McDonaldization- Shrinking the individual within us? [revisited!]

“During the Cold War, the most frequently asked question was 'How big is your missile?' but in globalization, the most frequently asked question is 'How fast is your modem?'”

- Thomas Friedman (The Lexus and the Olive Tree)

Globalisation is often a misunderstood and misapplied term. Friedman proposes that "globalization is not simply a trend or fad but is, rather, an international system. It is the system that has replaced the old Cold War system, and, like the Cold War System, globalization has its own rules and logic that today directly or indirectly influence the politics, environment, geopolitics and economics of virtually every country in the world." (The Lexus and the Olive Tree). Now that brings us to our question- What is the impact of globalization on global brands? Are global brands their babies? Let’s hike this out!

“I am loving it

C'est tout ce que j'aime

我就喜欢

मुझे यह पसंद है”

We are sure that unless you’ve been living under the rocks, most of you must have read at least one of the above mentioned slogans from McDonald’s- world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurant. Even the founders Dick and Mac McDonald wouldn’t have imagined that their chain of ‘fast food’ restaurant would go on to become a whole new Mcdonaldized culture in itself. ‘Mcdonaldization’ was the term coined by the renowned sociologist George Ritzer who believed “that the fast-food restaurant had become a representative of the contemporary cultural paradigm.”Since we are going to talk on ‘culture’ in particular, we should know about McDonald’s principle before moving into the topic.

What makes up the organizational culture of McDonald’s?

‘A commitment to exceeding customer’s expectations, belief in success from the ‘three-legged stool’ (corporate, franchisee partners, and supplier partners), a passion and responsibility for enhancing and protecting the McDonald’s brand, a belief in collaborative management approach, and a commitment to franchising and seizing every opportunity to innovate and lead the industry. These values and principles make up the organizational culture of McDonald’s.’(*2)

Service with a smile, bright lights, fast food, predictability and cleanliness are all things that are associated with McDonald’s. It can be anticipated that when a hamburger is ordered it will be delivered by a friendly associate and it will have the typical McDonald’s taste irrespective of the place you are in! McDonald’s is symbolised by the golden arches. No matter which part of the world you are in, if you see the golden arches you are bound believe that it is McDonald’s. Such is their brand logo, brand value and brand name. Standardization of the food and mass production can be vividly seen across different parts of the world. McDonald’s is leading to places becoming more and more similar. A Big Mac is a Big Mac wherever you are! It is a process of homogenisation.McDonald’s can be termed as ‘modern’ brand which has an authentic cultural identity. There is efficiency and speed that is emphasized in this ‘fast food’ approach and at the same time there is homogenous style of advertising and the slogans used mean the same in all the languages. However, in this growing world could it succeed by standardizing and mass producing or is it doing something else as well? First, we would want you to take a look at these two videos:

Video 1: Source: Youtube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKR1ScQUpcA

Video 2: Source: Youtube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWaoWzmCnL0

In the first video, McDonald’s is trying to persuade people to come and visit them. They are selling their brand to the people while in the second video they are using the expressions of one of their customers to illustrate how they feel when they are treated with luscious food offered- be it having a burger with mayonnaise and a crisp leaf of lettuce or the aromatic Japanese Teriyaki Chicken, McDonald’s makes sure that at every step they satisfy our gastronomical needs and make eating a delightful experience under the golden arches. It is visible that many changes have taken place over a period of time. However, the logo of McDonald’s has still remained the same- the golden arches. There have stuck with their logo right from the time it was founded. Despite the language differences, it is very well understood that the advertisement is of McDonald’s, thereby, illustrating that language barriers can be tamed using visual perceptions! At the same time, it is visible that when someone eats the fries or drinks the milkshake at McDonald’s one also consumes the brand and the identity associated with it. This Simulacra has been developed over the past decade, thereby, revealing that McDonald’s not only have the modern but also tinges of the post modern approach whereby the cultural diversity is underlined. Images are borrowed from the other cultures to adorn the identity of one’s preference. Now take a minute to digest that all this is achieved simply by the means of FOOD!

