3: Intercultural Communication
anyone and everyone is a publisher on social media. You might point out to students that
they could benefit from using independent nonpartisan fact-checking organizations, such as
Snopes or FactCheck.org.
3.5 Value Conflicts Haunt IKEA in Russia and Poland
Solution
No doubt this is a tough controversy. Bigotry and homophobia may occasionally erupt in the
U.S. and in other western countries but not on the scale exhibited in Poland or Russia, where
gay people are routinely mistreated, assaulted, and imprisoned. The Putin regime outlawed
gay-pride marches. In Poland, such marches have caused riots and participants were abused
IKEA may have drawn criticism in much of the western world for caving to pressure in Russia
instead of standing by its values. Perhaps the company sacrificed principle because it feared
revenue losses. However, in Poland IKEA did stick to its guns after causing a storm of
outrage, although that country is also important to the company’s bottom line. In the past
IKEA presented itself as a champion of diversity and as a trail blazer, perhaps deliberately
stirring controversy to earn publicity. In western countries attitudes toward the LGBTQ
community have become much more favorable and accepting over time. Featuring same-sex
couples in advertising barely raises eyebrows.
liberal values are unwelcome.
For the sake of variety or as a related assignment, you could introduce a controversy in the
U.S. that engulfed the normally family-friendly Hallmark Channel after it pulled and later
reinstated a commercial featuring a lesbian wedding. First Hallmark received flak for
removing Zola’s gay-friendly ad under pressure from conservative advocacy groups. When
Hallmark reversed its decision, it only made the debacle worse; however, the relatively
3.6 Navigating a Looming Culture Clash
Solution
a. American anthropologist Edward T. Hall distinguished between monochronic cultures
(M-time) and polychronic cultures (P-time). M-time cultures focus on one task or process
in a set timeline; they plan and schedule meetings or appointments meticulously, often
far in advance. Promptness is paramount; being late is considered rude and
disrespectful. P-time cultures, on the other hand, may juggle many tasks and activities
concurrently, without much planning, based on preference. In P-cultures people are
considered more important than a business deal. When businesspeople from the United
States meet their Brazilian counterparts, M-time may clash with P-time and cause
irritation on both sides. The Brazilians will perceive the Americans as pushy and rigid,
whereas the Americans will view the Brazilians as unreliable and discourteous.
written.
c. Because individuals in other cultures (Asian in particular) want to get to know people on
a social basis before they begin their business relationships, the wheels of business
grind more slowly there. The Thais have an expression mai pen rai that, loosely
translated, means “never mind.” The implication is that if something wasn’t completed
today, maybe it will be completed tomorrow. Americans must realize that they need to
tailor their business practices to the countries in which they wish to do business.
Patience can be a strategic advantage; time pressure can put North Americans at a
3.7 Learning Languages with Duolingo, Busuu, or Babbel
Solution
Downloaded by 300 million people around the globe—including by Bill Gates, Jack Dorsey,
and one of the Kardashians—Duolingo has gamified language learning. As they might do in a
video game, learners collect rewards and compete with others on leaderboards to see how
they compare with friends or strangers. If they complete certain task and challenges, users
earn badges. If they slack off, reminders will pester them on their smartphones to return to
their drills. Duolingo’s mascot is Duo, a plump green owl. The graphic interface signals that
learning is supposed to be fun.
Busuu offers free self-paced courses in 12 languages and has about 90 million users in 190
countries. To unlock all features, users need to spend $17 a month [Smith. 2019, June 16.
Interesting Busuu statistics and facts (2019). DMR Business Statistics.] The website and app are
theme-based and task-oriented. For example, a “travel course” is geared toward providing
In addition to its Berlin headquarters, Babbel also has a presence in New York. The app and
e-learning site currently provides 14 languages. Although it offers some free content, most
of the features unlock with a low-cost subscription. PC Magazine has tested the app and
concluded that Babbel courses are well-structured and the platform provides high-quality
materials in each language. However, the testers felt that Babbel was not highly engaging
and offered little exercise variety.
3.8 Exploring the International Face of Facebook
Solution
If students don’t know where to find the Switch Region option, you can share with them these
simple instructions:
(1) Visit Facebook’s own official Facebook page, the one with 214+ million fans
(facebook.com/facebookapp).
Multilingual students can be especially helpful in comparing the Facebook sites in various
languages. All others may switch to new language on any Facebook site. On the very bottom
of the right-most block, click the plus sign. Select a language.
Keeping up with Facebook’s staggering growth is a challenge. The latest numbers cited here
were collected by several tracking websites mentioned in the activity, Socialbakers, Statista,
and Internet World Stats. Other useful sources are the We Are Social blog and Pew Research
Internet. The recent Facebook use statistics show gains in Asia where Facebook use in some
countries still has room to grow. Asian countries show various levels of Facebook use: 84
percent in South Korea, 56 percent in Japan, 51 percent in Vietnam, 48 percent in Indonesia,
and 18 percent in India. China’s minuscule Facebook presence of 0.1 percent is directly
related to the lack of political freedom and the existence of rival domestic social networks.
The Chinese government blocks western social media and has imposed what’s known as The
Great Firewall to censor Internet content.
3.9 Investigating Cultural Stereotypes
Solution
This activity drives home the limiting nature of stereotypes, even the positive ones. Very few
of us are comfortable representing our entire culture, although others may perceive and
designate us as ambassadors of our country of origin. Students may find some stereotypes
3.10 Fixing a Tricky International E-Mail
Solution
The letter is poorly organized, poorly written, and overly casual; but let’s just focus on the
difficulty it might cause readers unfamiliar with our language.
a. Slang: royally ticked off, diss our customers
b. Idioms: epic horse-trading, shilly-shally, get down to brass tacks
3.11 Be My Guest: Avoiding Intercultural Confusion
Solution
Idioms: a flash in the pan, monkey business, bull in a china shop, with flying colors, putting
the cart before the horse, getting on one’s high horse
Slang: to chill, be amped, bee’s knees, catch the drift, cool, sick/ bad (both mean the
opposite), epic fail, chew on that (think about it), a no brainer, butt in or out, a real worm, a
geek, hella, props, thirsty (eager), squad (posse), and yaassss (an enthusiastic yes)
Jargon: Microspeak expressions, a lexicon from former Microsoft employee: disambiguate (to
clarify), EOM (end of message), facemail (technologically backward means of communication
involving walking to someone’s office and speaking face to face), generating content
(writing), net it out (boil it down), push back (respond forcefully to an unfavorable answer),
touch skin (a meeting arranged to communicate in person), weasel text (intentionally stilted
or murky text)
3.12 Bribery by Many Names: Baksheesh, Mordida, and Kumshah
Solution
Journal.]
b. This is an actual case involving the global pharma giant Novartis. The company was
alleged to have bribed Chinese doctors to boost sales of its drugs. Novartis settled the
charges by paying $25 million to the SEC. Providing expensive perks is not only unethical
but also illegal under the FCPA. Bribing foreign officials or professionals gives the corrupt
company an unfair advantage over compliant enterprises, distorts the market, limits
consumer options, and may endanger foreign policy and international relations. [The
Whistleblower Attorneys. (2016, March 31). Bribery: One of corporate America’s most popular
business strategies.]
d. In another real case, the U.S. Justice Department investigated a company that gave gifts
to officials who regulated its industry. If a company cannot earn the contract with
superior products and service, it is safer to move on. Businesspeople should beware of
any requests to keep payments quiet.
e. In general, when goods are waiting to be inspected in foreign ports, the Federal Corrupt
Practices Act allows grease payments to motivate an official to do his or her duty. The
law allows paying for an expedited inspection. However, paying officials to look the other
way and skip an inspection in dereliction of their duty would be an FCPA violation.
3.13 Gifts and Entertainment Limits: What Is Nominal Value?
Solution
Students will find many interesting policies. For example, Stella, parent company of Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, limits gifts of “nominal value” to less than $50: “Examples of
such nominal gifts may include advertising or promotional trinkets, candy, nuts, fruit and
3.14 When Cultures Clash, or Do They?
Solution
o Intercultural Scenario 1:
The U.S. ambassador to Korea has stirred up painful feelings although he has not done
so intentionally. Wearing a mustache is a very personal decision and can be part of a
long-established look. Harris has worn his mustache since leaving the Navy. As the top
diplomat of the United States in Seoul, Harris wouldn’t want to cause offense. He is
o Intercultural Scenario 2:
As funny as the situation may seem, underlying it is a culture clash. It is true that many
Europeans are raised to be much blunter and more direct than is customary in North
America. In the hospitality industry, workers bend over backwards to please guests. Not
so in France, where people aren’t used to smiling at strangers or making small talk.
3.15 Making Corporations More Diverse
Solution
Answers will vary. Most students will probably consider the European approach (and the
California law) too harsh, an example of the nanny state. This may prompt a discussion of
cultural differences between Europeans, who pay relatively high taxes and expect much
from their governments, and Americans, who have comparatively low tax burdens and
desire to live free from government intrusion as much as possible. However, some students
may argue that quotas are not such a bad idea because change in the United States has
been slow. Others may be open to some other form of government intervention or incentive
that might help things along. The familiar fear of “reverse discrimination” and the rise of
incompetent leaders through quotas might also come up.
On its website, Catalyst makes an important point stating that diversity and inclusion
shouldn’t be perceived solely as a bottom–line issue but, rather, as a talent issue: “Focusing
solely on the ROI of diversity becomes more about compliance than about building a culture
that leverages the innovation of a diverse workforce.” [Catalyst. (2020). Appendix: Why diversity
and inclusion matter: Financial performance.] In other words, diversity and inclusion should be
more than a nod to regulators or a corporate fig leaf; instead, they should represent a
genuine attempt to tap into a more varied talent pool.
Interested students could also search for more information about the European Union’s
efforts to bring more women to the table. German chancellor and leader of the conservative
Christian Democrats, Angela Merkel, for instance, has called the lack of women in
boardrooms a scandal and has threatened companies with one last chance before forcing
them to accept quotas. Quotas, like anything associated with affirmative action, are highly
controversial and potentially illegal in the United States.
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