Cross-Cultural Communications: Issues and Ethics in Global Business

This report examines the significance of cross-cultural communication in a global business context. It addresses various issues, including cultural differences, ethical considerations, and the need for effective internal communication. The report explores how cross-cultural communication can be an ethical issue, providing examples of how cultural norms influence business practices. It highlights the importance of developing internal communication capabilities to manage external challenges and build competitive advantages. The report also delves into the concept of cultural proficiency, emphasizing the need to understand individual differences within organizations. Comparisons between communication styles in Singapore and Australia are presented, along with examples of misunderstandings arising from cultural differences. The report concludes by emphasizing the role of effective communication in achieving business success and competitive advantage in the global market.

Running Head: Cross Cultural Communications 1
Cross Cultural Communications and Business Ethics

Cross Cultural Communications 2
Contents
Overview..........................................................................................................................................3
Ans.1: Cross cultural communication issue.................................................................................3
Ans.2: Cross cultural communication as an ethics issue.............................................................4
Ethics in cross cultural communication....................................................................................4
Ans.3: Need for developing internal communication..................................................................5
Ans.4: Mean of cultural proficiency............................................................................................5
Ans. 5: Individual differences......................................................................................................6
Ans. 6: Competitive advantage....................................................................................................6
Ans. 7: Comparison......................................................................................................................7
Ans. 8: Differences that leads to misunderstanding.....................................................................8
Ans.9: Obsession to overemphasize difference between different cultures.................................8
Ans. 10: Example of stereotyping two different culture people..................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10

Cross Cultural Communications 3
Overview
Globalization has affected the business in varied ways. Business companies like
multinational companies are adopting different working styles as they have workers from
different background and culture. Now, it is important for the business companies to understand
the cross cultural differences in the business activities. Based on the understandings, companies
have to adopt proper communication methods in order to communicate with the people from
different culture (Akam, 2011). The intercultural communication is important to deal with the
cultural differences but at the same time, it is challenging for the companies to develop a
synthesis in the diversity. This report provides answers of the given questions based on the
reading of ‘The Rising Importance of Cross Cultural Communication in Global Business
Scenario’. In order to make the business successful, it is important to focus on the cross cultural
communication along with the associated culture, process of shaping a culture, issues and
challenges involved in the cross cultural communication process etc (Cheney, 2011).
Ans.1: Cross cultural communication issue
In the business, cross cultural communication is an issue as there are various cultural
differences that may raise conflict and misunderstanding. Those conflicts or misunderstanding
can different regions, nationalities and ethic group. Due to different communication patterns,
cross-cultural communication is the business issue now. People have different communication
styles, different attitude towards conflicts, different approaches for completing the task, diverse
decision-making styles, diverse attitude towards disclosure, and different approaches to knowing.
Effective communication with the people having different culture is very challenging.
Communication problems sometimes drive some basic differences in values between cultures
(Azziz, 2013).
In order to operate effectively in the global market, it is crucial for the companies to
communicate effectively. By the effective communication, companies are able to build strong
relationships with other partners. But it is observed that there are organizational programs do not
reach to the results due to the lack of effective communication and feedback process in the
organization. Poorly managed communication in the organization is the cause of rumors and
resistance among the employees (Kokemuller, 2017).

Cross Cultural Communications 4
There are many big companies who have faced challenges in terms of cross cultural
communication. For instance, Nokia, the largest mobile company has faced problem due to its
communication habits. Along with this, company had faced immense crisis along with its
partners at the global level. There are various cultural factors i.e. workforce diversity, various
religious groups, customs and superstitions, and discrimination and these all are challenging for
the cross cultural communications at the global level (Tripathi & Reddy, 2012).
Ans.2: Cross cultural communication as an ethics issue
Cross cultural communication becomes an ethical issue when companies do business
across the national borders. The perfectly acceptable rules or policies in one country for cultural
reasons can be considered as unethical in another country. For instance, it is respectful for the
business people to exchange the gifts and on the other hand, in some countries, giving the gifts is
considered as bribery. Further, in the wealthy developed countries, very low wages is considered
as unethical but in the developing countries, low wages is accepted if they are enhancing the
living standards.
Ethics in cross cultural communication
Culture of a country includes experiences and beliefs among the people in specific
settings. The same individual can be the member of various cultures. It is understood that there
may be ethical issue in cross cultural communication due to different culture and background.
Learning ethical methods are helpful for professionals in understanding the conceptual
framework that will guide them to become an ethical business communicator. The cross cultural
communication is successful when both the parties understand the same information. In current
business environments, effective communication skills are essential because of the highly
informational and technological time. The understanding of ethics in the business is helpful in
many ways which are discussed below:
 Maintaining a relationship with other party,
 Conveying the points without affronting to others,
 Well recognized value system,
 Providing accuracy of information, and
 Avoiding withholding important information

