Abstract: Under the influence of globalization, many countries have done business tightly with each other. Some domestic companies begin to set up branches in other countries, especially in the U.S. Meanwhile, on account of China’s competitive labor force, massive land, etc., a great many of American entrepreneurs set to establish multinational corporations in China which involves employees coming from both China and the United States. Nevertheless, cultural differences between Chinese and American employees still exist, and they even argue with each other for trifles occurring at work due to different values, beliefs, and cultural background. If this problem can not be solved, it will have a negative influence on a company’s overall performance. This thesis aims to help both Chinese and US workers cultivate the awareness of cross-cultural communication and improve their work efficiency by investigating into the roots of Chinese and American cultures. Hall’s high-context and low context theory and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions will be examined to provide guidelines for the Sino-U.S. communication. It turns out that the culture differences lie in the blood of every person, and can be hardly avoided. The team members are essential to a company. As long as each member embraces cultural diversity, the team will be able to work together harmoniously toward a common goal. 

Key words: cross-cultural communication; cultural differences; multinational business members

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction.1

2. Literature Review2

 2.1 Culture Theories

 2.2 Communication Theories

3. Impacts from Cultural Diversity on Staff’s Perception of Communication.4

 3.1 Cultural Roots for Different Practices

  3.1.1 American Cultural Roots

  3.1.2. Chinese Cultural Roots

3.2 Impact of Cultural Differences on Effective Staff Communication

 3.2.1 Verbal Communication

  3.2.2 Nonverbal Communication

4.Methods to Achieve Effective Staff Communication8

 4.1 Awareness of Cultural Differences

 4.2 Management of Cross-Cultural Negotiations

5. Conclusion .9

Bibliography.10

Acknowledgements11