On October 30th, Sneha Manohar, an International Corporate
Banking Analyst from HSBC, and Judy Everett, from the University’s Careers
Service, gave a talk to a room of students containing speakers of 14 different
languages. They were talking (in English, luckily for me) about the importance
of intercultural and global awareness when looking for employment in the
current marketplace. Not only is this a mark of a ‘Sheffield Graduate’ (http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/sheffieldgraduate/studentattributes),
but as Sneha made clear, cultural awareness is very important in real world
markets.
She gave examples of companies trying to expand into different
markets. An example she gave for a country doing this well was McDonald’s; with
their country specific menus taking religious diet constraints, and culturally
preferred food into account. She also gave examples of companies who attempted
global expansion, and had at least initially failed, like Best Buy and Home
Depot. These are successful companies in North America, but when they tried to
expand into an Asian market, they utterly failed, by not adapting their
practices and identity for the new population they were trying to serve. Home
Depot failed due to the lack of a DIY culture where they opened, and Best Buy
failed because they weren’t selling the consumer electronics wanted by people
they were trying to sell to. However, there is something of a trade-off between
adapting to a local culture, and maintaining a brand’s identity.
Cultural awareness doesn’t only apply on such a large scale
in fact it is also an essential interpersonal skill. During a group activity
during the session, the attendees came up with a number of different ways that
you can improve this while still at university, ranging from taking the Erasmus
or Study abroad Programmes (https://www.shef.ac.uk/erasmus http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/studyabroad ),
joining Cultural, or International Societies
attending the International Cultural Evening (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwjwCdOj8BI),
or simply watching foreign films and eating different international food, any
way to get some first-hand experience of a culture you know little about.
Finally, five tips were discussed about how to adapt to a
new culture, without risking being too offensive… Firstly, be cautious with
your behaviour, and observe what others do first. Secondly, react carefully to
people and events; think before you respond to anything. Talk clearly, and try
to avoid colloquialisms, and tangents, and speak to people with respect. It’s
important to check that you are understood, and that you understand others.
Finally, the biggest piece of advice given was to not be afraid to ask
questions of those who know the culture already, not only is this one of the
best ways to learn, but it shows a willingness to adapt to a new culture, which
should gain some favour with the person you’re talking to.
Ed (Student Ambassador for the Faculty of Science)
See our leaflet ‘Develop
your Global Awareness’ for more information on this topic - Judy
1 comment:
Great post Brand is your reputation, Corporate Branding company in Saudi ArabiaReputation is something that is the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something that creates awareness among people, especially by the community or the public generally.
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