Traveling Abroad for Business in Japan, Research Paper Example

Abstract

When businessmen travel abroad for business, it is important for them to become familiarized with the traditions of the culture that they are entering. In order to solidify agreements, foreign travelers must learn to appease their business partners in a culturally relevant manner. In particular, this requires these individuals to gain a thorough understanding of business etiquette and customs. Those who travel to Japan for business should focus on becoming acclimated to the honorific system and speech rules so as to ensure that they are being polite at all times. To strengthen the business relationship, foreigners should offer their Japanese partners gifts and engage in activities that the host plans prior to the discussion of the business deal. It is important for the foreign visitor to convey feelings of respect and cultural competence to the host in order to ensure that the business deal will be confirmed according to plan.

Introduction/Problem

It is essential for international business professionals to gain an understanding of the Japanese culture prior to their visit. In order to ensure that business deals are met according to the expectations of both partner organizations, it is important for the individuals who are travelling to gain a greater appreciation of their host’s culture. While it is somewhat important for this cultural competence to be reciprocated, it is more imperative for the visiting group to demonstrate this level of respect. It is important for business professionals to enhance their understanding of a wealth of cultural factors before starting their business trip. In particular, it is important for them to generate a comprehension of greetings, negotiation styles, attitudes to time, meanings of numbers, and significance of gestures (Huang, 2010). Wise business professionals conduct thorough research on the cultures that they are visiting prior to their arrival to ensure that they will not offend their hosts. While there is often a lot of information to learn about a particular culture prior to arrival, it is important to consider that there are many competing companies that are willing to go to great lengths to establish business partnerships with Japanese organizations, so demonstrating effort in learning these cultural values is an important part of this process. As a consequence, businesses must work hard in order to determine the etiquette that should be followed during these business transactions in a variety of nations in order to maximize the relationships that these diverse companies are able to build with one another. Such research can be conducted by searching for peer-reviewed sources or by discussing previous travel experiences with individuals who are familiar with the relevant cultural exchange.

Facts and Findings

 In order to strengthen the extent of the business relationship between foreign organizations, it is important to consider that it is beneficial for business partners to take actions that demonstrate mutual respect. As a consequence international businessmen travelling to Japan for business should consider bringing gifts from their homeland in order to ensure that the business exchange is conducted properly. Studies have shown that corporate gifts are an important tool in the marketing mix and their use extends to establishing strong relationships with business partners (Cross, 2014). In a sense, the transfer of gifts are viewed as a transfer of power and establishment of trust in business relationships. While this is considered to be true of all business relationships, this is especially the case for business professionals conducting negotiations in Japan. Evidence indicates that financial relationships are built due to gift exchange in the pharmaceutical industry in Japan, and this is true of other business relationships as well. According to Japanese culture gift-giving is commonplace and a necessary component of the business relationship. As a consequence, individuals travelling to the country for business must be aware of a variety of gift giving principles that will allow them to be successful in their business endeavors.

There are many dates that are considered to be important gift exchange days, such as on July 15 and January 1 to commemorate the middle of the year and the end of the year. Furthermore, Japanese businessmen expect to exchange gifts when new business partnerships are being established. To ensure that the international businessman is able to meet these expectations, it is generally recommended that these individuals enter the meetings with a variety of gifts prepared, so that if a gift is presented to them, they will have one to provide in return. Furthermore, the gift should be remain concealed until it is presented at the end of the meeting. If multiple individuals are present in a room, it is customary to have a gift for all that are present and to provide each individual with a gift that is proportional in quality to their ranking in the organization. To ensure that the organization’s employees will be pleased with their gifts, it is beneficial to bring meaningful trinkets from one’s home country, such as brand name items that are difficult to find in Japan, in addition to expensive wines and other alcoholic beverages (Okoro, 2012).

While nearly any item could be deemed to be an acceptable corporate gift, it is necessary for the company providing the gift to consider the purpose it will serve during business negotiations. There are many reasons a gift could be provided, in addition to the want to establish trust with a potential partner organization. Ultimately, gifts can serve as advertisements for the company, enhance public relations, and promote sales or personal selling. In the context in which a multi-national corporation is travelling abroad to negotiate a business agreement, the best secondary purpose for such a gift would be to advertise the company or to promote public relations in the foreign country. However, this must be done in a way that the gift complements the purpose of the gift exchange. For example, the advertisement product should be of high quality and possibly accompany an additional gift from the representative’s home country. While many individuals believe that mixing marketing with this cultural gift exchange would be deemed detrimental, it is important to consider that doing so will allow the host organization to remember the company so that if they wish to contact them to reach any business deals in the future, their information will be readily available. Gifts could therefore be used not only to show respect for the host company, but also to promote company services during and after the intended negotiations.

