Write a research paper about conflict between US, China and India.

Given the importance of international business today, and the fact that more and more people work as expatriates in other countries, it’s vital we understand differences in management approaches and styles. Many of the topics you’ll read about and explore in our course (e.g., motivation, decision making, teams, etc.) become even more important when working with those from different cultures. For example, a common motivation technique in the U.S. might involve creating a competition among groups for the best process improvement ideas. And, the winners might get a cash award or some other perk for their efforts. If you’re an American reading this, you might say “of course….this can be a good technique and I’ve experienced it myself.” But, this may not be the case in other cultures. Plus, what if you’re an American who’s managing Indonesian employees at your firm’s plant in that country? If you use this competition approach to motivation it could fall flat on its face and end up being de-motivating instead.
What might explain this difference? Why might such a technique not ‘travel’ across borders and cultures all that well? Let’s pursue the brief example above to illustrate. Research seems to show that Americans are more likely to be “individualists” – they are taught from childhood to stand out, take chances, and to showcase their abilities/self. (As a result, some have said they don’t work well in groups – if you’re a U.S. student, have you ever had the experience of people freeloading on group projects???). Some Latin and Asian cultures, however, have different views on this issue. They may have been taught to have close ties with groups their whole life, to be highly respectful of them, and work hard to fit in. Contrast this traditional Japanese saying: “The nail that sticks out get hammered down” with a common U.S. saying that goes something like “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” These quotes, indicative of deeply held values, could explain why a motivational technique that seems so “obvious” and commonplace in one culture may need to be tweaked or even altered significantly in another culture.