I.
Introduction
The interview was conducted with Mrs. Trinh, who was a professional with extensive
experience in International Business. She initially worked as an International Sales Specialist
for about 6 years in Vietnam before moving to the United States, where she currently
manages a restaurant chain called “Phở số 1” located mainly in Michigan. This role in the
business helped her build unique knowledge on how to navigate both Vietnamese and the U.S
markets. The main topics discussed in the report include key insights about how to conduct
the global business, skills needed to manage cultural differences and career development for
students. The information Mrs. Trinh provided practical advice for thriving in multinational
business government.
II. Key Insights Gains:
1. Opportunities and Challenges of working in international market:
Working across different cultures brings lots of benefits, but also faces many challenges at
the same time. Therefore, exploring the advantages and drawbacks of the global business
helps to reveal how we can strengthen the reputation and operations on a worldwide scale.
1.1.1. Opportunities:
Expanding to a new market opens our access to a new diverse customer segment, allowing
businesses to reach a larger audience and increase revenue. The diversification ensures to
gain a competitive edge and spread risk and mitigate the impact of economic fluctuations in a
single region (Janse, 2017). Additionally, adapting products and services to strengthen the
customer satisfaction can enhance the advantages higher, which make the knowledge of
different cultures become important in all companies that want to expand to the globe.
Another benefit is exposure to diverse cultures and ideas as it fosters innovation within the
organisation. Cross-cultural interactions bring many perspectives, which help businesses to
recognize new approaches to marketing or process improvement (Lesadmin, 2023) Therefore,
cultural exchange encourages creative and unique problem solving and helps companies stay
competitive in a global landscape. Additionally, expanding internationally also provides
access to a wider range of resources and talent pool. If businesses can adapt to new cultures
well, the employees from different backgrounds would bring unique skills, knowledge that
enrich the organisation’s overall capabilities. Hence, cultivating a diverse culture in global
markets can improve and strengthen the abilities for both companies and individuals.
1.1.2. Challenges:
While doing international business, culture and language barriers are the main challenges
individuals need to face. Miscommunication often arises when grammar, vocabulary, and
pronunciation are misinterpreted, leading to unintended meanings (Ye, 2024, p179).
Therefore, language vary in many frameworks can be an issue affecting not only verbal
interactions but also in our written communication, such as doing marketing campaigns or
dealing with customers and our partners. The barriers can also be seen in non-verbal cues
such as gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, which differ significantly between cultures
(Ye, 2024, p182). For instance, nodding in Western countries can signify agreements,
however, this action can merely show the acknowledgement but not the agreements.
Similarly, gestures like handshakes and pointing can have different meanings in different
cultures.
Moreover, cultural values also shape business practices and influence many aspects of the
interactions, from negotiation to decision-making process. Working in a multicultural
environment from high-context cultures and those from low-context cultures can make many
differences and it takes time to understand the values, the people and their norms.
Specifically, managing teams from many cultures will be challenging because of the conflicts
happening while working and making decisions (Agnieszka & Ewa,2023). A team member
from a culture that values quick decisions can be frustrated with the prolonged discussion
from other members who prefer group harmony and mutual agreements. Consequently, the
problem raises tensions and can impact team morale, as members may feel uncomfortable
and unappreciated.
2. International Business Practices:
International Business will open the world of opportunities that allow companies to grow,
strengthen their competitive position in the global market and adapt to a wide range of
resources and talent (International Business University, 2023). Cultural differences and
language barriers can be the main challenges when doing business globally because of the
misunderstandings. Consequently, specific strategies are needed to adapt to the working
overseas environment by prioritising learning and implementing the culture practices.
First, the information gained shows that cultural adaption is the key to success in engaging in
global markets. Culture awareness and adoption is crucial for building relationships, efficient
teams and decision making styles which would ensure the smooth running of operations
(Velocity Global, 2024). Therefore, learning and respecting different customs, greetings and
social norms of each country is important. Before joining with clients and partners from a
new country, the business needs to familiarise themselves with the greetings for further
flexible communication. For example, while working with people from Thai, the traditional
Thai greetings symbol is necessary, which not only shows the formality from the business but
also signifies the respect for that culture and the willingness to engage in it.
Another important key to do business internationally is adaptive communication styles.
Because the way people communicate can vary depending on their culture, understanding
these differences is critical for building effective collaboration and relationships (Padhi,
2015). Research shows that empathising and being sensitive to other's feelings can reduce
communication issues and enhance the workplace environment in cross-cultural context.
