Pursuing a career in the global organization imposes numerous challenges and hinders the aspects that are critical to consider for an individual and the community. Today, the global world possesses different companies that work among cultures and provide their products or services in different cultural contexts. It is crucial to understand that “national culture influences management and business strategies,” including the way the manager evaluate the situations and respond to challenges (Apetrei et al., 2015).
Thus, if a company has business in the areas with diverse cultural backgrounds, it needs to respond to the trends, preferences, and characteristics of the chosen culture. Apple is one of the global companies that carry their operations and sells products and services in different parts of the world. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a future career as an art director in Apple in China, accounting for the intercultural context of the company, its features, and global relationships.
First, it is critical to observe the primary activities of the organization and the responsibilities of an art director. Apple Inc. represents an iconic corporation, and, in 2015, it was acknowledged as “the world’s most valuable brand,” which implies that Apple’s products are recognized on an international level (Clarke & Boersma, 2017, p. 112).
Hence, it is possible to say that the company has a tough job to perform to meet the demands and preferences of their target market among different cultures. For instance, advertisement campaigns should focus on different things while introducing new products in the US and China. People have different perceptions of what is attractive, what are the most significant advantages and features of a particular product. As a result, the art director needs to be able to understand the customers’ needs and triggers when it comes to advertising a new item or service.
The position of art director in a global organization implicates the responsibility for the art production, such as necessary posters selection, new ideas or ways of promoting the products, or unique campaigns for a specific item. In the case of Apple Inc., it is crucial to ensure that the candidate for this position clearly understands cultural differences and can adapt their operations and strategies to the context. Operating within the intercultural atmosphere is a process that entails various skills and knowledge about communication.
Understanding effective cross-cultural communication is essential for the art director in a global organization. It can provide a vital competitive advantage and “enables a company to explain more succinctly to the customers the differences and superiority” of the brand and products (Kei & Yazdanifard, 2015, p. 8). Thus, one should mention that understanding all those aspects play a crucial role in working in the art department in a global context.
Different opportunities and experiences justify the decision to research this specific position within this international organization. Apple, as one of the most influential global corporations, is also famous for the unique and attractive design of its products (Clarke & Boersma, 2017). Therefore, gaining work experiences in the field of interest within such a company entails numerous possibilities to acquire new knowledge, practice new skills, and reach new heights in terms of personal and professional growth.
Throughout researching about working in intercultural context for a global organization, I have found different sources of information, such as scholarly articles, online magazine pieces, video interviews with Apple employees, and others. It is possible to state that every part of the information is useful in its way. For example, from scholarly journals and some books, it is possible to find a theoretical background for the involved concepts, such as intercultural communication or cultural context.
Thus, an advertisement for different products in China takes both nationalism and transnationalism as a foundation, which leads to “an increasing convergence between marketing strategies” (Li, 2016, ch. 4). The interviews with real people, in contrast, provide unique information that helps one to look deeper into the company’s operations and understand the business nature and organizational culture. Moreover, from real interviews, it is possible to learn the tricks and strategies that can be effective to integrate into the activities and to understand the tendencies.
Another useful source of data for the position of the art director is to observe advertisement campaigns, posters, and presentations of the new product within a specific area, in this case, China. The pictures of the new iPhone introduction widespread in the Chinese community outline the guidelines for the future art directory in terms of what is used, what attracts the customers, and what are the most effective methods.
Apple Inc. is a representative of modern technologies, which implies the company must keep up with emerging trends. Thus, observing the most successful campaigns and analyzing them is also a beneficial source for the research because it provides a more exceptional picture of the cultural context in the digital market. One can notice that useful insights are included in different sources of information, and each of them has curious things to offer.
As the paragraphs above discuss, different sources can be utilized for the analysis of a global organization and future career as an art director in it. They provide various perspectives and unique points to understand the intercultural context better.
One of the most useful aspects outlined in the found data is global marketing communication strategies. The most significant feature is the “smart adaptation to local environments and habits,” which implies shaping the campaigns and advertisement activities in correspondence with the local perceptions (De Mooij, 2018). Consequently, for the art director working for Apple Inc., it is crucial to be aware of the cultural preferences, opinions, and sensitivities. It will help to organize the work efficiently and acquire the possibility to respond to the audience’s needs.
A great example related to this concept is revealed in different videos about advertisements in China. One of the records shows a movie shot on iPhone, portraying different generations of women gathering for Chinese New Year (Apple, 2020). It is a new way of showing the features of a new product connecting it to cultural traditions and beliefs. New Year is a unique tradition in Chinese culture and plays an essential role for the local families. Thus, Apple Inc. published this video on its YouTube channel, presenting the features and qualities of a new product without actually advertising or showing it. Such videos help to understand that transforming the campaigns to the local context is essential to deliver the desired contemplations to potential customers, at the same time raising awareness about culture.
Other sources analyzed throughout the research outline the information about the significance of intercultural communication, the challenges of creating new projects for the global organizations, and the features of working for Apple Inc. Still, some of the questions are more difficult to answer, such as the differences in working for the chosen company in Western and Chinese cultures. Future career implicates a clear understanding of the work structure, responsibilities, leadership relationships, and organizational culture. However, the information on the unique features of those aspects in China is challenging to investigate.
Some of the possible ways to solve this problem are to watch more videos interviewing the workers in the stores, marketing department employees, and observe the videos about the office and meetings with the company.
It is crucial to understand the significance of the information sources context. Throughout conducting research, it is possible to face numerous articles from different magazines, discovering various aspects that might be relevant to this work. However, not all of the sources are reliable and can disclose the real state of things. For instance, it is critical to look at the publication’s or video’s author or to find out the position of the person being interviewed. Those who have experience within the field and are related to working with Apple Inc. can have genuine insights about the researched concepts.
