Multiculturalism: What It Means in Education, Business, and Society

1. Multiculturalism: What It Means in Education, Business, and Society Prepared by Prof. Oscar Zamora

2. Oscar Zamora

3. Oscar Zamora • Prof. in GWU Godbold School of Business • Retired as Global Director of Manufacturing - Azdel, Inc., Shelby, NC, USA • Born - Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico • B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin • MBA, University of Texas at Austin

4. Places Worked • 1. Corpus Christi, Texas • 2. Guayanilla, Puerto Rico • 3. Lake Charles, Louisiana • 4. Natrium, West Virginia • 5. Kaoshiung, Taiwan, R.O.C. • 6. Beauharnois, Quebec, Canada • 7. Bergen op Zoom, Holland • 8. Lynchburg, Virginia • 9. Shelby, North Carolina

5. Multiculturalism & Globalization • Why is multiculturalism important? • Homogeneous society • Diversity • Globalization!

6. Countries of the World

7. Countries & Languages • 196 countries • 6500 spoken languages • 1.5 billion speak Mandarin Chinese • 406 million speak Spanish • 335 million speak English

8. Business • “Global” employee • Work for a global company. • Work in international location. • Deal with international customers & suppliers. • Work in international offices of your company. • Interact with different cultures & languages

9. Schools • Have students from different cultures • Some speak a language other than English as a first language • Parents often do not speak English • U.S. Graduates will be competing against graduates from all over the world

10. School Mission Statements • ……to become productive citizens in a globally competitive world…. • ….Gardner-Webb prepares its graduates to make significant contributions for God and humanity in an ever-changing global community.

11. Society • People from different ethnicities, cultures & languages live in communities • Some may not speak English well or at all

12. What is Culture?-Global Business Today, C. Hill Culture is a system of values and norms that are shared among a group of people, and when taken together constitute a design for living.

13. People aremostlyunaware of culture Culture is like an iceberg. Much is hidden from sight, even for its members.

14. The Determinants of Culture Ethics Customs

15. Religion Christianity 2.0B Islam 1.6B Hinduism .8B Buddhism .5B Confucianism

16. Religion • One of the most important elements of Culture is religion. • Wars have been fought for thousands of years over religion. • First communions • Bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs • Baptisms • Travelers/businessmen need to be aware of religious holidays in other cultures.

17. Education - Key to learning about other cultures and other languages… Education, either formal or informal, plays a major role in the passing on and sharing of culture. Communities, schools, universities, local and international businesses need education to understand multiculturalism.

18. Gardner-Webb University - Diversity • Has a diverse student body and faculty. • Its 2,600 undergraduates come from 33 states and 34 foreign countries.

19. Gardner-Webb University • Face-to-face interaction with people from different cultures • International students • Mission trips • International programs • Study Abroad • GEM trips • International Business classes • Majors in International Business

20. Business Cultural Awareness Programs • Learning the do’s and don’ts between cultures is never easy and not all of the rules are written down. • Many companies have their own cultural awareness programs. • All companies that do business with international suppliers or customers should prepare awareness programs.

21. Preparation • When communicating with other cultures, • Learn at a minimum - greeting & thanks. • Speak clearly. • Avoid colloquialisms. • Business cards in other language. • Things to do/not to do.

22. Home Map

24. What to look for in a Global employee Education • Grades • Degree • Courses • Extracurricular Activities • clubs • sports • civic organizations

25. Character Traits • Adaptable • Confident (not arrogant) • Willing to learn/curious • Pay attention to detail • Presence • Decisive • Good attendance/responsible

26. Character Traits, cont. • Work within other cultures (geocentric) • Leadership • Ethical Values • Low maintenance

27. Specific Skills • Good problem-solving skills • Work well with teams • Technical competence in your field • Foreign language • Good communication skills – both written and oral

28. Language (Beamer & Varner) • Language - system of communication using arbitrary signals, voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols. • Language is essential in communicating with people from different backgrounds. • However, cultural literacy is necessary to understand the language being used.

29. Language • If we select language without being aware of the cultural implications: • at best, do not communicate well • at worst, send the wrong message.

