How Does Culture Affect Meaning and Communication
Assessment 1: Assignment – Essay
MAN302 Professional Communication
TITLE: How does cultural effect meaning and communication
Intro
Nowadays we live in what is considered a “global village”, over time we have collectively worked towards this end. The need and desire to create a closer global community is not only seen as a technological advantage but an economic benefit. The world as we know it gets smaller every day, thanks to a new generation of social media applications such as facebook or twitter, which links vast communities together; communities and cultures are no longer cut off or remote. Take facebook for example, it has over 1 billion users, if it were a country it would be the third largest by population. (www.imf.org/external/np/speeches/2013/012313.htm) Whether you live and work in remote Antarctica or bustling Hong Kong, technology and the studies of inter-culture communication ensures that people, governments and organizations can work effectively together in a harmonious and beneficial way. Naturally, this is an ideal situation, but as experience tells us, nothing is ever as simple.
This essay explores how cultural differences effect meaning and communication. In doing so it will look at the definition of culture, what it is, and how it affects meaning. Furthermore, it will look at the acclaimed Dutch researcher, Geert Hofstede’s four dimensions of corporate culture as a framework to define and categorize cultural differences. Finally, it will raise potential problems raised in the field of inter-cultural communications and provide suggestions to overcome them.
What is culture?
Currently there are over “7 billion human inhabitants living on this planet. Each of these earth dwellers comes from a specific culture. (geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulationdata/a/worldpopulation.htm)
As the world becomes smaller, not physically, but by the use of new media and technology, as they traverse earth looking for new or
MAN302 Professional Communication
TITLE: How does cultural effect meaning and communication
Intro
Nowadays we live in what is considered a “global village”, over time we have collectively worked towards this end. The need and desire to create a closer global community is not only seen as a technological advantage but an economic benefit. The world as we know it gets smaller every day, thanks to a new generation of social media applications such as facebook or twitter, which links vast communities together; communities and cultures are no longer cut off or remote. Take facebook for example, it has over 1 billion users, if it were a country it would be the third largest by population. (www.imf.org/external/np/speeches/2013/012313.htm) Whether you live and work in remote Antarctica or bustling Hong Kong, technology and the studies of inter-culture communication ensures that people, governments and organizations can work effectively together in a harmonious and beneficial way. Naturally, this is an ideal situation, but as experience tells us, nothing is ever as simple.
This essay explores how cultural differences effect meaning and communication. In doing so it will look at the definition of culture, what it is, and how it affects meaning. Furthermore, it will look at the acclaimed Dutch researcher, Geert Hofstede’s four dimensions of corporate culture as a framework to define and categorize cultural differences. Finally, it will raise potential problems raised in the field of inter-cultural communications and provide suggestions to overcome them.
What is culture?
Currently there are over “7 billion human inhabitants living on this planet. Each of these earth dwellers comes from a specific culture. (geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulationdata/a/worldpopulation.htm)
As the world becomes smaller, not physically, but by the use of new media and technology, as they traverse earth looking for new or
References: About.Com 2013, Current world population. Viewed 6 June 2013 http://geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulationdata/a/worldpopulation.htm Dostine, A 2008, Professional Communication: Unit Guide, Cengage, North Sydney, Australia Geert Hofstede & Gert Jan Hofstede, Dimensions of national cultures. Viewed 3 June 2013 http://www.geerthofstede.nl/dimensions-of-national-cultures Hansen C D & Lee Y, 2009 The cultural context of human resources development, Macmillan Lagarde, C, 2013 International Monetary Fund (IMF) A new Global Economy for a new generation. Viewed 5 June 2013 http://www.imf.org/external/np/speeches/2013/012313.htm The Economist 2008, Geert Hofstede. Viewed 5 June 2013 http://www.economist.com/node/12669307