Cross Cultural Communications 5
Ans.3: Need for developing internal communication
In the global business environment, it is challenging for the professionals to communicate
effectively. It is important to understand the impact of globalization on the cross-cultural
communication in order to create competitive advantage in the market. According to the Padhi
(2015), due to economic challenges, companies need to develop internal communication capacity
in order to monitor and control various external challenges. Due to globalization, it is important
to develop the ability of communicate across national boundaries in order to gain reputation. The
internal communication is effective to ensure that all the members and employees in the
company are working collaboratively towards a common objective. It basically develops a
consistent culture and motivates the employees to take right decisions in order to achieve the
business objective (Barrelas, 2010).
The internal communication is beneficial in many ways i.e. motivation of employees,
control in business activities, coordinate among various departments, decision making process,
and develop managerial efficiency. Along with this, there are various threats in the business
environment like strong competition, low cost substitute products and services communication
security threats, legal threats, network security threats, human threats, physical security threats
and social and economic etc. In order to deal with these threats, internal communication is
important by exchanging important ideas, developing employees’ morale, maintaining
connection between branches and departments and enhancing communicative skills of
employees (Iliff, 2016). Communication is the basic part for developing the structure of the
organization. Communication is the key factor in the organization to maintain the coordination in
the various activities at different level in the organization. Now, the communication in the
organization can be upward, downward and horizontal. The process of communication is
important for the organization to manage the basic functions of the business i.e. organizing,
planning, controlling and leading (Vashurina, 2017).
Ans.4: Mean of cultural proficiency
'Cultural proficiency doesn't mean memorizing every cultural nuance of every
market; it's knowing when to listen, when to ask for help, and when—finally—to speak'
Cultural proficiency means availability of skills, attitude, knowledge and beliefs that
enables people to work effectively that support people in the cross-cultural situations. Cultural

Cross Cultural Communications 6
proficiency is not all about acceptance of all the cultural differences. It is about allowing
individuals to align with a group and accept interdependence. Culturally proficient business
sector make use of other’s language and culture as the tool in order to enhance the results for that
individuals (McLean & Lewis, 2010). Cultural proficiency in the business is the level of skill
based knowledge and understanding which is required to successfully interact in the business and
to work effectively with the other parties from variety of cultures including all the form of
cultural differences. There are five important elements contributing to the ability of the company
to become culturally proficient including valuing diversity, capacity of cultural self-assessment,
managing dynamics of differences, having cultural knowledge and understanding of cultural
diversity (Tourish, 2010).
Ans. 5: Individual differences
'Focus should be placed on using individual differences'
In order to deal with the cultural issues and challenges, it is important for the companies
to focus on the individual differences in terms of background, religions, cultures and many more
differences of the employees within the organization. It is crucial for the companies to
understand various cultural differences and respect the culture of the individuals. Companies
must not bother the employees to adapt the organizational culture. Culture fit is beneficial not
only for employees but also for the company. If the companies are taking individual differences
approach including the specific personalities and values of the employees, everyone will get
benefits in the business. Giving more personal freedom is crucial in order to build a happier and
more productive environment in the business (Carté & Fox, 2008).
Ans. 6: Competitive advantage
It is observed that communication is the most beneficial process for the companies in the
global market as it enhances the competitive advantage and profit in the operating market.
Effective communication makes a company diverse from the other companies in the industry.
With the communication process, professionals in the businesses are able to establish strong
relationships with the other parties. In the companies, professionals are also able to enhance the
business operations by skills and knowledge. So, it is important to understand the
communication process in the business. It is observed that communication has crucial role in
order to gain competitive advantage in the operating market. In order to enhance the competitive

