Introduction
Hong Kong remains wrapped in an enigma. Its intermediaries of capital, who include traders, financiers, and corporate managers, have made Hong Kong the pivot of decision-making about the exchange of capital within Asia and between that region and the rest of the world (Meyer 2000). Yet, for 150 years, this tiny island and adjacent peninsula could not even lay claim to status as a city-state. When Britain declared sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1841, after taking it from China under the terms of the Treaty of Nanking that settled the Opium War, the government and merchants had to build a town. The British viewed Hong Kong as their emporium of trade in the Far East, but they did not aspire to transform it into a commercial-military power. The impetus for Hong Kong’s return to China rested in the ticking clock of an obscure treaty from 1898 when Britain acquired the New Territories; the lease terminated on July 1, 1997 (Meyer 2000).
Hong Kong is one of the two special administrative regions belonging to China. Hong Kong over the years has developed into a leading financial theater through the economic changes it made in the region. The defense of Hong Kong’s territory and foreign affairs lies on the Central people’s government but its internal issues and problems is managed by the government it has created. On the other hand Australia is the country that comprises the mainland of the world smallest continent. Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system wherein it remains in a commonwealth realm.
Values
Multiculturalism begin to make a critical appearance in European debate after 1989, though whether this is the same idea as appears in North America or Australia is a contentious point. Nevertheless, some still see the lifetime of effectual multicultural politics as comparatively short (Haddock & Sutch 2003). Multicultural environment creates a society that can have different opinions and ideas on how to do certain things. The multicultural environment provides the society an opportunity to mix various cultures to create a better culture. One of the benefits of a multicultural environment is it has the ability to make use of its people’s diversity to produce the talent it needs on a certain situation. Since there are a diverse number of individuals in the society, the country has bigger chance of finding individuals that may assist the country in different needs.
Another benefit of a multicultural environment is the chance for the country to create cultures that will help the country set itself apart from other countries. This can be used for the country’s tourism industry. The colleagues and customers from different cultures should be given a high value and should be fairly treated. The colleagues and customers from different cultures provide ideas and inputs unknown to the group. They provide newer ideas that can help a group or society survive in its changing environment. The colleagues and customers from different cultures should be treated with appropriate amounts of fairness and respect. The same rights and privileges should be given to them since they are also human beings.
Communication
In Hong Kong the people communicate through different languages that include Cantonese, English and Mandarin. Common gestures in Hong Kong include pointing at a sign or showing a picture to communicate a message. This Gesture is commonly done by tourists who cannot speak Cantonese or Mandarin. In this gesture people can describe what they want or where they need to go to the local residents. Hong Kong also has its own gestures that pertain to numbers. This is used by business people to bargain goods and other necessities they need. Hong Kong has made use of some simple words borrowed from other countries and merged it with Cantonese or Mandarin. This simple words help in lessening the miscommunication problems between tourists and locals. Hong Kong can find assistance from libraries and other media to improve their knowledge. In Australia, English is the language most people communicate through. Australia has a minority of people that speak other languages; the languages they speak include Chinese, Italian and Greek. The common gestures in Australia are different from the gestures in other places. A simple hand sign for some Australians may be offensive. The thumbs up gesture that different countries perceive as something good has a different meaning in Australia, it has an insulting meaning in Australia. The country uses simple words that depict different kinds of meaning; these simple words are either borrowed from other countries or were originally developed by the early Australians. Australia can find assistance from libraries and other sources of information to improve their knowledge.
Misunderstandings
The possible cultural misunderstanding in Hong Kong that involves the colleague includes their different ideas of how service should be given. The colleague’s culture will play a big part on the way they will serve the clients. Another possible cultural misunderstanding in the country that involves the colleagues will be the interpretation of some words or sentences another person has said. A possible cultural misunderstanding may be the actions taken by the other workers. The colleagues may have wrong interpretations of the actions done by their co –workers. Some of the colleagues may be offended by the actions of other people. To anticipate the possible problems and act so that the misunderstandings will not happen the personnel should make sure that they have an idea of the culture of their colleagues. The personnel should also make sure that their actions are well thought of so that they cannot offend others.
For the customers a possible cultural misunderstanding may be the unintentional acts of discrimination towards the clients. The personnel of the hospitality sector may do actions that the clients may consider as discriminatory over them. Another possible cultural misunderstanding is when the personnel of the hospitality sector may do something that is against the culture of the clients. The personnel might serve food that unintentionally offends the clients. To anticipate the possible problems and act so that the misunderstandings will not happen the personnel should make sure that they will observe the culture of the clients and what acts might offend them.
References
Haddock, B & Sutch, P 2003, Multiculturalism, identity and
rights, Routledge, New York.
Hall M & Tucker, H (eds.) 2004, Tourism and post
Colonialism: contested discourses, identities and
representations, Routledge, New York.
Melleuish, G 1998, The packaging of Australia: politics &
culture wars, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney,
N.S.W.
Meyer, DR 2000, Hong Kong as a Global Metropolis, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, England.
Mühlhäusler, P 1996, Linguistic ecology: Language change
and linguistic imperialism in the Pacific Region,
Routledge, London.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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