Class Discussion – Nov. 5

Natalie, Ruhi, Marlee

It helps in developing more effective communications.

In navigating network, using your connection and how they help, their knowledge.

Ideologies – Value, what is most meaningful and why we choose to do what we do based on those values. Apple overseas factory in China, they don’t have say with workers. Apple’s ideology wasn’t matching well with China factories. Workers were killing themselves. Thats why you need to negotiate identities.

Same happened with Nike, Forever 21.

The other cultures don’t know what these products are being used to, people in America don’t care where it is coming from. So we will say that multi-literacies approach.

Corporate culture would be important – business, strict or laid back and casual. If we find jobs in multi national companies multi-literacies become an integral part of the experience.

Challenges: Mastering language and inter cultural knowledge practical in real life  against text book knowledge.

 

OCT 29

Ruhi and Emily

Emily: I have worked in places with people from different cultural backgrounds but we were all Americans.

Ruhi: Don’t have workplace experience either.

Emily: Accents worry me when I am speaking with a call centre person. “He might not be able to help me”

We prefer using chat options better for our needs. Its not we don’t want to talk to a person than automated thing. Banks are annoying, automated messages are worse.

Customers don’t like the script and automated things are getting more into it. It might not be good for the business as people don’t really like talking to them.

Solution: Focus more on people to people but companies don’t like that as it is expensive. Call centers are not taken as serious job. High worker job turnover. Call centers needs to be acknowledge it as a industry and spend more money in it. Customer Service is so important but companies just make the promise.

Korea example by Emily. About verification number

People need to be more patient with each other. The soft skills become more important in jobs like these.

Class Discussion – OCT 29

Jason and Ruhi

  1. I complaint the my budget was consumed in the first 2 weeks of the month. Can you explain what happened? Didn’t we have a plan? Why was I not informed of this earlier?

A. Start by apologizing for things not working out as planned. I understand the urgency, however I need to speak to my director to figure out what happened instead of giving you false information. I need a few days to what really happened and find out a solution for you.

Solution: We overpaid the TV commercials because of a new additional package, which is actually better for your brand in the long run. There was a time crunch, thats why we couldn’t discuss it and I do apologize for that. Although, we are sure this decision will get us results, as our apology we would like to offer you a 20% discount on the agency fees for next month. In future we will make sure, we inform you before taking any such decisions.

Class Discussion – Oct 22

Ruhi and Buke

  1. Yes.

a. Western influence help women in weaker societies to stand up against or with men to bring there point of view forward.

b. Feminist movement does differ because the issues are different in different societies. Like what is a pressing issue in Kenya won’t be of any consequence in Europe or US and vice-versa.

c. In the video, in US also white, Spanish and black women face income disparity. Its not just an equality issue between two genders but also various races. We really liked the video.

 

2. In developing countries or where economy is weak and the wage is low  men get more into business. In such countries, women don’t have much of a voice, as men have all the power. Culture and economy combined in these countries effect women and their peace building initiatives.

a. Lack of resources

In Class Writing – October 8

  1. Express multicultural gratification:  Clothes you wear, how you wear your hair
  2. Non-verbal communication:
  3. Find the balance between “Black” and “White” Black doesn’t mean ghetto and White doesn’t mean ‘proper’
  4. Short Trainings: About cross-cultural, sensitivity in communication, avoiding hostility. Language sensitivity. Know who you are talking to, understand the personality.
  5. Curiosity: Is good, rudeness is not.
  6. Question the pre-conceived notions.
  7. Look for alternative ways of getting information – INTERNET

Emily, Melissa, Ruhi

September 24 – In class writing

Website of a company that is based on the region you come from and analyze its content management.

I studied Maybelline USA and Maybelline India

  1. The USA site focussed on Technology through blog and virtual try-ons and sales by mentioning a product in focus multiple times.

2. In its Indian counterpart, there is a focus on wedding season as that’s the festive and the best time for all companies to see. They brought in a popular actress as a brand ambassador.

3. They have similar design and color choices.

4. Both the websites did justice to their respective regions and USA is “tech forward” in a general sense of word and in India wedding season is an obvious goal for all product based companies.

Interview – September 17

Interview 

I interviewed Melissa and we talked about her wedding ring. It is a beautiful traditional Hawaiian ring with Miley leaves and lay design. It has After dating for 4 years Melissa and her wife got married in Hawaii, twice. Once in the courthouse and the second time in a beautiful beach wedding. Both the dates are engraved in the ring. After 2 years of searching for the perfect rings, Meliisa’s wife found it tucked away in a back in a jeweler shop in Chinatown. That was it, it was time to celebrate. It was an intimate and beautiful week long celebration with 25 of their closest friends and family. She termed it as a “vacation wedding” filled with fun activities.

 

 

Discussion  – Ruhi and Buke 

  • Challenge : Language, culture, mindset, for some words there is no translation in English
  • Strength: a. English, it has its shortcomings.
  • b. Prior interview experience, you are more prepared to find a way to have a relevant conversation.
  • c. Reading, traveling can be a big advantage.
  • d. Curious and open minded
  • TO OVERCOME:
  • If we go to the country it will be helpful
  • Maybe if we met before the interview to understand the person to better prepare with the question.
  • Talk about general things to make the person more comfortable with you.
  • Choose the group, narrow the interviewee group, because people from even a same country cannot all be same.
  • To adapt to small things like basic etiquette of a country and spend time in learning the names of the group you are interviewing.
  • To research intensively before interviewing in a foreign country.

September 10 Group Work

In what ways do you feel challenged or privileged as a communicator across cultures and languages?

  1. Knowing the common language – English has been supremely helpful in connecting with people. I would consider that as a privilege.
  2. Biggest challenge is in understanding each other contextually even though we speak the same language.
  3. Cultural background/mindset is the biggest factor in communicating well. This is my first experience in a multi culture classroom, I am still understanding the challenges.
  4. Knowing English is empowering but it is not everything. Its just a great means to start a conversation.

What strategies do you find useful and supportive when communicating with people across borders?

  1. Contextual dimensions: Individual based communication
  2. Traveling physically and virtually, transnational entrepreneurs leverage two or more socially embedded environments that may be unnoticed or unavailable to entrepreneurs who occupy single locations. Traveling has helped me a lot personally in understanding contexts and having successful  conversations.
  3. To understand how local entrepreneurial practices shape and are shaped by wider social, political, cultural, and global ecologies, I draw on and extend cultural–historical activity theory (CHAT). This theory is helpful in communicating across borders.

    4. A class with Intercultural teachers  is a good starting point in knowing about culture of a country of interest. Experience is the best way to learn but such classes are a good way to start.

     

     

August 27, Class Discussion

Ruhi Shahin, Jason Wu, Melissa

 

 

One of the things we found really interesting and surprising was the difference between professors’ expectations and student’s expectations. Students seem to have similar shared experiences of growing up in a global environment and they also share the experience of being new students, etc. But the professors haven’t adapted their expectations of students. This can be challenging considering some professors have been teaching for 20 + years and have not revised their expectations to suit the new student body.

There is a disconnect between the professors in University and teachers in Grade school. If they had same expectation, then student should be able to fulfill.

  1. Professors are not adapting, disconnect between students and professors and colleges and grade teachers and professors and admissions.
  2. Admission process is different for international and domestic students.

Introduction

Here I am!

MAPC in University of San Francisco seems like a new beginning a breathe of fresh air. So, far its all been about India, New Delhi to be precise. I am excited to be now living and studying in California.

I have been a professional journalist for about 14 years now. but, its time to upgrade.

 

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