International intercultural management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

International intercultural management - Essay Example This paper is based on an intercultural dinner that the writer was involved in. During the dinner, there were discussions carried out in relation to relevant cultural differences that existed between their respective countries. The countries represented at the dinner were Saudi Arabia [the writer's nation which is the base nation for this essay], Thailand, China,and Ghana. In the dinner, significant aspects of the cultures and social structures of the different nations were discussed. These discussions included economic activities in the respective nations, significant determinants of business activities, unique systems, food, and other relevant factors. During the dinner, there were some notes that were made by the writer of this paper. They include important elements and aspects of the various nations. The writer noticed that noodles play an important aspect in the diet of the Chinese and the Thai people. I also learned that rice is an important element of the Thai society. Both na tions have strong connections with the Silk Route which was a trail of trade between Asia and Europe. Due to this, there were some exchanges between Europe and Asia albeit minor in terms of influence. It was also noted that the Chinese nation is really huge and there were different time zones as well as different states within the nation. I was shocked to discover that there are some urban areas in China with as many as 320 million people [which is the size of some populations]. This confirms the realities of the fact that China is the largest nation in terms of population. I also noticed that most of the chocolate we eat is from cocoa which is the core element of the Ghanaian society. I therefore identified that agriculture remains an important element of the Ghanaian society. Active-learning activities promotes cooperation, critical thinking, independence, time management and sensitivity to cultural differences (Gardner, 2008). Another aspect of active-learning is that it provides the avenue for the application of theoretical knowledge (Harmin and Toth, 2010). Based on these elements of active learning, the research undertook a comparative system beginning with the culture and systems of Saudi Arabia. The researcher begins by using Hofstede's model of cross-cultural management to examine and evaluate the culture of Saudi Arabia. This is done by following up on the findings that were made during the dinner. The research goes on to trace the findings of the dinner to define the elements of Thailand, China and Ghana. A core tool that is used in