Men-Women and Japanese-American Intercultural Communication - Analysis

Men-Women and Japanese-American Intercultural Communication - Analysis of the Mitsubishi Case Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was my first day in high school. Standing alone in the middle of the play ground looking for anyone I know or can talk to, my eyes was searching all over the place. A pretty blond girl standing alone was a scene that, for sure, attracted my attention then. The moment my eyes saw her, my mind started thinking of ways to talk to her. After some time wasted thinking, I saw a girl I know approaching the blond. Not willing to waste such opportunity, I marched forward toward them. We had a nice chat through which I got to know the blond girl. She turned out to be a very nice and friendly French girl who just arrived to Egypt few days ago. Not being able to forget her for the rest of the day even before I sleep, I kept thinking how I would ask her out the next day. After long night hours, morning finally came and I was off to school. Although I though the lines I would open my conversation with her many times, I kept hesitating whether to approach her or not when I sa w her the next morning. To my surprise, the moment she saw me, she actually called on me, walked towards me saying hi while giving me a kiss on the cheek. With this, I understood that she actually likes me too and she wouldn’t reject my invitation for going out together. However, I was astonished when she replied â€Å"I have a boyfriend†. That was just confusing. To me, the kiss on the cheek was a clear message that I adore you. It was only years later that I understood that for the French, a kiss on the cheek is just saying hi. This kiss just meant totally different things for both of us. Unfortunately, this intercultural miscommunication does not only happen in personal relationships; it also occurs in many international deals with millions of dollars on stack. One such example is the famous case of Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing in America. In this paper, I will try to analyze the Mitsubishi case as a consequence of intercultural miscommunication between American men and American women cultures, and the Japanese and American cultures. Mitsubishi Case Summary  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America (MMMA) started in 1985 as a $500 million 50-50 joint venture, called Diamond-Star, between Chrysler Corporation of the United States and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) ... ...tanding Japanese business practices†. Business Horizons Nov-Dec 1992 < http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1038/is_n6_v35/ai_13246882> Goode, Erica. â€Å"How Culture Molds Habits of Thought†. New York Times August 8, 2000 http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/health/080800hth-behavior-culture.html> Hofstede, G.H. â€Å"Culture’s consequences: International Differences in work-related values.† London: Sages, 1980. Maltz, Daniel N., and Ruth A. Borker. "A Cultural Approach To Male-Female Miscommunication." In Language and Social Identity. Edited by John J. Gumperz. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1982, pp. 196-216. Stewart, Edward C. â€Å"The Japanese Culture of Organizational Communication.† In Organization Communication: Emerging Perspectives II. Edited by Lee Thayer. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1987, pp. 136-182. Taylor, Jared. â€Å"Shadows of the Rising Sun.† New York: Quill Books, 1983. Ulfhielm, Fredrik. "Spoken Japanese: Linguistic Influence on Work Group, Leadership, and Decision-Making." In Organization Communication: Emerging Perspectives II. Edited by Lee Thayer. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1987, pp.107-135.