Perhaps one of the most significant cultural differences between Japanese and Western businessmen is an emphasis on the timing aspect of negotiations. In the Western culture, there is a major emphasis on scheduling events in order to ensure that time is used effectively. As such, these individuals aim to complete their business deals quickly, allowing any extra time to be used to sort out necessary details of a negotiation in addition to determining how the plan will be implemented. On the other hand, Japanese businessmen do not focus on this timing aspect and prefer to establish personal connections with their potential business partners prior to discussing business. As a consequence, it is important for Western businessmen to understand that they will be attending a series of events with the workers of a potential partner organization prior to discussing business and that business should not be mentioned at any of these events, otherwise this will become detrimental to their plans. Therefore, Western businessmen can expect to enjoy meals with their potential business partners prior to the formal negotiations. Furthermore, it is important for Western businessmen to be aware of this difference of time perception in order to ensure that the best deal is made between the two parties. Cultures that place less emphasis on the timing of such business deals are often able to take advantage of their Western trade partners if they feel that these individuals are on a tight schedule (Huang, 2010). Therefore, Western businessmen often agree to a less ideal exchange in order to save time, allowing the Japanese businessmen to benefit as a consequence their different cultural standards.

Regardless of the area in which business is conducted, it is important for business professionals to ensure that they greet each other in a manner that sets the stage for mutual respect during the business negotiations. A failure to do so appears to be a rude act, which then may detriment the bargain that will be decided upon. While all cultures generally agree that greeting is considered to be a polite process, the ways in which people greet each other tend to be different depending upon the geographical region from which they derive (Dunn, 2010). In Western culture, it is considered to be polite to smile, say hello, introduce oneself, and shake hands. However, these introductions can be considered to be curt to individuals living in other parts of the world. For example, Asian cultures typically pose greetings in the form of questions (Huang, 2010). To individuals that are not aware of this cultural normality, this practice may appear rude because they are asking for more information than one would provide to a stranger. However, this is considered to be a normal action for these individuals and it is therefore the responsibility of Western businessmen to understand these practices for when they travel to conduct business overseas. In addition to the consideration of greetings during these business practices, it is essential for understand how departing words should be conveyed. It is important for these business professionals to ensure that words of parting are not spoken until the appropriate moment, to ensure that these statements would not be cutting the business negotiation short. Furthermore, it is important to thank the host organization for their time and their generosity, regardless of the quality of the negotiations.

In order to avoid engaging in negative interactions with Japanese businessmen, it is important to understand not only their cultural traditions with regards to societal normalities, but it is also important to understand these factors as they apply to the business world alone. Japanese business professionals conduct themselves in a manner that is considered somewhat unique to their status. It is therefore beneficial for the Western businessman to gain an understanding of what this unique culture is before becoming engaged in business negotiations. In particular, Japanese businessmen are provided with etiquette training by their organizations so that they are aware of how to properly conduct themselves in negotiations with both local and international businesses. As a consequence, Japanese business professionals have created a sub-culture of business practice that is important to understand as well. These manners courses and seminars are generally created for native speakers of the language, and very few non-native speakers have attended. However, Western business professionals can learn a lot from what has been revealed about these courses. Specifically, the courses focus on addressing individuals with the proper honorifics to ensure that they would not offend anyone in addition to teaching them how to act in accordance with societal normalities, rather than individualistic standards (Dunn, 2010). As a consequence, a Western business professional can generally assume that individuals within a Japanese organization have similar beliefs and values. As such, they should conduct themselves in a manner that demonstrates that they are both knowledgeable about and respect these values to ensure that the business relationship will be strengthened.

Research has indicated that the relationship between social and business etiquette is strong, but in some instances business etiquette has evolved from cultural standards to hold its own set of requirements. Overall, these business practices have been established in order to more significantly promote the likelihood that the organizations will engage in positive business transactions. One such example is the use of honorifics. While honorifics are expected to be used in both social and business traditions, politeness is emphasized during business transactions (Bardsley et al., 2011). Therefore, individuals from foreign countries are expected to learn how to use these honorifics properly to ensure that all business partners are addressed according to their respective honorific title.

Discussion and Analysis

While the use of honorifics have generally been deemed to be polite among Japanese business professionals, it is important for Western businessmen to determine what behaviors would be deemed acceptable from “outsiders” entering into the culture. Many individuals are worried that despite their understanding of Japanese culture, they will be viewed as disrespectful for attempting to engage in their social normalities despite not being a citizen of this part of the world. Studies have shown that the use of honorifics is expected, although their improper use could cause detriment to business relationships. Since the use of honorifics is deemed to be polite, Western businessmen who wish to demonstrate this politeness to their hosts would benefit from learning how to properly use these honorifics with regards to gender and status (Cook, 2010). While it may require research and practice for these honorifics to be used properly, Japanese businessmen respect the effort that individuals put in to learning these cultural normalities, which is in turn expected to strengthen the business relationship.

