Examining Cross Cultural Communication In Organizations Cultural Studies Essay

Examining Cross Cultural Communication In Organizations Cultural Studies Essay Cross-cultural communication also referred to as intercultural communication which is a subset of organizational communication, and comprises verbal and non-verbal communication. This in turn involves transfers of information and knowledge between individuals in the organization with significantly different people in different languages and from different cultures. We define cross-cultural communication as a subject which focuses on the communicative activities of people from different cultural background and the essence and rules of the communicative activities (Jia, 1997, 563). Many cultures have their own etiquette when communicating. Communication can only be succeeded if messages are appropriately delivered and received. Especially in cross-cultural communication, two-sides of peoples are from two different countries with different culture, custom, thoughts and languages. This would make a successful communication more difficult to be reached. Miscommunication may lead to conflict, or more serious conflict that already exists. Therefore, it is important to explore the problems of cross-cultural communication, and the problems of deducing those rules of communicative appropriateness that are applied in the other culture. Furthermore, much discussion has focused on differences international negotiating styles. However, there is little attention to examine how and what degree language plays a significant role in a cross-cultural communication. Unfortunately, some monolingual experts believe that any languages can be completely transferred into another language. According Geoff Hart, 2007: Effective and good communication is very important to all organization. In todays business environment, in order to communicate with the outside world, it is essential to have successful communication skills in workplace. Cross-cultural communication in the workplace compounds certain problems. There is lack of interaction in the field of communication among individuals in the organization with significantly different ethnographic profiles. In addition, words imply different meaning in different languages. Much cross-cultural communication in workplace and worker within limited English speaking abilities and their cultural differences leads to misunderstanding and tension at the workplaces. Thus, business is taken very seriously in many cultures that often show up in the workplace. Misunderstandings and miscommunication can cause and enhance conflict in workplace. Within cross-cultural communication, our seemingly normal approaches to meaning-making and communication will never be clear enough that we can see them for what they are which is a set of lenses that shape what we see, hear, say understand, and interpret. Culture is linked to communication and a wide range of human experience including feelings, identity, and meaning-making. Communication is the vehicle by which meanings are conveyed and feelings are expressed. Both conflict and harmony are possible outcomes of any interaction as we communicate using different cultural habits between workers. According Charlotte-Mecklenburg Development Board (WDB), 2002: Cultural barriers between different cultures often cause much frustration, annoyance, and lead to problems that erode efficiency and effective in daily life. The biggest barriers to cross-cultural communication refer to language difficulties. Cultural barriers and language cannot be divided. This is because language carries the information of language and culture. Every kind of language is created and developed in a certain historical circumstance of society. Therefore, Language reflects the feature of nation. It contains not only the historical cultural background of this nation, but also the view of life, the way of life and the way of thought of this nation (Xiao, 1997:159). Some problem increase which are barriers caused by semantics, barriers caused by word connotations, barriers caused by tone differences and barriers caused by differences between perceptions. Barriers caused by semantics word meaning. As weve noted previously, words mean different things to different people. This is particularly true for people from different national cultures. Some words cannot translate and imply to English and special meaning to different people from different cultures. It is reflects the differences of culture most extensively. For example, to conduct business in Korea, you must understand the concept of Kibun, which does not translate into English. Its meaning is something similar to inner feelings or mood: people must communicate in a manner to enhance one anothers Kibun or risk creating an enemy and destroying the relationship (Mary Munter, 1993). Barriers caused by word connotations or implication of words. On the other hand, the meaning extent of a word and the connotation of future are not complete equivalent between different cultures. Negotiations between English and Japanese executive, for instance, are made more difficult because the Japanese word iie translates as no, but its connotation may be no, Im not studying, rather than No, I disagree. Barriers caused by tone differences or the mood or feeling your words convey. The tone changes depending expression of slang, feelings, emotions and thought. Slang may lead barriers to communication. For example, a conversation demonstrative between A and B dealing with slang. A: Will you really join? B: You kill me. It is very confuse for different people to understand the conversation because the sentence of B is slang. It means (If I wont join,) you kill me. The sentence of A is more polite while the sentence of B is more offhand. In some cultures tone is usually more formal, whereas in others it is more informal; in some it is more polite, in others more offhand; in some more impersonal, in others more personal; in some more dry, in others more colorful ( Mary Munter, 1993). Barriers caused by differences between perceptions. People who speak different languages from different cultures look into the world in different ways. Every country perceive different perceptions. PROBLEM THAT FACED IN CULTURES CONTEXT Any communication relies on the context in which it takes place, (Victor, 1992, 137). Some cultures rely on the context of communication much more than others. Contexting refers to the circumstances surrounding the exchange. To make an effective and successful communication, every people have to consider the cultural differences and the preeminent communication process in individualistic. Cultures context refers to high context and low text communication. High context refers to societies or groups where people have close connections over a long period of time while low context refers to societies where people tend to have many connections but of shorter duration or for some specific reason. High contexts cannot carry the context information internally and hard to enter if as an outsider. Instead, low contexts are easy to enter if as an outsider because the environment contains the information and form relationships. The exchange of information between workers from high-context and low-context has to work together in cultural context occur the problems. These problems can be categorized as differences in direction, quantity and quality. High-context cultures like China adapt to their close friends, relatives and also to colleagues or in-group members at differences in direction employees. They communication with them mightily and exchange specific information regarding many different talks and topics. In comparison, like Germany, their direction of communication is orientated on personal characters and referred to situations as direction difference. They mostly communicate within their out-groups in a broad and dispersedly way as quantity difference. They exchange information through communication just to the necessary extent so that work can be done and will not discuss or exchange information in the work environment and colleagues as quality difference. In China, the workers discuss everything in advance and consider meetings where the already commonly agreed decision will be announced. The Germans in contrast inform the participating attendants in a meeting about the hard and necessary facts. The decision-making process takes place within the meeting. Besides this, communication is also related to appearance such as clothes and accessories. In cross-communication cultural, these is relating to the context including formal and informal, status and individuality. In Islam, Muslim women are expected to cover in their entirety including the face, except for their eyes, while in Western countries most women, even in a business context, will wear smart attire. Western cultures tend to gravitate toward low-context starting points, while Eastern and Southern cultures tend to use high-context communication.

