Dynamics of International Business: Asia-Pacific Business Cases
Dilemmas in Working Across Cultures: Arun in a
Conundrum
Amanda Budde-Sung
University of Sydney, Australia
Arun Gupta was born in northern India and trained in the UK as a professional accountant. He enjoyed his life in the UK and opted to remain there to further his career after he had finished his studies. While the UK was different from India in so many aspects, he felt he had adjusted well to his host country. He attributed part of his success in cross-cultural adaptation to his background, as he had had been exposed to an essentially British system of education in India.
After many years of experience in his field in the UK, he decided he was ready to venture further abroad and seek work opportunities in an accounting company in another country. With the increased globalisation of business, accountants with significant international experience tend to be highly valued and can often command higher salaries within their organisations. Arun began considering worldwide options for a location in which he could continue to develop his professional skills, while enhancing his C.V. with international experience.
After talking to friends and colleagues, began to focus his search on South Korea. Arun had a personal interest in Korean culture. His girlfriend was of Korean ancestry, having immigrated to the UK with her parents when she was a young child, and her family had introduced him to some of the highlights of Korean culture, including Korean food which he had come to enjoy. He had even taken a Korean cooking class in London to learn how to make his favourite dish, 'bibimbapi '. His girlfriend was keen to move to Korea with him, to both reconnect with her culture and to seek further career opportunities.
There were good employment prospects for a fully bilingual English/Korean businessperson in
Asia, and the financial crisis in Europe was limiting career advancement opportunities for both of them in the UK. A move to Korea seemed like a
Conundrum
Amanda Budde-Sung
University of Sydney, Australia
Arun Gupta was born in northern India and trained in the UK as a professional accountant. He enjoyed his life in the UK and opted to remain there to further his career after he had finished his studies. While the UK was different from India in so many aspects, he felt he had adjusted well to his host country. He attributed part of his success in cross-cultural adaptation to his background, as he had had been exposed to an essentially British system of education in India.
After many years of experience in his field in the UK, he decided he was ready to venture further abroad and seek work opportunities in an accounting company in another country. With the increased globalisation of business, accountants with significant international experience tend to be highly valued and can often command higher salaries within their organisations. Arun began considering worldwide options for a location in which he could continue to develop his professional skills, while enhancing his C.V. with international experience.
After talking to friends and colleagues, began to focus his search on South Korea. Arun had a personal interest in Korean culture. His girlfriend was of Korean ancestry, having immigrated to the UK with her parents when she was a young child, and her family had introduced him to some of the highlights of Korean culture, including Korean food which he had come to enjoy. He had even taken a Korean cooking class in London to learn how to make his favourite dish, 'bibimbapi '. His girlfriend was keen to move to Korea with him, to both reconnect with her culture and to seek further career opportunities.
There were good employment prospects for a fully bilingual English/Korean businessperson in
Asia, and the financial crisis in Europe was limiting career advancement opportunities for both of them in the UK. A move to Korea seemed like a
References: Javidan, M., Dorfman, P.W., de Luque, M.S., and House, R.J. (2006). In the eye of the beholder: Cross-Cultural lessons in leadership from Project GLOBE Hofstede, G. (2001) Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations Hofstede, G. (2012). The Hofstede Centre. http://geert-hofstede.com/geert-hofstede.html. [Retrieved November, 2012].