Pre-Impressions
I am excited to visit yet another new city in Belgium! I enjoy visiting new cities and seeing how each one is very different, even though they are all part of the same country. Flemish is spoken in Antwerp so it will be fun communicating with people who speak Flemish, especially since we have become used to practicing our French in the other cities that we have visited. We will be visiting the University of Antwerp and listening to a presentation on business.
Post-Impressions
I am glad that we were able to visit Antwerp and see what another city in the Flanders region of Belgium was like. I enjoyed being immersed in yet another culture and experiencing the Flemish language while in Antwerp. Visiting different countries, and even different regions of the same country have all helped me to gain a broader understanding of Europe and just how diverse it is. My favorite part of the day was just exploring the city and interacting with people who lived there, such as the people who worked in the stores or restaurants that I visited. While visiting the University of Antwerp, we met with Mr. Venekkens and Ms. Kelly. They spoke to us about their careers and also their experiences with intercultural communication.
The presentation fit in with Hofstede's research that we learned about in IBS 101. Hofstede's research led to the conclusion that there are 5 cultural dimensions. The first dimension is individualism vs. collectivism which looks at "the worth of the individual versus the worth of the groups of which that person is a member" (Gaspar Chapter 5). In the United States people are very individualistic versus in other countries, such as Japan, where people are more collectivistic. The second dimension is power distance which is "egalitarianism (equality) versus authority" (Gaspar Chapter 5). When working at one job, Mr. Venekkens worked with a boss who liked to distance himself from his employees. This is different from in the United States where there is usually a low power distance. The third dimension is masculine vs. feminine, which looks at the traditional attributes in a country. Belgium is a masculine country that is characterized by attributes such as competition and assertiveness, which affects the way the companies do business in Belgium (which is where Mr. Venekkens and Ms. Kelly work). The fourth dimension is uncertainty avoidance, which "examines the extent to which societies tolerate risk or are risk averse" (Gaspar Chapter 5). The levels of risk that a company is willing to take on affects the way that it does business. Finally, the fifth dimension is time orientation. This looks at "short-run or long-run time horizons" (Gaspar Chapter 5). Many Western nations, such as the United States, have short-run time horizons, which affects the way that business is done because they
I am excited to visit yet another new city in Belgium! I enjoy visiting new cities and seeing how each one is very different, even though they are all part of the same country. Flemish is spoken in Antwerp so it will be fun communicating with people who speak Flemish, especially since we have become used to practicing our French in the other cities that we have visited. We will be visiting the University of Antwerp and listening to a presentation on business.
Post-Impressions
I am glad that we were able to visit Antwerp and see what another city in the Flanders region of Belgium was like. I enjoyed being immersed in yet another culture and experiencing the Flemish language while in Antwerp. Visiting different countries, and even different regions of the same country have all helped me to gain a broader understanding of Europe and just how diverse it is. My favorite part of the day was just exploring the city and interacting with people who lived there, such as the people who worked in the stores or restaurants that I visited. While visiting the University of Antwerp, we met with Mr. Venekkens and Ms. Kelly. They spoke to us about their careers and also their experiences with intercultural communication.
The presentation fit in with Hofstede's research that we learned about in IBS 101. Hofstede's research led to the conclusion that there are 5 cultural dimensions. The first dimension is individualism vs. collectivism which looks at "the worth of the individual versus the worth of the groups of which that person is a member" (Gaspar Chapter 5). In the United States people are very individualistic versus in other countries, such as Japan, where people are more collectivistic. The second dimension is power distance which is "egalitarianism (equality) versus authority" (Gaspar Chapter 5). When working at one job, Mr. Venekkens worked with a boss who liked to distance himself from his employees. This is different from in the United States where there is usually a low power distance. The third dimension is masculine vs. feminine, which looks at the traditional attributes in a country. Belgium is a masculine country that is characterized by attributes such as competition and assertiveness, which affects the way the companies do business in Belgium (which is where Mr. Venekkens and Ms. Kelly work). The fourth dimension is uncertainty avoidance, which "examines the extent to which societies tolerate risk or are risk averse" (Gaspar Chapter 5). The levels of risk that a company is willing to take on affects the way that it does business. Finally, the fifth dimension is time orientation. This looks at "short-run or long-run time horizons" (Gaspar Chapter 5). Many Western nations, such as the United States, have short-run time horizons, which affects the way that business is done because they