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The article written by Edward Hall (1960) describes the differences in the behavior of American entrepreneurs and those people who represent other cultures. In particular, the author focuses on such aspects as time and space management, attitudes toward formal agreements or friendship, and people’s values that may affect business communication.
Overall, this source can be of great use to organizations and individuals who want to do business in Latin American countries, for example, one can mention Brazil. Edward Hall identifies possible causes of miscommunication and conflicts that may arise because people do not understand the perceptions of one another. This is why cultural differences should be taken into account.
Edward Hall attracts the readers’ attention the peculiarities of time management in the United States and Latin America. For example, American entrepreneurs may regard a delay as lack of punctuality or commitment (Hall, 1960, p. 89). They may even come to their conclusion that their business partners lost interest in their prior agreement (Hall, 1960, p. 89).
In contrast, Brazilian entrepreneurs attach less importance to schedules, but it does mean that they lack commitment (Williams, 2011, p. 454). Thus, American entrepreneurs should take this difference into account because they can result miscommunication and failure to establish business agreements.
Secondly, Edward Hall’s article is useful because it demonstrates that cultural values can differ significantly and people do not regard the same things in a similar way. For instance, Edward Hall shows that in Latin America, friendship implies that people have to assume more obligations toward their friends (Hall, 1960, p. 96). It is a much closer relationship and Edward Hall points out that “being a friend involves much more than being nice, visiting, and playing golf” (Hall, 1960, p. 96).
This is why American entrepreneurs may not establish friendly relations as quickly as they expect. Additionally, researchers argue that in Brazil business relationship and business can be diffused (Kotabe, M. & Leal 2001, p. 320). It means that people’s business decisions can be strongly affected by their subjective attitude toward a certain person. Thus, one should note that the boundaries between formal and informal relations can be merged in Brazil.
Additionally, the author attaches importance to such aspects of business communication as agreements. In the United States, people emphasize the importance of written agreements. Yet, in Latin America people put more value on informal agreements, rather than contracts (Hall, 1960, p. 93). If American entrepreneurs forget about this issue, they may find it difficult to do business in Brazil.
It has to be admitted that the ideas expressed by Edward Hall cannot be extended toward every person who lives in Latin America or Brazil, in particular. One should take into account that people do not necessarily follow the patterns described by Edward Hall. Nevertheless, the author’s precautions are extremely useful especially, if an individual does not know very much about the culture of a different country.
Certainly, this article cannot be regarded as the most comprehensive source regarding the cross-cultural communication. There are many books or articles that examine these issues in more detail, but Edward Hall eloquently explains the mistakes that American entrepreneurs can make when they deal with their business partners from other countries. The differences that the author describes are relevant to such a country as Brazil and the knowledge of these issues can be of great help individuals and organizations.
Reference List
Hall, E. (1960). The Silent Language in Overseas Business. Harvard Business Review, 38(3), 87-96.
Kotabe, M. & Leal R. (2001). Market Revolution in Latin America: Beyond México. New York: Emerald Group Publishing.
Williams, C. (2011). Effective Management: A Multimedia Approach. New York: Cengage Learning.
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