30. Language/Culture • Sometimes different cultures use identical words that have different meanings. • The results can be humorous, annoying, insulting, or costly, depending on the circumstances.

31. Same Words, Different Meanings • The word “administration”: • U.S. – department chair, dean or provost. • French – upper level clerical staff. • The “Resume”: • Germany - written in essay form; has information about your family, • Japan – used to be handwritten; never use standard U.S. format.

32. “Force Majeure” - superior force • U.S. law – forces of nature/possibly war. • English law– broader meaning, includes changes in economic conditions or other circumstances not anticipated when the contract was drawn up. • Need to clarify what is meant and what the term covers.

33. Same words, different meanings In the U.S. a notary is a licensed person who can verify signatures and documents. In Europe, a notary is a lawyer who prepares documents. 33

34. Same language, different meanings British English to table means to put it on the table for discussion American English to tablemeans to put it away and close discussion 34

35. Same language, different meanings Mexican Spanish Ahorita – right now Ahora – today or anytime Puerto Rican Spanish Ahorita - anytime Ahora – right now

36. Linguistic Literacy or Myth? • Everyone speaks English. • You never know where you will wind up, so you may be learning the wrong language. • A good manager is a good manager everywhere.

37. Linguistic Literacy? • I have been successful without learning a foreign language. • You can always hire a translator. • You probably will not be good enough to negotiate in a foreign language anyway.

38. Linguistic vs Cultural Fluency • A person who speaks some Spanish but is knowledgeable about the culture of Mexico will be more successful in doing business in Mexico than will a person who speaks Spanish fluently but knows little about Mexican culture.

39. Translator/Interpreter Translator: someone who “carries” meaning of a word across from one language to a word in another language. Translation usually refers to written communication. Interpreter: someone who expresses meanings from one language in another language, using context. Interpretation usually refers to spoken communication.

40. The Role of the Interpreter The interpreter transmits messages, but does not enter into the discussion. Encode message Decode/Encode message Decode message SENDER INTERPRETER TRANSLATOR RECEIVER feedback feedback • The ability to speak the language well does not eliminate the need for interpreter or translator.

41. Language Strategies • Require references for translators. • Ensure the translator is familiar with technical vocabulary for the business. • Do a back translation. • Use simple words/speak slowly. • Avoid slang. • Repeat words and ask questions. • Expect extra time for communication.

42. Language Strategies • Avoid abbreviations. • Be careful with jokes. • Follow the conventions of business letters in target culture. • Be careful with numbers and dates.

43. Be Careful with Numbers • U.S. - $5,350.48 • Europe - $5.350,48 • The comma and the decimal point are reversed. • Often the punctuation to set off thousands is not used at all.

44. Be Careful with Dates • American usage: May 6, 2013 or 05/06/2013 • German usage: 6 Mai 2013 or 6.5.2013 • Increasing international usage: 2013 May, 6 or 2013, 05 06

45. World Perception about Language • What is a person called who speaks 2 languages? Bilingual • What is a person called who speaks 3 languages? Trilingual • What is a person called who speaks only 1 language?

46. Intercultural Communication • Learning the do’s and don’ts between cultures is never easy and not all of the rules are written down. • Communication with a multicultural workforce has made businesses in all countries confront issues with diverse workforces and business dealings. • (Beamer & Varner)

47. Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication(Hahn) • Be aware of differing social values. • Be aware of differing status symbols. • Be aware of decision making customs. • Be aware of concepts of time and money • Be aware of personal space

48. Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication – cont. • Be aware of cultural content. • Be aware of body language. • Be aware of different etiquette rules or manners. • Be aware of legal and ethical behaviors.

49. Verbal/non-verbal • Technical words do not exist in all languages: • Usually use English. • Many cultures avoid saying anything disagreeable – have trouble saying “NO.” • Gestures vary from one region to another. • Gift giving has specific etiquette in each culture.

50. Eye Contact/Facial Expressions • Eye contact: subtle; nonverbal • Meanings, can be quite different • Some feelings are not appropriate to show in some cultures (anxiety, anger, disappointment).