International Business Exam: Case Studies in Cross-Cultural Management

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Name of Student:
Name of University:
Learner's Note:

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Table of Contents
Case 1...............................................................................................................................................3
Answer to Question 1..................................................................................................................3
Answer to Question 2..................................................................................................................3
Answer to Question 3..................................................................................................................3
Answer to Question 4..................................................................................................................4
Case 2:.............................................................................................................................................4
Answer to Question 1..................................................................................................................4
Answer to Question 2..................................................................................................................5
Answer to Question 3..................................................................................................................5
Answer to Question 4..................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................7
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Case 1
Answer to Question 1
From the case study, it can be seen that apparently, Tom Forest did nothing wrong in developing
the terms and conditions of the joint venture policies along with the officials of the Japanese
electronics firm, including Mr. Hayakawa, the current president of the Japanese company.
However, the reason Tom still failed to pursue Mr. Hayakawa's grandfather, the previous
president of the Japanese company to finalise the contract is that he could not understand the
Japanese organisational culture that strictly forbids the incorporation of any business policy into
the organisational business operations that contradicts the traditional culture of the organisation
(French, 2015).
Answer to Question 2
From the case study, it can be seen that the US-based company that Tom Forest is a part of has
no idea about the organisational culture differences between USA and Japan. Thus, according to
Adekola and Sergi (2016), it is possible to help the US-based company in this regard by allowing
their staffs and managers to attend seminars and workshops highlighting the Japanese
organisational culture. Furthermore, their experience in dealing with Japanese organisations can
also be improved by participating in collaborated projects with Japanese companies, or making
business deals with them.
Answer to Question 3
In reference to the intercultural theory of Edward T. Hall, it can be stated that the difference of
language and culture between Tom Forest and Mr. Hayakawa's grandfather, the previous
president of the Japanese company has been different. These differences have been played a
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great role in convincing Mr. Hayakawa's grandfather, the previous president of the Japanese
company . In the opinion of Edward T. Hall, high and low context of the culture can influence
the decision making in the organisation. It has been seen that control and attribution of failure
should be developed in order to obtain the development of decision making in the organisation
(Chen et al. 2018 ).
Answer to Question 4
Tom should know the organizational cultures of the company he is working with, in joint
venture. Being one of the Japanese companies, the organisation have different working culture
and language to deal among their workplace. As Tom belong to the UK, it was not possible for
him to understand those rituals and systems, therefore, it is recommended that he should have
consulted with the current president of the Japanese company. He would be able to provide right
decisions in this respect (Bai and Jiang, 2017). Moreover, the other employees should be
included in the plan and it would help Tom to gain their support.
Case 2:
Answer to Question 1
Ned and his company were not supporting superstitions, however, as they are working in an
entire different culture in Taiwan, and they should show some respect towards the idea of the
locals. The miscommunication has been developed within Ned and his fellow Taiwanese
workers as they belong to the different country and culture (Park and Nawakitphaitoon, 2018).
Ned should provide importance to the idea that the locals have towards the problems developed
in the workplace. As he has to work within the locals, this respect could earn him a better
position among his team members and the company as well.
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Answer to Question 2
In this world of globalisation the cross cultural issues will be present among the workers during
working in an international project. However in this case the US Managers need to critically
analyse the organisational philosophy and culture of Taiwan. Moreover detailed discussion with
the traditional managers of Taiwan should be done to build up rapport in an efficient way
(Mazanec et al., 2015). The cultural details should be learnt and minute details should be focused
in an efficient way. Furthermore, the local culture should be respected and suggestion from the
local managers should be taken to solve the problem. The differences between the cultural gaps
should be reduced by discussion between the managers of Taiwan and USA.
Answer to Question 3
It is seen that Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory is one of the most significant intercultural
theory that should be used to analyze the difference between the cultural background of Taiwan
and USA. In case of Taiwan the society is collective society where traditional concepts are given
priority. On the other hand USA is a society that believes in individual efforts (Thomas,. and
Peterson, 2017). According to the case study it is seen that the conflict in interest occurred when
Ned did not respect the values and concepts of the local managers. This should not be the case
and according to Hofstedes’s theory culture of the host country in which the business has been
done should be considered.
Answer to Question 4
The most important component is to form a rapport with the local managers. Respect should be
given to the local culture while performing the business operation in that country. At first
respect should be given to the local culture and rituals should be performed (Bird,. and
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Mendenhall, 2016). Then health safety monitoring committee should be established that may
help to reduce the accidents in the organisation premises in an efficient way.
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References
Adekola, A. and Sergi, B.S., 2016. Global business management: A cross-cultural perspective.
Routledge.
Bai, Y. and Jiang, D.Y., 2017, February. Policy Analysis on Cultural Conflict and Cultural
Integration in the Joint Operation. In 2017 2nd International Conference on Humanities and
Social Science (HSS 2017). Atlantis Press.
Bird, A. and Mendenhall, M.E., 2016. From cross-cultural management to global leadership:
Evolution and adaptation. Journal of World Business, 51(1), pp.115-126.
Chen, N., Chao, M.C.H., Xie, H. and Tjosvold, D., 2018. Transforming cross-cultural conflict
into collaboration: the integration of western and eastern values. Cross Cultural & Strategic
Management, 25(1), pp.70-95.
French, R., 2015. Cross-cultural management in work organisations. Kogan Page Publishers.
Mazanec, J.A., Crotts, J.C., Gursoy, D. and Lu, L., 2015. Homogeneity versus heterogeneity of
cultural values: An item-response theoretical approach applying Hofstede's cultural dimensions
in a single nation. Tourism Management, 48, pp.299-304.
Park, J.Y. and Nawakitphaitoon, K., 2018. The cross‐cultural study of LMX and individual
employee voice: The moderating role of conflict avoidance. Human Resource Management
Journal, 28(1), pp.14-30.
Thomas, D.C. and Peterson, M.F., 2017. Cross-cultural management: Essential concepts. Sage
Publications.
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