UNIT 7: CULTURES

READING 1: CULTURE SHOCK

Activity 1: In groups, do the following cultural awareness quiz.
1. The principal religion in Malaysia is
A. Buddhism
B. Judaism
C. Christianity
D. Islam
2. In Latin America, managers
A. are most likely members of their own families.
B. consider hiring members of their own families to be inappropriate.
C. stress the importance of hiring members of minority groups.
D. usually hire more people than are actually needed to do a job.
3. In China, the status of every business negotiation is
A. reported daily in the press.
B. private, and details are not discussed publicly.
C. subjected to scrutiny by a public tribunal on a regular basis.
D. directed by the elder of every commune.
4. When rewarding a Hispanic worker for a job well done, it is best not to
A. praise him publicly
B. say ‘thank you’
C. offer a raise
D. offer a promotion
5. In some South American countries, it is considered normal and acceptable to
show up for a social appointment one to two hours late.
A. True
B. False
6. The doors in German offices and homes are generally kept
A. wide open to symbolize an acceptance and welcome of friends and strangers.
B. slightly ajar to suggest that people should knock before entering.
C. half-opened suggesting that some people are welcome and others are not.
D. tightly shut to preserve privacy and personal space.
7. American managers running business in Mexico have found that by increasing
the salaries of Mexican workers, they decrease the number of hours the workers
would agree to work.
A. True
B. False
8. In Latin America, business people touch each other more than North American
do under similar circumstances.
A. True
B. False
9. When a stranger in India wants to know what you do for a living and how much
you earn, he will
A. ask your guide
B. invite you to his home, after getting to know he will ask
C. come over and ask you directly without introduction
D. respect your privacy above all
10. If you wanted to give a necktie or a scarf to a Latin American, what color
would it be better to avoid
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………

Activity 2: Useful Vocabulary

Part
Word/ of
Definition and Example
Phrase Speec
h

struggle

counterpart

perceive
 cultural
make-up

harmonize

cope with sth

social
etiquette

manifestation

tailored

practice

Standard Bank overcomes culture shock

It is increasingly common for multinational businesses to send employees on
international assignments, but without the right cross-cultural skills, staff will often
struggle. Wayne Mullen, Head of Learning and Development at Standard Bank,
discusses the impact that cultural challenges can have on employees relocating to
another country. In order to be successfully transferred, employees must understand
the host-country culture, he argues.

Colleagues from different countries might share similar professional knowledge

and skills within a single international organisation, but their ways of working, social
skills, body language and ways of doing business are likely to be completely
different. They may have different patterns of behaviour which need to be understood
and appreciated in order for everyone to work together successfully. For example,
while it may be acceptable for Chinese office workers in Hong Kong to use the door-
close button on a lift no matter how many people are also getting in, doing such a
thing in London would make people extremely angry. It is common for South
Africans to ask personal questions of their counterparts shortly after being introduced,
while a British colleague may perceive this as impolite and inappropriate. Latin
Americans’ need for personal space is much less than that of their British colleagues.

Global companies should never underestimate the effect that culture can have on
international assignments. Cultural awareness is much more than simply knowing
about a country's history and geography. It is about understanding how and why
cultures work differently. It is also important to understand your own cultural make-
up in order to work more effectively, maximise teamwork and strengthen global
competence.
The Standard Bank group operates in 38 different countries, and its London office
alone has 56 nationalities. This wide range of nationalities needs to communicate
effectively in order to work as oneteam. The bank recognised that in order to
harmonise working practices within its culturally diverse office, it needed to provide
foreign workers with a meaningful understanding of British business culture and
communication styles. It also needed to offer practical support which allowed
employees to cope with the challenges of living and working in an unfamiliar
environment; their reactions to day-to-day issues such as the weather, public transport
and social etiquette are often the most visible manifestations of culture shock.

Standard Bank has engaged Communicaid, a European culture and

communication skills consultancy, to design a tailored training solution which
introduces delegates to some of the key cultural differences that they are likely to face
in the UK.

From Finance Week

Activity 3: (A, page 69, Course Book)
Read the article quickly and decide which of the following (1-5) are

a) Referred to in a positive way in the text

b) Referred to in a negative way in the text
c) Not referred at all
1. Understanding the culture of the country you are living in
2. Asking British colleagues personal questions when you meet them for the first time
3. Hiring staff who are flexible and tolerant
4. Providing staff with practical support
5. Looking at the role of the spouse (husband or wife) in the selection of candidates
for overseas postings.

Activity 4: (B, page 69, Course Book)

Read the article again and answer the questions:
1. What things are people from different countries in an organization:
a) likely to have in common
b) likely not to have in common?
2. What is ‘cultural awareness’?

Activity 5: Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
1. In our current flat world, employees of multinational businesses don’t have to deal
much with culture barriers.
2. Personal privacy differs among different countries.
3. Cultural awareness is an important factor of teamwork effectiveness in
multinational companies.
4. The Standard Bank is a cultural diverse group which has 56 nationalities.
5. The Standard Bank group offers their employees of different cultures a training
course which helps them to have a better mutual understanding.

Activity 6: Pronounce reference

What does the underlined word refer to?
1. …….. doing such a thing in London would make people extremely angry.
(paragraph 2)
2.It is about understanding how and why cultures work differently. (paragraph 3)

Activity 7: Words in phrases

Go back to the article on page 69. Find prepositions to complete the following
phrases and write them in the blanks.
1. Wayne Mullen, Head of Learning and Development…………. Standard Bank
discusses the impact that cultural challenges can have……………employees
relocating……………another country.
2. Colleagues …………… different countries might share similar professional
knowledge and skills……………a single international organization.
3. It is common……………South African to ask personal questions ……………their
counterparts shortly……………being introduced.
4. It needed to provide foreign workers…………… a meaningful
understanding……………British business culture and communication styles.
5. Their reactions…………… day-to-day issues such as the weather, public transport
and social etiquette are often the most visible manifestations……………culture
shock.

Activity 8: Word Form

Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the word.
1. transfer
When applying for a job you should remember to highlight your …………… skills
you havein the letter of application.
2. appreciate
Mulvaney also wanted to mention the…………..he had for all the support from his
colleagues.
3. awareness
Being ……………of cultural norms can help your company narrow down the target
audience when launching a marketing campaign.
4. manifestation
In the meeting, she …………… no fear and allowed none in her voice.
5. harmonise
As one of the leading groups in Vietnam, they strive to work in cooperation and
……………with local communities.

Activity 9: Focusing on words

Fill in each blank in the sentences below with one suitable word. When you
finish, turn back to page 69 and check your answers.
Global companies should never (1) ……………. the effect that culture can have on
international assignments. Cultural (2) …………… is much more than (3)
…………… knowing about a country’s history and geography. It is about
understanding how and why cultures work differently. It is also important to
understand your own (4) …………… make-up in order to work more effectively,
maximize teamwork and (5) …………… global competence.

Activity 10: Discussion

Work in pairs. What do your think should be covered in a cultural training
course?

Activity 11: Write a paragraph using information from the article and giving
tips to people doing business in the UK.