Intercultural Studies - Final Portfolio Project. Free Paper for You

Throughout the management intercultural studies course, a grasp of cultural intelligence is acquired. This paper will reflect my understanding of culture and its impact. My understanding of culture will be presented in this portfolio via a series of ideas covered in class and also works that reflect my own experiences with culture.

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Web of Culture

Cultural Identity

Identity can either be social, cultural, ethnic or personal. Cultural identity, to every individual, addresses the question about who we are. In this section, I will outline cultural identity and the concept of self-perception. Self-perception entails how one views himself or herself. It may be considered an aspect of inherent social phenomena and an implication of the totality of several factors. Such factors include cultural, ethnic and social identities. In this multidimensional views, personal factors also influence self-perception; a core which is likely to persist through an individual's lifetime. However, Identity can also be dynamic and fluid. It can change due to environment. Identity can also be a multilayered concept where a layer-by-layer construct of a person's sense of personality changes from one's entire identity (Williams & Vannini 17-30). Culture has a strong association with a person's identity. It is one of the significant factors that influence an individual's perception of their own identity. The core or center, of cultural identity is an image of self and the intertwined culture in a person's conception of culture. The two concepts are closely linked.

My identity has been largely influenced by my nationality. I consider this very central to my identity and I have a strong sense of national holidays and events. Contrary to those who consider being proud of one's nationality as stupid, I embrace my nationality. Additionally, the English language is a significant part of my nationality since it has boosted how I identify and interact with my immediate environment.

Character and virtues that people stereotype people due to their nationality. For me, it is dutifulness and courage. I have also respect for the political organization of my nation. Morals and political outlook have also played a crucial role in shaping my identity. Qualities that I consider important in one's life include compassion, empathy, integrity, loyalty and decency. To me, this are the qualities I hope to achieve and maintain. I highly disregard immoral behavior.

Also, I consider my gender as a part of my core personality. Sex and gender has had an impact on me for a number of things such as hobbies, interests and daily ambitions. Lastly, there are a number of things that shape up my personality. They include and are not limited to, music, art, love for film and history.

Brands that Impact Popular Culture

Culture plays a vital role in branding. Exemplary brand builders consider the measureable impact that culture has on branding. The consumer's culture plays an important role in ensuring a sound brand strategy and marketing. A society has a pronounced cultural influence and thus, cultural marketing is now more important than ever (Ashworth & Kavaratzis 119-121). For instance, a market that has a distinct culture from the rest of the target population will have a set of values and thread that brings them together. The distinct differences and similarities have to be put into consideration during branding. Cultural sensitive marketing is currently the trend since all brands focus on studying demographics and ethnicity. The diversity of cultural groups is important in exploring purchasing power (Sharon & Lee 25).

Nike and other leading brands such as apple have explored connections on a cultural level that has aided the company to gain more purchases. Nike has shaped the sneaker culture and have established a meaningful role in athletes' lives. The conversation has extended to a street level. The logo of the iconic of the company "Just Do It" is a meaningful sentiment that connects with people at a deeper level. Nike have also utilized personalities who can influence the popular culture to transform their brand into a leading market-seller. The connection Nike establishes is satisfactory to the consumer's needs.

Strategies and Tips when Communicating across Cultures

Many at times we disregard communication with each other. In the same way we learn and make an interpretation about a situation and create our assumptions and subsequently the decision making process, so do we communicate based on our cultural identities. In a multicultural environment, we are expected to communicate in a manner that is cultural sensitive. In this regard, our tone, and one-on-one communication should reflect cultural intelligence. Since many issues can arise due to challenges of poor communication, it is essential to promote an environment that readily supports and sets tone for a cross-cultural communication. Also, a learning culture foundation should be set.

There are several strategies and tips that one can utilize for effective cross-cultural communications. A productive environment must incorporate and foster a culture that supports diversity while at the same time balancing between the pressures of cost and management. Communication tactics can be provided in several ways via cultural diversity but there are important tips for simplifying a manner in which one can ensure effective communication across cultures. The tips for maintaining effective communication in a culturally diverse environment are outlined below.

• Engage in active listening.
• Have an open mind
• Collect sufficient knowledge of people's cultural backgrounds
• Maintain and be aware of nonverbal communication
• Maintaining a personal touch.

It is essential to have a touch of how individuals from diverse background understand, communicate and reach decisions. However, this is presents a challenge in certain situation and across multi-cultural backgrounds. Regardless, one should ensure there is a significant focus on open mindedness and acceptance. Diversity brings several advantages to a team. However, it takes a lot of effort to make a diverse team or organization click. The success of a multicultural team is the willingness of every member to appreciate, understand and accept differences and similarities of the multicultural team (Shina 1-2). Subsequently, an individual must then utilize the differences to improve the way the team will make decisions and analyze various situations.

One requires to have knowledge for effective intercultural communication. For instance, a basic understanding of some knowledge of culture, institutions and organizations and the way of living of various nations and communities. It is also important to recognize that the aspects named above have an impact on communication. Cultural intelligence entails being aware and understanding that culture affects communication. Also, gaining an understanding of conventions and views of certain communities such as role of women and children may be critical in comprehending and regulating behavior in specific cross-cultural environments. Additionally, one should have knowledge of personal and the other individual's values and beliefs so as to be aware when the two clash. Lastly, one should be aware of cultural stereotypes that can affect communication negatively.

The human nature makes us stereotype and make assumptions pertaining to culture about others while being unaware of our own biases. It is important for organizations to create organizational cultural awareness in a bid to enhance mindfulness and cultural intelligence. Through offering training on diversity, the members of the organization can then acquire adaptability when communicating to people from various cultural backgrounds (Mead & Jones 287,289).

Listening attentively to others' viewpoints and concerns makes people feel valued and appreciated. Similarly, a strategy of effective communication entails active listening: both verbal and non-verbal. Based on such clues there are two broad classifications-high and low-context cultures. Low-context cultures have an expectation of direct face-to-face communication. Examples of low-context cultures includes most English-speaking countries. On the other hand, high-context cultures put emphasis on the context, non-verbal clues and interpretation and majorly consists of Latin-American, central European and Asian cultures. It is crucial for leaders to appreciate and incorporate diversity training in organizations to realize the gains of a multicultural organization.

It is also important to maintain a personal touch when communicating across cultures. Through engaging people who are from a different cultural background, a strong relationship can be created. Everyone loves to have a sense of belonging and integration. Therefore, establishing effective communication must ensure that the other person feels part of the community. It is important to express an interest in the other person's way of life.

Effective cross-cultural communications must incorporate the ability to share and exchange information from a mutual basis with regard to credibility and respect. With the ever-increasing globalization, it is crucial to appreciate and communicate in ways which reflect cultural awareness. Diversity has the potential to create more opportunities than challenges. That said, I have placed strong emphasis on development of effective communication across cultures throughout this course.

Intercultural Goals

After completion of this course, I have settled for the following intercultural goals:

1. To develop intercultural awareness and sensitivity while learning to observe and analyze then resolve any arising problems with an open mind to cultural differences and similarities
2. To ensure I foster intercultural attitudes which include being respectful, tolerant, and empathetic towards other cultures.
3. To acquire knowledge pertaining to culture, both general and specific while putting emphasis on the invisible cultural elements.
4. Lastly, my major objective pushing on is to transform the gained awareness, knowledge and attitudes into cultural competence. Also, I seek to develop adaptability and flexibility in intercultural communication.

The goals mentioned above have motivated me to learn and interact while assessing all challenges encountered in this course. My goals have been useful in having an understanding in intercultural learning and education. Through active interaction and reflection, I believe I will be able to accomplish this goals.