Text XX. Cultural Sensitivity in Business

Forget the saying 'the world is getting smaller' - it has gotten smaller. Advances in transport and communications technology combined with the development of a world economy have resulted in people from different nations, cultures, languages and backgrounds now communicating, meeting and doing business with one another more than ever.

There are some observers that claim this new found intimacy has led to a greater understanding of 'the other' and as a result our cultural differences are in fact diminishing. However, in reality the opposite is true. As we come together our cultural differences become accentuated as we start to realize that the rest of the world is not reading from the same book. One area where this is now being felt is in business.

Very few businesses can escape the need to at some point in time deal with foreign colleagues, clients or customers. Business is international and if an organization wants to develop and grow it needs to harness the potential an international stage offers. Twenty years ago British, European and American organizations doing business abroad had very little competition due to the lack of rival industrialized nations. Back then it was easy to do business 'our way'. Today some of the world's largest economies include Japan, China, Mexico, Brazil, India and Korea. As a result there has been a small shift from 'our way' to 'let's try and understand your way'. Why? Because western organizations are feeling the impact a lack of cultural sensitivity can and does have upon business performance.

Many organizations are now investing heavily in providing staff with language lessons in order to be able to crack foreign markets as well as providing cultural sensitivity training to address issues such as etiquette, protocol, communication styles and negotiation approaches. In a competitive world such businesses appreciate that greater cultural sensitivity will assist them in forging longer and more prosperous relationships. Yet progress is slow. Unfortunately a subconscious sense of cultural superiority still seems to reign; one that assumes the rest of the world does business like us and if they don't then they should.

The world's inhabitants however come from many faiths, cultures, world views and experiences which makes such an assumption futile. We are all different and as a result doing business across borders (whether political, religious, cultural or linguistic) requires cultural sensitivity, meaning a sense of empathy, flexibility and creativity informed by cultural knowledge. As with most things in life, business has learnt the hard way.

To illustrate how these lessons have and are still being learnt we will look at some examples where a lack of cultural sensitivity has let a company, individual or product down. For the sake of brevity these have been summed up in two simple categories: culture and language.

· Culture

Culture comes in many shapes and sizes. It includes areas such as politics, history, faith, mentality, behaviour and lifestyle. The following examples demonstrate how a lack of cultural sensitivity led to failure.

- When colouring in 800,000 pixels on a map of India, Microsoft coloured eight of them a different shade of green to represent the disputed Kashmiri territory. The difference in greens meant Kashmir was shown as non-Indian, and the product was promptly banned in India. Microsoft was left to recall all 200,000 copies of the offending Windows 95 operating system software to try and heal the diplomatic wounds. It cost them millions.

- The fast food giant McDonald's spent thousands on a new TV ad to target the Chinese consumer. The ad showed a Chinese man kneeling before a McDonald's vendor and begging him to accept his expired discount coupon. The ad was pulled due to a lack of cultural sensitivity on McDonald's behalf. The ad caused uproar over the fact that begging is considered a shameful act in Chinese culture.

- A nice example of how pictures don't translate well across cultures is the time staff at the African port of Stevadores saw the 'internationally recognized' symbol for "fragile" (i.e. broken wine glass) and presumed it was a box of broken glass. Rather than waste space they threw all the boxes into the sea.

- When the US firm Gerber started selling baby food in Africa they used the same packaging as in the US, i.e. with a picture of a baby on the label. Sales flopped and they soon realized that in Africa companies typically place pictures of contents on their labels.

- Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpaste in South East Asia by emphasizing that it "whitens your teeth." They found out that the local natives chew betel nuts to blacken their teeth which they find attractive.

- The film "Hollywood Buddha" showed a complete lack of cultural sensitivity by causing outrage and protest on the streets of Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Burma when the designer of the film's poster decided to show the lead actor sitting on the Buddha's head, an act of clear degradation against something holy.

- The concept of Big Brother was somehow taken to the Middle East. The show was pulled of the air after its first few episodes due to public protests and pressure from religious bodies stating the show's mixed sex format was against Islamic principles.

