Cross-cultural Business Research Articles

An Intelligent Teaching Strategy of Cross-Cultural Business Communication Course Based on Big Data

The Internet's growth has opened up new avenues for educational reform, and educational informatization has shifted the traditional classroom-teaching model. Teachers' teaching techniques have changed dramatically because of the introduction of a variety of new mobile intelligent terminals to the campus and classroom. This paper examines the design content of intelligent teaching methods against the backdrop of big data, using a cross-cultural business communication course as an example to reform the classroom-teaching mode, with the goal of resolving the current classroom-teaching dilemma and improving teaching effectiveness through the new intelligent teaching mode.

Role Of Crowdsourcing in an Organization

The main use of crowdsourcing is the efficient way of getting several relevant ideas and information for the business. Crowdsourcing can also generate several uses and benefits over the process of internal ideation and business process that will not only access the ideas, but they could drive the marketing buzz and engage several customers. Furthermore, crowdsourcing is also impacting several marketing strategies through generating the idea to several consumers. Furthermore, there are several benefits and challenges of crowdsourcing for an organisation such as adopting the vision that can guide the efforts of idea generation. It states that the idea generation always starts with the shared vision of defining the focus areas and innovation processes. The linking of the ideation for strategic focus area and innovation portfolio is important as the organisation should be implementing the idea management within a structured manner. However, it is also found that several companies embrace the program that is aimed at the idea management for having successful innovation behaviour. Keyword :Scalability, cross-cultural business environment, Cultural diversity, crowd drafting.

ASSESMENT OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: CROSS-CULTURAL ASPECTS

Key challenges for management at the global level are developing a new generation of cross-cultural leaders, attracting and retaining talents in the country. Within the framework of cross-cultural business environment, the authority of the leader and his personal growth appears to be key factors of leadership effectiveness. Developing a new generation of leaders, attracting and retaining talent are key challenges for leaders at the global level. That is, in modern conditions, formation of effective leader-ship in a cross-cultural space becomes actual with the process of deeper internationalization of business. The quantitative assessment of the development of leadership levels, taking into account cross-cultural characteristics was carried out. The main concept of this assessment is that the higher the value and the more dominant the manifestation of stimulants, the higher the level of leadership development. Based on this assessment, the liminal values of dominant cross-cultural factors contributing to the development of leadership in the company were determined. In addition, five levels of leadership development, which are classified in this assessment, describe the stages of personal growth of every leader. The development level of leadership was determined in countries like Vietnam, North Korea, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Ukraine, China, Sweden, South Korea, USA and Finland. Companies, which are not leaders and not outsiders in n a particular business area of the country but have stable status and with headquarters in the respective country, were chosen for analysis. It is determined that the lowest level of leadership development is observed in companies of Vietnam and North Korea (the first level). In companies of India and Kazakhstan the second level of leadership development was predominantly formed. The third level of leadership development in personnel management is inherent in the management system of companies in Mongolia, Ukraine and China. In addition, the fourth level of leadership development is determined in companies of Sweden and South Korea. The highest level of leadership development (the fifth) is observed in the management system of companies in Finland and the USA. The determined levels form the basis for cross-cultural characteristics of the leadership development of these countries.

Cultural Differences in Interaction Goals between Malaysia-China Business Negotiations

As the world is getting more globalized due to digital world, cross-cultural business negotiation is getting more in demand and challenging compared to those days where most business involved mostly in domestic business negotiations. With such situations and environments, cultural intelligence is important to be learned. As many Chinese and Malaysian companies seeking the role as importer-exporter, international business negotiation skills and cultural awareness are much needed skills to meet the interaction goals of both parties. A lack of cultural awareness will lead to miscommunication and rejection from the other party during negotiations. The participants in this studies involve Chinese and Malaysians who are involved in real negotiation world. This paper used GLOBE model to compare the cultural dimensions between Malaysians and Chinese business negotiators. Questionnaires were sent by emails and through WeChat Apps to the participants who are based in China and Malaysia. Based on analysis, we found that between Chinese and Malaysian business negotiators, cultural norms influence the interaction goals between the two groups. As to the future research, we suggest that future research be directed towards developing theories and also focus on the application of GLOBE model in different research fields across different cultures, such as halal business management, digital marketing and business entrepreneurship. This study has contributed in enriching the knowledge on international business negotiations between Malaysia and China business literature context. On practical implication, this study has strengthen the negotiators’ knowledge on cultural norms of both Malaysians and Chinese in order to build better relationships with their business partners

