Social Differences Across Borders: The Anglo Saxon

Introduction

“... social … developments over the last two decades have combined to create a unified world marketplace…” (Organising). Every country has different methods of conducting business across borders. Some countries are similar while others are different. Everyday different businesses are continuously attempting to expand and reach consumers. The countries we are focusing on are the countries labelled Anglo-Saxon which are: the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland. We will focus on how each country manages social differences across borders by understanding language, business ethics and multiculturalism.

Language

Language is very important when it comes to discussing business. Without language, whether its verbal or nonverbal, it helps communicate the message you want consumers to hear. In this first section we will only talk about the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. The first country we will look at is the United Kingdom and how they conduct business through language barriers. It is widely known that English is the most common language spoken in the United Kingdom but business managers are very fluent in languages from Mandarin, Asian languages, French, Spanish, and more (Business). It is very important for business managers to know different languages to be able to communicate with people from different ethnicities. The United Kingdom is famous for the “Stiff Upper Lip” which means that they do not display emotions when a difficult situation pops up at work or during a meeting (Business). In particular situations that arise with complications, it is best to not let your emotions get to you. It is always best to act rational and think with a level headed mind. If a client observes you lashing out and not thinking critically in a serious situation then they known they cannot rely on you. The next country we will look at is the United States and how they overcome language barriers. It is commonly known that American English is one of the hardest languages to learn for foreigners mainly because of placing verbs and the different meanings of a few words. “ … phrasal verbs – a verb whose meaning is changed by a small word added to it” (Why). A lot of languages have words that do not have multiple meanings or have a two letter word change the meaning. So, when the United States conducts business overseas, they will either learn their language or simplify their proposal. One example is my job as an assistant manager at Rue 21. We have large numbers of clientele from different ethnicities that love to shop at our stores. Because of this, my coworkers and I try to look for numerous ways to communicate with our customers. Our methods are writing down our questions, translating, simplifying our sentences, non-verbal language or having a conversation and getting to know them. Businesses in the United States are constantly looking to expand and make a profit to have that “American Dream.” This also includes hiring staff that are bilingual so that they will have different clientele from all over the world. “The potential loss of trust — and commensurate loss of business — underscores the importance of a full knowledge of the language and culture for external communications, marketing, and branding, as well as for handling government and media relations” (What). When a company does not take the time to have patience and learn a countries culture then that company will waste time and money when the deal doesn not succeed. The next country we will look at is Canada and how they overcome language barriers. The country of Canada has five languages that nearly all or most of the citizens know, they are: English, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Punjabi (Top) (appendix one). Cantonese and Mandarin are similar languages with just a couple of differences. Cantonese has been around longer than Mandarin but Cantonese is an oral language while Mandarin is a written language (Cantonese). Punjabi is a, “descendent of the Shauraseni Prakrit, a language of medieval northern India that was used primarily in drama and plays during the 3rd to 10th centuries” (History). People from India that migrated to Canada and have descendants primarily use this language as a way to write and speak to one another. Richard Slingerland, a businessman from Canada, has said even though Canada is home to all of these dialects, it still makes it hard to close a business deal because of language barriers (Doing). His company mainly uses visuals and presentations when dealing with new clients because of this barrier: 'Sometimes we'll be in a meeting and it will be 45 minutes of pure Japanese or Mandarin and there's nothing coming back (in English),' (Doing). One important aspect that he uses to help his employees to overcome language barriers is that he pays for each of them to take an English class one hour each morning (Doing).

