Intercultural Business Communications in Japan

Paper Summary:

The first few minutes of a business meeting can be very crucial to a company. When dealing with the Japanese culture, or any other culture for that matter, one may come across things that are very different from what one is used to in America. It is no surprise that different cultures have different values and beliefs. These values tend to come into conflict when communicating with cultures that business people are unfamiliar with. This conflict, which occurs during the communication process, can cost companies thousands of dollars in profits if it is not handled properly. This problem needs to be addressed so that employers and executives have a better idea of how to handle the situation when it occurs. This report demonstrates the issues which need to be addressed to prepare an American for a business meeting in Japan and how the American can make a good first impression. The paper gives recommendations to management and other people who may want to implement a strategy for improving their employees' or their own communication skills.

From the Paper:

"To understand the business culture of the Japanese, we must understand their day-to-day culture and etiquette. The Japanese are very group-oriented and homogeneous. Japanese will think of the group first rather than themselves. No one is completely independent in Japan; they must always be conscientious about others (Condon 9). Americans are more individualized and focus on themselves before the group. The Japanese prefer to have unanimous agreement rather than agreement by the most votes. They believe in negotiating until agreement emerges and if unanimity does not materialize it is better to defer making the decision."

More papers on Intercultural Business Communications in Japan:

• Research Paper # 1376 : "Cultural Aspects of Doing Business in Japan"
• Case Study # 118303 : "Intercultural Communication"
• Case Study # 121176 : "Merrill Lynch in Japan"

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