Indian companies are clueless about local cultures and the social mores that prevail in their associates, joint ventures and subsidiaries abroad.
Like our ancestors we are now crossing the seven seas and establishing outposts in foreign lands. Indian companies are going global as never before! The excitement and can-do attitude of the corporates is palpable. Strategies, business plans, budgets, travel schedules and manpower in Indian companies are increasingly international. Boundaries are being erased not just on maps but in minds.
Key asset ignored
Many companies are however unaware of the cultural nuances involved in global business. Most of the time the acquisition programme is confined to “hard” business due-diligence. The information processing about a new business possibility is restricted to number crunching, contingency planning and future opportunities. The assets most central to the entire opportunity, people and personal networks, are entirely ignored!
Nurses and health care providers who care for patients of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds often face such challenges as unfamiliar languages and cultural beliefs. To provide optimum care, cultural sensitivity and knowledge are crucial, especially in the case of patients facing cancer.
In the April 2008 issue of MEDSURG Nursing, authors Marcos Pesquera, Linda Yoder and Marilyn Lynk outline key aspects of provider care that help patients understand their disease and reduce the anxiety that comes with facing a serious illness in an unfamiliar setting.
Nurses and other professionals first need to assess their personal attitudes and identify any biases or assumptions, Pesquera writes. Providers should then seek to understand a patient’s particular culture and its influence on cancer prevention and control. To further build trust, health care professionals need to demonstrate empathy and validate the patient’s comprehension by asking such questions as “Do you understand what I am asking you to do?”
The authors point out that culturally-competent care “requires a commitment on behalf of an entire institution - personnel, programs, policies, and resources - to embrace cultural competence and reduce health disparities.”
Cancer: Caring and Conquering’ column: Improving Cross-Cultural Awareness and Skills to Reduce Health Disparities in Cancer
Marcos Pesquera, MPH, RPh; Linda Yoder, MBA, PhD, RN, AOCN®, FAAN; and Marilyn Lynk, PhD;
MEDSURG Nursing April 2008 - http://www.medsurgnurse.org
About MEDSURG Nursing - The Journal of Adult Health
MEDSURG Nursing, The Journal of Adult Health, is the official journal of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN). The journal provides its readers with the multidisciplinary information they need to provide clinically excellent patient care and to enhance their nursing practice. MEDSURG Nursing supports adult health/medical-surgical nurses as they strive for excellence in patient care, private practice, and outpatient health care settings in urban, suburban, and rural locations. Each peer-reviewed issue of MEDSURG Nursing features a comprehensive discussion and description of today’s clinical issues in adult health/medical-surgical nursing. MEDSURG Nursing and AMSN are committed to the advancement of adult health/medical-surgical nursing practice. The journal is published six times a year.
The Interculturale Theatre Storytelling Laboratory
Presents
the gift of diversity
Intercultural Theatre Storytelling Festival
II Edition - Rome, May 8-24 2008 The idea
Interculture means confront, exchange and communication among diverse cultures, towards an opened view and a larger dialogue between differences, against each discrimination. However, somehow, privileging interest to origins and traditions of the person that we meet - even if he is rich and amazing - and that normally we call a stranger, we may risk to forget his true particularity, maybe the most important thing: his story and not his country’s one, his experience and not his people’s one, his emotions and feelings, not his race’s one. So, we can make the mistake to build a weak and false image, a masquerade, where people are just playing roles: the African, the Chinese, the Arabian and so on. Words are important and, when concepts linked to them have a fundamental value in our life, contradictions are not possible. We are different or equal? We can’t be both, this is our provocation. If you think we are all unique, then, maybe, you could agree with the idea behind this project: the most powerful, significant and revolutionary way to have an intercultural point of view, in other words, to underline the importance of differences and richness inside our individuality, is to show the diversity of people that often think themselves as equal (not celebrating the equality of strangers…), to tell how much they are interesting to listen when they are speaking of themselves and how all become wonderful if they are so proud to mix each others.
II Edition
In May 2008 we’ll present the second edition of this festival. The last year, the first one was thought to put the bases and this time we whish to show our idea of interculture. Local or foreign artists, considering their diversity as a gift, will tell their story with their personal language or dialect. Because Italy and all countries in the world are wonderfully multicultural places even without immigrants, which are just other colours to improve the rainbow…
Almost seventy artists and companies, since North to South, sent us their proposals, convincing us that our point of view is not so crazy. After a hard selection will present nine shows from all Italy. The aim is to create a space where, thanks to Theatre Storytelling, interculture will become just culture, while actors and public will agree that diversity is the first value to celebrate.
