Indigenous vs Traditional Approach in Business

Question: Discuss about the Indigenous vs Traditional Approach in Business. Answer: Introduction: The human civilization is progressing in a fast pace, the society has changed drastically and so has the market conditions. The corporate organizations must develop an intercultural practice in their business operations so that they can cater to a much globalized multicultural target market. An intercultural business practice includes stakeholders belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds and caters to a multicultural target market (Lowman, 2013). However, there can be a number of setbacks in pertaining an intercultural practice in business operations. This report attempts to compare two business approaches, traditional and indigenous by taking an example of a Marae community. Difference Between Indigenous and Traditional Approaches: The business organizations that are based in regions where multicultural influence is prevalent the business operations and policies are in accordance of their business strategies as well. Taking the example of Australia, a strongly multicultural country, the business operation in the aboriginal or Torres island regions is heavily coloured by the indigenous influence. It has to be considered the lifestyle differs vastly across cultural backgrounds and the business operation has to be in accordance to it (Lowman, 2013). The indigenous population is much more spiritual and they rarely respond to scientific business approaches of traditional western cultures. The societal difference also play an important role in determining the corporate attitude, the western society is much more compartmentalized where as the indigenous community believes in unity and continuity. The business also dep4ends on the point of view of the target market, a business that focuses on the western civilization will have more focus on comfort and convenience whereas in indigenous community the business tactics must circle around their religious and spiritual believes to thrive (Parhizgar, 2013). The financial backbone is also an important factor to it, the western community is much more financially stable ad can afford high price commodities which the indigenous community cannot afford. Intercultural Drawbacks: The business world might have progressed and grown by the virtue of expanding into multicultural backgrounds, there are some drawbacks that might pose a threat to the survival of the business. It has to be considered that different cultures have their own characteristics and dialects and that can be prove to be quite a barrier. For example the Maori community is a distinctive part of Australia and has a diverse multicultural background (Nicholls, 2013). The language barrier is a prevalent hurdle to corporate globalization in such closed off communities, but apart from that the traditions have a strong impact on the lifestyle as well. Cultural Patterns: A discussion on intercultural business relation would be left incomplete if a detailed impact of cultural patterns does not get a place for itself. The culture of marae community has great Polynesian and indigenous influence, their perceptions and believes are completely unique. They believe more in reciprocity and equidistributed resources than discrimination. They carry out a minimalistic lifestyle and have no inclination to tech-savvy commodities unlike the western community (Seo Gao, 2015). The tribal population predominate the market with the traditional arts like whakairo, raranga, kappa haka and ta moko have much more preference in the population than the modern business techniques and commodities. The visitors to the Marae grounds are treated as the sacred feet and are given a formal welcome. Their traditions and lifestyle is nothing short of awe inspiring (Nicholls, 2013). Conclusion: It can be concluded that the cultural difference is a strong one, and corporate trans-globalization cannot erase the impact of it completely. The Marae community is a substantial example of the fact, the cultural pattern and influence is so ingrained in their lifestyle, it is almost surreal. Their community is minimalist still breathtaking in its aesthetic beauty. The impact of different cultures can be too challenging in such communities, and would need a revolutionary effort to overcome these restriction to globalization to such closed off communities. Reference List: Lowman, R. L. (2013).Internationalizing multiculturalism: Expanding professional competencies in a globalized world. American Psychological Association. Nicholls, N. R. (2013).Sustaining M?ori culture through the representation of tribal history in architecture: Tirohia-Te Marae K?rewa(Master's thesis). Parhizgar, K. D. (2013).Multicultural behavior and global business environments. Routledge. Seo, Y., Gao, H. (2015). Towards a value-based perspective of consumer multicultural orientation.European Management Journal,33(1), 30-36.