BUSN20017 T3 2018: Intercultural Communication Challenges Report

This report analyzes the intercultural communication challenges faced by Backpack Bed for Homeless, an Australian organization, as it provides aid to Sulawesi, Indonesia, following a tsunami. The report identifies potential issues arising from differences in language, cultural values, communication styles, and decision-making processes between Australian representatives and the local Indonesian population. It highlights the importance of understanding these differences to ensure effective communication and collaboration during the relief efforts. The report concludes by offering recommendations to mitigate these challenges, including identifying cultural differences, implementing a multicultural workforce, understanding Sulawesi culture, and thoroughly assessing the environmental situation before deployment. These recommendations aim to improve communication, decision-making, and the overall effectiveness of the aid campaign.

Running head: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Analysis of the current situation......................................................................................................2
Intercultural challenges regarding the cultural values and etiquette:..............................................3
Intercultural challenges regarding indirect style of communication:..............................................4
Intercultural challenge regarding decision making:........................................................................4
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
Recommendation.............................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
Backpack bed for Homeless is an organization involved in charity. The organization
provides emergency beds to the homeless at the streets. This enhances better living along with
the safety and comfort of those, who cannot afford these accommodation for themselves.
Recently, the organization is planning to provide help to Sulawesi, Indonesia where people were
badly affected in tsunami. In order to provide the help in the affected areas, Backpack Bed is
sending some of the representatives to sulawesi along with necessary things (Abdullah, 2018).
While doing this the representatives can face some of the problems which can become
constraints for providing the help. The identified problems are regarding the intercultural
communication, and decision making process. The main objective of this paper is to identify the
problems and their consequences those can be faced by the representatives of Backpack for
Homeless. Along with that recommendations are made to mitigate those problems. In order to do
this the analysis of the current situation for the chosen senior has been carried. This part will
elaborate different challenges those can be faced by the Backpack Bed for Homeless
representatives. The recommendations are made on the basis of the discussion in order to
mitigate the problems. Making the connection between the economics and the nation along with
trade is not an easy process. However, in this context, the rational benefits is not the only
concerned thing. The main challenging thing is to between the people culture and society
engagement.
Analysis of the current situation
Backpack Bed for Homeless is an Australian Organization sending help for the
Indonesia. In this situation there are some challenges for this Australian like language and
communication problem during the campaign. The analysis of the current situation is done on the

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basis of the problems those can be faced by the representatives from the backpack bed in
Indonesia. It can be assumed that backpack bed can face communication problems with sulawesi
for the intercultural differences. In this case, the identification of the intercultural differences are
needed to be done so that the mitigation of these problems can improve the flow of
communication.Cross-cultural deals with the comparison of different cultures. Making the
acknowledgement in the cross cultural communication can bring the change in individual but
does not bring collective transformation.
Intercultural challenges regarding the cultural values and etiquette:
Some of the intercultural challenges regarding the cultural value and etiquette regarding
cooperation between Indonesia and Australia are-
 Difference in language: the main speaking language in Australia is English. On the other
hand the main language in Indonesia is Malay which is different from English. Apart
from that there are other local languages present at Indonesia for the communication
(Carbaugh,2016). In that case, the representative from the Backpack Bed for homeless
can face problems during the communication with locals. This will make the delay in the
rescue process at Indonesia.
 Difference in values and morals: It has been seen that the values and morals of the people
in Indonesia are different from people of Australia. In this case, some of the gesture of
Australian people may seem weird for Indonesian people. In this case, the
misunderstanding can be created between the tsunami victims and representatives of
Backpack bed.

