Cross Cultural Management

MAN501 CROSS CULTURAL MANAGEMENT

ASSESSMENT TASK-1: Researching National Cultures

United States of America & China

By

Student Name: Rakesh Nandlal Kushwaha

Student ID: S297208

Submitted to: Chandana Unnithan

Lecturer: Chandana Unnithan

Submission Date: 16/12/2016

Introduction

In this essay I have chosen two countries that have very different and opposing cultures, which are The United States and China. These countries have very different cultural values and it can be noted that the United States is a modern society that gives importance to individuality whereas; China is a traditional society giving value to family and relationships. In this essay the judgment on differences of cultures is contrasted on several parameters that give better insight to the contrast. Moreover, it is important to note that every society or group has the distinct culture that is based on many things, which are passed down from one generation to another. Moreover, there is no right or wrong when it comes to comparing different cultures because what may be considered as scared can be profane for another culture (Ward, C. Bochner, S., & Furnham, A., 2001). Thus, it is very important to understand this difference in culture and respect them since there is no universal truth when it comes to cultures. As a matter of fact, the United States and China are two very different countries in terms of their cultural contexts and also are very popular nations throughout the world and even thought they have contrasting cultures, however, many factors shape their cultures (Verkuyten, M., 2014).

Cultural Differences in the United States and China

1. Language

The first and most important cultural difference in the United States and China is language. Language is one of the most important elements of culture that is used for communication with words, symbols and gestures (Ward, C. Bochner, S., & Furnham, A., 2001). The United States is a diverse country that has several cultural backgrounds of various ethnic groups having different languages (Mead, R.R. 1990). The official language used in the United States is English and various other ethnic groups speak languages like Mexican, Lebanese, Spanish, etc. (American Graduate Education, 2016). Contrary, to this the people in China are a closed traditional society with lesser diversity, which is why maximum people speak Chinese language and its several dialects. Mandarin is, however, the official language of China, which was the result of different dialects that evolved a version of Mandarin (China Highlights, 2016). Thus, when it comes to language, it can be noticed that both the countries have sharp distinctions because The United States on one hand has several languages that is spoken by various ethnic groups, on the other hand, the people in China belong to less ethnic groups and which is why they share common language with each other (Ward, C. Bochner, S., & Furnham, A., 2001).