As we have come to a world of economic globalization, more and more companies are working in an international approach. Globalization incites a multitude of situations and intercultural relations. The company is therefore faced with an assimilation of a lot of knowledge on the countries where it tries to establish itself, on the companies with which it wishes to collaborate and it should practice a management style adapted to the given environment. Moreover, the conscience of our own culture calls out to us when it is in opposition with another. To manage this clash, the company should come to understand the culture and what should be included in the management to arrive at a certain kind of an intercultural management adapted to the current situation. For C. Kluchhohn, culture is "a structured way of thinking, feeling, and reacting of a human group, acquired and passed on through symbols and which represent their specific identity; it includes solid objects produced by the group. The heart of the culture consists of traditional ideas and values which are linked to it". More simply, culture is a collection of social structures and artistic, religious and intellectual manifestations which define a group in relation to another group.
[...] The training is in 4 successive stages which alternate theory courses at university (approximately 32 hours of classes per month the first month) and practical in restaurants : - Team development program - Restaurant management - Semi-management - Executive management Team development program : This first step happens in restaurants. The beginners and advanced teams learn the basic workings of the performance of the restaurant, namely quality, service, cleanliness and value, always directed towards the customer. Restaurant management : With what they have learned during the experience in restaurant, McDonald's employees integrate a management team of the restaurant. [...]
[...] The advice and recommendations applicable to a given country are not automatically applicable in another cultural context. Creating a climate of confidence is certainly a laudable intention and very useful anywhere on the planet, but the means to achieve it must be defined in light of local circumstances The Far East Each company operates in a particular environment, within which exchanges rest implicitly or explicitly based on assumptions. In a context of inter- company relations firms that are very close and many, it is essential for professionals to understand these cultural differences. [...]
[...] Xardel : Beyond cultures, challenges in International management InterEditions Marc Bosche : Intercultural management, Nathan Terence Jackson : Cross-cultural management, Management readers editions Dominique Chalvin : Negotiating company, Dunod Articles Nathalie Prime, Groupe ESCP-EAP “Cross cultural management in South Africa : problems, obstacles, and agenda for companies Leo Paul Dana, associate professor of business management at Insead and former deputy director of International Management of MBA program at the Nanyang Business School in Singapore. (Internet source) Journals : Management, in February 2001 Management, in August 2001 Web sites consulted http://www.ttc.org/xculmgmt.htm http://www.lesechos.fr/formations/management/articles/article_9_10.htm http://marketing.byu.edu/htmlpages/ccrs/proceedings99/prime.htm http://www.foora.com/magazine/01/interculturel.html diverse research through search engines Professionals contacted Andrée ALLAUZEN (Business Lawyer): USA, Africa Michel FOURNIER (Engineering Consultant): Europe Pierre PERRIN (Financial Analyst): USA, Asia ANNEXES Interview with Andrée ALLAUZEN: Business lawyer (via e-mail) Interview with Michel FOURNIER: Engineering Council (face to face synthesis) Interview with Pierre PERRIN: financial analyst (via e-mail) Diagram of different approaches to negotiation Interview with Andrée ALLAUZEN 1. [...]
[...] Have you been trained to better understand the cultural differences in the service provided to customers, negotiation, etc. ? NO! This is essentially learnt on the job! But we can effectively prepare for it through learning foreign languages, travel, reading Finally, curiosity, openness and a taste for human contacts are qualities that facilitate success in an international context. Interview with Michel FOURNIER 1. Can you tell us about your company, your office, your missions and your customers ? My company is a research institute which depends on the departments of companies and research on the one hand and finance on the other. [...]
[...] In addition, management activities abroad lacked in flexibility, companies were not willing to appoint non-Japanese to positions of leadership and the skills necessary to discover new resources and technologies they were missing. To ensure their survival, Mitsubishi and MIC have made changes intended to strengthen the efficiency of the company worldwide. They introduced a form of affirmative action: they have granted greater autonomy to subsidiaries and sought opportunities for worldwide growth in the fields of environment, health, entertainment, high technology and natural resources development. [...]
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