The participants are, in order of appearance:
May 8, 9.00 p.m.: “Scantu[1]”, by and with Adele Tirante, “Cosa sono le nuvole” and “Viaggio inverso”
May 9, 9.00 p.m.: “Francesco Pileggi, the true story of a man of honour[2]”,
by and with Andrea Chianelli
May 10, 9.00 p.m.: “Calafrica[3]”, by and with Manuela Valenti
May 15, 9.00 p.m.: “Refugees”, by and with “Rataplab”
May 16, 9.00 p.m.: “Zagara”, by and with Maria Cristina Sarò
May 17, 9.00 p.m.: “It’s spring”, by and with Antonio Carletti
May 22, 9.00 p.m.: “Horrible heritage on the lake[4]”,
by and with “The differents, almost equal but different”
May 23, 9.00 p.m.: “The town of Punt”, by and with Elisa Menchicchi
May 24, 9.00 p.m. : “The true story of Jean Baptiste du Val-de-Grâce, orator of the human race”,
by and with Alessandro Ghebreigziabiher and Cecilia Moreschi
The festival will be at the Studio Uno Theatre (www.studiounoteatro.it), in Rome,
Via Carlo della Rocca, 6.
The Laboratory:
The Intercultural theatre storytelling laboratory is directed by Alessandro Ghebreigziabiher (www.alessandroghebreigziabiher.it), with the precious collaboration of Cecilia Moreschi.
Dr. Geert Hofstede made a rare personal appearance as this year’s keynote speaker at ITAP International’s annual conference in Dublin, Ireland. In bridging the key gap between academic study and real world business applications, Dr. Hofstede’s presentation highlighted the vital connections between national cultures and employee satisfaction and performance, with strategic emphasis on how these cultural characteristics vary from country to country.
Hofstede was introduced by Dr. John Bing, Chairman of ITAP International, Inc. “Dr. Hofstede’s informative presentation and overall presence at the conference was a notable high point,” Bing said. “His attendance highlighted his close association with ITAP, which now goes back almost two decades. Our work together has been a matter of personal satisfaction over the years.”
As an international expert of cross-cultural comparative science, Dr. Hofstede’s ground-breaking ‘Cultures Consequences’ and its application to the workplace has been at the vanguard of international business thinking for decades.
2nd Issue: “Training and Competencies in an Intercultural Setting”
Call for Abstracts: 1st April 2008
Paper submission: 1st August 2008
www.cultusjournal.com
submission@cultusjournal.com
Cultus: the Journal of intercultural mediation and communication is an international refereed journal focussing on the role of culture in constructing, perceiving and translating reality. The Journal aims to develop an awareness of the interplay between language and culture in communication.
Managing diversity is now an issue, as an ever growing number of people are becoming increasingly involved in communicative interactions with others from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds: in business, education, media, tourism and also through immigration and political conflict. This Journal provides a stimulating forum, focussing on the experience of both practitioners and academics; their analysis of languages and cultures, and how the differences have been, or might be, managed.
The goal of this Journal is to promote research, education and training in communication by investigating language, languages, cultural models, conflict, mediation and interculturality. Furthermore, since translation is considered as mediation between cultures it will be included as a way of seeing cultural linguistics at work.
A fascinating feature of this Journal is constituted by a debate discussing a topic of relevant interest to those working in the field. The first issue, entitled “Translation at work” to be published in August 2008 will include an interview between translation scholars Andrew Chesterman and Mona Baker, where they debate their views on the role of the translator, professional ethics, conflict and the (im)possibilities of mediation.
An international, interdisciplinary research conference on the diversity of conceptions and cultural images of conflicts:
www.understandingconflicts.net
This event is the first of a series of large international interdisciplinary meetings that will bring together researchers from different cultural background working on the analysis and transformation of conflicts due to cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity.
Johanna Seibt
Philosophy Department
University of Aarhus, Denmark
Mailing address:
Aarhus Universitet
Institut for Filosofi og Idehistorie
Bygn.1467, 6. sal, kontor 620
Nobelparken
Jens Chr. Skousvej 7
8000 Aarhus C
In today’s world the list of qualifications for many management positions is of more and more resemblance to the Renaissance man. Sure you must understand some finance and economics and of course business strategy is a must-have for success. Then throw in some leadership and marketing know-how with a dash of sheer creativity and what do you get? You get someone who still needs to understand how to deal with people from a multitude of different cultures and then capitalize on burgeoning international markets.
Cultural diversity is extremely prevalent in our work force and populations. A company who wants to be successful needs management that both embraces this notion and understands it. The reality is that this is not happening enough. “Many leaders are operating on an old conception of the world around them and of human nature, including the nature of work, the worker, and the management process itself,” John Saee explains.
What is the best way to approach the comparison of intercultural business genres? What persuasive orientations can be embedded in English and Chinese cultural and rhetorical backgrounds? What are the main persuasive strategies used in English and Chinese business correspondence? How are they similar or different, and what causes such similarities and/or differences? What are the implications of the research for learning and teaching business language in cross-cultural communication? These major questions underlie the research in Yunxia Zhu’s exciting study, Written communication across cultures.
