The Impact of Cultural Differences on Business Relationships

Explain how it is that people from different countries who speak the same language may still miscommunicate. Communication is the process of passing information from one person to the other. People of different countries speaking the same language may still miscommunicate because the manner in which one understand information is not based on the similarity of the language, but how the person interpret it. If people from different countries speak the same language but their interpretation on what is said differ, they are likely to end up making wrong conclusions in some aspects. People of different countries may also speak the same language but dialectical differences lead to miscommunication. This occurs because the ability to understand what is being communicated depend on the way ideas and opinions are expressed.

The other factor that may trigger miscommunication among people of different countries speaking the same language is subtleties and nuances involved in the use of the language. The manner in which people pronounce some words may differ across countries and this may make some of them to be confused for others. If one pronounce a certain word differently, the person from the other country may interpret it differently, hence leading to miscommunication. Another factor that may lead to this miscommunication is cultural difference in interpreting body language, and lack of defining some of the words properly.

Explain some of the differences in information systems in other countries and the effect those differences have on business relationships. Although information systems may serve the same purpose, they differ from one country to the other depending on different factors. One of the major differences in information systems in other countries is complexity. In some countries and depending on various aspects such as technological advancements, nature of information and culture, the complexity of systems used to manage information differ. The other difference is level of advancements. In some countries, and especially those that have developed technologically, companies have more advanced information systems than those in less developed countries because technology is one of the factors that determine the nature of these systems.

These differences have a significant impact on businesses because the more they differ the more organizations experience challenges in communicating with each other. Communication is one of the most fundamental aspects that enhance the relationship between businesses because it plays a key in sharing of ideas and opinions concerning various aspects such as the nature of the market. When they fail to communicate because of the differences in information systems, it becomes hard to establish links hence hindering good relationships. These differences may also make companies especially those that have internationalized to experience challenges in passing important information to their subsidiaries, hence leading to problems that may significantly impact their operations.

Discuss three nonverbal differences you might encounter if you are transferred to manage a company in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although people are used to including non-verbal language as part of their communication, these tactic may differ from one country to the other, hence leading to problems in sharing and interpretation of information. Being transferred to manage a business in Brazil, one of the nonverbal communication difference I am likely to experience is the meaning and use of hand signals because some of them differ from ones used in America. The other difference I may encounter in this country is how to use eye contact and its meaning. Brazilians value direct eye contact when communicating, unlike in America where this aspect is not highly considered. In this country, consistent eye contact indicate that one is sincere while absence of eye contact shows lack of trust.

People from this country have a different way of interpreting the distance that one keeps from his/her colleague during conversation. Unlike in America, Brazilians believe people who keep huge distance during conversation are rude and unfriendly. The other difference I am likely to experience in non-verbal communication is how to interpret long silence in the course of conversation. In this country, it is acceptable to be in silence for some time in the course of discussion, while in America the silence is interpreted differently because people think it is an indication of ignorance.

Discuss the importance of understanding cultural differences when negotiating with people in another country. Culture is an essential factor that determines how people communicate. When doing business negotiations, it is important to understand the cultural differences that exist between the two parties in order to come up with strategies that can make the negotiations succeed. Cultural differences may act as a barrier in business negotiations because the diverse believes that people have make them to have varying ways of communicating and interpreting information. Understanding cultural differences enhance positive relationship among the people in negotiations because they help one to know what to avoid and what to consider during discussions.

Proper communication plays a key role in negotiations and therefore for one to communicate well, he/she must understand some of the key factors which influence communication in a certain society such as attitudes, nonverbal communication, preferred language, social organization, and so forth. Understanding these factors plays a key role in knowing how to express ideas and opinions. They also assist people to avoid making wrong conclusions during negotiations because of misinterpretation of information.