International Business and Globalization Essay

Submitted By kappesaj
Words: 3108
Pages: 13

Conducting business on an international level means dealing with, learning, and respecting thousands of various cultures on a daily basis. However, the current global market is so submerged in the pockets of other global corporations that many business leaders and employees forget the cultural barriers that define other participating global companies. This scenario is a consuming and growing issue in the international world of business and is called cultural sensitivity or cultural awareness. When the global market becomes culturally insensitive to its multiple participating civilizations the market will crumble and financial, political, and outsourcing difficulties will arise. This is because these potential and cultured customers value and stay with a company that shares their beliefs, language, values, and is well educated on that culture’s history. Without culture sensitivity in the business world, the cultured consumers lose their trust and commitment with a particular global corporation and take their business elsewhere to a more culturally educated company. Another purpose in being culturally sensitive is that cultures are evidently linked to certain countries. Therefore, when an entire culture is not respected and made aware of in a business that entire country will have begin to have an issue with that individual business resulting in political issues between the hurt customer and the culturally insensitive business. Lastly, without cultural awareness in internationally conducted business comes the issue of outsourcing and importing among various countries. For example, if a Western and globalized corporation prudently disrespects and is unsympathetic towards a customer of Asian culture to the point of losing business, that problem could start at a financial level, progress to a political problem, and escalate to an issue where Asian politics find it justified to stop something like trade to all Western imports. As one can see, if cultural sensitivity is not handled in its beginning mishandled stages, then it may progress to international problems that are financially, politically, and trading-wise degrading. In order for international business scholars and corporations to succeed in the global market it is consequential that companies and employees develop cultural sensitivity so that they may financially benefit, maintain a political balance in the global market, and grow vital communication skills. The rapidly growing global market requires for companies of all kinds to be able to adapt and grow along side, which starts with leaders and businesses becoming culturally sensitive in order to reap the benefits. A globalized business that has culturally sensitive values at the top of its list is a company that has happy foreign customers. Foreign customers want to do business with globalized companies that have awareness of their values and culture because those customers can trust that they will be properly respected, taken care of, and the communication skills of the company will be strong and compatible. Ideas such as these resound across all variations of business from same culture business to global because of the fact that happy customers will network with others about their happiness at a certain business, which then draws in more and increasing profit for that specific company. The necessity for companies to be culturally knowledgeable is only going to increase as the market does. Therefore, the issue of cultural awareness in the international market is not just a phase, movement, or idea that will die down; instead, the problem needs to be addressed and pursued by companies. Author Susan Reed from Global Post writes about how the quickly growing market requires that companies quickly change and adapt to the market’s needs. Which, in this case, requires the adaption of companies to cultural sensitivity. This article informs business leaders about the growth of cultural awareness and impacting cultural