A Painful Lesson in Staying Calm :: Personal Narrative Writing

A Painful Lesson in Staying Calm Oh boy, was I ever furious! I was cursing up a storm! â€Å"Damn ball! Where the hell did it think it was going? Who the hell ever let me learn how to golf? They obviously were one damn stupid bastard to think I could ever golf!† I briskly stormed away from the tee-box, enraged that my ball was completely out of control as it had flown through the air a few minutes earlier. â€Å"Just go damnit! Hit your fricken ball!† I sounded like a small pathetic child yelling at her mother because she had not gotten her way in an argument as I screamed angrily at my brother who was now standing on the tee-box ready to send his ball to the ends of the earth. As I turned around to begin the journey towards my hopeless shot, disregarding the obvious mistake I was making, it hit me. The pressure from the sudden unexpected impact on the tip of my left elbow shot through my entire body quickly and painfully. The pain shot from my elbow, through my arm, down through my legs, then back up to my other arm, and finally to my head. The pain was strong and sharp. It felt as though I had fallen on an electric cattle fence, and it had given me one strong electrical shock that overtook my whole body with pain for a split second. In that split second I saw the world a little differently. I felt as though I had been shot. My mind paused and took a photograph of the view in front of me. I was only able to take one quick vivid photograph in my mind though because it all happened so quickly. The shimmering green grass was blinding my eyes as the strong rays of sunlight beamed down upon the fairway. There was a little gully about fifteen feet from me where there was tall grass that looked like pieces of green and brown string sticking out of the ground. A little patch of grass was missing by the gully to reveal a small sparkling creek that flowed rapidly. There was no wind to blow the strings, so they sat there motionless. I saw the bright green leaves of the trees that were almost completely surrounding me.

