Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Sociology - Essay Example Business cannot operate anymore by simply imposing their own culture in the workplace as well as to the customers. One important element of culture is language. Language is not merely words, objects or symbols. In fact, language embodies the value systems of a group of people. There is an established communication process in a certain culture that must be observed. For example, the case of Chevy Nova which was a real blunder because the company failed to understand the context of the word in Latin America. Another glaring example of wrongly communicating a product to the public was Pepsi-Cola’s campaign that offended the Chinese people. People have deep reverence for ancestors and did not want any form of disrespect for their ancestors coming back from the grave. Usually, western cultures like that of the United States use euphemisms or symbols in their language. This creates miscommunication that puts the company’s products in a bad light. If Jerry’s company wou ld like to succeed in their overseas venture, then they should consult locals who are expert in marketing and media relations so their messages would sound appropriate to the public. Bartel’s study has established the fact that the highest learning comes from interaction among global teams. Each culture has its own strengths that can be harnessed so people can work productively. The case of the guy who worked with Russians show that some cultures respect hard work. It is indeed hard to acquire the trust and confidence of another culture because they have different values systems. The first step then could be working hard and showing that you mean business. On the other hand, the company should be firm yet considerate of its external environment. Shariff was right when he stated that simple things such as table manners can turn away clients resulting to lost income. It is very important for officers or managers assigned on an overseas assignment to study the culture of the cou ntry before making any policies or programs. A slight error can be costly as the case of Wal-Mart’s pull out in Germany costing the company 2 billion dollars. A good example of a company that succeeded is Mitsubishi because it imposes an international policy in the company that promotes to workers the value of cultural tolerance and respect for other human rights. Jerry can begin creating a committee that can formulate similar policies to start things right. Perhaps, seeking specialists in this area is a good idea as well as studying Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions for every country that they would expand. Hofstede’s study is valuable to people like Jerry to understand how and why certain groups of people act. For example, the Japanese highly value team work and frowns upon personal pride. Sales teams can be reworked in a way that it would promote teamwork in Japan rather than give the best salesperson lavish praises. Jerry and the committee can look for internat ional companies that have models of cultural tolerance in the workplace. Jerry should not be afraid of expanding although he has heard of many negative reports of big businesses like Wal-Mart and \Starbucks failing in another country. Instead, he can use these cases to prevent his company from following the same footstep. In the case of Starbucks in Australia, the company failed because at the very start of planning, the company analyzed only the business using a quantitative approach. It definitely created feasibility and