(Sahadevan & Sumangala, 2021). Therefore, businesses should be aware of the direct and
indirect communication from different employees to ensure their messages are delivered
clearly and interpreted positively. In addition to verbal communication, body language, tone
of voice and eye contact can vary between different cultures. Some countries in the Western
cultures maintain eye contact to convey honesty, while the others in Asian countries think
that prolonging the conversation with eye contact might be perceived as disrespectful or
confrontational. Hence, we need to adjust our nonverbal and verbal communication to show
respect to cultural norms and help prevent misunderstanding.
III. Impact on Personal Understanding of International Business
The interview with Ms.Trinh provided much information that will deepen my understanding,
particularly around the importance of culture. One of the most essential parts of doing
international business is the role of cultural sensitivity in building trust and respect across
cultures. After having a meeting with Mrs.Trinh, I have heard more real-world examples that
helped me realize that if I want to succeed in global business, I will need a broader
knowledge of cultural differences. The understanding not just in a theoretical context, but
also in the skills needed to improve the adaptive communication across cultures. It has to be
flexible to match the expectations of clients and partners because the meetings and
negotiation will force us to adjust both verbal and non-verbal cues to adapt to the people. The
examples provided show that the gestures like greeting and adjusting eye contact can impact
messages we give. Therefore, this situation inspired me to approach communication while
working more thoughtfully, especially if engaging with any from different backgrounds.
Another valuable perspective was the importance of fostering inclusive work environments in
multicultural teams. Team management is very crucial in international business, and the way
we approach it will show the abilities for adapting to new cultures. By appreciating diversity
and valuing each team member’s background, teamwork can be improved and this action
encourages collaboration and creativity while also promoting spirit. This has positively
influenced the way I view cultural diversity in the workplace as opportunities for learning
and enriching exchange and interaction with others. Additionally, the information obtained
from the interview is directly connected with theoretical knowledge, which helps to bridge
the gap between theory and practical. After gaining knowledge from both sides, the concept
of cross-cultural management is more concrete. Hence, it highlights the effectiveness of
learning cultural norms and communications which enable us to create a diverse working
environment in the future.
IV. Lessons Learned:
Mrs. Trinh provided for me several useful recommendations for succeeding in international
business, showing the emphasis on cultural sensitivity, open-mindedness and adaptability.
First, while dealing with foreign clients or customers, we can show interest in every
conversation rather than judgemental, avoiding assumptions and stereotypes. Moreover, the
differences in communication and behaviours, and even the way of conducting business in
diverse countries would not be a problem if we can create trust and honesty. According to
Mrs. Trinh, customs is an important factor we need to learn how to adapt to the real business
as these details can make a significant difference in business interactions to show
professional abilities. Therefore, we can create a working climate that is conducive to work,
diversity and promoting open sharing of ideas whereby all members of the team are
appreciated. Hence, learning culture is essential while doing business for both leaders and
employees.
Second, the interview with Mrs. Trinh enables me to consider my career with international
business whether I can adapt to the changes of cultural differences. Such experiences made
me appreciate the advantages and drawbacks of functioning in cross cultural communication.
The verbal and non-verbal interactions between people is not just the efficiency in speaking
language; rather, it is the awareness and appreciation about other customs and norms. It is not
just a soft skill, this is the skill needed in every business especially for building up
relationships. After that I am now keen on pursuing positions in which I can employ such
abilities. Last but not least, it was a good lesson to remind me as much as possible that
flexibility about the right expectation in communication is required in order to be effective,
which further enables me to modify my behaviour when going to different cultures.
Third, this encounter has shaped my academic pursuits, especially in the area of cross-
cultural management, global marketing and international strategy. I plan to enroll in more of
these subjects in order to learn further how businesses can effectively deal with cultural
differences. Moreover, learning about intercultural communication would be a good idea to
foster my knowledge and understanding. To do that, I hope to be able to sharpen my
awareness of culture that will be essential for working globally in a business environment.
This would also include aspects in cultural diversity-oriented issues, such as ways of
communicating, and of doing business. At this point, I already have good communication
skills and I plan to develop these skills further and learn to be flexible and adaptable to
cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. Hence, as a way to put these theories into practice, I
would like to look for internships and temporary jobs in culturally diverse settings or sectors
with a global outlook.
V. Conclusion:
The insights gained from Mrs. Trinh was highly enriching and informative for my knowledge
and thinking of the international environment with different cultures. The interview
reinforced the importance of informational interviews for future career development. Direct
communication with a working professional helps to get some useful tips and better
understand unrecoverable problems that exist in global entrepreneurship.
VI. Appendices:
Questions Answers
Can you introduce your My name is Mỹ Trinh, I used to work in International Sales
name, company name and Specialist position in Vietnam about 6 years before going to
your working time in an the US. Now, I have my own restaurant chain which is
international environment? located mainly in Michigan named “ Phở số 1”.