Addressing the knowledge divide: digital knowledge sharing and social learning of geographically dispersed employees during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate digital knowledge sharing (KS) and social learning (SL) of geographically dispersed employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe method is qualitative case study action research within a leading global provider of comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions; 22 employees from various geographically dispersed entities were selected through purposive sampling. Employees took part in interviews to explore their perspectives on and experiences with digital KS and SL.FindingsFindings first show that successful digital KS and SL hinges on the motivation, intentions, attitude and behaviour of employees to share and co-create knowledge embedded in supportive KS culture and climate. Second, findings show that the implementation of knowledge sharing platforms customised to the needs and preferences of employees within the case study organisation facilitated KS and SL, which in turn aided the development of individual and organisational capability, agility and adaptability required in the contemporary, digital knowledge economy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was a single case study of an organisation within one business sector, namely logistics, encompassing a small sample of 22 employees. Hence, this study does not permit statistical generalisation but only permits internal generalisation.Practical implicationsForming and sustaining networks of influencers, i.e. employees who are role models of digital KS and SL, who serve as strong advocates and ambassadors for instilling a KS culture and climate within the organisation have a powerful influence on evoking digital KS and SL organisation-wide.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is that it presents an evidence-based “Digital Knowledge Sharing and Social Learning model” depicting the factors that influence digital KS and SL, the benefits and outcomes. This model aids researchers and practitioners to better understand the dynamics of digital KS and SL between organisational members in a cross-cultural business environment during times of crises.

Enhancing leadership qualities for conflict management in intercultural business environments (as part of professional and foreign language preparation of future economists of international economic relations)

The goal of this writing is to advocate the significance of educating and enhancing leadership qualities and skills for successful conflict management situations. By analyzing the current trends in doing business nationally and globally, understanding approaches to manage conflicts in a cross-cultural business environment we have identified professional requirements for graduates seeking beneficial and successful careers in international business, economic relationships and management. Analyzing relevant articles the author points out that today’s business environment is notably sustainability-driven and aimed at maintaining the conditions that allow it to flourish in cross-cultural teams over time. Thus, organizations’ leaders and managers are and will be aimed at building enduring business institutions. The author underlines the importance of acquiring cultural awareness, basic knowledge of conflict management and cultivating leadership qualities in the process of foreign language preparation at university. The novelty of our research lies in the fact that we have undertaken an attempt to connect the importance of leadership qualities with the relevance of analyzing conflict management in general. We also emphasize that in future the global business will undoubtedly face a talent void, and, consequently, professionals able to think and treat different situations holistically will predominate the labour market. In the article, we also share our own experience of improving our students’ leadership qualities. The conflict management grid is analyzed. Based on the recent publications we suggested some crucial steps to be undertaken to achieve success in conflict management.

Understanding the Cultural Values at the Individual Level in Central Africa: A Test of the CVSCALE in Cameroon

In order to reduce the risk of failure, it is vital to learn about the different cultures around the world before doing business in other countries. The existing cross-cultural business literature dealing with culture assessment methods has been widely criticized (Sharma, 2010). For instance, most studies operationalize personal cultural orientations for individual consumers based on the national scores on Hofstede (1980, 1991) cultural dimensions. In response to these concerns, the Cultural Values Scale (CVSCALE) is a 26-item scale that has been developed by Yoo et al. (2011) to capture Hofstede’s (1991) five cultural dimensions at the individual level. However, previous studies have not investigated these dimensions in Central Africa in general and specifically in Cameroon, a country which has many different ethnic groups. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to test the reliability and validity of the CVSCALE in Cameroon. The sample of this study is based on 550 managers working in a French or English speaking context and belonging to six different ethnic groups. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are conducted by the authors. Results indicate that the CVSCALE exhibits appropriate reliability and validity. This study allows researchers and business practitioners to assess the cultural orientations of individuals and to use primary data instead of cultural stereotypes. As demonstrated, the CVSCALE is also very adequate to segment managers according to their individual cultural values.

Determinants of Hungarian negotiators’ trust-level

Trust is considered to be an essential element of effective business relationships. However, it is not easy to build trust as it varies from culture to culture which aspects influence trust-level. Therefore, the purpose of the paper is to discuss the importance of trust in cross-cultural business contexts from Hungarian negotiators’ viewpoint as well as to reveal the factors that determine their trust-level. This provides the originality of the paper, since no research like this has been conducted so far. To achieve this purpose, an assumption was formulated and tested using data deriving from a two-phase research. In the first phase, a questionnaire survey was carried out to assess the importance of trust in cross-cultural business contexts, and then structured interviews were conducted to reveal the determinants of the respondents’ trust-level. The findings show that the factors related to the relationship (e.g. previous experience, duration of the relationship, frequency of the contacts) determine the respondents’ trust-level the most, however, the role of stereotypes is also important. It is also revealed that the potential consequences of the low level of trust include more regulations, more misunderstandings, and changed behaviour and attitude. The paper concludes that even though stereotypes are not the most determining factors, their role is remarkable. The paper also formulates some practical implications, namely that Hungarian negotiators should use stereotypes accurately to avoid behaviours that diminish trust, and foreign businesspeople should be aware of the fact that stereotypes sometimes determine their Hungarian partners’ attitude and trust-level.

