Case Study scenario: Mr. Williams was assigned indefinitely to his company’s Par
ID: 344087 • Letter: C
Question
Case Study scenario:
Mr. Williams was assigned indefinitely to his company’s Paris branch, and he wanted to establish some social relationships with his fellow employees. He had been in France only a few days when he was asked to attend a meeting in the outer office. As Mr. Baudin entered and sat beside him, Williams politely introduced himself and they shook hands. After exchanging some pleasantries about the weather, Williams told Baudin how thrilled he and his family were to be in Paris. He casually asked how many children Baudin had. Baudin replied that he had two sons. However, Williams noted that when he asked further about Baudin’s family, the Frenchman seemed offended. The conversation ended abruptly with Williams thoroughly confused.
Identify what you believe are the specific U.S. cultural characteristics illustrated in this scenario.
Identify what you believe are the specific French cultural characteristics.
How might Mr. Baudin characterize U.S. culture if this were the only interaction he had experienced with someone from the U.S.?
How might Mr. Williams characterize French culture if this were the only interaction he had experienced with someone from France?
Using your list of French and U.S. cultural characteristics, list the ingredients of culture that you have identified (e.g., artifacts, belief systems, folklore).
How is this intercultural scenario illustrative of the cultural axiom, “Cultures are ethnocentric”?
Explanation / Answer
In the case, we can see Williams was trying to socialize with Mr. Baudin. American culture is indulgence oriented (68) while French culture is restraint oriented (48). Americans try to socialize, to be happy and cheerful at the workplace. The French who rather try to be direct and business-oriented does not consider their cheerful and friendly demeanor appropriate.
If this were his only interaction with Americans, Mr. Baudin would consider Americans to be over socializing and friendly in their business approach. He might consider that Americans are not very serious about their business. Extrovertism characterizes American culture.
If this were his only interaction with French, Williams may consider French people as rude, sad and introverts. He may consider that French like talking business only and are very direct in their approach.
US culture is low on power distance, uncertainty avoidance and long term orientation and quite high in individualism, masculinity and indulgence quotient. French culture, on the other hand, is very high on power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation.
The cultural axiom “Cultures are ethnocentric” means that one is judging another’s culture only on the basis of his own culture. Cultures can be different, they are varying. They can be judged on 6 cultural dimensions as stated by Hofstede. In this case, Baudin does not like the way Williams was entirely opposite of the way, a Frenchman would have conducted business and he got offended. This clearly represents that the given case is an advocate of ethnocentricity.
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