"It goes far beyond the usual cultural competence of etiquette, language, and culture." Our world is becoming increasingly
globalized with each passing day. This is providing a wealth of expanding opportunities, lower cost - production ratios and a more diverse work force to draw from. As companies move into new markets, the cultural variety they gain exposure to, ensures increased creativity and novel manners of marketing. Yet at the same time, it sometimes seems U.S. companies and sectors push ahead with only the business side in mind ignoring other issues of
diversity that need to be taken into account in order for globalization to live up to it's potential.
This article summarizes difficulties that have arisen as a function of diversity in global markets such as the riots in France in 2005 and provides a greater
understanding of factors that are necessary to attend to in order to prevent further problems in the future. A primary focus of this piece is the social reality of various cultures and countries. Since interpersonal relationships are the basis of successful outcomes - business or otherwise - this is a critical aspect to address both domestically and abroad.
Even for those individuals not involved in international business ventures, the effects of globalization reach into every avenue of our lives today and so this is an important article to read to gain a basic understanding of this growing influence.