Food- the oldest carrier of culture:

Food is an important element in defining culture. So does making changes in the food that we eat, the way it is prepared, served and consumed diminish the traditional beliefs of the people? According to Rev. William Gould, an English Naturalist, before the introduction of McDonald’s overseas “fast food was almost unknown. McDonald’s was the first company to try to export America’s love of fast food and changes in eating habits of other nations.” As per the official website of McDonald’s, they have over 1.5 million franchises in the United States and about half of the total franchises are outside the U.S. in over 120 countries. Now, is this spread of standardization of the franchise affecting culture, attitudes and the environment? These transformations that have taken place could be perceived as beneficial or corrupting to that culture depending on our view point.

When globalizing the golden arches, did management try and adapt to the local culture or were they dependent on the locals adapting to its established organizational culture? Which way did the flow of information go? These are some more questions poised by the hitch hikers to tickle your grey cells!

Balancing standardization and customization- A case study

One of the major challenges to any brand that decides to go global is to be able to balance standardization and customization. The brand has to get this degree bang on target if it wants to make an impact in the unknown territories. Most of the brands make the mistake of ‘assuming’ that since the brand name is famous the customers would be eager to accept it because of its ‘authenticity, heritage and associations.’ However, this isn’t the case anymore. With increasing number of companies trying to adopt the ‘modern’ approach by marketing the images and identities from all over the globe, each brand has to ensure that it sticks to its originality but at the same time caters to the needs of the locals. McDonald’s learnt the hard way in Asian countries like India and Japan.

Commensally, eating together at one table is central to the Japanese. The Japanese consider food as a means to bring people together, thereby, creating a sense of community. Rice, that is the main part of their meal, is served on the table in a common container. This is a collective culture which is in stark contrast with the individualistic American culture. It is the essence of a food that bonds families and creates social relationships. McDonald’s hamburgers, conversely, are meant to be eaten individually and cannot be shared. Not only does the food in McDonald’s restaurants fail to encompass the characteristic of commensality, but the physical arrangement of the restaurants in Japan further de-emphasize this feature. Now, the original franchise in Japan had counters in which customers were expected to eat their meals. As McDonald’s expanded in Japan, restaurants gradually included tables in the layout to carter to the local needs.

Furthermore, perception of the brand is different in different countries since the cultural frame of reference is not the same throughout the world. McDonald’s was perceived as snacks. Any food that consists of bread is not deemed 'filling,' and hamburgers were like a snack that was to be consumed between meals. McDonald’s diversion from commensality and its supply of non-traditional Japanese food coupled with the consumer’s perception of the food as a snack has created an environment suitable for young people to come and hang out.

In Japan, the national culture has a greater impact on the organizational culture. They prefer rice burgers- a slice of meat between bun-shaped rice patties- instead of conceding to the traditional tastes of American hamburgers. Even though it has become progressively more acceptable by the Japanese to eat at McDonald’s, it has not become a place where lunches or dinner by the masses is consumed.

This just goes on to explain what was written in the article published in Venture Republic on the ‘Cross-cultural branding and leadership’ that stated:

““Successful brands have been able to adopt their branding strategies in line with the dominant cultural philosophy and weave their brands into the cultural fiber”(*3)

The modernist approach to globalization is that globalization enhances culture rather than adulterating it. As Taylor Cowen goes on to explain in the discussion based on ‘Globalisation and culture,’ “globalization tends to increase the difference but it liberates the differences from the geography.”(*4) He explains this by giving using music as an example. The pygmy society in Congo has a splendidly unique style of music which is very different from the American pop music. It’s beautiful. It is wondrous but they just have ONE kind of music compared to the ‘richer’ societies with more markets, thereby, giving us more diversity, more variety in music. After all isn’t variety the spice of life? Now, this is a pro-globalisation view!

Globalisation or Glocalisation?

In most communities, in fact, the McDonald’s has conformed to the local culture and not the other way around. McDonald’s corporation notes that most of its overseas franchises are locally owned, and thus make efforts to buy from local communities. They alter their regional menus to conform to local taste.

The corporation is trying to reach out to a healthier crowd of customers by releasing salads with fruits and vegetables. To reach international customers, the company has also added specialty foods for different countries. The McArabia (chicken patties on unleavened bread with garlic sauce and onion) in the Middle East, the McPepper (a double-patty burger seasoned with black pepper sauce) in France, the Bulgogi Korean pork barbecue sandwich in Korea, a teriyaki pork burger with lemon-flavored mayonnaise in Japan and the Chicken Maharaja in India are all specialty menu items for different cultures.

