Intercultural Business Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Intercultural Business Skills - Essay Example This report analyses the problems that Wheelabrator Allevard has faced in expanding its operations in three different countries; Japan, Saudi Arabia and United States of America. The three countries that have been selected belong from different continents and have different cultures. Therefore, the report aims to analyses the cultural issues, ethical issues and other managerial issues that the company would have faced in expanding its operations and strategies have been discussed to tackle these issues. Wheelabrator Allevard Company enjoys the high sales in Saudi Arabia and it is 10,000. In United States the sales of the company are 40,000. However in Japan the country enjoyed sales of 17,000 in the year 2010. The cultures of United States of America, Japan and Saudi Arabia are entirely different. For instance, the individualism in Untied States is very high according to Hofstede (Geert hofstede, 2012c). However, in Saudi Arabia individualism is very low and people like to work in teams rather than individually (Geert Hofstede, 2012b). Moreover, the individualism in Japan is moderate. Similarly another culture issue that the company would have to face is the dominancy of male. Japan scores 95 according to Hofstede in Masculinity and it can be termed as a highly male dominant society and it is one of the most masculine societies in the world. In Japan people would demand achievement and success a lot more than caring for others (Geert Hofstede, 2012a). On the other hand, the score of United States and Saudi Arabia is 62 and 60 respectively which shows that it is moderately or relatively masculine society (Geert Hofstede, 2012b; Geert Hofstede, 2012c). Another important dimension that differs is the power distance. The score of Power Distance according to Hofstede is 95 in Saudi Arabia (Geert Hofstede, 2012b) however Japan and Untied States score 54 and 40 respectively. This represents that individuals living in Saudi Arabia are not equal and

According to Ghaye (2001) there is a growing body of knowledge which Essay

According to Ghaye (2001) there is a growing body of knowledge which suggests that reflective practice has the potential to transform who we are and we do. Dis - Essay Example This model purports that the first phase of reflection is awareness. This may be triggered by either disturbing or positive thoughts or feelings about a situation or event – which in this case is the critical incident. During the second phase of reflection, the person undertakes a critical analysis of what transpired. He draws upon his significant knowledge and experiences, and on the application of novel knowledge. Such realizations, in the form of new knowledge, are the expected output of the analysis. This entails critical thinking and self-assessment – this comes with increasing awareness about the self (Scanlon & Chernomas, 1997). The last stage is the development of a novel approach in accordance with one’s critical analysis and the implementation of novel knowledge onto the context or situation for which one has undergone the reflection. The new approach that one intends to adopt may be characterized by cognitive, attitudinal and behavioural modifications. A logical expectation would be adaptive when one considers that the person increases in his effectiveness both as a person and as a team member. Apparently, learning has transpired. In effect, this perspective of reflective learning suits a handful of theoretical models. These include that of Schon (1987) which advocates the reflective practitioner and â€Å"knowing-in-action† framework. Reflective learning journals are significant tools in translating theory into viable action, that is, praxis. Reflective learning journals have been utilized for quite some time now, specifically in the nursing and teacher education disciplines, to improve individual learning effectiveness, encompassing critical and creative thinking (Kobert, 1995; McCrindle & Christensen, 1995; Meyers & Jones, 1993). In an early application, Hahnemann (1986) had nursing undergraduates spend 10-15 minutes in class time doing their journal entries over the semester. She reported