| Forget the saying 'the world is getting | | | | fast food giant McDonald's spent thousands on |
| smaller' - it has gotten smaller. Advances in | | | | a new TV ad to target the Chinese consumer. |
| transport and communications technology | | | | The ad showed a Chinese man kneeling before a |
| combined with the development of a world | | | | McDonald's vendor and begging him to accept |
| economy have resulted in people from | | | | his expired discount coupon. The ad was |
| different nations, cultures, languages and | | | | pulled due to a lack of cultural sensitivity |
| backgrounds now communicating, meeting and | | | | on McDonald's behalf. The ad caused uproar |
| doing business with one another more than | | | | over the fact that begging is considered a |
| ever.There are some observers that claim this | | | | shameful act in Chinese culture.* A nice |
| new found intimacy has lead to a greater | | | | example of how pictures don't translate well |
| understanding of 'the other' and as a result | | | | across cultures is the time staff at the |
| our cultural differences are in fact | | | | African port of Stevadores saw the |
| diminishing. However, in reality the opposite | | | | 'internationally recognised' symbol for |
| is true. As we come together our cultural | | | | "fragile" (i.e. broken wine glass) and |
| differences become accentuated as we start to | | | | presumed it was a box of broken glass. Rather |
| realise that the rest of the world is not | | | | than waste space they threw all the boxes |
| reading from the same book. One area where | | | | into the sea.* When the US firm Gerber |
| this is now being felt is in business.Very | | | | started selling baby food in Africa they used |
| few businesses can escape the need to at some | | | | the same packaging as in the US, i.e. with a |
| point in time deal with foreign colleagues, | | | | picture of a baby on the label. Sales flopped |
| clients or customers. Business is | | | | and they soon realised that in Africa |
| international and if an organisation wants to | | | | companies typically place pictures of |
| develop and grow it needs to harness the | | | | contents on their labels.* Pepsodent tried to |
| potential an international stage offers. | | | | sell its toothpaste in South East Asia by |
| Twenty years ago British, European and | | | | emphasizing that it "whitens your teeth." |
| American organisations doing business abroad | | | | They found out that the local natives chew |
| had very little competition due to the lack | | | | betel nuts to blacken their teeth which they |
| of rival industrialised nations. Back then it | | | | find attractive.* The film "Hollywood Buddha" |
| was easy to do business 'our way'. Today | | | | showed a complete lack of cultural |
| some of the world's largest economies include | | | | sensitivity by causing outrage and protest on |
| Japan, China, Mexico, Brazil, India and | | | | the streets of Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Burma |
| Korea. As a result there has been a small | | | | when the designer of the film's poster |
| shift from 'our way' to 'let's try and | | | | decided to show the lead actor sitting on the |
| understand your way'. Why? Because western | | | | Buddha's head, an act of clear degradation |
| organisations are feeling the impact a lack | | | | against something holy.* The concept of Big |
| of cultural sensitivity can and does have | | | | Brother was somehow taken to the Middle East. |
| upon business performance.Many organisations | | | | The show was pulled of the air after its |
| are now investing heavily in providing staff | | | | first few episodes due to public protests and |
| with language lessons in order to be able to | | | | pressure from religious bodies stating the |
| crack foreign markets as well as providing | | | | show's mixed sex format was against Islamic |
| cultural sensitivity training to address | | | | principles.* A golf ball manufacturing |
| issues such as etiquette, protocol, | | | | company packaged golf balls in packs of four |
| communication styles and negotiation | | | | for convenient purchase in Japan. |
| approaches. In a competitive world such | | | | Unfortunately, the number 4 is equivalent to |
| businesses appreciate that greater cultural | | | | the number 13 due it sounding like the word |
| sensitivity will assist them in forging | | | | "death". The company had to repackage the |
| longer and more prosperous relationships. Yet | | | | product.LanguageThe business world is |
| progress is slow. Unfortunately a | | | | littered with poor translations that have |
| subconscious sense of cultural superiority | | | | caused great embarrassment to their |
| still seems to reign; one that assumes the | | | | perpetrators due to their lack of cultural |
| rest of the world does business like us and | | | | sensitivity. The following are some of the |
| if they don't then they should.The world's | | | | choicest examples.* IKEA once tried to sell a |
| inhabitants however come from many faiths, | | | | workbench called FARTFULL - not a hugely |
| cultures, world views and experiences which | | | | popular product for obvious reasons.* Both |
| makes such an assumption futile. We are all | | | | Clairol and the Irish alcoholic drink Irish |
| different and as a result doing business | | | | Mist did not properly consider the German |
| across borders (whether political, religious, | | | | language when they launched their products |
| cultural or linguistic) requires cultural | | | | there. Clairol's hair-curling iron "Mist |
| sensitivity, meaning a sense of empathy, | | | | Stick" and the drink "Irish Mist" both |
| flexibility and creativity informed by | | | | flopped - why? 'Mist' translates in German as |
| cultural knowledge. As with most things in | | | | "manure".* The Japanese seem to have a |
| life, business has learnt the hard way.To | | | | particular flair for naming products. The |
| illustrate how these lessons have and are | | | | country has given us gems such as "homo |
| still being learnt we will look at some | | | | soap", "coolpis", "Germ bread" and "Shito |
| examples where a lack of cultural sensitivity | | | | Mix".* A new facial cream with the name |
| has let a company, individual or product | | | | "Joni" was proposed for marketing in India. |
| down. For the sake of brevity these have been | | | | They changed the name since the word |
| summed up in two simple categories: culture | | | | translated in Hindi meant "female |
| and language.CultureCulture comes in many | | | | genitals."* Coors had its slogan, "Turn it |
| shapes and sizes. It includes areas such as | | | | loose," translated into Spanish, where it |
| politics, history, faith, mentality, | | | | became "Suffer from diarrhoea."All the |
| behaviour and lifestyle. The following | | | | examples cited above could easily have been |
| examples demonstrate how a lack of cultural | | | | avoided by conducting some basic research in |
| sensitivity led to failure.* When colouring | | | | respect to checking the concept, design, |
| in 800,000 pixels on a map of India, | | | | shape, colour, packaging, message or name in |
| Microsoft coloured eight of them a different | | | | the target culture. In the majority of cases |
| shade of green to represent the disputed | | | | it is simply assumed that 'if it is OK for us |
| Kashmiri territory. The difference in greens | | | | it is OK for them'. If businesses want to |
| meant Kashmir was shown as non-Indian, and | | | | succeed internationally, cultural sensitivity |
| the product was promptly banned in India. | | | | must be at the heart of everything they do; |
| Microsoft was left to recall all 200,000 | | | | from their personal interaction and |
| copies of the offending Windows 95 operating | | | | relationships with clients to the products |
| system software to try and heal the | | | | services they develop. |
| diplomatic wounds. It cost them millions.*The | | | | |