Managing Cross

Managing Cross Tabular notes Bibliographic details Murray, S. (2009). Cross-cultural training. sLondon: Financial Times. Available from web. Mead, R. and Andrews, T. (2009) International management culture. 4 ed. England: John Wiley Sons. Vecchi, A. and Brennan, L. (2009) Quality management: a cross-cultural perspective, International Journal, 16 (2), pp. 149-164. Trompenaars, F. (2003). Business across cultures. England: Capston. J, Campbell. (2005)Business ethics. Oxon: Routledge What is an organizational culture? It is the meaning shared amongst members of a given organization, distinct from any other organization. n/a n/a n/a n/a How does culture affect an international business? With every country having its own communication habits and styles, these companies face cultural differences amongst its diverse employees. Cultural barriers affect the business’ bottom line. Culture influences the way an organization responds to its environment, roles, structure, how members communicate , make decisions and also they respond to the organizational structure. By the varying priorities, performances and practices across nations. n/a n/a Causes of cultural differences in international businesses Language barriers, Social norms, total quality management standards. Lack of trainings on management, lack of cultural awareness Factors that contribute in achieving a Total Quality Management n/a n/a Can cross cultural differences be resolved? Yes. Trainings on management, cultural rewarding on individuals. Trainings and cultural awareness Yes. With differences in religion and language, cultural homogeneity may be impossible to achieve in a certain nation n/a n/a Do these factors relate to me? Yes. Creating awareness of cultural differences in a company begins with an individual. Yes. As an individual, cultural misunderstanding could affect you adversely if you lack prior knowledge of other cultures. Yes. To achieve cultural homogeneity, individual should have be flexibl e and interested. Can they be positively resolved? Yes. By training the workforce. Yes. Through cultural analysis. Yes. Through adopting a variety of cultural practices. Introduction An Organization result into norms that shape the behaviors of both individuals and groups within the organization. With the increased internationalization in today’s business world, most companies are doing business across many nations. With every country having its own communication habits and styles, these companies face cultural differences amongst its diverse employees.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Cross-Cultural Staff specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Murray (2009, para. 11), there is therefore the need to invest on cultural preparedness and trainings on the workforce. Cultural barriers affect the business’ bottom line (Campbell 2005, p. 102). Mead and Andrews (2009, p. 4) argue that c ulture influences the way an organization responds to its environment, roles, structure, how members communicate, make decisions and also they respond to the organizational structure. The authors indicate that international managers need to determine the amount of weight to exert on culture in relation to other factors while predicting or explain a behavior. They should also be able to determine the amount of weight on culture that can be administered when responding to an action or a behavior. Discussion Cultural Miscommunications causes wastage of time in the process of trying to understand what the other person is saying, the end result is low morale on workers hence the business fails to capitalize on the benefits of having employees from diverse cultures. Language barrier is a major cause of misunderstandings among employees. Related to this is colloquialism, dialects and accents. Cultural awareness is the cure for this barrier. Cultural awareness provides the foundation for in tercultural communication sensitivity. Recent research suggests that individuals with such sensitivity tend to do well in intercultural communication settings. Companies should therefore seek to curb this behavior by promoting acceptance of other people’s cultural differences despite the difference in identities. Culture should not define the position that an individual holds in a certain company. Adapting equal opportunities for all is therefore unavoidable for any organization. Another cause of cultural conflicts is the differences that arise from social norms. A person may be treated differently depending on the country that she is doing business in. An example of this is female employees operating in Africa. The social norms of some countries in Africa are different from those of Western Europe. Some African countries view a woman as a person who should always be under someone authority.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They do not command authority and therefore expected not head a corporate. If an employee deployed from such a country to work in a community that accepts a woman to command power and hold a managerial position. Then there is likely to emerge cultural misunderstandings while trying to conduct business with such a company (Murray 2009, para.12) According to Murray, (2009, para. 13), there is no single approach to a certain cultural problem. Therefore, one can apply different concepts in different situations at a given time. While extending its operations abroad, an international business must arm its staff with simple cross cultural information to reduce occurrences of cultural barriers. By so doing, the company would be informing its workforce about the common behaviors in workplace that cause misinterpretations among employees. Managing cross-cultural differences in international businesses is not a one day thing. M anagers and employees need to learn about cross-cultural skills (Mead Andrews 2009, p. 4). According to Murray (2009, para. 12), it may involve developing tools for cross- cultural awareness like computer developed programs that thoroughly offers information concerning different time zones and the possible ways of communication while minimizing misunderstanding. The program would also address common cultural attitudes associated with gender. This is a common social issue that cause misunderstanding among diverse teams. Work practices and attitude differences can be disastrous in international business. This is a result of the different ethnic groups involved. It is more effective to practice the solutions in real situations other that just training individuals as formality. Apart from just addressing cultural differences, it is important for international businesses to utilize the benefits that result from cultural differences. Managers operating in such businesses must be able to export ideas and implement the ideas in unique ways to fit their market segment and needs. The increased competition in today’s business world demands that companies adapt to quality practices while at the same time capitalize on the competitive advantage that springs from the probability of traditional or non-traditional concerns. A study on quality management indicates that learning about the diversity of workforce cultures will enable managers acquire similar and effective management practices (Murray 2009, para. 13).