Weekly Blog # 2

The Message of Gung Ho

Cultural difference has a potential impetus to the ways in which an ever-expanding business runs. The film entitled Gung Ho of Ron Howard depicts how a corporation is operated if there is an emerging conflict to the crossing of two nationalities with different cultural norms and beliefs. Interpreted in a comic way, the story is about Japanese company mandating an American car plant. Having various but different management style shows how evidently diverse the cultural values between the Japanese and American people.

From my point of view, which is I think the point of view of the majority who have watched it, the most eye-catching problem inside the workplace of Assan Company is much related to a cultural contradiction. How individualism and collectivism epically starred in the film affecting the flow of work and working relationship between Japanese and Americans.

Japanese are the collectivist while Americans are the individualist. In terms of business, a collectivist approach lets the company operate as a team, everyone has a role and contribution. While the individualist approach is more of independence or individual responsibility.

“I before We, We before I”

The individualistic perspective of American is quite visible throughout the film. Wanting to be handled special, and differently, workers are used to some kind of treatment that doesn’t mean unison. The Japanese are more collectivist due to a fact that the company is their main priority and the wellbeing of the group and their performance serves as their foundation. We can observe two extreme cultural differences which determine the success of international business.

Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat

(SWOT Analysis)

S:

• The movie is giving so much awareness because it is a social issue that needs to be addressed.
• It became a motivation than in the end, there’s always unity by setting aside differences and strengthening one another

W:

• Americans were stereotyped while Japanese and their true self were not justified well, giving only one-dimensional details.
• It’s unrealistic because of the bad portrayal of the two culture.

O:

• A good partnership will help you reach the top.
• Reconciling differences will lead to success

T:

• Miscommunication and cultural difference lead to a lot of problems
• Work due to our survival needs forgetting the unity