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Intercultural challenges regarding indirect style of communication:
It has been seen that the communication in Australian culture is direct. On the other
hand, for the Indonesian culture the communication can be discreet and the messages are
presented in different ways. This can raise the problem during face to face interactions when the
communication plays an vital role (Lim & Pham,2016). The communication between the
newcomers and local people plays an important role in the effectiveness of the communication.
Apart from that, the trouble can be raised with understanding the accent and fluency of the
spoken language (Fernando,2018). In this case, the representatives from Australia many not
understand the concern of the locals and vice versa (Elsey, Omarova& Grill,2016). This can
cause the representatives de-motivated in their work. It can be seen that there is a difference in
the approach towards the authority and hierarchy between Australian and Indonesian people.
This can create the conflict between the working process of the Australian people and Indonesian
people.
Intercultural challenge regarding decision making:
The term multicultural society refers to the group which has many ethnic groups. All the
people from the different background live and collaborate with each other maintaining their
uniqueness and identity. The difference in the culture between the Australian people and
Indonesian people can make problem in the decision making system. The approach and
perspective of the local people may not be understood by the Australian representative in a clear
way (Mardiani,2015). In that case, misunderstanding many occur. From this misunderstanding of
the situation, there can be a problem in the decision making process for the organization. This
decision making problem can cause constraints in the helping campaign. The variation of the
decision making process can be raised from the difference in the values, beliefs and philosophies.

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Occidental philosophies are concerned about the use of analytical thinking. On the other hand
oriental philosophies are prone to holism. This discrepancies brings the difference in the values
and morals (Ambrose et al.,2017). From the different values, the people driven by occidental
philosophies may view the incident differently from the people driven by oriental philosophy
(Tudini,2016). In both cases, decision taken by the people from the different philosophy would
be different.
Conclusion
Intercultural communication can be successful in case, if the communication between the
different cultures are effective and there is respect present for each other. The communication
can be effective if the sharing of the external knowledge along with mutual exchange of ideas
happens.The Backpack Bed for homeless is an Australian company which is providing help at
Sulawesi in Indonesia for tsunami victims. There are other organizations which are providing
help in this case. However, it has become problematic for the Australian representatives sent by
Backpack bed for homeless to make the proper communication with the locals. Some of the
constraints in the communication have been identified in this matter. The main issue regarding
the communication is the difference in cultural and approach towards the perspective of the
problems (Ang, 2018). In this context, three problems have been identified regarding the
intercultural communications. The main problem is understanding the language itself. Apart
from that the fluency and the accent of the spoken language can be issues regarding the
communication (Hoffmann, 2016). Most of the people in Indonesia are speaking Malay. On the
other hand, the accent of the people from Australia may not be understood by the people of
Indonesia. In this case, misunderstanding may happen. This misunderstanding can lead to the
problems in decision making. From the conclusion it can be said that there are many

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intercultural communication gaps between the Australian and Indonesian people which can
create problem during the campaign.
Recommendation
Some of these recommendations for overcoming the highlighted issues are-
Identification of the cultural difference: For the modification and the improvisation of the
overall system, the identification of the differences between two cultures are needed to be done.
The identified differences include the difference in approaching towards the hierarchy,
perspective. Apart from that the social background is also different for these two countries. The
process of identifying the areas of differences will help Backpack Bed for homeless to mitigate
the differences. There is a vast cultural difference between Indonesia and Australia. The main
difference comes in the socio-economic condition. Australia is an advanced country with lots of
facilities and improved lifestyle. On the other hand , Indonesia can be regarded as developing
country where maintaining the standard lifestyle may be problematic for many people. Apart
from that the financial condition of Indonesia is not as good as Australia. In this case,
understanding the problems of the locals the representatives from backpack bed from the
perspective of the locals can be better to understand the importance of the problem. Moreover, it
will help the organization to provide the solutions to the locals that will fulfill all their
requirements.
Implementation of multicultural workforce: The term multicultural workforce defines the
engagement of people from different background and races in the workforce. This helps to
improve the quality of the workforce. In case, if the Backpack Bed for homeless collaborate
with the other organizations like UN migration agency (IOM) or World Health Organization