At the same time, different books provide case studies and theoretical knowledge in the sphere of working for the international organization as an art director in China. The viewpoints and objectives presented in the found books and articles matter because some of them provide different perceptions, and some offer similar thoughts about the concept. Besides, some authors or presenters might have biases due to their background and experience, which is vital to understand. Hence, gathering information from different sources or being able to understand the prejudices of the authors is significant to come up with objective conclusions and findings.
The process of moving to China and aspiring employment for a global organization might be challenging considering my current life context. Although I am from China, I’ve spent the last four years in Canada, gaining my degree, which implies that I did not get to spend much time within my cultural context. As a result, it might not be easy to adapt back to the local preferences and opinions of the business operations in China, specifically of art and design activities.
Another significant point is the difference in lifestyles in those cultures. Moving back to China implies recovering the understanding of the local culture, traditions, and relationships with people. One of the useful aspects that helped me to comprehend the cultural differences, besides my personal experience, was communicating with people who went through a similar situation.
Moreover, an article about the conclusions of an artist and visual designer, who was born in China and moved to Europe, provided unique insights and supported my perspective. One of the main differences in the context of working for Apple Inc. in China and living and studying in Canada is the lifestyle. In such a way, here in the West, people tend to view themselves as more independent entities, while in Chinese culture, the interdependence between people is widespread (Lyakina, 2019).
Those aspects influence the business sphere as well because people have unlike tendencies of presenting new ideas, holding meetings, and expressing their opinions. In Western culture, people often stand up freely and speak, and, in China, a smile represents interest and approval to the presented points, where people tend to wait for the interlocutor to finish (Lyakina, 2019). Hence, one can notice the difference in the working atmosphere, which is critical for me to account for during my future employment in the Chinese local context.
As discussed earlier, working in an organization that operates within different cultures represents a challenging issue, and the organization must possess essential leadership qualities and global relationships for effective maintenance. Various advancements in technology and mobility made the world “more global and diverse,” which does not imply that “physical and psychological borders between countries and people are removed” (Liu et al., 2018, p. 18). Psychological borders emphasize the differences between cultural values and business tendencies and can be applied to work in Apple Inc., which transcends physical boundaries in its activities. Some of the strategies are well recognized in the company’s activities, while some points, such as distinct features of Chinese operations or leadership there, are still less visible.
One of the most significant features of this company is its diversity in employees. Apple Inc. states that it aims to withdraw the experience from the employees’ differences and the way of thinking, having people from different cultures, different ethnic groups, and ages (Apple, 2018).
Hence, it is possible to say that Apple Inc. is paying a lot of attention to have a diversified working community to bring various insights into the daily operations, marketing campaigns, and other related areas. It plays an essential role for the art director because being able to discuss questions or ask for advice from people with different backgrounds, widens the worldview, and opens up opportunities for professional growth. Moreover, the current leadership within the organization focuses on teamwork and transparency (Ohio University, 2020). Thus, emphasizing diversity and teamwork can significantly enhance everyone’s performance within the global context due to the possibility of internal collaboration.
Another significant aspect is global relationships within the company and, in particular, relations with China. In one of the interviews, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, states that the Chinese market attracts the company’s operations because of great people there and that they have extraordinary relationships for decades (Fortune Magazine, 2017). It implies, that the organization is building strong ties with China despite cultural differences, and highlights the importance of establishing the relationship for the success of management and all the departments’ activities.
Besides, Cook highlights the importance of interaction between the cultures, knowledge sharing, and innovation, despite the common misperception that Apple Inc. is only manufacturing its products in China (Fortune Magazine, 2017). It also gives thoughts for contemplation for the future position of an art director in the Chinese context because it shows the value that the company assigns to all of its representatives.
Any job hinders potential conflicts or stressful situations, and working in a global organization also implicates the intercultural differences. Working for Apple Inc. as an art director based in China and creating the content for the local communities might be a challenging, unique, but, at the same time, a moving process for me. The point is that I grew up in the country, it is my culture, and I want to bring value to society and introduce the campaigns that will be appealing to the target audience there.
However, the conflicts might appear if the management of the team and colleagues come from different cultural backgrounds, which might anticipate particular differences in opinions and views on effective strategies. Emerging conflicts can cloud our vision and prevent the parties involved from seeing the real issues (Hall et al., 2017). Thus, it is vital to understand that conflicting situations can occur and that proper attitudes, reactions, and measures can help to overcome them.
Some of the potential disagreements that can evolve while working for the global organization as an art director are the views on future promotion campaigns, competition, or the relationships with the supervisor. For example, if a supervisor comes from a different cultural background, the possibility is that you might not agree on the effective strategies to promote a particular product. Besides, you can fail to find common ground in terms of proper positioning of the product and its verbal communication to the customers. Another critical issue is the communication among the subordinates and potential clashes due to different perceptions of collaboration.
Some of the possible strategies to manage the conflicts can be creating a supportive social climate within a team, establishing joint goals, and simple understanding (Hall et al., 2017). Through the utilization of those methods, it will be real to find consensus and put the issue behind to operate through productive and respectful collaboration.
In conclusion, pursuing a future career as an art director back in China imposes numerous challenges and exciting aspects to manage, accept, and learn. In the analysis conducted in the paper, one can see that practicing intercultural communication and understanding the context are the crucial points for consideration. Apple Inc. is a representative of a global organization with specific leadership strategies, healthy relationships with China, and with a powerful worldwide image. Learning from the experiences of others, from different available sources of information and through personal ups and downs, can open up new opportunities, discover hidden potential, and bring value to the community.
References
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