Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject Communications - Intercultural Communication, grade: 2,0, University of applied sciences, Marl, language: English, abstract: 1. Introduction1.1. Problem
Globalization is an ongoing process by which regional economies have become integrated
through a global network of communication and trade, which simultaneously
induces "globalization of culture".
In an attempt to explain culture more clearly, the "Iceberg Model of Culture" can be
used2 since culture is often compared to an iceberg which has both visible (on the surface)
and invisible (below the surface) parts.
Visible elements of culture - the "percepta"- can be seen, such as food, clothing or laws.
Those elements which are not as obvious -the "concepta" - such as norms, values or beliefs are represented by the much larger
portion of the iceberg underwater.
In a course of increasing cross-cultural business encounters, the question arouses
whether it is necessary to be acquainted with both the visible and the greater invisible
part of the culture concerned - i.e. to possess intercultural competence - in order to gain
international business success.

1.2. Objectives
With reference to Hofstede's Dimensions of National Culture, this seminar paper has
the intention to verify the close correlation between intercultural competence and international
business success.
In this context, it makes an attempt to visualize the "invisible" part of culture by the
example of China, which gains a steadily increasing importance for the world economic
growth shown by its gross domestic product real growth rate of 8.7 % est. in 20096, thus
attracting more and more companies from all over the world to establish business in
China.