Understanding culture as a dynamic Holarchic duality

This conceptual paper addresses a fundamental issue in understanding culture in relation to cross-cultural business relationships between Eastern and Western partners. The proposition is that contemporary cultural investigations have privileged Western lenses mostly involving scientific rationalism and Cartesian dualism. What is largely excluded are Eastern holistic lenses that are more sensitive to embodied context and paradoxical dualities. The paper explores these different epistemes and develops a synergistic or bi-focal approach that aims to benefit from combining Eastern and Western worldviews. The post-Cartesian approach developed subsequently is based upon the idea that ‘yin-yang’ dualities operate at both a general level and within specific contexts. Culture is described as a dynamic duality between situated symbolic activities and more generalized signified meanings. Activities are described as cultural ‘holons’ nested within a holarchy or hierarchy of holons or ‘holarchy’ Consequently, culture is seen as an emergent property from a hierarchy of dualities. In this holarchy of dualities, images create meanings enacted in activities and translated through performative activities where meanings are sustained by becoming accepted as real through axiomatic acceptance. Recursively, the enactment of axiomatically accepted ideas in activities translates back through ‘masked’ performances to legitimize and institutionalize these ideas and images amongst and between actors. As a result, cultural differences identified as emanating from values viewed as independent variables is regarded as an over-simplification. Cultural differences are likely, in the dynamic holarchy described, to come from different activities or cultural practices and/or in the translations through performativities and representations between activities and cultural structures such as values. There are some universal cultural similarities to these complex processes, but we mainly focus upon the principal cultural differences between the Eastern and Western holonic assemblages of symbolic dualities and that, metaphorically, a bi-focal duality approach reflects reality better than monocled dualism.

Factors influencing the trust-level of Hungarian negotiators in cross-cultural business contexts

Factors influencing the trust-level of Hungarian negotiators in cross-cultural business contexts

A stratified system of knowledge and knowledge icebergs in cross-cultural business models: Synthesising ontological and epistemological views

Because the lack of consensus on defining knowledge, coupled with its associated knowledge iceberg phenomenon, is a key barrier to effectively managing dispersed knowledge in the Internet-driven cross-cultural business model (CBM), we synthesised an ontological and epistemological understanding with the view of existential phenomenology, proposing a “dynamic hierarchical system of knowledge” and three primary knowledge iceberg archetypes as metaphors of cognitive variances in this context. Theoretically, this integrative perspective enriches the philosophical grounds of knowledge by transcending individual subjectivity to achieve a universal understanding of the objectivity of knowledge, thus contributing to the literature at the intersection of international business and knowledge management domains. It also responds to the calls for addressing larger, urgent problems by associating the social phenomena of reality to theoretical development. From a practical standpoint, this research is instrumental in enabling international leaders and managers to identify the cultural impediments to fulfilling their knowledge management objectives in CBMs.

Polychronic knowledge creation in cross-border business models: a sea-like heuristic metaphor

Purpose This study aims to characterise an intricate, idiosyncratic knowledge-creating mechanism in the modern digital context of cross-cultural business models (CBM). From an integrative socio-cultural and philosophical perspective, the authors suggest a novel concept of polychronic knowledge creation (PKC) and its metaphor to theorise such a complex phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach This paper is conceptual in nature. It critically reviews the literature characterising the flourishing of information and communication technology (ICT)-driven CBMs and clarifies a research gap. The authors draw a dynamic conceptual framework describing how knowledge is created poly-chronically within CBMs, while also articulating and justifying the occurrence of knowledge icebergs as a manifestation of critical cognitive variances and biases in such contexts. Findings Building upon existential phenomenology, the authors regard the sea as a parable of the CBM ecosystem and propose the new notion of PKC as a dynamic time-space synthesis and its associated sea-like heuristic metaphor. These elucidate how the intricate interconnectivity of a focal firm with its diverse strategic partners kindles a discursive, multi-path knowledge creation process in ICT-driven CBMs under multiple jurisdictions with manifold cultures. Research limitations/implications Implications regarding the role of cross-cultural management in creating new knowledge within CBMs are provided. Originality/value The research complements and enriches Nonaka’s (1994) theory and its underlying metaphor “ba” (by incorporating the abstruse yet vital role of culture in the synthesizing process of knowledge creation) to propose the novel ideas of PKC and the sea-like heuristic metaphor in CBMs.

