Деловой иностранный язык. Ирина Машукова

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      Task 1. Reading 1

      Getting started

      ▪ Before reading the text, discuss in small groups what associations you have when you hear the word “culture”.

      ▪ Have you ever experienced any cultural differences when travelling? Which aspects of life surprise, confuse or may be even shock you?

      ▪ Think of any consequences of cultural misunderstanding in doing business and list them out. Compare your list with a partner and discuss the points you mentioned.

      ▪ Define the term “culture” in your own words, compare with your partner’s. Do you have similar ideas?

      ▪ Read the information about culture below; compare your ideas with those in the article. Then read the text. Consult Vocabulary p. 146–147.

      Culture is acquired knowledge that people use to interpret experience and generate social behavior. This knowledge forms values, creates attitudes, and influences behavior. Most scholars of culture would agree on the following characteristics of culture:

      ▪ Learned. Culture is not inherited or biologically based; it is acquired by learning and experience.

      ▪ Shared. People as members of a group, organization, or society share culture; it is not specific to single individuals.

      ▪ Transgenerational. Culture is cumulative, passed down from one generation to the next.

      ▪ Symbolic. Culture is based on the human capacity to symbolize or use one thing to represent another.

      ▪ Patterned. Culture has structure and is integrated; a change in one part will bring changes in another.

      ▪ Adaptive. Culture is based on the human capacity to change or adapt, as opposed to the more genetically driven adaptive process of animals.

      When people hear the word "diversity," they may think of categories that are now highly conventionalised race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political views, etc. The term has been appropriated widely and its meaning has become somewhat diluted, but many of the original issues and concerns that prompted people to recognize, celebrate and covet diversity still remain relevant today. At the same time, many of the same issues that were invisible in the early discussion of diversity continue to be overshadowed by visible categories of diversity.

      There are many ways of examining cultural differences and their impact on national management. Culture can affect technology transfer, managerial attitudes, managerial ideology, and even business-government relations. Perhaps, most important culture affects how people think and behave. Table 1, for example, compares the most important cultural values of the United States, Japan, and Arab countries. A close look at this table shows a great deal of difference between these three cultures. Culture affects a host of business-related activities, even including the common handshake. Here are some contrasting examples:

      Table 4

      Culture Type of handshake

      In overall terms, the cultural impact on international management is reflected by these basic beliefs and behaviors. Here are some specific examples where the culture of a society can directly affect management approaches:

      ▪ Centralised vs. decentralised decision making. In some societies, all important organisational decisions are made by top managers. In others, these decisions are diffused throughout the enterprise, and middle- and lower-level managers actively participate in, and make, key decisions.

      ▪ Safety vs. risk. In some societies, organizational decision makers are risk-aversive and have great difficulty with conditions of uncertainty. In others, risk- taking is encouraged, and decision making under uncertainty is common.

      ▪ Individual vs. group rewards. In some countries, personnel who do outstanding work are given individual rewards in the form of bonuses and commissions. In others, cultural norms require group rewards, and individual rewards are frowned on.

      ▪ Informal vs. formal procedures. In some societies, much is accomplished through informal means. In others, formal procedures are set forth and followed rigidly.

      ▪ High vs. low organisational loyalty. In some societies, people identify very strongly with their organisation or employer. In others, people identify with their occupational group, such as engineer or mechanic.

      ▪ Co-operation vs. competition. Some societies encourage co-operation СКАЧАТЬ