Furthermore, it is important for Western businessmen to gain an understanding of the evolution of Japanese traditions and manners as it pertains to modern business culture. The exposure of Eastern society to Western culture has allowed the country to become accepting of many actions and beliefs that it had not previously deemed appropriate (Kawano et al., 2014). However, the existence of the media and internet has allowed for a significant shift in both Eastern and Western culture, allowing ideas to be exchanged at a rapid pace (Reiko, 2011). For example, Western cultures receive a lot of the anime programs produced by Japan. In return, staring after World War II, Japan began to integrate elements of Western culture such as jeans, baseball, and hamburgers into their daily lifestyle (McLelland, 2010). From this point, both geographic regions have developed a general appreciation for one other’s cultures, which is reflected by the value of foreign gifts at business meetings. Overall, as Western and Eastern cultures continue to conduct business, it is likely that the actions that are considered to be acceptable at such meetings will shift over time. Therefore, business professionals need to continue to research the Japanese culture in order to ensure that they understand all relevant nuances.

Conclusion and Recommendations

 It is important for businessmen who travel abroad to become familiar with the host culture that they will be entering. Since they are considered to be the foreign group, it is necessary for them to both become knowledgeable of and adhere to the social normalities dictated by that particular society. When considering the societal differences between Western and Eastern cultures in particular, it is important for foreign visitors to conduct thorough research regarding the language and customs of individuals in the area as it pertains to both societal and business requirements. Understanding the cultural relevance of a variety of activities helps these business professionals approach their negotiations in a polite manner. For business professionals visiting Japan, it is particularly important for visitors to understand the honorific system for all communications in addition to developing an adequate understanding of corporate gift giving traditions and the time aspect of negotiations. Both practices must be understood well in order to ensure that the business will be able to obtain the best possible agreement. Respect is a key component of this process.

Business professionals are able to both build and demonstrate their cultural competence in a variety of ways. Most importantly, before visiting Japan, business professionals must engage in thorough research to learn about how Japanese culture differs from their own in addition to how these differences may influence business negotiations. It is important to consider that Japanese businessmen will respect individuals for learning and applying this information during their interactions, and implementing this knowledge will decrease the likelihood that the potential Japanese business partners will become offended. While it is possible that business practices in both the Western and Eastern worlds will change over time, it will continue to be the responsibility of individuals who are visiting the host company to adapt to these changing cultural standards. Ultimately, it is important for Western businessmen to adhere as closely to the cultural rules set forth by the Japanese as closely as possible to ensure that their business endeavors will remain a success. In order to do so, it is important for them to gain a comprehensive understanding of cultural competency to enhance these business practices.

References

Bardsley, J.; Miller, R. (2011). When Manners Are Not Enough: The Newspaper Advice Column and the Etiquette of Cultural Ideology in Contemporary Japan. Manners and Mischief: Gender, Power, and Etiquette in Japan, 178-195.

Cook, H.M. (2011). Are honorifics polite? Uses of referent honorifics in a Japanese committee meeting. Journal of Pragmatics, 43(15): 3655–3672.

Cross, J. (2014). The Coming of the Corporate Gift. Theory, Culture & Society, 31(2/3): 121– 145.

Dunn, C.D. (2010). Formal forms or verbal strategies? Politeness theory and Japanese business etiquette training. Journal of Pragmatics, 43(15): 3643–3654.

Huang, L. (2010). Cross-cultural Communication in Business Negotiations. International Journal of Economics and Finance, 2(2): 196-199.

McLelland, M. (2010). “Kissing is a symbol of democracy!” Dating, Democracy, and Romance in Occupied Japan, 1945-1952. Journal of the History of Sexuality, 19(3): 508-535.

Kawano, S.; Roberts, G.S.; Long, S.O. (2014). Capturing Contemporary Japan: Differentiation and Uncertainty. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.

Okoro, E. (2012). Cross-Cultural Etiquette and Communication in Global Business: Toward a Strategic Framework for Managing Corporate Expansion. International Journal of Business and Management, 7(16): 130-138.

Reiko, C. (2011). Manners and Mischief: Gender, Power, and Etiquette in Japan. Monumenta Nipponica, 66(2): 379-381.

Rodwin, M.A. (2011). Reforming Pharmaceutical Industry Physician Financial Relationships: Lessons from the United States, France, and Japan. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 662-670.