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Cross-Cultural Staff specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Cultural and national boundaries have major roles in Total Quality Management. This is because priorities, performances and practices vary across nations. Some of the factors that affect effective quality practice in an organization or nation may include customer focus, the level of management commi tment, training, strategic planning, teamwork, employee’s involvement among others. National culture is an entity while discussing about quality management that cannot be ignored. Research indicates that deeply rooted cultures affect quality approaches that managers take despite having similar challenges to adopt change while operating in different societies. Certain cultures in a nation function best if specific quality programs are executed than others. The implementation of quality management majorly depends on the different issues related to the national culture. Change is the main factor that fosters Quality management. However, research shows that the culture of a nation is resistant to change. The main argument behind the results of such a research is that although the quality practices may go through certain changes, the basic values accompanying those practices are resistant to change. In such a case, global firms must align their quality practices in such a way that the local national culture embraces them. However this does not imply giving in the veracity of the policies governing them. Instead, it is crucial to develop effective programs that match the local culture. In countries like Canada, Belgium and also Israel, different national and ethnic cultures co-exist (Vecchi Brennan 2009, p.149- 164). With the globalization and human mobility, the result would be intensified national and ethnic co- existences. However, the differences in sub cultures may be heightened due to the differences in religion and language (Trompenaars Woolliams 2003, p. 38). In such a case, cultural homogeneity may be impossible to achieve in a certain nation. On the basis of the foregoing arguments, it is important to ensure that an organization adopts an effective mode of communication. Therefore I intend to adopt strategic commitment in handling any cultural differences that I encounter within my work place. I also need to accept that an organization is composed of different people from different origins, culture, language, and attitudes. It is important to manage al situations at workplace effectively with the common goal of attaining success and transforming the company into a global business. Culture conflicts may lead to superior, aggressive and hostile attitudes and actions among co- workers. It is therefore imperative for all individuals within an organization to learn about other groups within the company. This is the easiest way to discover that everybody, despite their culture and experiences, has the same high and low points in life as everyone.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More People should be open to learning experiences through foreign books and newspapers that offer such insights. Managers should encourage programs that foster friendship relationships like team building and cultural clubs. Friendship cuts through many misconceptions because it allows people to see others as individuals rather than a collection of traits. Conclusion With the rapid growth of business world, any organization that wishes to establish a competitive edge in the market needs to adapt a globalization strategy that aims at overcoming cross cultural barriers. Globalization entails total integration of languages, economies, nations, cultures and technologies. Research has shown that customers greatly prefer to buy in their own language. While studies show that there exist a relationship between cultural dimensions and quality management, there is need to reconcile some other limitations. This is because there are possibilities of having different corporate, industrial and sectors coexisting within the same firm yet may conflict and imbalance the national culture. Reference List Campbell, J., 2005, Business Ethics. (1st Ed). Oxon: Routledge Mead, R. Andrews, T., 2009, International management culture. 4 ed. England: John Wiley Sons. Murray, S., 2009. Cross-cultural training. London: Financial Times. [On-line]. Trompenaars, F. Woolliams, P., 2003. Business across cultures. (1st Ed). England: Capston. Vecchi, A. Brennan, L., 2009 Quality management: a cross-cultural perspective. International Journal, Vol.16, No. 2, pp. 149-164. Self Evaluation From the experience of doing the above task, I have polished my research skills by utilizing an electronic library. To compile a comprehensive analysis on how organizations should manage the diverse cultures of employees to work for the good of the company, then there was need to research on the subject thoroughly so as get an insight of how different successful global companies manage their employees. These cases w ould only be found through a wide research. I have also learnt that reading and note taking is a fundamental step when writing about an academic essay. In order to compile an academic essay, a writer should keenly read through the provided or available reading material in library or electronic sources and note down major points from which arguments in the body will be generated. The choice of language determines whether or not I will be able to explain clearly the points generated from the reading materials. I have learnt that to effectively communicate I have to choose the right words and tenses when constructing sentences. This is because an academic essay requires the use of correct grammar. The tutorials helped me ensure to structure the academic essay in a way that ideas progressively follow each other. This is an essential step which I have learnt when writing an academic essay. Construction of arguments is another essential thing that I have learned. I have known that in an a rgument, you have to show your agreement as well as your disagreement on the topic of discussion. There after, you can give your stand or general opinion concerning the topic in question. I have as well learned that structuring my written work is important since it helps the reader to quickly capture my point of argument. In addition, it gives my work a beautiful look and thus is attractive to the eye making the reader want to read more. I have leaned that organizing my time and especially by using a time schedule helps improves on time management. Similarly, it helps me to spend quality time on my studies as well as leisure. Organizing time also helps avoid last minute rush when it comes to revising for examination as well as handing over assignment. Tutorials play a big role when it comes to handling of topics under different perspectives. Every one approaches issues in different view point depending on what motivates them. Tutorials therefore become an avenue for such disclosures . I have learned that for as long as you are keen on other people’s arguments, you learn to approach issues at a broad perspective. Next time when given an assignment, I will try as much as possible to have different approaches to it. I will also ensure that I organize and structure my work in more presentable way. I feel confident about myself. I feel I can be able to achieve the set goals. However I need to improve on the way I look at things. I need to adopt a broader way of solving and judging certain issues.