This is again consistent with the article published in Venture Republic on the ‘Cross-cultural branding and leadership’:

“As brands enter different culture, it becomes imperative for them to carefully tread the standardization-customisation wherein they not only manage to retain the inherent brand identity which is the very reason for their acceptance across markets, but also adopt the brand elements (images, advertising, channels, and others) to appeal to the local tastes and preferences of the customers”

There are many positive aspects of globalization to McDonald’s. With the advancement of technology and communication the world itself seems to be moving at a faster pace. The advent of fast food into foreign cultures allows the opportunity to keep up with this fast pace. Culture is ever changing and McDonald's marks another step in the evolution of culture with the changes in has brought about. The menu has given people a new choice over the traditional foods eaten in the past. This depicts the power of globalization and information and it is affected by the rapid innovation in IT (the modern behavior).

The McDonaldized institution has given rise to a number of indigenous fast food chains. There is also the case of Asianization where Asian cuisine such as Fried rice is rapidly spreading all over the world. Thomas Friedman remarked, “No two countries that both had a McDonald's had fought a war against each other, since each got its McDonald's.”(*5) This was his ‘Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention.’ There's a jaunty innocence in the way he takes a note of what may be lost, as well as gained, in the brave new world since “globalization enriches the consumer in us, but it can also shrink the citizen and the space for individual cultural and political expression.” How true is this?

Globalisation = loss of identity?

There has been a loss of traditional values with the introduction of non traditional food into the culture of foreign countries. Food is symbolic to particular regions, religions and morés. In India, to the Hindu people, the cow is considered to be sacred as part of its religion. According to the AsianInfo.org (2007), “Diversity can be found in India’s food as well as its culture, geography and climate. Although a number of religions exist in India, the two cultures that have influenced Indian cooking and food habits are the Hindu and the Muslim tradition.” With the introduction of non traditional foods into this society, as with many others, there are adverse effects on the traditions it tries to uphold.

McDonald’s is viewed as American and the movement away from traditional foods towards fast food is considered to be “Americanization” of the diet. This concept has more far reaching effects than is seen on the surface. The “Americanization” of the food also means that of the culture and a way of thinking which in not acceptable to many nations. Apart from the fact that McDonald’s takes the youth away from their traditional food, it should also be noted that the ‘fast food’ is not healthy!

It is not just that the content of the diet has been criticized but it is also the way in which food is consumed. As the name implies it is “fast food”; it is quite apparent that there is a movement away from a family oriented dining to individual dining. American culture focuses on eating as a necessity and towards fast food other cultures view dining as a social experience with religion playing an important role in its practice. They value group orientation and conformity to facilitate harmony among families whereas American culture has a preference towards individualism and independence from each other. It is here that the clash of cultures comes into picture. As Benjamin Barber of the Jihad Vs. McWorld fame points out, “if the social values, the religious values, the familial values of the food are what you are about, then fast food is a disaster whether it’s fast burgers, fast fries, or fast tandoori.”(*6) So, the question arises- does the globalization of McDonald’s adversely or positively affect the culture of different nations?

Hong Kong McDonald’s:

Since we are in Hong Kong, we must question ourselves as to what effect this taste for burgers, pizzas and French fries had on Hong Kong society, cuisine and business? There is a very famous saying in the North of China that ‘people in the South will eat anything with four legs - except a table!’ (Durnford Laura, McDonaldisation of Hong Kong (*9)). However, in Hong Kong food is a serious business. Many homes are too small for entertaining guests and eating out is a popular social affair. With the wealth of choice and flavours the “first McDonald’s restaurant was opened in January 1975 and the number of outlets has reached almost 160 and more than 9,000 locals are now employed by the American giant.”

Even the HK McDonald’s changed itself to cater to the needs of the masses. It gradually made the transition from a trendy exotic outpost of American culture to an ordinary purveyor of ordinary food for ordinary people. Daniel Ng, the man who first brought McDonald’s into Hong Kong, certainly loses no sleep over all the changes that have ensued. "I'm Chinese and I love Chinese food. Chinese culture is precious to me, but sometimes when you mix two cultures you create something even more exciting!" (Durnford Laura, McDonaldisation of Hong Kong) This is the cultural borrowing that is visible.

