An Introduction to Multinational Enterprises

Cross-cultural orientation programs are designed to teach members of one culture ways of interacting effectively, with minimal interpersonal misunderstanding, in another culture. The basic goal of this program is to prepare managers to respond to specific situations in a particular country. Cross-cultural preparation helps to alleviate two concerns for the expatriate; the culture shock that a new country can produce, and unsuccessful communication on the job. Implementing a cross-cultural training program is an integral part of the international assignment process. Cross-cultural training enhances the capabilities of personnel on international business assignments. The self-confrontation training technique uses a videotapea trainee plays a role with a person from another culture in a simulated cross-cultural encounter, and the situation is videotaped. The implementation of cross-cultural training will provide a high level of support to international employees and their families, which will in turn enhance the effectiveness and success of the assignments to their sponsoring organizations.