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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
SEM IV
MODULE 1

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IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE IN COMMUNICATION

Intercultural Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages between people whose cultural backgrounds could lead them to interpret verbal and nonverbal signs differently.

Effective intercultural communication Opens up business opportunities round the world. It improves the contributions of employees in a diverse workforce.

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Treat people the way they expect to be treated, not the way you expect to be treated.

The diversity of todays workforce brings distinct

advantages to businesses:

1.
2.

A broader range of views and ideas

A better understanding of diverse, fragmented markets

3.

A broader pool of talent from which to recruit.

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4. 5.

Recognize the changing environment Adapt to the environment without compromising principles Dont assume problems will magically disappear.

6.

7.

Keep corporate communication connected to strategy.

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John Bodley (1994):Definitions of Diverse Dimensions

Topical:

Culture consists of everything on a list of topics, or categories, such as social organization, religion, or economy Culture is social heritage, or tradition, that is passed on to future generations Culture is shared, learned human behavior, a way of life Culture is ideals, values, or rules for living Culture is the way humans solve problems of adapting to the environment or living together Culture is a complex of ideas, or learned habits, that inhibit impulses and distinguish people from animals Culture consists of patterned and interrelated ideas, symbols, or behaviors Culture is based on arbitrarily assigned meanings that are shared by a society
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Historical: Behavioral: Normative: Functional:

Mental:

Structural: Symbolic:

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Principles
1. Culture is learned: Culture is transmitted through the process of learning and interacting with ones environment, rather through the genetic process. 2. Culture influences biological processes 3. Culture universals 4. Culture changes
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DEVELOPING COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE

Concentrate on long term relationships, not short term contracts.
Focus on the interests and perceptions of the recipient. Be realistic about others view. Acknowledge distinctions.

Avoid over reliance on cultural generalizations. Avoid assumptions; generalizations.

Be sensitive to timing. Remain flexible, but prepare your messages carefully. Learn to listen, Not just speak.
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Communication and Culture

Culture gives meaning to the visible communication process.

2 trends that have made intercultural business communication so important: A) Market globalization, that allows people from different cultures to interpret their verbal and non verbal signals . B) Advances in technology help companies cross national boundaries. Sheraton hotels Hawaii.

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MODULE 2

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

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ROADBLOCKS
Classification of barriers: Intrapersonal Interpersonal Organizational Roadblocks 1. Differences in perspective 2. Differences in knowledge levels 3. Lack of common language 4. Tendency to stereotype and jump to conclusions. 5. Strong emotions 6. Self centeredness
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7. Ethnocentrism: greatest single obstacle to understand culture. Literally means culture centered.

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Strategies to overcome the Barriers

Get to know the people you communicate with. Learn to look at things from others perspectives. Seek and offer feedback. Choose the right medium and the right channel. Mind your tone. Talk less, listen more. Ethno relativism i.e. ability to relate and adapt to others culture
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Some pointers to good word usage Be positive Dictionary and Thesaurus A wide choice Who is your audience Social setting Jargon New words Sentence construction Understand word structure Enjoy the language
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MODULE 3

CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

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Characteristics of culture
Culture guides individual and collective behavior.
It influences: The decision making The style of management Relations and behavior patterns

Cultures are integrated wholes: cultures are coherent and logical systems, the parts of which to a degree are interrelated.

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Language mirrors values

Successful corporate culture manages to:

integrate symbols (such as a corporate logo), legends (stories about past successes and failures), heroes (influential managers from the past) and shared experiences (such as working together on successful projects).
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The process of developing a corporate culture involves the following:

1.Identifying common beliefs among employees
2.Gaining consensus 3.Documenting the essential features 4.Making the culture visible to other employees on a regular basis. 5.Providing explicit training in the corporate culture for new employees.
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Cross-cultural Values
Americans
Freedom Independence Self-reliance Equality Individualism Competition Efficiency Time Directness Openness

Japanese
Belonging Group harmony Collectiveness Age/seniority Group consciousness Cooperation Quality Patience Indirectness Go-between
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Edward T. Hall's Model

High-context cultures Long-lasting relationships Exploiting context Spoken agreements Insiders and outsiders clearly distinguished Cultural patterns ingrained, slow change Low-context cultures
Shorter relationships Less dependent on context Written agreements Insiders and outsiders less clearly distinguished Cultural patterns change faster
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Strategies for Improving Cross-Cultural Communication:

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Social Differences
Formal rules of etiquette are explicit and well defined but informal rules are learned through observation and imitation e.g. table manners.

Attitude Towards Materialism People from US emphasize hard work, material success and efficiency more than many people in other countries do.
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NON VERBAL DIFFERENCES

NVC is important in delivering meaning but only if communicators belong to the same culture. It varies from place to place and culture. Types of NVC: Kinesics Proxemics Oculesics Chronemics Body language: People from the other culture who speak your language have not mastered your cultures body language e.g looking in the eye U.S: positive Asia :disrespectful
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ENCULTURATION-is socialization process you go through to

adapt to your society.FRONT CULTURAL is a cultural information

that you are willing to share with outsiders.BACK STAGE CULTURAL is a cultural information that is concealed from outsiders. ACCULTURATION-It is a process of adjusting and adapting to new & different culture.People dont want 2 abandon their past therefore they accumulate new ideas into their existing culture. 4 stages of Acculturation:Assimilation,Separation,Integration&Marginalization.
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Assimilation-occurs when indivisuals reject then minority culture and adopt the cultural norms of dominant or host culture. Separation-reject dominant or ost culture in favour of preserving their culture of origin.an Integration-occurs when indivisual are able to adopt cultural norms of dominant or host cultural while maintaining their culture of origin.It leads to and often synonmynous with biculturalism. CULTURAL SHOCK-Psychological disorientation:physical & emotional discomfort.Experienced by people who suddenly find themselves diving & working in radically different. Symptoms of Cultural ShockHomesickness,Boredom,Withdrawl,Sleeping so much,feeling irritated with others,No being able to work well&Lack of confidence.
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Stages of Culture shock:Honeymoon stage,The irritation and hospitlity stage,Depression stage (negative feelng reach climax),Acceptance Stage. DIFFUSION-as contact occurs between different cultures diffusion takes place. When it takes place: Relative advantage,Compatibility,Complexity,Trail ability & observability. Melting Pot- means socio-ultural assimilation of people of differing backgrounds & nationalism. US continues to welcome large no. of immigrants each year & has been referred to as a melting pot society.

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