The Relationship Between Culture and Legal Systems and the Impact on Intercultural Business Communication

Abstract

Globalization and international business are buzzwords one hears everywhere. The last few decades have seen an acceleration of international business and trade. For example, in 1989 the United States exported a total of $363,811.4 (all figures are in million $) and imported $473,210. By 2013 exports had risen to $1,578,978.8 and imports to $2,267,421.4. In those same years exports to Europe were $163,272.5 and $327,270.8 respectively while imports from Europe rose from $460,217.3 in 1987 to $181,439.7 in 2013. That means that trade has more than doubled (United States Census Bureau, 2014). And many products and companies have become truly global household names, such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Toyota, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, Mercedes, among many others. International trade agreements such as NAFTA have further fostered the expansion of trade. The European Union came out of a trade agreement and today includes economic and political aspects. With the growth in international business the need for effective intercultural communication has increased, and at the same time the danger of intercultural problems and miscommunication has grown. In this article we will examine the relationship between law and culture and the impact of both areas on intercultural business communication. The influence of culture on international business and intercultural business communication has been