- A golf ball manufacturing company packaged golf balls in packs of four for convenient purchase in Japan. Unfortunately, the number 4 is equivalent to the number 13 due it sounding like the word "death". The company had to repackage the product.

· Language

The business world is littered with poor translations that have caused great embarrassment to their perpetrators due to their lack of cultural sensitivity. The following are some of the choicest examples.

- IKEA once tried to sell a workbench called FARTFULL - not a hugely popular product for obvious reasons.

- Both Clairol and the Irish alcoholic drink Irish Mist did not properly consider the German language when they launched their products there. Clairol's hair-curling iron "Mist Stick" and the drink "Irish Mist" both flopped - why? 'Mist' translates in German as "manure".

- The Japanese seem to have a particular flair for naming products. The country has given us gems such as "homo soap", "coolpis", "Germ bread" and "Shito Mix".

- A new facial cream with the name "Joni" was proposed for marketing in India. They changed the name since the word translated in Hindi meant "female genitals."

- Coors had its slogan, "Turn it loose," translated into Spanish, where it became "Suffer from diarrhea."

All the examples cited above could easily have been avoided by conducting some basic research in respect to checking the concept, design, shape, color, packaging, message or name in the target culture. In the majority of cases it is simply assumed that 'if it is OK for us it is OK for them'. If businesses want to succeed internationally, cultural sensitivity must be at the heart of everything they do; from their personal interaction and relationships with clients to the products/services they develop.

 

