Cultural Variations in International Business
Cultural variations have gained a great deal of recognition as a result of globalization over the years. Culture has emerged as a significant factor in international business, with the ability to appreciate the culture of the other party being critical in closing business transactions.
Cultural Foundation of Latinos
The cultural foundation of Latinos is focused on reverence for authority and intimate touch. They are philosophical in nature, and their views are influenced by the geology of their birth. The ethnic group places a high emphasis on social cohesion, with warm and smooth relationships being the norm (Diller, 2015). The culture is also regimented in a way that personal connection is always established and interest in a person is always beyond the work environment.
Rich Culture of Arab Americans
Arab Americans boast of a rich culture (Diller, 2015). Financial success and intellectual achievement among Arab Americans are highly valued. Verbal expression is important all members of the society are expected to articulate themselves clearly. The family is highly centered and childless couples are seen as incomplete. The culture values togetherness and movement away from beliefs and norms of the society is met with rejection (Diller, 2015).
Facilitating Effective Communication
Human service providers need to understand the cultural background and heritage of diverse groups in order to facilitate communication, understand group dynamics and etiquette among others. An understanding of the challenges of using English with non-native speakers as well as non-verbal communication (work etiquette) is important in achieving business goals (Diller, 2015).
Communication Styles and Offense
In some cultures, communication is indirect and subtle while in others, it is direct. As a result, certain ethnic communities can feel offended if approached directly (Diller, 2015).
Group Dynamics
Group dynamics involve understanding how individuals of different ethnic backgrounds interact in groups. There are groups that make individual decisions such as the U.S while there are those whose decisions are influenced by the group.
References
Diller, J. (2015). Cultural Diversity: A Primer for the Human Services. Stanford, Conn: Cengage Learning.
