Men-Women and Japanese-American Intercultural Communication - Analysis

Men-Women and Japanese-American Intercultural Communication - Analysis of the Mitsubishi Case IntroductionIt was my first day in high school. Standing alone in the lay of the play ground looking for anyone I know or can talk to, my eyes was searching all over the place. A pretty nordic 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 close to time wasted thinking, I saw a girl I know approaching the blond. Not willing to waste such opportunity, I marched forward-moving 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 unbroken 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 wo uld open my conversation with her many times, I kept hesitating whether to approach her or not when I saw 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 wouldnt reject my invitation for spillage out together. However, I was astonished when she replied 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 completely 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 display case is the famous case of Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing in America. In this paper, I will try to a nalyze the Mitsubishi case as a consequence of intercultural miscommunication amongst American men and American women cultures, and the Japanese and American cultures.Mitsubishi Case SummaryMitsubishi 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. How Culture Molds Habits of Thought. New York Times August 8, 2000 http//www.nytimes.com/library/national/ comprehension/health/080800hth-behavior-culture.html>Hofstede, G.H. Cultures 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. Cambri dge Cambridge Univ. Press, 1982, pp. 196-216.Stewart, Edward C. 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. Shadows of the Rising Sun. New York quill pen 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.