Appendix I
Business Communication Glossary
absent	not present
accomplish	succeed in doing
address	deal with; speak on
adjourn	close a meeting
advertising	show your products to customers through radio, television or newspapers
afford	able to buy, have enough money to buy
agenda	list of objectives to cover in a meeting
AGM	Annual (yearly) General Meeting
allocate	assign roles/tasks to certain people
alternatives	other options
amplify	expand; give more information
AOB	Any Other Business (unspecified item on agenda)
apologies	item on agenda announcing people who are absent; apologies for absence
arbitration	conflict that is addressed by using a neutral third party We're better to settle this between us, because a formal arbitration will cost both of us money.
arbitration	when a neutral person or group comes in to settle a disagreement
attachment	extra document or image that is added to an email
ballot	a type of vote, usually in writing and usually secret
bargain	try to change a person's mind by using various tactics
block format	most common business letter format, single spaced, all paragraphs begin at the left margin
board of directors	group of elected members of an organization/company who meet to make decisions
boardroom	a large meeting room, often has one long table and many chairs
body	the content of the letter; between the salutation and signature
booming	business is growing very fast
borrow	getting money from someone else, or from a bank, which we must pay back later
bottom-line	the lowest one is willing to go
brainstorm	thinking to gather ideas
brand	the name of a well-known product (McDonald's, Coca Cola, Volkswagen, etc.)
break even	when our spending equals the amount we receive from sales
bribe	secretly paying money to get special favors from a company or government official
budget	a detailed plan for spending money
bullets	small dark dots used to set off items in an unnumbered list
calculate	to count, add, subtract, multiply, divide numbers
cancel	to decide NOT to buy something that you had agreed to before
capital	money
casting vote	deciding vote (usually by the chairman) when the votes are otherwise equal
CEO	the top officer in a company, the chief executive officer
certified mail	important letters that sender pays extra postage for in order to receive a notice of receipt
CFO	the top financial officer in a company
chairperson/chair	the person who leads or presides at a meeting
charge for	ask money for payment
clarification/verification	explanation/proof that something is true/understood
closing remarks	last thoughts spoken in a meeting
coherent	logical; easy to understand
collaborate	work together as a pair/group
collective	together
commence	begin
comment	express one's opinions or thoughts
commission	a percentage of each sale that goes directly to the salesperson
compensate	make up for a loss
competition	other companies that make the same product as yours
comply	agree
compromise	changing one's mind/terms slightly in order to find a resolution
concession	accepting less on one specific point in order to get something from the other person on a different point
concise	gets to the point quickly
conference	formal meeting for discussion, esp. a regular one held by an organisation
conference call	telephone meeting between three or more people in different locations
confidential	private; not to be shared
conflict resolution	general term for negotiations. It is impossible to engage in conflict resolution when one of the parties refuses to listen.
confront	present an issue to someone directly
consensus	general agreement
consumption	the total amount of product bought in a market
cooperation	the working together
cordially	politely
counter proposal	the offer/request which is presented second in response to the first proposal
counterattack	present other side of an issue
counterpart	person on the other side of the negotiations
credit	when you buy first, but pay later
currency	the money of one country
deadline	due date for completion
deadlock	point where neither party will give in
demands	needs/expectations that one side believes it deserves
designate	assign
diplomacy, diplomatic	demonstrating consideration and kindness
direct mail, junk mail	marketing letters addressed to a large audience
discount	a lower price
dispute	argument/conflict
distribution	getting the product to the final consumer, or customer
diversify	start many new businesses instead of doing just one
dominate	have the most control/stronger presence
double space	format where one blank line is left between lines of text
economics	the study of finance and money
employee	a worker
employer	the person who finds and pays workers
enclosure	extra document or image included with a letter
entitled	be deserving of
equivalent	a proprosed agreement that is different from, but equal in value to, a previous proposal
estimate	a guess about how much something will cost
extend	to give more, especially a loan of money
facilitation	a process where people, called facilitators, try to make it easier for two people to reach an agreement
finance	the study of money and how to use money well
flexible	open/willing to change
formal	uses set formatting and business language, opposite of casual
formality	a procedure (often unnecessary) that has to be followed due to a rule
format	the set up or organization of a document
fund	to provide money in general
good faith	being honest about your intentions
grievance	complaint
gross	amount of money received from sales
guest speaker	person who joins the group in order to share information or deliver a speech
haggling	arguing back and forth (often about prices)
heading	a word or phrase that indicates what the text below will be about
high-ball	make a request that is much higher than you expect to receive
hostility	long-term anger towards another
impasse	when two sides hold different positions that they are unwilling to change
implement	make something happen; follow through
import	to bring goods into a country
impulse	quick decision without thought or time
incentive	a special price to get customers to buy
income tax	money paid to the government, based on total money received