Another observation that was made by Dr. Frank Kuo Yu, our MGT 3430 instructor was that the McDonald’s in Hong Kong had a wide variety of combo packing, something very different from the one found in US. This again symbolised the ‘collective culture’ in Hong Kong wherein the family unit is offered different combos of value meals and the food is itemised so as to suit the consumption pattern as opposed to the one in US wherein the ‘individualistic culture’ is highlighted.

How can McDonald’s move towards perfection?

The content of the McDonald’s diet has been labeled anything but perfect. The movie Super Size Me! puts that issue in the spotlight! As the critics claim that by eating like Americans people all over the world are beginning to look more like Americans, at least in one respect- obesity. As people eat more meals outside the home, they consume more calories, less fiber and more fat. Despite McDonald’s claiming that they are trying to go the ‘healthy way’ it can be seen that they are paying just a lip service and majority of the food still consists of more fat and less fiber.

Moreover, Mcdonald’s should also pay heed to the environmental problems and try to chip in their bit by contributing towards it. They should jump in the "green marketing bandwagon." This would enable them to cut some costs and use "green" as a marketing strategy?

-Even when the people eat inside the golden arches, they still wrap everything that is ordered.

-There are no incentives for a customer to bring one’s own cup.

-There is no recycling bin to separate the paper waste from the food waste.

Now try to expand this to the global size. Think. Voila you have a massive impact on earth, don’t you? Small changes could have a huge impact on the environment and McDonald’s costs! They can improve their "green image" while doing something ethically and morally right.

However, these are mere suggestions for McDonald’s and perfection is a relative term. There is a long way to go before McDonald’s can be called perfect. After all:

“When one aims for perfection, one discovers it's a moving target!”

What do you think? Opinions... Opinions!

*Are global brands babies of globalisation?*

Sweet potato: In my opinion, global brands are not the globalization’s babies. It’s just the opposite. The concept of globalization is derived from the global brands. Take McDonald’s as an example. Mass production, facilities (playground for children are available in some branches) and system (Speedee Service System) would be the globalization part of McDonald’s. As time elapses, McDonald’s no longer purely goes for globalization but tends to go for localization to a certain extent, just like the rice burgers in Japan.

Karan: I feel 'Globalization' is a result of the brands going to new territories looking to expand their business. Its not the other way round.

*Globalisation = loss of identities?*

Robert: I don’t think so. In my opinion, most extrinsic factors, such as globalization, are not decisive factor of our culture and identity development. They are determined by our attitude and behavior. Accept them; learn them; exceed them.

Karan: But I don't feel that globalization leads to loss of identity. I feel that it only adds to the diversity. Like in India, fast food may have become a preferred food for many, but at the same time, the value of Indian food or the home cooked food hasn't lost its value one bit. McDonald's has given one additional yummy option to people.

*Does the globalization of McDonald’s adversely or positively affect the culture of different nations?*

Cherry: Globalisation has a positive influence on the cultures. Mc Donald’s tried to sell combo serving rice a few years ago in Hong Kong. This is another example I can think of for globalizing and localizing which make different cultural mixed.

3430lhk: It’s quite true that McDonald’s adversely affected the culture of different nations. For example, in Hong Kong, Hong Kong people are always busy with work and study. That’s why we chose to have McDonald’s when we don’t have much time or in a rush. It really changed our eating habit. In the past, Chinese people like to have rice for their meals but you couldn’t find any rice dishes in McDonald’s. In McDonald’s, it’s all about burgers and fries which are all junk food and not healthy for our health. It hindered the development of the local cultures. McDonald’s pays a very little effort on keeping the local culture. In Hong Kong, they provided salad as Hong Kong people emphasize more on healthy diet. This act is because they want to keep their business and the market share. I think it is the only point that McDonald’s had paid the effort on the local culture.

Chiu: I believe globalization of McDonald has positive influence to other places. For instance, one essay tells the story of an unintended and unanticipated consequence of McDonald’s invasion of Hong Kong—the rest rooms in the city became cleaner. Before the first McDonald’s opened up in the mid-1970s, restaurant restrooms in Hong Kong were notoriously dirty. Over time, the cleanliness standards of McDonald’s were replicated by other restaurants eager to out-compete the increasingly popular restaurant. In Korea, McDonald’s established the practice of lining up in an orderly fashion to order food—the traditional custom, it seems, was to mob the counter.