What Is Model UN 4 Reasons to Join

What Is Model UN 4 Reasons to Join SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you interested in politics or international relations and looking for a club that lets you do you hands-on activities?Have you heard of Model UN but aren’t sure exactly what it is? Read this guide to learn everything you need to know about what Model UN is, what participants in it do, and how to decide if it’s the right extracurricular for you to join. What Is Model UN? Model United Nations, often referred to as Model UN or MUN, is an extracurricular most commonly for high school students, but also available to college and middle school students. Model UN is a simulation of UN organizations such as theUN General Assembly, UN Security Council, UNICEF, and others. Its participants take the roles of ambassadors from various countries anddebate current issues.Model UNwas developed in the 1950s as a way to give students hands-on learningininternational relations, diplomacy, and the United Nations.Over 400,000 students around the world participate in Model UN each year. What Do Model UN Participants Do? The core of Model UN is its simulations of UN conferences where students (known as Model UN delegates) role playas UN ambassadors and delegates. If you join Model UN, you will be doing a variety of activities, includingresearching,debating, andcoming up with solutions with members of other countries.These simulations occur at Model UN conferences, which can be regional, national, or international. Conferencescan have anywhere from 30 to over 3,000 participants. When your Model UN team joins a conference, your team will be assigned a country and an issue relevant to that country that is currently being discussed in the UN. You can request a certain country, but you are not guaranteed to get it. Forexample, you may be chosen to represent Nicaragua at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). At the conference you attend, you will have to convince the other delegates to make decisions in your country’s favor. If you have a larger Model UN team, you may be assigned multiple countries or issues, and the team will break into smaller groups to cover each one.Conferences occur throughout the year, but you will be given at least a few weeks, and usually several months, to prepare your position before you attend the conference. Before theConference: In order to prepare for conferences, delegates must study the country and the issue they have been assignedandbecome well-informed on both.Most conferences require you to write a position paper that outlines your country’s position on the topic as well as suggestions you have for how to resolve the issue. If you’re representing Nicaragua for the ECLAC, you will need to research topics such as what sectors have the largest impact on the country’s economy, long-term and short-term economic trends in Nicaragua, if there are groups largely excluded from contributing to the economy (such as women or certain ethnic groups), who Nicaragua’s primary trade partners are, what the countryimports and exports, and multiple other topics. After discussing these issues in the position paper, you will have to come up with ways to improve Nicaragua’s economic situation. UN General AssemblyHall in New York City During theConference: Students will be organized based on the committees or councils they are part of, so all the members of the ECLAC would meet together. Each group will have a chair who will moderate the discussions. The chair is often an older student or adult. Delegates then give a speech outlining their country’s position on the issues and offering possible solutions. Most of this information will come from your position paper.After each delegate has presented their country’s position and potential solutions, there are question and answer sessions and debates (known as â€Å"caucusing†). The main goal during the conference is for your committee to develop a written resolution. After you have discussed different countries’ viewpoints, debated, and agreed on solutions, the entire group will work together to writethe resolution. The resolution will explain the issue your committee is focusing on and give a series of guidelinesin order to solve it. After the resolution is written, the committee will vote on it. If your resolution passes, that is a mark of your committee’s ability to work together and compromise well.Awards are also often given out at conferences to top delegates in each committee. These are often delegates who had well-designed position papers, debated effectively, worked well with other members, and took an active role in developing the written resolution. How CanYou Start a Model UN Group at Your School? If your school already has a Model UN group, you can probably join it the way you would join any other school club. If there is no Model UN club at your school, then you can also start your own. We have a guide that gives step-by-step instructions on how to start your own club, and we also have some specific tips for starting a Model UN club below. First, you’ll need a teacher to act as the adviserfor your Model UN club. When you apply to start a Model UN team, your school may assign a teacher, but, if not, consider asking a social studies teacher who likely has a strong background in the issues that Model UN discusses. After you have recruited members and set up meeting times, the next step is to choose which conference(s) to attend. Currently, over 400 conferences take place