Difference between Qualitative and Quantitative Research Essay

The first question asked by any researcher with a new topic to study is: ‘What sort of research should I use?’ Reference to the literature can be confusing: so much research has been done, so many questions asked and sometimes answered, and so many conclusions have been drawn that it can be difficult to sort out one research technique from another. The decision most beginners to research find taxing is: ‘Should I use quantitative or qualitative methods?’At the most basic level, quantitative research methods are used when something needs to be measured, while qualitative methods are used when a question needs to be described and investigated in some depth. Often, the two methods are used in tandem to provide measurements for comparison and evaluation and to give an in-depth explanation of the meaning of an idea. Quantitative researchThe words themselves hold the clues. Quantitative research includes so-called benchtop science (where experimental tests are carried out), drug trials (where the effects of drugs are measured), epidemiology (where rates of illnesses in populations are calculated), intervention studies (where one technique is used and its effects compared with another), and so on. Quantitative research usually contains numbers, proportions and statistics, and is invaluable for measuring people’s attitudes, their emotional and behavioural states and their ways of thinking. In one section of a study on child care in hospitals, I asked a group of parents to give a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response to a range of questions on their attitudes to paediatric hospital care (Shields 1999). I then measured the number of ‘yes’ answers and compared them with responses from nurses and doctors to the same questions. The study showed differences in attitude between parents and staff that could have affected communication between them and influenced the delivery of care. In another example, a researcher in Iceland measured the most important needs of parents during their children’s admission to hospital and found that they rated emotional needs as more important than physical requirements, such as rest and food (Kristjansdà ¶ttir 1995). Qualitative researchQualitative methods are used when the meaning of  something needs to be found. Exploring the question: ‘Who owns a child in hospital?’ (Shields et al 2003), or examining the meaning of an experience, illness, or condition, for example, of what it means to be a mother whose child has died (Laakso and Paunonen-Ilmonen 2001), are all forms of qualitative research. Qualitative research usually has no measurements or statistics but uses words, descriptions and quotes to explore meaning. It can even use arts techniques, such as dance (Picard 2000). The question to ask when planning a research project, therefore, is: ‘Do I want to count or measure something, or do I want to find the meaning of something, and describe it?’ Which comes first? This is sometimes a chicken-and-egg question but if no one has investigated the topic before, qualitative research is used first to try to tease out ideas, which can then be turned into questions — that can be tested quantitatively REFERENCES Kristjansdà ¶ttir G (1995) Perceived importance of needs expressed by parents of hospitalized two-to-six-year-olds. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. 9, 2, 95-103. Laakso H, Paunonen-Ilmonen M (2001) Mothers’ grief following the death of a child. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 36, 1, 69-77. Picard C (2000) Pattern of expanding consciousness in midlife women: creative movement and the narrative as modes of expression. Nursing Science Quarterly. 13, 2, 150-157. Shields L (1999) A Comparative Study of the Care of Hospitalized Children in Developed and Developing Countries. Doctoral thesis. Brisbane, University of Queensland. Shields L et al (2003) Who owns the child in hospital? A preliminary discussion. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 41, 3, 1-9.

Should Prostitution Be Legalized - 1048 Words

Yelena Gorrino Alejo English114 Dr.Walker May,15,2015 Should prostitution be legalized? Most of us have heard of prostitution and the controversial opinions of people whether it should be legalized or not. The fact is that prostitution has been practiced for many years regardless of its legality. As defined in the dictionary prostitution is the exchange of sex for money. Out of the 50 states in the U.S., Nevada is the only states were prostitution is legal. On the other hand, in some European countries prostitution is not illegal and its safety practice with proper regulations. Therefore legalization should not be the issue; instead regulations should be placed to make the practice of prostitution safer. There are more important aspects of prostitution that need to be addressed; regulations on moral, heath, and crime should be established. These regulations should include laws on health standards for the security of prostitute, morality regulations should address age restrictions abiding with all current state ages of consent, both for those who practice prostitution or the people seeking for a prostitute, more specifically referring to people over the age of eighteen, and crime regulations should address more security were prostitution is practice. In Germany, unlike in some other countries they do not look down upon prostitutes or the people who go after their services. Prostitution in Germany more specifically in Amsterdam is part of the culture and their views ofShow MoreRelatedShould Prostitution Be Legalized?1406 Words   |  6 PagesProstitution is one of the largest controversial issue facing the United States. The definition of prostitution, according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, is the act or practice of engaging in sexual relations especially for the money. 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While there are some who argue that prostitution should be legalized, others do not agree with this theory. Some advocates argue that prostitution is a victimless crime and that it should be a decision that one chooses on his or her own. They also believe that the legalization of prostitution will minimize crime, increase tax revenueRead MoreShould Prostitution Be Legalized?1555 Words   |  7 PagesLegalization of Prostitution Prostitutes are people of multiple backgrounds and of either gender who make the decision to participate in sex acts for profit in a business-like setting. I support the legalization of prostitution because I believe that legalized prostitution will be a benefit of society. Once legalized, prostitution can provide many benefits to the participants of the business. Prostitution can provide a benefit of the economy in most places, and provide safe business practices and