Unit 6, cultural awareness

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 1

Cultural awareness

Unit 6

In this unit

- Start up

- Globalization

- Reading p 36

- Glocalization

- Reading p 38

Cultural miscommunication

Have you ever had a similar experience?

In Brazil, you ____________ start a business discussion before your host.

1. must
2. must not

In Germany, you ____________ use titles in business, you ____________ use first names.

1. must, must
2. must not, must not
3. must, must not
4. must not, must

You ____________ hand over a gift using both hands in China.

1. must
2. must not

You ____________ immediately read a business card you are given in Japan.

1. must
2. must not

In Australia, you ____________ make and maintain eye contact.

1. must
2. must not

You ____________ smoke in the US unless you are sure it is permitted.

1. must
2. must not

In Thailand, you ____________ show the soles of your feet.

1. must
2. must not

You ____________ use your right hand for eating in Islamic countries

1. must
2. must not

In Japan, you ____________ open a gift in front of the giver.

1. must
2. must not

You ____________ write notes in red in China

1. must
2. must not

What is globalisation

Globalisation is the process by which business and organisations grow and start to operate in countries all over the world, which has been made easier by new techonology and politicial developments.

What are consequences of globalisation?

Consequences

Economically

Multinational corporations (Shell, Microsoft, Nestlé, Apple) account for 20% of world production and 70% of world trade.

(which means smaller, local companies have less profit)

Communication

More interdependence between people of different cultures and languages than ever before

Can you think of the stereotypes used about your culture?

Read the text 

Assignment 1: Answer the questions in English

Assignment 2: Decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F)

Stereotypes about the Dutch

The Dutch are stoned all the time

This might be the most common stereotype about Dutch people, or at least something they are infamous for. However, the fact that soft drugs are more or less legalized in the Netherlands actually contributes to the lower numbers of addicts and users compared to the high percentage, almost twice as high, of soft drug users in the USA.

All Dutch are tall, have blond hair and blue eyes

 This stereotype is indeed true only if you consider the people who are ethnically Dutch. Dutch people are the tallest people in the world with 1.84m on average for men and 1.70 for women

The Dutch are greedy

 There must be a reason why splitting the bill is called ‘Going Dutch.’ It’s true that many Dutch keep a tight watch over their money. Men are unlikely to pay for their dates. (Ladies, take a clue. If you like to be dined and wined while in Amsterdam, going Dutch is not going to be a solution.) I am no sociologist, but perhaps this explains why there are not many beggars on the streets in Amsterdam compared to other mega cities in Europe.

The Dutch wear wooden shoes

 They are quite popular with little kids and people in rural areas. We make them so you tourists can buy them. If you think we’re still wearing them, fine as long as you buy a lot of them.

At least half the population is gay

 Most Dutch are very tolerant towards the gay community. Amsterdam is unofficially Europe’s gay capital. The Netherlands was also the first country in the world to allow gay marriage in 2001.

Every Dutch shed keeps at least a dozen bicycles

 There are more bicycles than people in the Netherlands. For short distances, people prefer biking over driving and walking. Dutch also take pride in decorating their bikes. Every morning thousands of Dutch school kids will take their bikes and ride distances up to 20km to get to school. Every season, rain or shine, summer or winter Dutch are seen on their bikes. There is probably nowhere else you will see many women in elegant dresses or skirts pedaling on their bikes

All Dutch speak English

 Dutch study English from an early age in a good education system and this combined with the similarities between the two languages ensures that you never have to bring a language guide to the Netherlands. You can ask for pretty much anything in Netherlands. Waitresses on the tourist squares are more likely to approach you in English than in Dutch and even if you try to speak Dutch, the Dutch will almost always switch to English in order to make it easier for you (or to brag their language skills).

Listening

Please see hand-out and answer the questions

1. Riccardi helps people to communicate better, what is the first thing that he thinks is very important in global communication?

2. What is the first problem when working with other nationalities?

3. The speaker talks about his Italian father and his Norwegian wife, who asks him to go for a walk in the forest. Why does the father respond with ‘’WHY’’?

4. How do the Norwegian, French and British people queue? Write down the differences:

• In the UK:

• In Norway:

BONUS: why do they do this?

• In France:

5. According to Riccardi, what is the best way to navigate through different cultures? And why does he think it will help you?

6. When communicating in between different cultures, where does it go wrong?

7. What does Riccardi suggest to do when you have difficulties communicating in between cultures?

8. What is the last advice he gives us in order to get a global mindset?

je kunt de vragen ook printen zodat ze die bij de clip erbij kunnen houden