Communication in Business

Management in Country X - How Does It Vary Across Cultures

Management in Country X - How Does It Vary Across Cultures

Executive Summary

This study focuses on the varying culture across the nations. In this study a small case of fictional European seafood producer has been taken who wants to open its operations in Ukraine market. In order to know the involved risk and opportunities, he hires a consultant and asks him to do a PEST analysis to scan the Ukrainian environment. The cultural issues are also been identified which would arise in establishing a business in Ukraine economy.

Terms of Reference

ME: Consultant

Client: European Seafood Producer

Information needed: wants to open operations abroad (Ukraine) and the PEST analysis

Overview of Situation

A fictional European seafood producer is my client and has hired me as his consultant. My client is looking for an opportunity to trade across border, Ukraine Market, for his seafood products and he wants me to evaluate all the risks and opportunities which are associated with the macroeconomic environment of Ukraine seafood market. In addition to this, several candidate countries' environment's thorough scanning before making the foreign location choice.

Before a business decides to open operations across borders or abroad and become a multi-national firm, a careful and a very complex consideration is needed. Advantages related to expanding abroad and the complexities involved in running the foreign business operations are to be known beforehand by the corporations.

Effective cross cultural communication requires members of the various groups to understand one another. Cultural stereotyping according to Colleen Ward , Stephen Boucher, Adrian Furnham (2001); is a term used to refer to the tendency for individuals to classify others as member of a group, in particular whether they belong to their own in group, or to some other out - group. Over the years, different models of cultural stereotypes have been created that categorizes people according to the idiosyncratic characteristics that distinguish them from other groups (Byrne, D.1969). Hofstede's analysis has identified four different models of cultural stereotypes: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism and masculinity. (Baskerville, 2003)

In every society, there is an imbalance of power. In certain countries, there is a rigid hierarchy and power is centralized and maintained into the hands of a few individuals. An advantage of this type of a system is that it provides concentrated work and greater results. Though in such cases, groups that do not have control or power may feel less important and un-desirable.

Cultural stereotyping may refer to judgments or casual explanations about human behavior. While individuals use stereotyping to make sense of their surrounding environments, their casual accounts are often influenced by motivational biases. (Colleen Ward, Stephen Bocher, & Adrian Furnham, 2001).

Handshake: Americans should moderate the strong handshake overseas. Many Asians who do the actual implementation of handshake, no pressure, very seldom. To focus on a handshake, which allow them to seize every person's hand on his left hand?     Card: Americans who traveled to Asia, particularly Southeast Asia and China, who have advanced degrees should be ...