Perception

Baker and Rennalls have very different internal perception sets stemming first from their cultural backgrounds, and then from their individual backgrounds. Baker has approached the situation as a European in a foreign country, and one who has a somewhat patronizing view of his employees. He prides himself on "breaking through" to the foreigners that work for him, regardless of the country in which he happens to be. What that "breaking through" actually means is that Baker prides himself on convincing the indigenous people that the European approach, or more specifically Baker's approach, is the best way to handle a situation.

This is not necessarily an incorrect way for Baker to approach his assignments in that any company has standards and procedures which all employees adhere to, and Baker is setting and maintaining those standards. However, his perception that the Barracania employees need special treatment, and his repeated references to that treatment, suggest that he does harbor some of the condescension that Rennalls eventually accuses him of. Baker would most likely be

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y Rennalls, and that is his attribution bias. He tells Rennalls that Barracania has had to work especially hard to catch up to the Western world because it has not had the benefit of commerce or trade as long as the West. This is a patronizing attitude that suggests that somehow Westerners are innately born with the knowledge of generations of tradesmen in them. His comments, while intended to be congratulatory on a country which has come far economically and in learning to do business with the West, were instead construed by Rennalls as patronizing, condescending and even racist. From Rennalls' standpoint, Baker is congratulating Barracania on becoming more like the West, and doing so rapidly. His complimentary attitude results from his assumption that everyone, including Barracanians, want to be like Westerners, when that is not necessarily the case. According to Schutz, there are three interpersonal needs that are the driving force behind all interpersonal behavior. These are the needs for inclusion, control and affection. Inclusion is a strong need for Baker, but a low need for Rennalls. Baker wants to be liked and admired by his subordinates, particularly the nationals at the company, while Rennalls does not have a n
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Approximate Word count = 2527
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

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