MGB225 Intercultural Communication and Negotiation Skills
Assignment
Intercultural Communication: The case of Aussie Natural Beauty in China
The case:
Aussie Natural Beauty is an Australian multinational company that manufactures and distributes organic cosmetics both within Australia and overseas. The head office is based in Brisbane, Australia. You have recently been appointed as the International Regional Manager for China. You have been assured that the transition will be smooth organisation runs each international branch exactly the same way as the Brisbane branch, regardless of country where the branch is located. Specifically, you have become comfortable with the flat organisational structure and you have enjoyed the autonomy that accompanies this structure. You have valued the collaborative decision making processes that happen at the Brisbane office and you are glad to hear that this happens in the China office. You have also been told that 25% of the staff are Australian, and 20% of these people are in senior management positions. The senior management team is represented by an equal number of Australian and Chinese employees.
Upon your arrival in China, you have noticed that the branch is facing several challenges. After speaking with both Australian and Chinese employees, you have identified that the issues may be related to differences between Australia and China across the following areas:
a.Direct and non-direct communication
b.Organisational leadership and decision making
c.Organisational cultural and structural differences between the two countries
Your task:
You are tasked with writing a report to the CEO and executive group of Aussie Natural Beauty which discusses the potential causes of the problems that are affecting the organisation in the China office and provides recommendations to address these problems.
Specifically, you are required to conduct academic research in order to identify 5 issues/challenges that are related to any of the above areas (you do not have to address all of the areas), explain the possible causes of these issues/challenges (focusing on differences in cultural dimensions), and formulate logical and practical recommendations for the organisation to overcome these challenges.
Your approach:
You will need to conduct academic research into the cultural differences between China and Australia that would explain why the Australian organisational model may not be working efficiently in China, paying specific attention to the following areas:
a.Direct and non-direct communication
b.Organisational Leadership and decision making
c.Organisational cultural and structural differences between the two countries.
You will need to identify 5 (five) issues/problems related to culture and communication. Categorise them according to the areas above (you do not have to address all of the areas above).
Drawing on 1 (one) Model of Culture and the verbal and non-verbal communication literature, you will need to explain why each issue is contributing to the challenges faced by the employees in the China branch.
