Communication
In "UN Summit to push for corporate green plans," Clark (2012) mentions a summit in Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. In addition to the cultures represented by the host country, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and India are also mentioned in the article. Clark's (2012) article, which is published in The Financial Times, illustrates some of the challenges with cross-cultural communications and business.
In "UN Summit to Push for Corporate Green Plans," Clark (2012) refers directly to the "resistance" of countries including the United States, Canada, and India to some environmental strategies "because of fears that it will add to companies' regulatory burdens." The cultural values this represents include an economic model in which businesses operate with as little regulation on the part of government as possible. However, some businesses are on board with the environmental regulations. As Clark (2012) points out, "a group of businesses and investors, such as Aviva, that say both companies...
The regulations are "being backed by many European countries, including the UK, which has included a leading campaigner for the measure." This shows differences between North America and Europe, representing a new type of "contact zone" between the former European colonies and the Old World. European nations tend to believe that "governments should develop a 'model for best practice and facilitate action' for so-called corporate sustainability reporting," (Clark, 2012). On the other hand, North American leaders believe less in governmental regulation. The North American contingency epitomizes what the text calls corporate colonialism (p. 283). Corporate colonialism is a type of cultural imperialism. North America since World War Two has…
