Q1.
There are several variations in culture and customs between the Westerners and the Japanese. The Japanese culture does not believe that a woman can lead or do something better than a man. Seemingly, the culture advocates that some jobs must be reserved for men. This can be substantiated by the unrest depicted by the Japanese staff when they realized that Kelly was a woman. The contract between Michio's company and Kelly's company was canceled, primarily because Kelly was a woman. Moreover, Japanese business customs emphasize business persons to have business cards. This is why the Japanese staff is frustrated when Michio hands a business card to Kelly, who puts it into her pocket immediately. Above all, just as the family relocated to Japan, they realize that the Japanese houses and environment is distinctive from that of Americans. Feasibly, are not only American houses huge in size but also have gardens for children to play. This is not the case with Japanese houses since they are too small and have no gardens for the children to play. The cultural and customs clash in this case is also witnessed in how Kelly receives an unbalanced welcome in the new company in Tokyo. Kelly gets a warm welcome from the two Germans and Americans. However, the Japanese remain quiet, hesitant, calm, and timid. The Japanese get a giggle look having expected a man but realize that the new manager is a woman. The most humiliating thing is that the Japanese staff members fail to prepare for the presentations and lower down their heads as opposed to the American and German members who prepare and perform their presentations. These series of events portray a culture stun. Additionally, the kids are frustrated at school as it occurs to them that the Japanese students do not speak English and cannot mingle with them. Joe, Kelly’s husband, gets challenges in preparing meals since he is not familiar with the foods consumed in Tokyo. This entire experience is a stun to Kelly and her family.
Q2.
Certainly, Kelly’s family is experiencing a first and second cultural shock. In the first phase, the couple experienced a shock when they were examining Japan after they arrived in Tokyo. They expected the right place where they would enjoy themselves during the first 14 days of their arrival. As they were touring and voyaging their new place of residence, they just got blown up as they had thought Japan would be the best place for vocation. Later, the family falls into the second phase of hostile ambiance and irritation as they found it hard to adjust to the living conditions available. Their apartment is small, the atmosphere of the city is unnourished according to their anticipations, and they find it challenging to fine-tune their stances. At her workplace, Kelly is troubled as she encounters aggravation and intimidating atmosphere from the Japanese staff members because she is a woman. It is not easy to address the Japanese members. Kelly is confused about dealing with these challenges and had to align with the Americans so that they may help her exhort the circumstances. She even wishes that she had an American female friend with whom she could share her problems with.
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Q3.
I would suggest that Kelly should have done more research before making a step of relocating to Tokyo. Irrefutably, Japan is unquestionably a country with diverse culture. Kelly should have made a detailed research about the country, discover their culture, and how it is different from that of the U.S. Perhaps, this could help her realize that Joe would lose his job and therefore look for a job in Japan before relocating so that it does not happen that she is the breadwinner of the family. Ideally, Kelly should have taken consideration of their kids, the challenges they could face in an attempt to adjust to the new customs, and the language barrier they would face. Also, Kelly’s boss should have acted before offering her a new position in Japan. Despite the fact that Kelly had little or no knowledge about the Japanese culture, her confidence and enthusiasm could have helped her deliver excellent results even within a short time. Kelly’s boss did not bother that the countries had varying cultures and customs. He only offered reasonable financial compensation and benefits for motivational purposes. However, he should have given Kelly some training and inform her family so that they could understand the Japanese customs and culture so that they could prepare for the adjustments in advance, just as Peltokorpi and Froese (2012) recommend . The boss could have also helped Kelly's husband secure a job in Japan. This was a haste move that failed.
Q4.
If I were Kelly, I would remain in Japan rather than returning to America. I would communicate with the boss and narrate to him about the situation and all the huddles at hand. I would let him visualize that everything will turn into failure if the case is not amended early. Better still, I would suggest that the boss finds a person and fixes them in my position temporarily as we try to make adjustments. At the same time, I would explain to the boss why setting a temporal person in the post will help my family grasp the new culture as the boss trains the employees on collaborating with a female leader. But in case temporal replacement becomes impossible, I will resolve to exploit my assignment and engage the venture with the Japanese members. Through this, they will get to know me and understand me better. Yet, if the conditions remain unbearable, I will consider pushing for small achievements so that I make some cash, which will help us relocate to America and find a new job at our comfort.
References
Deresky, H. (2011). International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures (7 th ed.), Chapter 4: Communication Across Cultures. Person Boston.
Deresky, H. (2011). International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures (7 th ed.), Chapter 9: Staffing, Training, and Compensation for Global Operations (pp. 311-313). Person Boston.
Peltokorpi, V., & Froese, F. J. (2012). The impact of expatriate personality traits on cross-cultural adjustment: A study with expatriates in Japan. International Business Review , 21 (4), 734-746.