all over the world. You can search online for conferences, and a list of larger conferences is also available here. For new clubs, you may want to choose a conference that is close to your school in order to make traveling easier and less expensive. It’s possible for a Model UN team to sign up for multipleconferences, butif your team is just starting out, you may want to begin with only one or two conferences a year to make sure members aren't overwhelmed with work. Also, because new teams usually don't get first pick for what country they'd like to represent, if you'd like to represent a larger country like China or the US, you have a better chance of getting your first choice at a smaller conference. Be aware though that representing a larger country often requires more research and preparation. Once you have a conference selected, your team will be assigned at least one country and committee to represent.You can now divide up roles and begin researching. What Are the Benefits of Joining Model UN? Now that you know what Model UN is, what are the benefits of joining it? Model UN can be a great addition to a resume or college application, and I've discussed four of itsmost important benefits below. Benefit #1: Hands-On Experience in Politics, International Relations, and Current Events If you are planning a career in international relations, politics, or you’re simply really interested in these topics, Model UN is one of the best extracurriculars you can join because it gives you hands-on experience in these areas.Most of the time, students interested in these subjectscan only learn about them in class or by reading on their own.While this is a great way to get more information, itusually isn’t a very interactive experience. Model UN involves many of the same activities that actual UN delegates participate in, which is a great way to learn how different countries and committees work together to solve problems.Model UN conferences also focus on current issues, so you will be learning about relevant current events that are likely being discussed and debated around the world. Hands-on experience can makeunderstanding ideas and concepts easier, looks stronger on college applications because it requires more work, and is often more fun to participate in as well. Benefit #2: Improve Public Speaking and Debate Skills During a Model UN conference, you will spend a lot of yourtime giving speeches and debating with other delegates, which can really improve your skills in these areas. Public speaking and debate skills are useful for almost every career, so no matter what kind of job you want in the future, boosting your skills in these areas will likely benefit you down the line. Benefit #3: Learn Teamwork Skills Every step of Model UN requires teamwork, whether it’s dividing up research assignments, writing a position paper, orcreating a speech. At the conference, teamwork becomes even more important because you must work with the other delegates to come up with solutions that everyone is happy with and write a resolution paper together. Model UN delegates often gain experience in conflict resolution, consensus building, and negotiations, which are teamwork experiences many other clubs don’t offer. Strong teamwork skills are very important to colleges because they want to admit students who will work well with their classmates and other students on campus. Having strong teamwork experiences such as the ones you can get through Model UN can help strengthen your college applications. Benefit #4: Possibility of Travel If you participate in Model UN, there is also the possibility of traveling to new cities or even new countries.Model UN conferences are held around the world, and if your team can afford to travel to a foreign conference, you can get the added benefits of exploring a new placeand culture, as well as meeting students from other countries. If you join Model UN, you may get to travel to some exciting places for conferences. Soshould you join Model UN? If you have enough time in your schedule and are at all interested in international relations, politics, debating, or public speaking, then Model UN can be a great extracurricular to get involved in because it includes a lot of hands-on, relevant work and can be a strong addition tocollege applications. If you're still unsure, drop by a meeting at your school to get a sense of what joining the club would be like. Summary Model UN is a club for middle school, high school, or college students whose members simulate UN committees. Model UN members are assigned at least one country and committee. They research the country and the relevant issues to prepare for a conference. At the conference, students representing many countries and issues come together to debate their positions and agree on solutions. Model UN is a great extracurricular for students looking to learn more about politics, current events, or international relations and for students who want to improve their public speaking or debate skills. You can learn more about Model UN here. What's Next? Looking for other after-school activities? We have a list of over 200 extracurricular ideas, and it's sure to include something that interests you! Considering community service or volunteer work? We have a guide to the nine best places to do community service! Interested in more opportunities for travel? Read our guide on volunteer abroad programs and learn if they're really the best option for you. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: