Cultural Sensitivity in Business

Remember the slogan "The world is small - has become smaller. The progress of the movement and communication in collaboration with the development of the world are people of different nationalities, cultures, languages and communication plans time to meet and negotiate with more than ever. There are some observers argue that this is the intimacy, lead to a better understanding of the 'other' and as a result of our cultural diversity are declining. But in reality, it's true. How do we do with our place are marked cultural differences, because people are beginning to recognize that the world is not reading the same book. One area where we can collect the economy. Very few companies may need, at a time with colleagues, clients or customers. Business is international and is intended, if an organization to develop and grow the potential for an international tender. Twenty years ago, British, European and American organizations abroad, very little competition on the lack of competition from the industrialized countries. At that time it was easy to do business our way. " Today, some of the major economies of the world are Japan, China, Mexico, Brazil, India and Korea. Consequently, there was a small shift of "our way" to "We are trying to fashion." Why? Since the Western organizations feel the effects of the lack of cultural sensitivity and trade performance. Many organizations are investing in staff, the teaching of languages, to break the situation on foreign markets, as well as cultural sensitivity training on topics such as etiquette, protocol, communication styles and strategies for negotiations. In a world of companies who believe that improving cultural awareness in the design of more with prosperity. But it is slow. Unfortunately, an unconscious sense of cultural diversity seems to be higher, it is expected that the rest of the world is like us and if they should not. The world, but people of many religions, cultures, beliefs and experiences, the adoption of a utility. We are all different and therefore the activity across borders (whether political, religious, cultural or linguistic) needs of cultural sensitivity, which means a sense of empathy, flexibility and creativity cultural knowledge. Like most things in life, learned the hard way. To illustrate how these lessons and have learned to always look at some examples, including a lack of cultural sensitivity, and a company, product or individual setting. For reasons that have been grouped into two simple categories: culture and language. Culture Culture, there are many shapes and sizes. It covers areas such as politics, history, faith, mentality, behavior and lifestyles. The following examples show how a lack of cultural sensitivity led to failure. * If dyes 800,000 pixels on a map of India, Microsoft colored eight of them, another for green, the disputed region of Kashmir. The different nature that Kashmir was not served in India, and the product was immediately banned in India. Microsoft was to recall all 200,000 copies of the operating system of Windows 95 software to try and heal the diplomatic wounds. The cost is millions of people. * The fast-food giant McDonald's spent thousands on a new spot on the Chinese consumer. The screen showed a Chinese man kneeling before a McDonald's and begging the supplier to accept its course discount coupons. The announcement was supported by a lack of cultural sensitivity McDonald's name. The announcement of disturbances caused by the fact that begging is a shameful act in Chinese culture. * A very good example, that the images do not translate and cultures is the time, the staff of the port of Africa Stevadores seen "internationally recognized" symbol "fragile" (ie broken a glass of wine) and the suspicion is was a bunch of broken glass. Rather than waste all the fields of space cast on the sea * If the U.S. firm Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, are the same package that the United States, namely the image of a child on the label. Sales flopped, and soon recognized that companies in Africa in general, rather than the content of the images on the labels. * Attempt to Pepsodent toothpaste in Southeast Asia with an emphasis that "knows the teeth." They discovered that local people chew betel nuts to blacken their teeth, attractive. * The film "Hollywood Buddha" a complete lack of cultural sensitivity and angry protest in the streets of Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Burma, where the designer of the film poster chosen for the main actors of the Buddha seated on the head, a clear act against the deterioration of something sacred. * The concept of Big Brother was in no way necessary for the Near East. The show was moved from the sky, after the first episode with the protests and pressures from religious institutions in which the display of sex against mixed format was Islamic principles. A golf ball manufacturer * balls wrapped in packs of four comfortable shopping in Japan. Unfortunately, the number 4 is equivalent to the number of 13, which sounds like the word "death". The company had to package goods. Language The business world is a bad translation abundance of great embarrassment to its authors, the lack of cultural sensitivity. The following are some of the choicest examples. * IKEA tried to sell a seminar called FARTFULL - is not very popular for obvious reasons. * Both Clairol Irish Mist and Irish drinking water is not German, if launched their products. Clairol \ 's hair-curling iron "Stick shit" and drink "Irish Mist" both flopped - why? "Fog" translated in French as a fertilizer. * The Japanese seem to be a special style of description of products. The country has made us gems such as "homo soap \", \ "coolpis \", \ "Germ bread" and "Shito Mix". * A new face cream under the name "Joni" was proposed for marketing in India. E 'changed the name because the word translated in Hindi means "female genitalia". * Coors slogan "Turn it loose," translated into Spanish, where the "suffer from diarrhea."