Intercultural Business Communications Class: Chapter 3 Contrasting cultural values

1. Chapter 3 Contrasting Cultural Values Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed., Chaney & Martin

3. What are Values? Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed., Chaney & Martin Social principles, goals, or standards accepted by persons in a culture. They are learned by contacts with the family, teachers, and religious leaders. The media also may influence one’s value system.

4. Hofstede’s “Onion” Diagram Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed., Chaney & Martin Rituals Values Practices Symbols Heroes Rituals

6. Cultural Contrasts in Values Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed., Chaney & Martin Americans Japanese Arabs 1. Freedom Belonging Family security 2. Independence Group harmony Family harmony 3. Self-reliance Collectivism Parental guidance 4. Equality Age/Seniority Age 5. Individualism Group consensus Authority

7. Semantic Differences Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed., Chaney & Martin Semantics - the study of the meaning of words; involves the way behavior is influenced by words and nonverbal means of communication. Example: A U.S. American, while traveling in Bolivia, observed that drivers rarely stopped at the red octagonal sign with the word “alto,” the Spanish word for “stop.” A local Bolivian explained that in that country, the stop sign is more a recommendation than a traffic law.

8. Attribution and Perception Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed., Chaney & Martin Attribution - the ability to look at social behavior from another culture’s view Attribution training - involves making people aware of their own cultural context and how it differs from that of the host country Perception - the learned meaning of sensory images Uncertainty-reduction theory - “involves the creation of proactive predictions and retroactive explanations about our own and others’ behavior, beliefs, and attitudes” (Gudykunst & Ting-Toomy, 1988, p. 22).

18. 2002 Weekly Hours Worked Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed., Chaney & Martin Country Weekly Working Hours China 47.9 India 47.3 South Korea 46.2 Singapore 46.0 New Zealand 44.9 Mexico 43.3 United States 42.6 Japan 42.2 England 39.6 Germany 38.7 Canada 31.9