Culture and Business: How Can Cultural Psychologists Contribute to Research on Behaviors in the Marketplace and Workplace?

Cultural psychology has great potential to expand its research frameworks to more applied research fields in business such as marketing and organizational studies while going beyond basic psychological processes to more complex social practices. In fact, the number of cross-cultural business studies has grown constantly over the past 20 years. Nonetheless, the theoretical and methodological closeness between cultural psychology and these business-oriented studies has not been fully recognized by scholars in cultural psychology. In this paper, we briefly introduce six representative cultural constructs commonly applied in business research, which include (1) individualism vs. collectivism, (2) independence vs. interdependence, (3) analytic vs. holistic cognition, (4) vertical vs. horizontal orientation, (5) tightness vs. looseness, and (6) strong vs. weak uncertainty avoidance. We plot the constructs on a chart to conceptually represent a common ground between cultural psychology and business research. We then review some representative empirical studies from the research fields of marketing and organizational studies which utilize at least one of these six constructs in their research frameworks. At the end of the paper, we recommend some future directions for further advancing collaboration with scholars in the field of marketing and organizational studies, while referring to theoretical and methodological issues.

Impression management through hedging and boosting: A cross-cultural investigation of the messages of U.S. and Chinese corporate leaders

This study explores hedging and boosting as impression management strategies in the discourse of Chinese and U.S. corporations. The analysis has been conducted on the CEO's letter to shareholders of 100 Chinese and 100 U.S. corporations to reveal pronounced variations in the frequencies and pattern of use in the two resources. First, substantially more hedges and boosters are used in the U.S. discourse in comparison to the Chinese, thus, demonstrating a greater effort invested in persuasion in the U.S. texts. Second, the U.S. texts use significantly more boosters than hedges, whereas the Chinese texts show a roughly balanced use of the two resources. Lastly, the two sets of texts have authorial stances that project distinctly different impressions. While the U.S. discourse conveys conviction and certainty, the Chinese discourse imparts more caution and tentativeness. These findings are attributed to a number of dissimilarities in the belief systems of the Western and Chinese cultural models. The results point to possible implications on the effectiveness of the CEO's letters in cross-cultural business contexts.

Fear-Free Cross-Cultural Communication: Toward a More Balanced Approach With Insight From Neuroscience

In cross-cultural communication and adjunct disciplines such as cross-cultural management and international business, there is a negativity bias of seeing cultural differences as a source of potential issues. The emergence of Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) questions this problem-focused approach. This paper contributes to the ongoing discussion from neuroscience’s perspectives in several ways. Firstly, it provides a neurological look at this bias. Secondly, it proposes that that the problem-focused approach may (1) give us a biased outlook of cross-cultural encounters rather than a reality, (2) hinder creativity, (3) lead to the rebound effect, and (4) turn belief into reality. Finally, based on insight from neuroscience and adopting the POS lens with the connection between POS and creativity, it’s recommended that future research takes three directions: (1) Using similarity as the starting point; (2) strategize body language, context and theories; and (3) develop a multicultural mind. In essence, the paper contributes to existing knowledge of the field by employing an interdisciplinary approach, aiming to gain a more holistic view, provoke thoughts, and trigger future empirical studies.

Decoding the Mystery Behind the Globalization of Chinese Time-honored Brands -- A Case Analysis of Lao Gan Ma Chili Sauce

Globalization creates a complexly interrelated arena where multiple local differences converge and compete against each other. With respect to its consequent potential impact on various local cultures, Western dominant cultures have been believed as the ultimate destiny for the modernizing cultures under this fast-changing global context, as is more often proved in business where countless companies in developing nations have been keen on learning from Western business giants in the names of modern enterprise administration or international conventions. An originally underprivileged Chinese brand, Lao Gan Ma Chili Sauce, however, has established an invaluably different developmental route by branding with strong Chinese flavors and exposing itself as a miniature of indigenous cultures, successfully growing into a worldwide Chinese cooperation in the past decades. Decoding the mystery underlying its success therefore of significance in cross-cultural business studies. Applying such cultural theories as cultural identity, symbolic consumption and instinct theory, the present study analyzes the business strategies Lao Gan Ma conducts. The qualitative study in this essay demonstrates that cultural resources of a firm are potentially convertible into its powerful capital in the fierce competing world market. More specifically, a unique cultural identity and certain perceived symbolic values retained by a business corporation can serve as alternative and desirable resources to make that firm, especially one in less affluent societies, a competitive contender in the globalized market system. Besides, enterprises whose products cater to the human inner instinct can enjoy exceptional advantages in their penetration into the global market.