indecisive	has difficulty choosing/making a decision
indent	extra spaces (usually 5) at the beginning of a paragraph
inflation	rising prices
informal	сasual
inside address	recipient's mailing information
install	to put in and prepare for use, as with a machine
interest	extra money needed to pay back borrowed money
intermediary	a person who communicates between the two sides of a negotiation
inventory	unsold items that you keep so that you can sell them in the future
invest	spending money so that we can make more in the future
invoice	a paper which explains what was sold and at what prices
issue	a topic that needs to be discussed in a negotiation
justified margins	straight and even text, always begins at the same place
leadership	the skill of managing people
lend	giving money to someone else, which they will pay back to us later
letterhead	specialized paper with a (company) logo or name printed at the top
leverage	something that gives one party a greater chance at succeeding over another
logo	symbol or image that identifies a specific organization
log-rolling	trading one favour for another
loss	when we spend more money than we receive from selling our product
low-ball	offer something much lower than you think the opponent will ask for
lucrative	the possibility of making a great amount of money
maintain	keep a machine in good condition
management	the study of how to run a business and lead people
mandatory	required
margin	a blank space that borders the edge of the text
mediation	when a neutral person or group comes in to identify the issues, explore options and clarify goals
memo	a paper with a message, sent to other people in the same company
memorandum (memo)	document sent within a company (internal), presented in short form
minutes	a written record of everything said at a meeting
mislead	convince by altering or not telling the whole truth about something
modified block format	left justified as block format, but date and closing are centered
monopoly	when only one company controls a whole market
motion	a suggestion put to a vote
mutual	agreed by both or all
negotiate	try to get a better price or make a better arrangement
net	the amount of money received from sales, after expenses are subtracted
objective	goal for the outcome
objectives	goals to accomplish
offer	one or more options that is sent by one negotiator to the other
on arrival notation	notice to recipient that appears on an envelope (e.g. "confidential")
opening remarks	chairperson or leader's first words at a meeting (i.e. welcome, introductions)
overhead projector	machine with a special light that projects a document onto a screen or wall so that all can see
participant	person who attends and joins in on an event
party	either side in a negotiation is called a party, whether one individual or a whole group
point of view	person's ideas/ thoughts
postage	the cost of sending a letter through the Post Office
pressure	work hard to convince another of an idea
principal	the main part of a loan, before interest is added
process	get something ready
profit	the money left over after all expenses are paid
proofread	read through a finished document to check for mistakes
proposal	any suggestion or idea given to one party from the other
proxy vote	a vote cast by one person for or in place of another
punctual	on time (not late)
punctuation	marks used within or after sentences and phrases (e.g. periods, commas)
quarter	three months of the year, the usual time for planning and reporting financial reports
reader-friendly	easy to read
receptive	open to/interested in an idea
recipient	the person who receives the letter
recommend	suggest
recruit	search for and choose workers
refund	giving money back to the customer if there is a problem with the item you sell
resentment	anger held onto from a previous conflict
resign	quit a job suddenly
resistance	a display of opposition
resolve	end conflict, come to an agreement
retail	selling to the final customer
retire	finish work after a long career (at age 65 in the U.S., 60 in Japan, 55 in China...)
right ragged	format in which text on the right side of the document ends at slightly different points (not justified)
salary	a monthly or yearly pay to managers of important workers
sales tax	money paid to the government, based on sales made
salutation	greeting in a letter (e.g. "Dear Mr Jones")
saturated	too many companies producing the same product
semi-block format	paragraphs are indented, not left-justified
sensitive information	content in a letter that may cause the receiver to feel upset
show of hands	raised hands to express an opinion in a vote
sincerely	term used before a name when formally closing a letter
single spaced	format where no blanks lines are left in-between lines of text
sluggish	when business is slow (opposite of "booming")
spacing	blank area between words or lines of text
strategy	plan to make something work
supply	the total amount of a product available in a market
tactics	strategies used to get one's goals met
target	the amount that you plan to sell in a month (also "quota")
tariff	a tax on imports from another country
tension	feeling of stress/anxiety caused by heavy conflict
tentative solution	an agreement that depends on some conditions, so that it might not be a final agreement
terms	the details of an agreement or contract
tone	the feeling of the language (e.g. serious, enthusiastic)
trade-off	an exchange process in which one side gives up partly on some issues in order to gain on other issues
transitions	words or phrases used to make a letter flow naturally (e.g. "furthermore", "on the other hand")
trend	movement in one direction, especially about product becoming more and more popular
ultimatum	a final term that has serious consequences
unanimous	in complete agreement; united in opinion
unit cost	the average amount needed to produce a product
unrealistic	very unlikely to happen
victory	a win
warranty	a promise that the things you sell will be of good quality
wholesale	selling to a salesman who will then sell to the final customer
wrap up	finish
yield	to give in to another's requests

