As an international manager, what business behaviors would you need to alter when operating in low-context cultures and high-context cultures? Illustrate your answer with specific examples
What will be an ideal response?
Business behaviors in high-context cultures often differ from those in low-context cultures. For example, German advertising is typically fact oriented, while Japanese advertising is more emotion oriented. High-context cultures place higher value on interpersonal relations in deciding whether to enter into a business arrangement. In such cultures preliminary meetings are often held to determine whether the parties can trust each other and work together comfortably. Low-context cultures place more importance on the specific terms of a transaction. In low-context cultures such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, lawyers are often present at negotiations to ensure that their clients' interests are protected. Conversely, in high-context cultures such as Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Egypt, the presence of a lawyer, particularly at the initial meeting of the participants, would be viewed as a sign of distrust.