Negative Impact of Chinese Thinking Mode on Cross-Cultural Business English Writing

With the prosperity of various world trade organizations, the ability of cross-cultural business English writing is becoming more and more critical. As one form of language output, cross-cultural business English writing is profoundly affected by huge differences existing in the way of thinking between Chinese and westerners. This article, combining with Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and Kaplan theory, mainly focuses on studying the negative effects of Chinese thinking mode by analyzing the common mistakes in daily business English writing from three levels of vocabulary, syntax, discourse and then puts forward countermeasures for improving the ability of cross-cultural business English writing and communication.

The Lemon Car Game Across Cultures: Evidence of Relational Rationality

In cross-cultural business negotiation, culture is known to influence negotiation processes. As a lens to study this effect we deployed the Lemon Car Game, an online negotiation game developed for this purpose (Hofstede et al. in: Proceedings of 39th international simulation and gaming association conference (ISAGA). Technologia, Kaunas, pp 39–46, 2009a; Hofstede et al. in: David, Sichman (eds) Multi-agent-based simulation IX, international workshop, MABS 2008, revised selectedpapers, LNAI 5269. Springer, Berlin, pp 1–16, 2009b). In this article we report the results from the game, obtained from over 800 players from more than 70 countries. We employ several complementary analyses in a mixed-methods approach. Our findings show that to make sense of the players’ actions during negotiation, economic rationality falls short. A pan-cultural individual-level analysis of actions and stated intentions also fails to yield a coherent picture. Within countries, however, actions and intentions do cohere, as shown by an ecological country-level factor analysis, from which three factors emerge for the sellers at country level: trustworthiness, opportunism, and fairness. We conclude from these findings that, in this game, players are driven by what we call relational rationality: they are rational from the perspective of the social world in which they live, with interpersonal relationships weighing heavily. Relational rationality changes players’ perspective of economic rationality, and thus their observed behaviour in negotiation. Based on this evidence, we extrapolate that relational rationality significantly influences negotiation processes in all cultures.

Formation of intercultural business dispute competence in the sphere of professional business communication: contents and technological aspects

Introduction: the development of business dispute competence is aimed at achievement of the educational results connected with acquisition of personal experience in the types of activities the people are mastering in. Personal experience makes an obligatory component of any kind of competence of an employee. The process of competence formation of this kind is connected with the solution of a number of problems: the specification of content of foreign-language education, the development of special technologies, the choice of training methods, classroom activities aimed at formation, development and improvement of such a competence. Materials and methods: within the framework of conducted research general scientific methods of knowledge and also special methods of a research were used Results: the cross-cultural business environment in contents of the educational program of optional foreign-language education "Business English" is described ("Business Result Upper-Intermediate", "Business Benchmark Upper-Intermediate"). The grounds for cross-cultural business dispute competence formation for businessmen in foreign-language education in business English are defined. Technological blocks of a cross-cultural business dispute competence formation for businessmen are described in detail in the didactic module "Business Foreign-language Mediation” in the course of business English for businessmen and entrepreneurs. Discussion and conclusions: the content of special didactic module "Business Foreign-language Mediation" is designed on the basis of the conducted theoretical and practical research, the author’s personal experience in teaching a foreign language under different didactic and methodical conditions. It is actively used in the system of further foreign-language education, in the system of professional development, it provides positive results, trains businessmen for particular economic activity taking into account the features of the partner country, peculiarities of culture and mentality of business partners.

A passage to India: cultural distance issues in IJVs’ knowledge management

ABSTRACTCultural distance has been identified as one of the main issues affecting partnership processes in international joint-ventures (IJVs). However, there is still a lot of debate about the role played by cultural differences in influencing IJVs’ knowledge management. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how cultural distance impacts on knowledge management processes of IJVs’ relationships in a cross-cultural business environment. We performed a content analysis focused on an embedded case study, the IJVs of the Generali Group in India. Results show that trust alone is not sufficient to support knowledge management within IJVs, as partners may feel reluctant to share strategic information. However, the creation of facilitation roles, the development of knowledge acquisition skills, and the contributions of managers and employees generate a social glue that increases the willingness to share knowledge and facilitates knowledge management processes.