do not prefer. They believe in hard working and complete
their work during office hours only which does not implies lack of professionalism in their work
or behaviour.
Attitude: People of Bulgaria are more innovative, have high capabilities and more
pragmatic of taking risk and tolerating changes when it comes to the problem solving. They
always shows a positive attitude towards the work and society. By the help of positive attitude it
will create the positive impact on the company and on the country.
Lifestyle: People of Bulgaria pays more attention towards the work, on well being of an
individual and therefore the culture of office is that they have drinks in afternoon on every Friday
(LeClair and et.al., 2021). British people are more guided towards the success and competition in
comparison to Bulgaria.
Way of Communicating: Bulgarian people are straight forward and say exactly what they
mean which is quite effective and therefore people of UK in their communication uses sarcasm
language or tone while conducting meetings.
Formality: The people of Bulgaria are of more friendly in nature and likely to start a
meeting in an informal way of talking and value more on relations. They are less formal than
people of UK. The British people are less amiability in official conversation and are more formal
and professional.
Study and analysis of different communication barriers which is experienced by Rowlinson
Knitwear in Bulgaria
In order to start a business in another country like Bulgaria many communication barriers
are faced by Rowlinson Knitwear to expand its business such as:
Language Barriers: Different countries has different language as their mother tongue
and for all the countries English is a common language. It is quite difficult for the Rowlinson
knitwear to expand its operations in Bulgaria as it is a developing country and people are not
much educated in comparison to developed country (Lukovszki, Rideg and Sipos, 2020).
Language and linguistic ability may act as a communication barrier. The terminology used in a
message may be a barrier and it will be quite difficult for the company to sell its products
because it is not completely understood by the receiver.

Psychological Barriers: It is created where consumer can feel unauthentic and
incompetent. The Rowlinson Knitwear face difficulty to overcome the psychological barrier. As
some people have phobia, speech disorder, depression etc. The communicator will influence that
how the message is received, sent and perceived. It is difficult for the company to go against
natural preferences and as it need to be flex in their own style. In context to Rowlinson knitwear
it is difficult to understand psychology as their different consumer psychology and cultures in
order to buy a product.
Conflicting values: Different country has different values and cultures which creates
barriers to expand and survive in another country (McIvor and Bals, 2021). Every people has its
own values or emotional connection in order to purchase the product which id difficult to
understand and time consuming process. In comparison to UK Bulgaria has different buying
habits, beliefs, celebration of festivals, taste and preferences etc. Their cultural and social
interactions are difficult to understand and in order to expand in the market of Bulgaria it is
important to manufacture the goods according to their taste and preferences.
Geographical Distance: People do not get chance to interact and build relationship with
each other in traditional office environment. It is a time consuming method as the company of
different country don't know much about their needs and wants, people because they shares less
information with them. It is quite difficult for the company to manage and expand the business in
Bulgaria because of different time zones. Their is difference between talking behaviour, style of
wearing clothes, taste and preferences and buying behaviour of the products in comparison to
UK. It creates geographical distance barrier in order to manage the meetings and time when the
headquarter of a company is in different country (Raghavan, Wani and Abraham, 2018).
Ethnocentrism: Everyone has its own propensity to look different culture through their
eyes and is also known as 'us verses them'. Everyone has different vision to judge them and see
the world in order to enter a new market it creates barrier for Rowlinson Knitwear in a country
like Bulgaria. Many people of Bulgaria don't want to buy the products from UK based company
as some of them do not like them which create barrier in achieving the objectives and goals to
survive in the market.

