CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Vol. 6, No. 2, 2010, pp. 48-56

ISSN 1712-8358

www.cscanada.net

www.cscanada.org

48

A Study On Transnational Enterprise Faces

Cultural Difference and Trans-Culture

Management Under Economic Globalization

Background

UNE ÉTUDE SUR LES ENTREPRISES TRANSNATIONALES

FACE AUX DIFFÉRENCES CULTURELLES ET SUR LA

GESTION TRANSCULTURELLE SOUS LE CONTEXTE DE

LA MONDIALISATION ÉCONOMIQUE

SUN Jing1

XU Bing2

Abstract: Trans-Culture and multicultural are Multinational corporation’s essential

feature that distinguish between ordinary enterprise, they are also enterprise carries on

trans-national operations and foreign direct investment environment and condition.

Along with the 21st century economic globalization rapidly development, the world

economics depend on each other degree to deepen day by day mutually, specially

Multinational corporation which take market integration, trade globalization,

financial internationalization, production trans-national, economical network and so

on as characteristic rapidly development, caused the global economic relation each

other close degree sharp growth, conformity, transformation, remould the global

production, management, circulation various active way, world economics which

became is worthy of reputation global economic. What follows comes, economical

and cultural relation is also widespread day by day. Trans-national operations develop

around world quickly, when the enterprise carries on investment and management at

host country which has different cultural, cultural difference will bring many

influences to enterprise's trans-national operations and management. Therefore, how

to overcome negative effect which cultural difference brings, is also trans-national

enterprise faces huge challenge and difficult problems. Multinational corporation

want to reduce adverse effect which brings by cultural difference, it must construct

own Trans-Culture management tactics by globalized field of vision.

Key words: Multinational Corporation; Culture; Cultural difference; Trans-Culture

Management

1 School of Business Management, Shenyang University, Shenyang, 110041, China.

E-mail: sunjing9819@yahoo.com.cn

2 School of Music Education, Shenyang University, Shenyang, 110041, China.

E-mail:sy133588@126.com

* Received 18 March 2009; accepted 1 May 2010

SUN Jing & XU Bing / Cross-cultural Communication Vol.6 No.2 2010

49

Résumé: Transculturel et multiculturel sont les caractéristiques essentielles des

sociétés multinationales qui se distinguent des entreprises ordinaires. Ils sont aussi

des entreprises qui exercent des activités transnationales et fontcionnent dans un

environnement des investissements directs étrangers. Au fur et à mesure du

développement rapide de globalisation économique du 21ème siècle, le degré de

dépendance mutuelle de l'économie mondiale s'approfondit de jour en jour, et en

particulier les sociétés multinationales qui impliquent l'intégration des marchés, la

mondialisation des échanges, l'internationalisation financière, la production

transnationale, le réseau économique et ainsi de suite. Le développement rapide a

renforcé les relations entre les sujets économiques dans la mondialisation, la

conformité, la transformation, et remodelé la production mondiale, la gestion et la

circulation de manière active. L'économie mondiale est devenue digne de la

réputation de l'économie globale. Ce qui suit est l'extension des relations

économiques et culturelles au jour le jour. Les opérations transnationales se

développent très rapidement dans le monde, lorsque l'entreprise exerce des

investissements et de la gestion dans le pays hôte qui a des différences culturelles. Ces

différences culturelles apporteront de nombreuses influences sur les opérations

transnationales et la gestion des entreprises. Par conséquent, la façon de surmonter les

effets négatifs liés aux différences culturelles est un grand challenge et un gros

problème auxquels les entreprises transnationales devraient faire face.Si les sociétés

multinationales veulent réduire l'effet indésirable entraîné par la différence culturelle,

elles doivent construire leurs propres tactiques de gestion transculturelles avec un

champ de vision mondialisée.

Mots-Clés: société multinationale; culture; différence culturelle; management

transculturel

1. CORRECT UNDERSTANDING CULTURE AND

CULTURAL DIFFERENCE

Culture generally refers to patterns of human activity and symbolic structures that give such activities

significance and importance. Cultures can be "understood as systems of symbols and meanings that even

their creators contest, that lack fixed boundaries, that are constantly in flux, and that interact and compete

with one another"( Fan Hui. 1993).

Trans-Culture difference refers that cultural difference that between different country and nationality.

The different national culture has characteristic of distinctive, continuous, non-materiality, between each

nationality's language, tradition, disposition and life style are different, creates each country, nationality

differ in cultural aspect. Looking from Trans-Culture, country (or nationality) cultural context

differences, is not only one of cultural difference origins, moreover, each company "enterprise culture"

and "organization culture" difference as well as staff individual culture quality difference, is also cultural

difference’s important origin. (Luo Nengsheng. 2006) For example, looking from the country and

national culture's difference, Western enterprise emphasis individuality and innovation, but East

enterprise more emphasizes collectivism and moderate development; Looking from the enterprise

culture and organization culture's difference, High-tech enterprise emphasizes innovation, traditional

enterprise more emphasizes steady. The enterprise which is at growth stage to display for positive culture,

the enterprise which is at mature stage to display for the steady culture; Looking from staff individual

culture quality difference, business manager is main center which organizational culture forms, his

individual quality, habit and inspirational force had decided organization culture's individuality,

SUN Jing & XU Bing / Cross-cultural Communication Vol.6 No.2 2010

50

inspirational force is more stronger, so this kind of individuality is more stronger.

2. CAUSE THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCE ROOT

Dutch scholar G. Hofstede researched and discovered that create cultural difference in-depth factor,

namely energetic culture including four obvious aspects: Authority disparity, individualism and

collectivism, uncertainty evasion, virilization and feminization tendency.

2.1 Authority disparity

Authority disparity refers that members of different social classes receptivity for authority not equal

assignment in society or organization. Cultural difference in authority disparity mainly manifests in the

relationship between superior and subordinate. (Si Qianzi& Gao Xiaoqin. 2004 ).In the authority

disparity high culture, stressed that obedience gets on well with others, what superintendent carries on

decisions is that acts arbitrarily and paternalistic, but their subordinate must absolutely obedient, cannot

argue with their boss. In this kind of enterprise cultural, between superintendent and subordinate

relationship is pure superintendent and supervisee's relations, sentimental disparity is big. But in the

authority disparity low culture, more stressed that individual independent, encourages different opinions,

higher level manager direct control to subordinate to be few, people work fervor is higher. Sentimental

disparity is small between superintendent and ordinary staff, subordinate easy to approach and to dare to

refute their boss.

2.2 Individualism and collectivism

Individualism refers that people only cared oneself and relative who are most intimate in one kind of lax

social structure,; But collectivism refers that people hoped internal community cares about oneself,

simultaneously people also warm-heartedly help to internal community, is absolutely loyal in one kind of

strict social structure,. Has the strong individualism tendency culture to take individual creativity and

achievement, encourages people to depend upon own succeeds diligently, takes individual ､ independent

economical safeguard, encourages people to carry on decision-making, but is not relies on group support.

(Tao Rigui. 2003).On the contrary, the high collectivism tendency's culture even more takes collective

decision-making, stressed that a person attached relations to the collective, personal interest obedience

collective interests, individual achievement attributes to the collective diligently and wisdom.

2.3 Uncertainty evasion

Uncertainty evasion refers

...