Hi,
hi, hi!
I hope
that you are doing great and that you are all well rested for some extra activities
for our today’s lesson which we have seen is “Differences in culture between
eastern and western companies”. Without waiting any longer, let us begin!
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Here is one short text about today’s
topic. Read it and write down new words in your notebook, translate them with the
dictionary and make example sentences.
The business world has changed greatly over the years. Many business
owners who previously were restricted to their geographical region or continent
now find they are doing business in the far corners
of the globe. While this is a good thing, individuals need to take care to
ensure they do not offend a person they are doing business with. Often, offenses
are unintentional, but they can do a great
deal of harm in a short period of time. For this reason, every individual doing business in another country must be aware of the culture and cultural habits to enjoy optimal results.
This is especially true when it comes to the Differences between Eastern and Western Business Culture.
Also interesting: how a secure dataroom guarantees controlled
access to business data around the clock from anywhere over the globe.
Differences In Communication
First and foremost, individuals need to understand that Asians
have a tendency to use non-verbal clues
as opposed to stating something directly, as you
do it in the USA. Furthermore, they use subtle inferences, thus a
person must read between the lines instead of
taking what is said at face value. Disagreement
will be expressed non-verbally also, as they don’t like to tell someone no. Pay
attention to these clues to grasp the full meaning of any communication.
The Business Mentality
Individuals from the east look at business differently than those
from the west do. If you’ve ever done business in China, you
know that eastern individuals feel they cannot conduct business with others until
they have established a relationship. They don’t
wish to work with strangers, and they don’t form relationships easily. However,
once a relationship has been established, it tends to last for an extended period of time. Eastern individuals
focus on the group as opposed to the
individual and work to preserve harmony for the group.
Individuals who primarily do business in the west have a completely
different viewpoint. They rely more on written
agreements than established relationships. As a result, any relationship
that is formed tends to be superficial and will likely last for a short period of time. Individual achievements
are highly regarded among these individuals,
unlike their eastern counterparts.
Thinking Patterns
When it comes to east vs west, thinking
patterns differ greatly. Individuals from the west tend to think in linear
patterns and look for cause and effect,
as they want to know the relationship between the two. Eastern individuals, however,
tend to use spiral thinking patterns, and this
difference must be remembered at all times.
Furthermore, business in the west is based on rules and regulations. In contrast,
individuals doing business in the east find that each situation is examined on its own. They look at
the situation and the context to determine what should take place in that given
situation. Rules, regulations, and guidelines aren’t as important in the east.
Privacy is of great importance to westerns, but this is not the
case in eastern countries. Anyone doing business in the east should be aware that
secrets are not welcome. They are
actually to be shared with the group or those refusing to share the information
are viewed as disrespectful and rude.
A hierarchy remains in the east. Most countries in the region,
for example India, still have a class
system in place, and all members of society are expected to adhere to the
system. Visitors and guests have more leeway, however, within reason. In the west,
humans are viewed as equals and all
are expected to contribute their share to society.
The cultural differences in business are of great importance.
Anyone doing business in a foreign country must be aware of these cultural differences or risk having
a negative impact on the interactions between all parties. Those engaged in business
in eastern countries find harmony is of
great importance, thus this hierarchy must be maintained.
However, some Asian individuals tend to be lax about certain
protocol when it comes to conducting business. For example, they feel it is perfectly
acceptable to arrive late for a meeting and engage
in small talk before actually getting
down to business. This isn’t the case when one is conducting business in a western
country. Meetings are expected to start
on time with minimal fuss. A good example of this is the German business culture, where punctuality plays an important
role.
The western culture is very laid back in many ways. However,
this isn’t always the case when it comes to business.
There are areas where the eastern culture is laxer. Knowing
the areas where eastern individuals tend to be very lax and where they are
extremely rigid are of great importance in the business
world, thus take time to learn the cultural differences and this importance
before conducting business in one of these countries.
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Some extra words:
- proactive (adj)
/ˌproʊˈæktɪv/ - controlling a situation
by making things happen rather than waiting for things to happen and then
reacting to them.
- probably (adv)
/ˈprɑːbəbliː/ - likely
- procedure (n) /prəˈsiːdʒər/ - the official or formal order or way of doing
something, especially in business, law or politics
- procrastinate (v) /proʊˈkræstɪneɪt/ - to delay doing something
that you should do, usually because you do not want to do it
- professional (adj)
/prəˈfeʃənl/ - connected with a job
that needs special training or skills, especially one that needs a high level
of education
- professional (n)
/prəˈfeʃənl/ - someone who has a lot
of skill and experience in a particular job or activity
- profoundly (adv) /prəˈfaʊndli/ - in a way that has a very great effect on
somebody/something
- prominent (adj)
/ˈprɑːmɪnənt/ - easily seen or important
- prosperous (adj) /ˈprɑːspərəs/ - rich and successful
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Some extra phrasal verbs:
dash
down – write something
quickly
hand
down – give a formal decision
narrow down – remove less important options to make it
easier to choose
nut out – find an answer to a problem
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Don’t
forget to practice, have a lot of fun, take care and of course, see you all tomorrow
for the new lesson!
Best
regards,
your
teacher Stevan! <3
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