Appropriate communication strategies and other relevant recommendations in order to enable the
Rowlinson Knitwear company to succeed in Bulgaria
There are various strategies of effective communication which will help the Rowlinson
Knitwear company in order to expand its operations in Bulgaria so that it can increases the
profitability, market share, build brand image in another country effectively and efficiently.
Offer Services In Local Language: In order to attract the customers the Rowlinson
Knitwear offers its services in local languages also so that the consumer can easily understand
and able to purchase. Which helps the company to build good relationship between customers
and employees and can easily sell products like school uniform and knitwear in the market. It
can easily understand the needs and wants of consumers and make the products according to
them. It will help the company to build the brand image and increase sales.
Think Before You Speak: In order to increase the sales of its goods it is an effective
strategy to think before you speak. As sometimes different words have different meaning in
different countries (Scandaroli and et.al., 2019). The company can increase its sales, build brand
image, market share and made good relationship with its customers by the help of proper
communication of words. By the help of effective communication it will not hurt the sentiments
and feelings of customers so that it can able to build good communication and increase the
customer satisfaction. It will create the positive impact towards the customers regarding their
business operations.
Higher Multilingual And An International Staff: In order to handle the business
operations in Bulgaria it will make the things simpler and easier. In the developing country like
Bulgaria it will increase the rate of employment by getting more job opportunities which will
increase the foreign direct investment. It will help to reduce the barrier between consumer and
seller as they can easily convey them in their own language to purchase the product. It will help
to increase the market share, build brand image and profitability of the company.
Respect Others Point Of View: In respect of purchasing a product the consumers have
different point of view in different countries like Bulgaria. In order to build the good relationship
between customers the company need to respect the feeling and others point of view. It should
produce the goods accordingly and fulfil their demands which do not harm the sentiments and
feelings of other people. By this it can increase the customer satisfaction and able to achieve the
goals effectively and efficiently (Smith, Patmos and Pitts, 2018). Sometimes consumers feel

embarrassed and shy to explain the needs and wants and its the duty of an organisation to respect
their feelings and make them feel comfortable and deal with them patiently and calmly.
Conclusion
From the above report of international business and communication of Rowlinson
Knitwear it has been concluded and analysed that how an organisation can expand its business in
an international market in developing country like Bulgaria. It involves the cross border
transaction between individuals, organisation, government or companies in more than two
countries. Apart from this, application of Hofstede theory of international and intercultural
communication in context to Bulgaria has been explained (Tuleja, 2021). In addition to this, the
critical analysis of cultural sensitivity in order to do the business on Bulgaria supported by
relevant examples. Different communication barriers experienced by foreign businesses in a
developing country like Bulgaria which is supported by different examples has been analysed.
Apart from this, the appropriate strategies of communication has been provided with the relevant
recommendations in order to enable the success of the company in the developing country like
Bulgaria. So that it can increase the market share and profitability of the company.
References
Books & Journals
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International Business and Strategy.
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in viral communication on social media. Journal of business research, 101, pp.574-582.
Braunerhjelm, P. and Halldin, T., 2019. Born globals–presence, performance and
prospects. International Business Review, 28(1). pp.60-73.
Chow, D. C. and Schoenbaum, T. J., 2020. International business transactions: problems, cases,
and materials. Wolters Kluwer.
Engemann, K. J. ed., 2018. The Routledge Companion to Risk, Crisis and Security in Business.
Routledge.
LeClair, D. T. and et.al., 2021. Ethics in international business education: Perspectives from five
business disciplines. In Teaching International Business (pp. 43-71). Routledge.
Lukovszki, L., Rideg, A. and Sipos, N., 2020. Resource-based view of innovation activity in
SMEs: an empirical analysis based on the global competitiveness
project. Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal.

McIvor, R. and Bals, L., 2021. A multi-theory framework for understanding the reshoring
decision. International Business Review, 30(6). p.101827.
Raghavan, V., Wani, M. and Abraham, D. M., 2018. Exploring E-business in Indian SMEs:
Adoption, trends and the way forward. In Emerging Markets from a Multidisciplinary
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Scandaroli, A. and et.al., 2019, May. Behavior-driven development as an approach to improve
software quality and communication across remote business stakeholders, developers
and QA: two case studies. In 2019 ACM/IEEE 14th International Conference on Global
Software Engineering (ICGSE) (pp. 105-110). IEEE.
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Online
Country comparison. [Online]. Available Through: <https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-
comparison/bulgaria/>