Answer 1

In the first case, we see that Anita is an MBA from a leading business school in India who had to virtually interact with a student in the USA regarding a discussion pertaining to effects of global recession on academics. After three days, sufficient discussion had been generated but at the end of the day Anita was admitted in the hospital due to lack of sleep. She regained her health later while this experience was handy for her in the future.

Whereas in the case of Rahul, being an MBA from a leading business school in India, he was instructed to interact virtually with a student in the Middle East on the same issue as of Anita. After three days, the material generated on the issue was insignificant while he got a clear picture of the Middle East in terms of culture.

The first and foremost difference we see in both the cases is that Anita interacts with a student in the USA whereas Rahul interacts with a student in the Middle East. Both the regions follow a different set of cultures and they had to communicate accordingly. In USA people have a mentality of “Live to work” whereas in the Middle East people believe in “Work to Live”. So, Anita had to interact like a professional with utmost dedication developing a professional relationship whereas Rahul developed an interpersonal relationship as people in the Middle East are relationship oriented. The most important difference we experience from both the cases is that Anita had to face problems regarding the time lag which resulted in her facing medical issues. On the other hand, Rahul did not face any of such issues as for him it was quite comfortable to interact in the respective region. Anita is a hard working person who interacted with the student effectively and produced a phenomenal report at the end of the discussion whereas Rahul developed an interpersonal relationship due to the culture of that region. In the three days of interaction, Anita gained experience on the whole while Rahul got a new perspective of life and viewpoints of that region. Anita was very concerned about her interaction and she gave the task extreme importance which showed in the results she achieved whereas Rahul had a care free attitude who did not give the interaction the amount of importance Anita gave to her interaction. In the USA, people treat silence as a part of negligence. So, Anita had no choice but to interact accordingly and she couldn’t give the student a chance to complaint. She had to communicate from time to time which she did eventually. She was very effective and efficient from a professional aspect. Whereas, Rahul, interacted with the student when he was comfortable as people in that region appreciate interpersonal skills. Being an MBA, Anita was more of a goal oriented person and she had a clear picture of what she wants to achieve whereas Rahul being a practical person believed in practical application of knowledge into his work abilities.

So, there are a number of differences which we see among the two cases of Anita and Rahul respectively. We also comprehend that both of the regions follow a different set of cultures which Anita and Rahul had to adapt for successive results.

Answer 4

Rahul was a practical person who had a clear idea of how to apply his knowledge and skills on a practical note to a very large extent. Rahul was an MBA from a leading business school of India. He was highly qualified in the field of Business Administration which develops an efficient and effective person in himself. He was knowledgeable and was polished well enough to apply that knowledge and also knew what is required in the Middle East to succeed. Though he had a care free attitude as he did not work for the first two days but he must have done his research before the interaction. His research further helped him to develop a fair perspective of that region. Good interpersonal skills were the key to the door in a region like the Middle East which Rahul pursued very effectively. He knew that in a region of a high context culture, it was the interpersonal relationship which mattered and not the professional one. He was also successful as his home country and the Middle East follow the same set of cultures. It was further easy for him to get along in that region with the student virtually which benefited him in the longer run. His third jobs as CEO in Qatar, his interpersonal skills were the only reason which developed a good position for him in that country. Rahul’s interaction with student on the particular issue also assisted him in comprehending the set of cultures people in the Middle East follow. Rahul was also experienced as it was his third job as a CEO in Qatar. So, he had a good view of the corporate world and was aware of the pros and cons of it. In the Middle East, people follow the high context culture which clearly states that people in this region “Work to Live”. They are enormously relationship oriented and appreciate interpersonal skills of an individual. The main reason due to which Rahul was able to break the ice and develop a fresh perspective was that he was exceptional at those skills for which the people in that region demanded.