Sign In
Not register? Register Now!
Essay Available:
Pages:
9 pages/≈2475 words
Sources:
Check Instructions
Style:
Harvard
Subject:
Literature & Language
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.K.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 32.4
Topic:

Communication Challenges In Social and Professional Contexts

Essay Instructions:

I would like a 2500 word essay comparing and contrasting intercultural and/or international communication challenges within social and professional contexts.
I would like to use case studies from multilingual contexts and draw from the theories by Edward Hall and Geert Hofstede.
For instance, Hall describes important cultural factors and dimensions.
High-context cultures: Interpretation of messages heavily rests on contextual cues. EG China and Japan
Low-context cultures: Emphasis put on the written or spoken word. What is meant is what is said. EG USA and Germany.
Monochromic Time: Doing one thing at a time. It assumes careful planning and scheduling. Significance put on ‘Time Management'. EG Germany and Australia.
Polychromic Time: Human interactions are valued over time and material things, leading to a lesser concern for ‘getting things done’. EG Mexico and Saudi Arabia; They do get things done, but more in their own time.
Low Territoriality: Space and Boundaries are less Important. People will share territory and ownership with little thought.
High Territoriality: People have greater concern over ownership. They seek to mark out the areas that belong to them.
Whereas Hofstede uses the National Culture Model:
Power Distance Index (PDI): This dimension expresses the degree to which less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.
Individualism Versus Collectivism (IDV): How personal needs and goals are prioritized vs. the needs and goals of the group
Masculinity Versus Femininity (MAS): The masculinity side of this dimension represents a preference in society for achievement, heroism, assertiveness and competition. Its opposite, Femininity, stands for a preference for cooperation, consensus, caring for the weak and quality of life.
Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI): The UAI dimension expresses the degree to which the members of society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty. More society avoids ambiguity the most rigid codes exist.
Long Term Orientation versus Short Term Normative Orientation (LTO): Every society has to maintain some links with its own past while dealing with the challenges of the present and the future, societies prioritize these two existential goals differently.
Indulgence Versus Restraint (IND): IND stands for a preference towards enjoying life and having fun versus resisting gratification of needs and regulating it by using strict social norms.
For my essay, I would like to split it into 3 parts.
1) Social Contexts
High context, polychromic time and Low territoriality - (Halls Theory)
For this section, I would like to draw from A study of international students' perspectives on cross-cultural adaptation (Attached) to discuss how intercultural communication can be a barrier within social contexts due to differences in social, cultural and linguistic environments.
I also would like to draw from the points made by Spencer-Oatey's article about Intercultural Interaction.
It can be found at https://doi(dot)org/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal1446.pub2
2) Professional Contexts - typically the opposite - low context, Monocromic and high territoriality.
For this section, I would like to use the data from pages 12 and 13 of the British Council Culture at work document (attached). The graphs and data about the business value of intercultural skills fit in with the contrast.
For example, the X-axis of Chart 8 uses factors such as Good for reputation, Brining in new clients, building trust etc.
I also like the points made in this Sage Article about interactions made within multinational companies - MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES IN CROSS-NATIONAL CONTEXT: INTEGRATION,
DIFFERENTIATION, AND THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MNCS AND NATION-STATES. I have attached it too.
3) For the third part, I would like to draw from Hofstede's model to discuss the similarities and differences of social and professional contexts using Power Distance Index (PDI), Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV) and Indulgence versus Restraint (IND).
I think this would be a good way to compare and contrast social and professional contexts as they contrast in IND and PDI. However, it is evidenced that within IDV, intercultural communication can be a barrier due to a lack of intercultural competencies. I find this to be a contradiction as whilst strong communication can allow for advantages both in the social and working realm, the lack of cultural background can counteract this. For example, within a high-context culture, the speaker may fail to identify how personal needs and goals are prioritised vs. the needs and goals of the group.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Intercultural and International Communication Challenges In Social and Professional Contexts
Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Instructor
Date
Intercultural and International Communication Challenges In Social and Professional Contexts
The advancement of technology and other new innovations have rendered the world a global village. People can communicate in real-time with others in foreign countries that they have never visited. Additionally, people continue to move to new countries or regions in search of education and employment. All these interactions are characterized by communication. However, communication among people from different cultures suffers from several challenges that emanate from different beliefs and values. Assessment of these challenges using case studies from multilingual contexts will help understand these challenges better. In addition, the use of Edward Hall and Geert Hofstede's theories will further help understand the factors facilitating these challenges and how to avoid them. Hall describes the important cultural factors and dimensions based on context, time, and territory, whereas Hofstede bases his explanation on the national culture model (Kaupp, 2018). Consequently, it is worth noting that social contexts, professional contexts, and the similarities and differences of the social and professional contexts play an essential role in shaping communication.
Social Context
Social context plays an essential role in shaping intercultural communication through variations in the social, cultural, and linguistic environments. Social context refers to the temperament or the atmosphere with which one has with other people. The statement implies that people change their communication approach relative to the status of the individual they are engaging with. As Hall notes, high context cultures shape communication differently from the low context cultures. While the high-context cultures emphasis the interpretation of messages on the contextual cues, the low-context cultures focuses on the written or the spoken word. Consequently, an individual from China and Japan will not have a normal conversation with one from the USA or Germany. This communication barrier has been evident among international students who travel from their countries to foreign states to study. Lewthwaite (1996) reports on a cross-cultural study of Hong Kong Chinese students in China and Canada by Dyal and Chan (1985). According to the findings of the researchers, female Chinese learners were at a greater risk of suffering from stress-related symptoms compared to Canadian nationals or their counterparts studying in Hong Kong. Conversely, there are students who successfully transition into their new environment and establish relationships with the locals. The authors noted that those learners reported greater satisfaction in both their academic and non-academic lives.
Culture is also part of the social context that shapes the communication style. In most cases, people react to how we speak rather than whatever we say. This reaction is usually involuntary as the individuals have been socialized to react in the same way whenever someone talks in a certain manner. For a long time, communication has been an inte...
Updated on
Get the Whole Paper!
Not exactly what you need?
Do you need a custom essay? Order right now:
Order

👀 Other Visitors are Viewing These Harvard Essay Samples: