Fred Bailey Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Fred Bailey Case - Essay Example This was not easy for Japanese since in Japanese culture, people first get to know each other and free conversation takes place only after a certain amount of familiarity is established. He made the same mistake when interacting with Japanese clients and instead of trying to know them batter, immediately launched into the project details. He also made no efforts to learn about the Japanese culture from the one American employee who had some knowledge of the Japanese culture. Fred’s lack of patience and his attempt to get results quickly rubbed the Japanese the wrong way and resulted in his feeling frustrated and unable to get any work done. 3. When selecting employees for oversees assignment, it would be a good idea to look for someone who is familiar with the local language. Also, person’s who have traveled widely are usually much more open to other cultures and adapt easily. People who have been brought up in households where they were exposed to more than one culture may also adapt better in foreign cultures. Besides a person’s cultural predisposition, it is also important to look the family. Usually, a person with well settled family may resist leaving everything and going to a foreign country. As a result, it is best to send employees who do not have many family obligations. If such a person is not available for a senior position, an organization may send junior employees and allow them to get to know the local culture, while a senior employee can make periodic visits and use the local experience of the younger employees to interact with the locals. 4. Fred’s organization could have given Fred and his family cultural adaptations classes to get them ready for their Japanese assignment. 5. As Dave Steiner, if I receive such a call from Fred, I would advice Fred to hang in while I explored the options. Next I would call other employees in Japan to understand what the problem was. I could also talk with the person who was at the position before Fred and ask him about his opinions. Once I understood what the problem was, I would ask Fred to go through a cultural acclimatization course and to hang in there for a few more months. If, after taking all these steps, Fred still insisted on returning, I would have no other option but to agree. But before that, I would advise Fred to better understand the Japanese culture and give it some more time. The case study presented here is related to the cultural problems faced while conducting international business. Hence, the two articles selected for this essay are both concerned with cultural issues in international business settings. Th e first article is titled â€Å"The Effects of Cultural Adaptation on Business Relations: Americans Selling to Japanese and Thais†