3430_Voyage: The Ronald McDonald house provides a shelter for illness children and their family members to live in. It makes the time easier for the illness children to fight with serious diseases and lends hand to those families which had financial problem. In this point,we can see that it is not entirely evil, but kinda angel.

Karan: Fast food might encourage individualistic dining, but then at times it becomes important to grab a quick bite rather than going hungry. I feel, here too, the values imbibed in the people since their childhood, cannot be done away with by eating fast food. Both things occupy two different places in the culture, like you have mentioned in your post - "sometimes when you mix two cultures you create something even more exciting.”

We would specially like to thank 3430_Kover for giving such wonderful links which broadens and deepens our whole topic of discussion. The links that he provided were:

1) http://photowebs.blogspot.com/2008/02/different-countries-different-mcdonalds.html

2) http://www.translate.com/Language_Tech_Center/Articles/Globalization_Manager_Day.aspx

3) http://www.translationdirectory.com/articles/article1391.php

A few more questions for us and you! We did not write on them because that would make our blog way too long! Here are the questions and thoughts-

3430_S ^^: It would be interesting if you guys could talk about the pricing strategy of McDonald's in this globalisation

2411luc: What are your comments towards this failed product, or towards cross-cultural innovation?

Howard Pang: I think this blog should mention about how and why McDonald change the marketing strategy in Hong Kong.

Once again, we would love to thank all the people who took the efforts of visiting and reading this long blog. It just lets us to know that we are on the right/wrong track and that helps us feel so much better. Trust us! We are glad that you take out the time out of your busy schedule to read the blog. They are long. We agree. But we try to write differently which we hope helps you to connect us with our blog. We deliberately try to put in more provocative questions so that we can get to know your thoughts on those topics. Unfortunately, there have been quite a few people who think that our blog is a bit difficult to understand due to the language used. Please do let us know if this is the case. We can try to keep it simpler if you wish! Your wish is our command! Keep visiting, reading and commenting.

________________________________________

Readings and websites we hiked when we blogged:

*1: Sriwarakuel, Warayuth . Cultural traditions and contemporary challenges in Southeast Asia: Hindu and Buddhist. 2005.

*2: McDonald's USA. <http://www.mcdonalds.com/>. 2009 .

*3: Roll, Martin. "Cross-cultural branding and leadership." Venture Republic .

*4: Cowen, Taylor. "Globalisation and culture."

*5: Friedman, Thomas L. The Lexus and the olive tree . Anchor Books, 2000.

*6: Barber, Benjamin R. Jihad versus McWorld . Ballantine Books, 2001.

*7: Friedman, Thomas L. The world is flat. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.

*8: McDonald's Hong Kong. 02-10-2009 http://www.mcdonalds.com/hk

*9: Durnford, Laura . The McDonaldization of Hong Kong. 2002 .

Understanding the Cultural Frame of Reference- Reloaded

"The world indeed is a small place.. You never know what pops up next.. It all moves so quickly!"..

Ever heard that before? We bet you would have! But ever stopped for a moment and pondered over it? Why do some people believe this? Is it a mere exaggeration? Do they even mean it when they say that the world is becoming smaller? Is it shrinking physically or is there a colorful metaphor behind this thought?

Now, before we bombard you with more questions that may lead you to just close this page and flee, let us give you a slight background on who we are and what we are trying to do in this blog.

We are group 5 from MGT 3430 (Intercultural Communication for Business) S01 class. Our group name is "Criss Crossing Hitch Hiker" (finding the name a trifle weird? We shall elaborate on it) and the hitch hikers of this group are:

1. CHAU Philip Tak Wing (Photographer)

2. CHENG Choi Ling Janice (Researcher)

Hi, I am Cheng Choi Ling Janice. I am a year two student studying in BBA GBSM. I am a little bit indifferent when I meet people for the first time. But I become enthusiastic when I get to know them. I am an easygoing person. I love my family, especially, my grandma. I try to spend as much time as I can to be with her. I have a lot of friends. They are all very kind to me. My friends and I both have common interests- sports. I emphasis a lot on team sports because I like to co-operate and communicate with people. I train very hard and take all the trainings seriously so as to win in the game. And I am very satisfied with what I have.