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Business Ethics

It is important for a business to have a code of ethics when hiring employees, difficult situations pop up or new clientele from overseas. A company needs to prove that they are reliable and loyal to their customers and employees (Appendix two). No matter what language everyone speaks or ethnicity, a company will not work with you if you do not stick to your code of ethics. In this section we will only talk about New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland. The first country we will talk about is New Zealand and how they use business ethics to achieve their goals. Companies in New Zealand have made ties between ethical leadership and the financial ties that come with it. Numerous businesses have been incorporating the four P’s of business: Purpose, Principles, Practices, and Performance management “fairness, caring, honesty and courage guide individual and business behaviour” (Ethical). They also address concerns for stakeholders, employees, customers and the environment along with involving quantitative and qualitative data to measure performance for the year (Ethical). The next country we will talk about is Australia and how they use business ethics to achieve their goals. There are numerous business ethics that each business in Australia uses to show their customers how much they respect them. A few examples of these ethics are: equality, corporate structure, and, gender roles. When it comes to equality, Australians treat everyone the same regardless of gender or demographics. If they treat someone different in the workplace, it would happen if they were to brag on their accomplishments. Business in Australia do not like it when their employees brag because it gives them a bad image and it is not respectful. Even though business have ranks and have the hierarchy of their employees, they still treat each other with respect. “Upper-level managers … seek input and advice from their subordinates, and there is … no … distinction between upper- and lower-level employees. Employees at lower levels frequently have considerable decision-making power” (Australian). Another important business ethic that Australian businesses practice is gender equality. A lot of positions have an equal amount of men and women in high positions in different companies. Women are highly valued in Australia and are treated with respect and nearly all high-ranking positions are employed by women (Australian). The final country we will talk about is Ireland and how they use business ethics to achieve their goals. One major business ethic that Ireland practices is punctuality. “Being late is seen as impolite and inconsiderate” (Business Etiquette). It makes your company seem disrespectable when you are late for a meeting with a client and do not call ahead or warn them. When having a business discussion they do not want opinions they wants facts and they do not rule with their emotions but with their mind (Irish). “During … negotiations, you should speak plainly and appreciate that what you say will be taken literally. Similarly, you should interpret what your Irish counterparts say in the same direct manner” (Business Meeting). Each country practices very important business ethics to help them keep old clients and find new ones. It also helps if their employees supports these ethics to help the company to meet its quarterly goals. An unpopular opinion is that if you practice ethics in every aspect of your life, you will have more respect for everyone and it will help you to be a kind person in general.

Understanding Multicuralism

Multicuralism is the celebration of human diversity by promoting legal, political, and social recognition of cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious differences (What is). This can lead to employees being comfortable with sharing their ideas and feeling appreciated. Many places of business uses multicuralism as a way to help their employees grow and succeed within the company. In this section we will only talk about the United States, Canada and New Zealand. The first country we will talk about is The United States and how they use multicuralism. A few business leaders have commented on multicuralism in the workplace including overseas business deals. The founder and CEO of Unbabel, Vasco Pedro, has stated that it is dangerous to assume everyone speaks English and that countries who speak the same languages make twice the amount of money versus other countries who do not (How). One of the chairmen of CUBE, Dr. Torsten Oelke, has said that half of their team have different cultural backgrounds and it is beneficial for any businesses deals with different countries (How). “Diversity is a high-performance fuel – and our strength' (How). Even though multicuralism has worked in the workplace the past few years lets hope it reaches to everyday life in and outside of work. The second country we will take a look at is Canada and how they use multicuralism. Compared to the United States and Europe, Canada is doing pretty well on the multicuralism frontier regardless if it is business or personal. Multicuralism has been a very important part of Canada's history ever since 1971 because they believe everyone should be treated with respect. They also apply their multiculturalism with their immigration policy by using a point system based on: “age, work experience, language ability, education and much more” (Why Does). Since Canada is constantly looking for people around the world to work for them, they use this point system as a way to give them citizenship without paying a lot of money out of pocket. Other countries have been influenced by this point system such as: Australia, several Scandinavian countries, and the Trump administration in the United States (Why Does). The last country we will talk about is New Zealand and how they use multicuralism. Just like Canada, New Zealand established the Treaty of Waitangi which explains why this country needs multicuralism and how their law reflects it. This treaty is a step for New Zealand to change from being a biculturalism country to multicultural because of the different cultures migrating to New Zealand (Our). This will also help to prevent racism and other forms of discrimination in and out of the workplace along with enabling social development for business overseas.

Conclusion

Each of these Anglo-Saxon countries demonstrates in different ways on how they conduct business overseas. Whether it is paying for a language class, helping immigrants gain citizenship or making multicuralism an important aspect of business it helps better the future for young kids. In this day and age it is very important to know more than one language in order to obtain an excellent paying job and to help communicate with people from different ethnicities. There are many benefits to knowing another language such as: boosting your brain, meet interesting people, and having amazing job opportunities (12). What is also beneficial in a business environment is business ethics. Business ethics are very important when having clients, employees and the employees families. When a business upholds its ethical standards in any situation it attracts the attention of people who need jobs. It also attracts potential investors and customers because of a companies great reputation and ethical standards. “Unethical behaviour or a lack of corporate social responsibility, by comparison, may damage a firm's reputation and make it less appealing to stakeholders. Profits could fall as a result” (The importance). Multicuralism is very important when having groups working on different projects because it leads to great outcomes. Multicuralism just like diversity leads to people of all ages, sex, and ethnicities working together to meet company goals but diversity goes just a little further into details (Multicultural). In the end, multicuralism ties language and business ethics all together in the business setting. Multicuralism starts a business off with wanting diverse employees. Language helps businesses to communicate with one another to help understand each other better. Business Ethics proves to customers, investors, and employees that they are valued and companies will protect their interests and safety. Each of these Anglo-Saxon countries focuses on managing social differences across borders by understanding language, business ethics and multiculturalism.

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