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(WHO), the mitigation of the intercultural problems can be solved (Tsaur&Tu, 2019). Apart
from that the representatives of Backpack bed can indulge an interpreter in order to overcome the
difficulties in understanding the language. Apart from the indulging the locals in the workforce
along with the other people from different background can be beneficial to understand different
problems from different perspectives. The analysis of the current situation is done on the basis of
the problems those can be faced by the representatives from the backpack bed in Indonesia. It
can be assumed that backpack bed can face communication problems with sulawesi for the
intercultural differences. In this case, the identification of the intercultural differences is needed
to be done so that the mitigation of these problems can improve the flow of communication.
Understanding Sulawesi culture: Understanding the locals in Indonesia is important for
the mitigation of the intercultural differences. In order to understand the locals, the
representatives from Australia are needed to be aware about the Sulawesi culture. The basic
information regarding this place can be helpful. Apart from that, indulging the local guide who is
aware about the area and the culture of the locality can be beneficial as the guide can help the
representatives to understand the concerns of the locals.
Understanding the situation: Before sending the representatives at the spot, the
environmental situation is needed to be considered. Currently, there has been a disaster in this
area. In this case, the infrastructure along with safety and the security may not be in proper
condition. This may become dangerous for the representatives from Australia. In this case, it is
the responsibility of the Backpack Bed for homeless is to make a research about the situation of
the environment and the society. In this case, the authority should arrange proper
accommodations and facilities for the representatives going to Sulawesi. Apart from that

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maintaining the health of the representatives is important. In this matter, the organization can
sent a medical team with them.
References
Abdullah, F. (2018). Social actors in an Intercultural Communication classroom: A discursive
lens of intercultural education. Indonesian JELT, 13(1), 31-51.
Ambrose, M., Murray, L., Handoyo, N. E., Tunggal, D., & Cooling, N. (2017). Learning global
health: a pilot study of an online collaborative intercultural peer group activity involving
medical students in Australia and Indonesia. BMC medical education, 17(1), 10.
Ang, S. (2018). Intercultural dialogue through design (iDiDe): A model of intercultural
collaboration and student engagement. In Student Engagement and Participation:
Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 177-202). IGI Global.
Carbaugh, D. (Ed.). (2016). The handbook of communication in cross-cultural perspective.
Taylor & Francis.
Chi, R., &Suthers, D. (2015). Assessing intercultural communication competence as a relational
construct using social network analysis. International Journal of Intercultural
Relations, 48, 108-119.

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East, M., Howard, J., Tolosa, C., Biebricher, C., & Scott, A. (2017). Isolated or integrated?
Should the development of students' intercultural understanding be separated from, or
embedded into, communicative language use?. Babel, 52(2/3), 25.
Elsey, B., Omarova, A., & Grill, R. (2016). The learning experiences of early-career Indonesian
government employees: a case study in cross-cultural workforce development based in a
university environment. International Journal of Training Research, 14(2), 104-118.
Fernando, M. (2018). CROSS-CULTURAL LEADERSHIP. Leadership: Regional and Global
Perspectives, 138.
Hoffmann, J. (2016). All roads lead down under? Ethnocentrism among Australian corporate
communication practitioners. Communication Research and Practice, 2(2), 244-262.
Lim, S. S., & Pham, B. (2016). ‘If you are a foreigner in a foreign country, you stick together’:
Technologically mediated communication and acculturation of migrant students. New
Media & Society, 18(10), 2171-2188.
Mardiani, R. (2015). Enhancing Students’ Cultural Competence through a Cross-Cultural
Understanding Subject: A Case Study of 4th Grade Students at the Pasundan School of
Higher Learning and Education, Cimahi, West-Java, Indonesia. AJE, 1(1).
Shishavan, H. B., &Sharifian, F. (2016). The refusal speech act in a cross-cultural perspective: A
study of Iranian English-language learners and Anglo-Australian speakers. Language &
Communication, 47, 75-88.
Tsaur, S. H., &Tu, J. H. (2019). Cultural competence for tour leaders: Scale development and
validation. Tourism Management, 71, 9-17.

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Tudini, V. (2016). An Overview of Online Intercultural Exchange in the Australian Context.
In Online Intercultural Exchange (pp. 125-142). Routledge.