3. LAM Lok Fei Maserati (Researcher)

My name is LAM Lok Fei Maserati. Hi! I am 22-year-old undergraduate. My major is Global Business System Management. I born in Guangzhou in China and immigrated to Hong Kong in 1997. It is a special memory because it was the time Hong Kong returned to China. I studied in local primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong for 11 years. I became a member of City University of Hong Kong in 2008. I like learning English very much. I am good at economics and accounting. I love to know more about the cultures around the world.

4. Gargi SHARMA (Blog Writer)

Hey! This is Gaargi Sharma. I am a 19 year old (yes, I am STILL a teenager!) year two, BBA GBSM student. Oh! I am also the writer of this blog. I hail from this lovely 'city of dreams' in the western part of India called Bombay. I came to Hong Kong just last year and I have been fascinated by this city ever since then! To talk about my hobbies- I love to read books of different genres, have been inclined towards music since the time I was a kid and I tend to call myself as a 'Freelance Writer' who loves to write in subtext and explore layers of meanings. I also love to do community service and my aim is to complete all the things that I have jotted down in my long 'to-do' things in life (one of which is to learn more about different cultures and languages!)

And we are going to be 'hitch hiking' in a 'criss cross' fashion on all the topics related to Intercultural Business Communication. So, elaborating on our group name. Intercultural Communication for us is more of intermingling of a variety of cultures in a very distinct pattern. Actually, it has no pattern; it is all just random which moves in and out of each other in a very systematic yet haphazard manner. According to us, this scenario could be best described by just two terms "Criss Cross". They are random yet neat. Systematic yet haphazard. Mysterious yet lovely. Moving on to the second half of the title "Hitch Hikers"; the meaning is very straight forward. Hitch hikers are the ones who travel anywhere and everywhere, especially by making the use of free rides and trying to take maximum possible risks. Hitch Hikers can be metaphorically associated with the current business tycoons who love to take the risk and expand their claws in the unknown territories. Since we are business students, for us, being like these 'hitch hikers' is the ultimate destination. Hence, we’ve the said term.

Terms like changing worlds, new markets, global initiatives, global sourcing, offshoring, virtual teams are not alien to us business students. But the major question that arises here is: Is the world prepared? Are we prepared? This video raises questions that enable us to understand the growing need to be prepared for changes. After all the only constant in this world is CHANGE, right?

Pick of the week:

The blog that we’ve chosen to review is titled “Day-to-day interaction in the US and Germany” from the typepad blog called ‘German Joys’ which is written by Andrew Hammel. Mr. Hammel is HawardLaw School graduate and is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Duesseldorf. His blogs are meant solely for educational purposes, and they provide readers with a platform to exchange free opinions. The blog is mainly directed towards the Germans. This is quite explicit through the categories wherein most of the titles commence with the term ‘German’. Moreover, it might imply that it is usually the Germans who read and follow him based on the comments that he receives on his different posts.

What is so interesting, eh?

There is a stark contrast between their behaviour in the public sphere. While in US, there is a sheer minimisation of the boundaries between public and private sphere, there is a vast difference between these spheres in Germany. Public sphere cannot be easily transformed into friendships from a German's view point. Social distance, which is a common German characteristic, might be very uncomfortable for an American who would want to take even the public sphere to a personal level. This may lead to Germans visiting or living in the US to judge them subsequently as superficial and devoid of all substance. Thus, what the Americans see as arrogance is the German nature while what Germans see as superficial is the US nature. The insider and outsider division between the public and private places varies between an American and a German. This, most of the times, results in patterned misunderstandings at an interpersonal level of interaction. It is necessary to be aware of these cultural differences.

As Karan points out that Cultural differences are inevitable and it has been more vividly visible to us owing to the growing globalisation. It is impossible to understand all the cultural differences since every group, community, organization, institution and even country has its unique cultures. However, it can surely be avoided by being sensitive towards other cultures so that one can avoid unsavory interactions among diverse cultures. There are several other ways by which we could do this.

Avoiding slang and idioms and choosing words that convey only the most specific meaning is one way of achieving this, as noted by ilove3430. One must respect the local formalities and styles, watch for any changes in body language and investigate other's cultural perception of one’s own culture by reading literature about one’s culture through their eyes before communicating with them.