 

Appendix II
Business English Vocabulary
1. 800 pound gorilla	- the biggest, most powerful group or company Example: "If we follow our plan to make this new software, we're going to have a lot of competition, including from the 800 pound gorilla, Microsoft."
2. (a rising tide that) lifts all boats	- something that helps all people or all groups Example: "We're only number three, but the current economic growth will lift all boats, so we're sure to make a profit this year."
3. an old hand	- a person who has long experience, especially in one place Example: "He can help us set up a company in Beijing. He's been working in China for many years and speaks Chinese fluently. He's an old China hand."
4. at the 11th hour	- very late, at the very last minute
5. on a shoestring	- with limited money Example: "They started their company on a shoestring and built it up to one of the largest companies in the world!"
6. bring to the table	- whatever you can possibly offer Example: "I will meet with Teacher Joe's new company to show him what we can bring to the table."
7. carve out a niche	- find a special market that you can control Example: "To succeed in this competitive world, you have to focus on part of it. Try to carve out a niche and be number one in that are."
8. deep pockets	- have a lot of money Example: "If there is a price war, we won't win because we don't have deep enough pockets."
9. down time	- when equipment of facilities are not available, so you cannot work Example: "There will probably be a lot of down time at the conference, so I'm bringing a lot of paperwork."
10. (draw) a line in the sand	- make final conditions that cannot be changed Example: "We have to draw a line in the sand so they will see that this is really our final offer."
11. free ride	- get benefit at no cost Example: "Of course we should make them pay for our travel expenses. Why should we give them a free ride?"
12. from day one	- from the beginning Example: "Teacher Joe has been providing the best English-learning web site from day one!"
13. get your foot in the door	- have a small opportunity that can become a big opportunity in the future, if you do good work Example: "Right now, I just want to get my foot in the door, so they can see what I can do. Next year I hope to start moving up in the company."
14. I need it yesterday	- an informal way to say it is needed immediately Example: "Can I send that report to you later this afternoon?" "No! I need that report yesterday!"
15. a two-way street	- both people or both groups can contribute or benefit from the situation Example: "We want to help you, but we need your help too. It should be a two-way street."
16. it will never fly	- it won't be successful Example: "We don't have to worry about their idea competing with ours. It will never fly."
17. it's a jungle out there	- it's a difficult market with many, tough competitors Example: "Do you think a new company can service without a unique product? It's a real jungle out there!"
18. jump through hoops	- trying very hard (like a dog doing tricks!) Example: "He's a tough boss. All of his subordinates have to jump through hoops to prove their loyalty to the company."
19. put your cards on the table	- be completely honest Example: "I think it's time to put all of our cards on the table. Here's what we need..."
20. learning curve	- how much time needed to learn something new Example: "This new software has a long learning curve, so we have to give our staff enough time to learn how to use it well."
21. level playing field	- equal conditions for all people or groups Example: "The WTO agreement helps to level the playing field, which gives us the chance to compete anywhere in the world."
22. the lion's share	- the largest part Example: "If we want the lion's share of the profit, we'll have to do the lion's share of the work."
23. number crunching	- analyze numbers Example: "I'll go back to my office and do some number crunching, then tell you the results tomorrow."
24. pipe dream	- something that is unrealistic Example: "Do you think we can really live on the moon some day, or is it just a pipe dream?"
25. play hardball	- deal in a tough way Example: "If he tries to block this deal in any way, we'll just have to start playing hardball."
26. power lunch	- big business dealing while eating lunch Example: "The top executives met with their bankers at the best restaurant in town. It was a real power lunch!"
27. push the envelope	- move beyond current limits Example: "Teacher Joe is always pushing the envelope by giving us new activities such as dictations, jokes and interesting discussion topics."
28. put on the map	- make well-known Example: "They've had some good products in the past, but nothing special. This new device is so good that it finally puts them on the map."
29. savvy	- smart and knowledgeable Example: "He's a savvy investor so there is a high probability this project will be successful."
30. sea change	- a large change Example: "Globalization has brought about a sea change. Those who don't change will end up sinking!"
31. flying by the seat of your pants	- intuitively (flying an airplane with no instruments) Example: "Who knows if they will succeed or not? Without a clear business plan, they are just flying by the seat of their pants."
32. shotgun approach	- strike widely rather than focusing Example: "Taking a shotgun approach is a big risk. We may not hit any target at all. If we can identify one good target, we can develop a more precise marketing plan."
33. step up to the plate	- take responsibility Example: "We've done all that we can to prepare. Now it's time to step up to the plate and do it!"
34. talk until you are blue in the face	- try to persuade someone with no results Example: "You can talk until you are blue in the face, but I will never believe that Teacher Joe is the funniest English teacher in the world."
35. the bottom line	- the final result Example: "Although we worked hard on this deal, the bottom line is we didn't make the sale, so it was a complete failure."
36. the name of the game is...	- the basic purpose Example: "The name of the game is service. If we focus on that, the customers will always come back."
37. take a haircut	- take a loss Example: "We really took a haircut on that one! We're going to have to negotiate a better deal next time."
38. tweak something	- make a slight adjustment Example: "By tweaking the economy, the government hopes to avoid a recession."
39. unwind a deal	- take apart or undo something Example: "We have to unwind this deal, then we can start over again."
40. a zero sum game	- a situation where someone wins so someone else must lose Example: "I don't think this is a zero-sum game. If the customer wins, we win too."

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