Cross Cultural Communications 7
advantage, every company must focus on the effective communication process. For the
successful business, it is vital to determine the internal communication practices so that company
can operate successfully in the global market (Peter, 2015).
For instance, the famous beverage company Coca-Cola has introduced an employee
brand advocate program named Coca-Cola Ambassador. This program is helpful in preparing the
employees to communicate in a better way with the internal and external stakeholders so that the
issues affecting the business can be addressed effectively. By this practice of the company, it is
able to achieve competitive advantage over its competitors.
Ans. 7: Comparison
For the comparison, Singapore is selected. In terms of communication styles of Singapore
and Australia, there are lots of differences. Due to ethnic mix in Singapore, there are four
languages i.e. Malay, Tamil, Mandarin Chinese and English used by people. English is common
language as it is used for the international business purpose. For the good communication, they
use English in the business deals. In terms of communication practices, Australians do not have
any official language and it is observed that Asian language is spoken by 2.1 million people and
European language is spoken by 1.3 million people. On the other hand, people in Singapore
prefer English for communication. People have got formal education in Singapore. Along with
this, in Singapore, communication is indirect and open conflicts are avoided. On the other hand,
people have direct communication in Australia (Vidal-Suarez and Lopez-Duarte, 2013).
In terms of similarities, there is culture of openness in Australia and Singapore. In both
the countries, people are allowed to share their view points and ideas in order to operate
business. Along with this, both the countries have high valued culture. There is the highly valued
culture in both the countries. In the countries people are direct and straight forward in the
business communications.
Ans. 8: Differences that leads to misunderstanding
Cross cultural differences are one of the major reasons that sometimes lead to
misunderstanding. One of the primary examples of this can be in this regard is that due to cross
culture there will be difference in the tone of language barriers often leads to misunderstanding
between two individuals. For example consider the fact that there are two people who are from
different kinds of culture and they have a very different style of interacting with other people.

Cross Cultural Communications 8
This may lead to one understanding others point of view in a different way. This can be
illustrated in the ways that if any employee cracks a joke on someone else which may be beyond
his cultural ethics than it may hurt the other and hence can lead to long term differences between
the two. One of the best ways of resolving this problem is to use social code of conduct or other
non-verbal communication. This is a major problem when the two individuals are from two
different nations (Lingebērziņš, 2011).
This has very severe negative impacts that are caused by the cross cultural differences
between the people when it leads to misunderstanding. There are several examples where it can
be seen that there are larger number of people that comes in the position of taking some negative
decisions like fights. Misunderstanding increases tensions and distrust in the minds of employee
which lower down the productivity of the people. This enhances negativity in the environment
which further reduces the growth of the team building within an organization. Misunderstanding
can also be understood with illustration that two same set of words carries vary distinct kind of
meanings in two different cultures which may lead to misunderstanding between the two. This
may cause a long term differences between the two as from the next time they will generate a
negative notion about the people.
Ans.9: Obsession to overemphasize difference between different cultures
It can be seen at many times that there is obsession that develops within the firm to
overemphasize on the difference between distinct cultures. This often convinces stereotypes
which often lead to making of such perceived notions about others. If the difference between
different cultures is highly focused on then there is hindrance between two individual in terms of
interactions as they will always understand the other ones as aliens in some of the fields. It
restricts people from communicating with each other and hence the culture of working as a team
mate diminishes. This reduces productivity of the overall organization (Pym, 2003). It must be
ensure that cultural differences must be welcomed at various levels of organization and there
must not be any kind overemphasis on the cultural practices that they have in their operations. It
is also necessary to ensure that people learn the culture of others so that within a business a
mixed kind of culture comes into existence which will increase the productivity of the firm. It
can be seen that perceived notions about other colleagues always act as barrier in communication
as stereotypes do not want to get attached with each other.