The volume consists of nine chapters. In addition to a brief introduction to the book, Ch. 1, ‘Introduction and outline’, brings in the necessity for developing a theoretical framework for genre comparison. It discusses genre in relation to a ‘stock of knowledge’ that is shared in a relevant discourse community in specific sociocultural contexts. Ch. 2, ‘Communication across cultures’, focuses on cross-cultural aspects as a part of the theoretical groundwork for comparing Chinese and English genres, and discusses sociocultural, organizational, and interpersonal levels for studying the business genres involved. Specifying the main theoretical framework for intercultural genre analysis, Ch. 3, ‘Conceptual framework: A dual perspective’, proposes a model for genre comparison, emphasizes genre-intertextuality interaction, and promotes cross-cultural genre study from sociocognitive and intercultural viewpoints based on English and Chinese literature related to genre analysis.
The inaugural issue of the Journal of International and Intercultural Communication (JIIC) features five different research studies that focus on a wide array of communication issues, including the exploration of cultural differences in deception.
Research recently published in the journal suggests that deceptive communication can actually serve a functional purpose. The study revealed that a person’s motivation to deceive is influenced by his or her cultural self-identity as well as finding that one’s cultural identity greatly influences whether or not a message was perceived to be deceptive.
The research points out that:
– People who strongly valued their own individuality over the social relationships reported having a lower overall motivation to deceive;
– People who possessed cultural self-identities which emphasize placing group needs over the individual reported having a greater overall motivation to avoid telling the truth;
– When people were presented with a scenario in which deception would serve to benefit them, those who valued their independence were more willing to use deception than in cases where deception would benefit someone else;
– People who valued social relationships over individuality, reported a greater willingness to use deception to benefit others rather than for self-serving purposes;
Western cultures have long been noted to cultivate members who value their individuality. Being a moral and ethical person requires avoiding any communication that would jeopardize one’s own personal integrity, such as lying.
By comparison, East Asian cultures have been well-known for endorsing more indirect styles of communication to protect the image of the other and promote trouble-free relationships. Deceptive communication has and continues to serve as a useful tool in the maintenance and preservation of significant social relationships.
Issue one of JIIC containing five different research studies on a wide array of communication issues, as well as the recently recorded podcast is availablefree online at: www.informaworld.com/jiic
About the National Communication Association
Founded in 1914, the National Communication Association (NCA) is the oldest and largest national organization promoting effective and ethical communication. The NCA supports the communication research, teaching, public service, and practice of a diverse community of scholars, educators, administrators, students, practitioners, and publics.
NCA is a non-profit organization of more than 7,700 members who work and reside in every state and more than 20 foreign countries. NCA sponsors an annual convention and conferences, publishes academic journals and a web magazine, Communication Currents.
Routledge is a distinguished publisher of over 600 journals and 1,000 new books each year with a back list of over 7,000 book titles in print. Part of the academic division of Informa plc, the impressive Routledge portfolio covers many different subjects within social sciences and humanities and is at the forefront of academic publishing in these fields. For journals, the main aim is to provide heightened awareness in the academic, policy and business communities for all SSAH journals, not least by presenting a unified, integrated presence at the thousands of conferences and meetings we attend each year. Routledge is the preferred journal publishing partner for many of the world’s most prestigious learned societies and associations.
According to the latest report from the National Association for Business Economics, 45 percent of economists on its forecasting panel expect a recession this year. If history is any indication, this could spell trouble for U.S. business owners who have seen an average of more than 500,000 businesses fail during each of the 10 recessions that have occurred in the U.S. since the end of World War II.
You’d be surprised at how immediate the results of cultural competency training or a session on workplace communication training will translate into increased profit margin.
Before business owners start handing out pink slips, Lauren Supraner, president and founder of CAL Learning (formerly CAL Culture and Language) recommends taking a good look within for areas where a little improvement can go a long way. “It sounds simple, but having employees and managers who can communicate effectively and appropriately with colleagues and customers from different backgrounds can have a profound effect on bottom line issues like employee retention, productivity and customer satisfaction,” said Supraner. “You’d be surprised at how immediate the results of cultural competency training or a session on workplace communication training will translate into increased profit margin.”
Research shows that businesses stand to gain, or lose, a significant portion of profits from issues like motivation, productivity and employee retention. Gallup polls suggest that over half of employees in the United States report having no enthusiasm for their work. When you consider Gallup estimates that suggest a mere 3.7 percent increase in productivity from every U.S. employee would swell the gross domestic product by $355 billion, factors like motivation and productivity gain instant significance.
Entries (RSS)