INTERCULTURAL

COMMUNICATION
GROUP
3Xiaoxue Ding, Ann Wang, Xueyan Pi, Yulu Ye,
Jaron Hsi-Ju Liu, Fanta Cisse

Agenda
The Growing Importance of
Intercultural Communication
Culture and Communication
Becoming Interculturally Proficient
Culture and Ethical Business Practice
Workforce Diversity: Benefits and
Challenges

Xiaoxue

THE GROWING
IMPORTANCE OF
INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION

Xiaoxue

Globalization

Xiaoxue

Globalization

Walmarts foray into its first European market had

become a template for how not to expand into a
country.
The New York Times
Xiaoxue

Factors

Favorable
Trade
Agreements

maturity of
domestic
market

Robust Middle
Classes in
Emerging
Economies

globalizati
on

Advancement
s in
Transportatio
n and
Logistics
growing
Reach of
Information
and
Communicati
on
Technologies
Xiaoxue

Diverse Domestic Workforce

Reputation, good environment,

peaceful life
Xiaoxue

CULTURE AND
COMMUNICATION

Ann Wan

Characteristics of
Culture

Ann Wan

1. Culture Is Learned
Rules, values and attitudes are
learned and passed down from
generation to generation.

Ann

2. Culture are Inherently

Logical

Rules in any culture reinforce that

cultures values and beliefs.

Ann Wan

3. Culture is the Basis of SelfIdentity and Community

Culture is the basis for how we tell
the world who we are and what we
believe.

Ann Wan

4.Culture Combines the Visible and

Invisible

Ann Wang

5. Culture is Dynamic
Culture changes over time. Changes
are caused by advancements in
technology and communication.

Ann Wan

Dimension of Culture

Ann Wang

a. High and Low content

Ann Wan

b. Individualism and
Collectivism

An attitude of independence and

freedom from control characterizes
individualism.

Ann Wang

c. Time Orientation
North Americans consider time a
precious commodity to be conserved.

Ann Wan

d. Power Distance
The power distance index measures
how people in different societies
cope with inequality.

Ann Wan

e. Communication Style
People in low- and high- context
cultures tend to communicate
differently with words.

Ann Wan

BECOMING
INTERCULTURALLY
PROFICIENT

Xueyan P

Five
strategies
A. Building Cultural Self-Awareness
B. Curbing Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism: the belief in the superiority of ones
own race; a natural attitude inherent in all cultures.

C. Understanding Generalizations and

Stereotyping
D.Being Open-Minded
E. Saving Face

Xueyan P

Verbal intercultural
communication

Xueyan P

Successful Nonverbal
Intercultural
Communication

Verbal skills vs Nonverbal skills

Verbal skills are easy to master through
hard-working

RECALL FROM CHAPTER 2

Nonverbal behavior involves
o
o
o
o
o

Eye contact
Facial expressions
Posture
Gesture
The use of time, space, and territory

Xueyan P

 How Nonverbal Cues Affect

Communication?

Decipher non verbal communication is difficult

E.g. silence in Western Culture vs in Japanese Culture
Ambiguous within cultures and even more problematic
between cultures

Techniques for Achieving

Intercultural Competence

Descriptiveness
Nonjudgmentalism
Supportiveness

Xueyan P

HOW TECHNOLOGY AND

SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECT
INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION

Yulu Ye

Bridging Cultural Divides?

Yulu Ye

Erasing Cultural Differences or

Deepening Them

Yulu Ye

Global Businesses and Social Media Use

Yulu Ye

IMPROVING
CONVERSATIONS IN
INTERCULTURAL
ENVIRONMENTS

Yulu Ye

Enhancing Oral Communicaiton

Observe
eye messages

Encourage
accurate
feedback

Accept blame

Yulu Ye

Enhancing Oral Communication

Listen without
interrupting

Smile

Follow up
in writing

Yulu Ye

Improving Written Communication

Use short sentences and short paragraphs

Observe titles and rank
Avoid ambiguous expressions
Strive for clarity
Use correct grammar
Cite number carefully

Yulu Ye

CULTURE AND ETHICAL

BUSINESS PRACTICE
Jaron Hsi-Ju

Business Ethics
How do we define bribery?

V.S

Jaron Hsi-Ju

Culture and Ethical Business

Practices
Whos values, culture and law do you
follow when you do business around
the world?

Jaron Hsi-Ju

Doing Business Abroad

What ethical standards do international
companies follow when they do business
aboard?

Jaron Hsi-Ju

Antibribery laws
Foreign Corrupts Practices Act of
1977

Jaron Hsi-Ju

Antibribery laws
Corruption Perception Index

Jaron Hsi-Ju

Deciding whose ethics to follow

Child Labor
Grease Payments
Exchanging Gifts

Whose ethics should prevail across

boarders?
NO CLEAR-CUT ANSWERS!!!
Jaron Hsi-Ju

Ethical decision Making Across

Borders

Broaden your view

Avoid reflex judgments
Find alternatives
Refuse business if options violate
your basic values
Embrace transparency
Dont rationalize shady decisions
Resist legalistic strategies
Jaron Hsi-Ju

WORKFORCE DIVERSITY:
BENEFITS AND
CHALLENGES

Fanta Cisse

Workforce Diversity
Ethnicity

Race

Age

Fanta Cisse

Benefits of Diversity in the

Workforce
increased productivity
increased creativity and problem
solving
attract and retain talent
increased growth
improved workforce quality

Fanta Cisse

Challenges of Diversity in
the Workforce

Communication
Negative attitudes and behaviors
Cultural barriers
Religion barriers

Fanta Ciss

References
Roosevelt, T.R. Jr. 2001. Elements of a
successful diversity process. The American
Institute for Managing Diversity.
Robinson, K-S. 2002. U.S. must focus on
diversity or face decline in competitiveness.
The Society for Human Resource
Management (SHRM).
Esty, K., R. Griffin, and M. Schorr-Hirsh.
1995.Workplace diversity. A managers
guide to solving problems and turning
diversity into a competitive advantage.
Avon, MA: Adams Media Corporation.

Fanta Cisse

ACTIVITIES

BINGO
GAME
TEAM1: RED
TEAM2:
ORANGE
TEAM4:
YELLOW
TEAM5:
GREEN
TEAM6: BLUE

1. Human resources role

needs to be the heart
of the organization
because they are the
center of creating a
welcoming and inclusive
environment.
(A) True
(B) False

2. Which of the following

is not suggested that we
acknowledge different
values but also respect
the need for moral
initiative?
(A) Broaden your view
(B) Rationalize shady
decisions

3. Korea and Japanese

employees believe
photos promote cohesion
and make them seem
accessible.
(A) True
(B) False

4. Which of the following

does not belongs to the
characteristics of
culture?
(A) Culture are inherently
logical.
(B) Culture is power
distance.

5. Which characteristic
does the closed-minded
people have?
(A) Ethnocentrism
(B) Tolerance

6. The most common

mistake I see is when an
organization says they
value diversity and have
it written in their
policies, but the
organization does not
reflect that in its actions.
(A) True
(B) False

7. Which is not included

in the Five strategies for
improving your

8. Japanese people
hesitate to share their
thoughts and exploits

9. Which of the following

does not belongs to the
dimensions of culture?

THANK YOU