Cross Cultural Communications 9
Ans. 10: Example of stereotyping two different culture people.
It can be understood in the ways that there are many Australian people who are working
various firms in different industries within Singapore. It results in many kinds of cross cultural
differences which ultimately leads to stereotyping of particular kind of people. This can be
understood in the ways that in Singapore people generally stereotypes Australian people as a
hardworking people that are focused towards work. Employees from Singapore understand that
Australians are bit arrogant and restrict themselves from easily opening to others. They also
understand Australian to be party lovers and someone who are more professionally sound. On
the other hand Australian employee stereotypes Singapore employees as people who sticks to
their culture and want a lot of leaves. They also understand Singapore people as individuals who
love extrinsic motivation in terms of some kinds of rewards (Wittmer, 2005).
I think that there stereotyping is more made than what it actually is. This is due to the fact
that every employee has distinct kind of nature and hence perceiving anything can never be
accurate. In this regards stereotypes are almost accurate. This is due to the fact that most of
Australians have seen to be hard worker and self-centered individuals as well as they interact less
with people of other culture. While on the other hand Singapore’s employee loves vacations and
gets motivated when some monetary rewards are given to them.
References
Akam, V., (2011). Business Communication Today: Englewood Cliffs. NY: Prentice-Hall
Randon House Inc. 97-101.

Cross Cultural Communications 10
Azziz, E. R., (2013). Meeting the Challenges of Communicating in a Large, Complex,
Heterogenous Enterprise. Retrieved on 23rd January 2018 from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-ricardo-azziz/meeting-the-challenges-
of_b_2759662.html
Barrelas, A., (2010). An Experimental Approach to Organization Communication. UK:
Heinemann publishers. 28-35
Carté, P., & Fox, C., (2008). Bridging the culture gap: A practical guide to international
business communication. (2nd). London ;Philadelphia: Kogan Page
Cheney, G., (2011). Organizational communication in an age of globalization: Issues,
reflections, practices. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
Iliff, R., (2016). Best Practices for Effective Internal Communications. Retrieved on 23rd January
2018 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2016/08/12/best-practices-
for-effective-internal-communications/#68a28ecf7292
Kokemuller, N., (2017). What Are the Causes of Communication Breakdown in Business.
Retrieved on 23rd January 2018 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/causes-
communication-breakdown-business-78230.html
Lingebērziņš, E., (2011). Cross-cultural Communication Challenges of International Tourism
Business Environment. Retrieved on 23rd January 2018 from
https://eltalpykla.vdu.lt/bitstream/handle/1/1065/ISSN1392-1142_2011_N_59.PG_69-
79.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
McLean, J., & Lewis, R. D. (2010). Communicating across cultures: Manager: British Journal
of Administrative Management. (71). 30-31
Peter, L., (2015). Effective Business Communication. McGraw Hill Inc. NY: Publishing Nigerian
Limited. 18-24
Pym, A., (2003). A Theory of Cross-Cultural Communication. Retrieved on 23rd January 2018
from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242584197_A_Theory_of_Cross-
Cultural_Communication

Cross Cultural Communications 11
Tourish, D., (2010). Auditing organizational communication: A handbook of research, theory,
and practice. NY: Routledge.
Tripathi, P. C., & Reddy, P. N., (2012). Principles of Management. IND: The McGram-Hill
Company
Vashurina, A., (2017). How To Overcome Communication Challenges Within A Global
Company. Retrieved on 23rd January 2018 from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2017/07/03/how-to-
overcome-communication-challenges-within-a-global-company/#3b5d05145a0d
Vidal-Suarez, M. and Lopez-Duarte, C. (2013). Language distance and international
acquisitions: A transaction cost approach: International Journal of Cross Cultural
Management. 13(1). pp.47-63.
Wittmer, A., (2005). Internal Service Systems and Cultural Differences: An Exploratory Study of
Switzerland, Australia, and Singapore. Retrieved on 23rd January 2018 from
https://www1.unisg.ch/www/edis.nsf/SysLkpByIdentifier/3064/$FILE/dis3064.pdf