Now, moving back to Germans and Americans! Pleasantness and a good character are a few of the most important so-called 'criteria' for Germans to cultivate friendships. So, the Germans, unlike Americans, try not to establish relations ONLY on the interests. The direct way of thinking and speaking of Germans might prevent the fostering of a good friendship with Americans or for that matter, anyone who has this distinctive 'American style of thinking.'

Before moving on, we think it is important to recognize 2411Mr. Aphorism’s comment: “Cultural differences mean shocks, inspirations and creativity. They are like non-Asians discovering chopsticks stands and finally turning them into an innovation of pencil stands. These show how people can discover things they have never thought of through understanding other cultures.”

What do the Hitch Hikers think?

Mr. Hammel has spoken about the cultural differences that can be explicitly seen between Germans and Americans. The differences, he points out, stem from daily lives. He not only tries to put forth his own view points across but also takes the support of the article penned down by an American Sociologist named Stephen Kalberg, thereby making his blog more concrete and comprehensive. From the knowledge gaining point of view, this blog enables the readers from different nooks and corners of the world to understand the common day-to-day habits of Germans and Americans.

However, at the same time, lack of any personal thoughts makes the blog slightly unimpressive because it makes the reader think that he is merely reading an article taken out from Kalberg's book. Mr. Hammel's own perspective on the said issue would have given this topic another layer of thoughts, resulting in a better read for the readers. Furthermore, a tinge of personal tone, according to us would have done wonders to the flow of the post.

Tickle your grey cells:

It is important to note that we often forget about the different cultural frame of reference. Majority of people believe that 'globalisation would eventually lead to the elimination of cultural diversity'. One of the questions that you could chew on would be- Would the traits like these that are common in Germans and Americans be eliminated due to Globalisation? We got lovely responses from our fellow mates. We thought it would be much better to acknowledge it in a new section altogether. They deserve it!

3430_magic S^^ thinks that different cultures have their own cultural identities, which cannot be changed. For instance, a Chinese who migrates to the United States may still celebrate the Spring Festival when he gets old, and pass it on to his progeny. In the same way, a German may try to change his communication style when he needs to deal with an American, but he will stay the same when he comes in contact with the natives. We think that this is just a part of the picture. Globalisation has led people adopting different strategies like acculturation, assimilation, bicultural attitude and marginal attitude (also Hermit!). We will elaborate on it on our next blog (Now you know what our next blog is on. No prizes for guessing!)

3430_Robert explains further that in primitive societies, humanity formed a tribe and lived in a small area. However, nowadays people can go wherever they want to go. About five thousand years ago, theterritory of Xia Dynasty of China was only about one tenth of current territory of China. And Xia Dynasty contained hundreds of slave states. With the passage of time, many other cultures were integrated. China is just an example. Many other countries like India, European Nations, United States of America, etc. have similar history. Different cultures and countries will eventually be integrated. Hence, one day the world will become one world.

Some more treasure to dig in:

Apart from the above blog, we also came across another interesting blog one the similar lines titled ‘The minefield of intercultural communication’. This blog also explores the differences between a German and an American way of thinking, albeit by sticking onto the general examples and utilizing a much simpler lingo instead of jargons. We shouldbecome aware of the differences and not let the communication failures contribute to the perceived set of stereotypes. Since this blog was written by an average citizen, residing in Germany, we thought it would be a much better idea to select the blog which had a much wider scope and a comprehensive content.

Finally, the third most interesting blog that we would love you guys to go and read would be ‘How to understand people from different world views’. It talks about American-style culture and appropriate methods to cope with some of the culture differences like:

Shame vs Honour
Unapproved vs Approved
Disrespect vs Respect

Guilty vs Innocence
Right vs Wrong

Even here, the author tries to illustrate how the views within the culture, specifically, the North American culture changing. Yes, it brings us back to square one, right to where we began. Talking about the need for CHANGE and how necessary it is to be in sync with the world and abreast with the change taking place around us. The most appropriate solution to this would be trying to identify the cultural frame of reference. It ain’t as difficult as it sounds. In fact, reading books or talking to people from different cultural backgrounds might just highlight these cultural differences vividly, thereby, broadening your horizons and widening your perspectives!

That’s why we say,

"The world indeed is a small place.. You never know what pops up next.. It all moves so quickly!"..!

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