An Empirical Research on the Increasing Importance of Intercultural Competences

Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject Business economics - Offline Marketing and Online Marketing, grade: 1,3, Northern Business School, course: Marketing, language: English, abstract: The present research paper aims to reveal the importance of intercultural competences. Despite the world moving continuously closer together and the gradual omission of strict boundaries, these competences are rarely communicated within educational institutions. Including an empirical research on peoples' intercultural competence, this research paper delivers different approaches to improve one's competence and defines the most suitable institution to communicate these skills. Last but not least the author examines his hypothesis that people tend to overestimate their personal intercultural competence. There are boundaries separating each country from another, but some of them are by far less strict than a couple of years ago. Free trade areas in Europe, Asia or America already readjust these boundaries when it comes to international trade. The European Single Market further allows all members of the union to work and to live permanently in another members' state. On both levels, the world is moving closer together and nowadays, countries already experience an omnipresent influence of foreign cultures. Different country equals different culture. There is a unique culture in every country that explains the population's way of thinking, its actions or values. Social rules in one country might be the opposite in another one. There are lots of differences people should be aware of when living harmoniously side by side with people from other origins. On the basis of the increasing multiculturalism and internationalisation everyone will sooner or later be confronted with foreign countries, cultures or their economic influence. The fact that we have to come along with alien cultures and that we have to deal with new behaviours might evoke both, pleasure and discomfort. Nevertheless, it shows that in times of globalisation understanding and interpreting foreign cultures' actions is indispensable. Being interculturally competent has become fundamentally important.