When interacting with The first difficulty is language, because when you do not
foreign customers, did you understand clearly what your customers and partners say, it
encounter any difficulties at can lead to misunderstandings. Next is the culture of each
first? country. When working with people from different
countries, you need to learn about their communication and
behaviour.
How did you overcome that We must be polite and show them our honesty and warmth
difficulty? in a natural way. To do that, we must know the culture of
each country, for example, when going to Thailand, the way
of greeting will change to be like them. Also, we need to
know the way they communicate in nonverbal and verbal
because different cultures have different styles of greetings
and body language.
In your opinion, what skill is Cultural sensitivity is the most important skill when dealing
the most important when with international clients. It is not simply about
dealing with foreign understanding different customs or languages; it also
customers? includes being aware of and respecting the nuances of
behavior, communication styles, and business practices that
differ between cultures.
How do you manage both Create a work culture that values diversity and inclusion. I
foreign and domestic teams always encourage team members to respect and appreciate
to create an effective each other's backgrounds and perspectives. Celebrating
working environment? cultural differences and creating opportunities for team
members to share about their own cultures can foster
understanding and build friendships. Also, some team
members may be more direct, while others may prefer to be
indirect. It is important to adapt your style to the team
members you are working with and encourage people to be
aware of these differences.
Can you share an example of When we, as Vietnamese, interact with our American
how culture has influenced counterparts - whom normal workplace culture values
the work process? direct communication and quick decision making. Meetings
are often seen as opportunities to make decisions, assign
tasks, and move forward. However, in Vietnam, our
workplace culture often values harmony, consensus
building, and intermittent communication. This leads to
complex understandings when our counterparts feel that we
are not being transparent enough.
Do you have any advice for Start with an Open Mind and Avoid Assumptions.
people new to working with Approach every interaction with curiosity rather than
foreigners about how to judgment. We need to be aware that different cultures have
approach and respect their own ways of communicating, managing time, and
cultural diversity? solving problems, and avoid making assumptions based on
stereotypes. Additionally, we need to be polite when
communicating to create a good impression during
negotiations because honesty will show them our ability to
do the job. Newcomers need to take the time to learn the
basic cultural customs, greetings and taboos of each
different country.
Can you share how events Inflation affects the economy a lot. Because food is
such as exchange rate something that increases very high making people not have
fluctuations, inflation, or enough spare money and that affects a lot of businesses.
changes in raw material
prices affect business
operations?
What opportunities will new One of the most exciting areas for new graduates is global
graduates have in marketing and branding. As companies aim to appeal to a
international business? diverse audience around the world, the need for
professionals who understand how to continue to create
effective products and services across cultures is increasing
every day. Because the economy is so diverse overseas,
students who want to have opportunities in this field need
to be strong in both knowledge and soft skills, while also
cultivating an understanding of the cultures of new
countries to be able to thrive.
VII. References:
Agnieszka, K.-S., & Sowa-Behtane, E. (2023). Challenges of Working in Multicultural
Environment From the Perspective of Members of Intercultural Teams. Education Excellence
and Innovation Management.
International Business University. (2024, March 27). The motivations behind engaging in
international business. IBU. https://ibu.ca/the-motivations-behind-engaging-in-international-
business-an-exploration/
Janse. (2017, November 3). These are the top 5 challenges for international organizations.
World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2017/11/these-are-the-top-5-
challenges-for-international-organizations/
Knap-Stefaniuk, A., & Sowa-Behtane, E. (2023). Challenges of Working in Multicultural
Environment From the Perspective of Members of Intercultural Teams.
Lesadmin. (2023, May 17). What are the benefits of understanding different cultures? Les
Elfes International. https://www.leselfes.com/understanding-different-cultures/
Padhi, P. K. (2015). Challenges of Working in Multicultural Environments from the
Perspective of Members of Intercultural Teams. Quest Journals: Journal of Research in
Humanities and Social Science, 4(1), 20-26. https://www.questjournals.org/jrhss/papers/vol4-
issue1/E412026.pdf
Sahadevan, P., & Sumangala, M. (2021). Effective cross-cultural communication for
international business. Shanlax International Journal of Management, 8(4), 24-33.
https://doi.org/10.34293/management.v8i4.3813
Velocity Global. (2024, October 24). Culture in international business: Diversity &
differences. https://velocityglobal.com/resources/blog/culture-in-international-business/
Ye, Z. (2024). Language barriers in intercultural communication and their translation
strategies. Modern Management Science & Engineering, 6(1), p178.
https://doi.org/10.22158/mmse.v6n1p178
