Global Communication

Competency

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competency:

· Create global and intercultural communications for a variety of purposes and targeted audiences

Scenario

As an associate at Strategic Communications, a global public relations (PR) firm, you have been tasked with a tricky messaging campaign. Boundless Footwear, the well-known shoe company, has been outed publicly in regards to its treatment of international workers. A blog focusing on workforce relations posted a story with multiple anonymous sources from Boundless Footwear claiming employees were forced to work extra shifts to meet the increase of product manufacturing. In addition, the workers were not allowed to take personal days off around an important culturally observed holiday because there was no additional work coverage. Finally, some workers mentioned insulting and disparaging remarks from management regarding their diversity because they were not able to meet the longer work days.

Boundless Footwear executives are asking Strategic Communications to create a campaign that manages this particular crisis; also, Strategic Communications is being asked to develop a generic push for buying its shoes. You will choose which audiences should be targeted for this campaign. Additionally, your manager would like the campaign to include a communication plan to Boundless Footwear that explains how globalization bears on the campaign, as well as how technological advances help or hinder the situation. Boundless Footwear will begin selling its shoes worldwide through a series of international partnerships and the release of a new website. The company anticipates doubling the number of shoes sold over the first 18 months of the release. Products are expected to be ready within 45 days.

Company Overview

Boundless Footwear is a regional footwear company manufacturing athletic shoes for the past 10 years. Over that time, the company has seen a steady increase in sales within the region, including double-digit increases the last three years. The continued success has prompted the company to move to global distribution of its shoes. The company has manufacturing and distribution centers in 10 different countries throughout southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim. Boundless Footwear employees have recently come forward noting their concerns regarding the treatment of employees, including recognition of beliefs, family commitments, and availability to work extra shifts despite not having any regulatory standards citing the number of hours worked to meet production demands.

Workforce Controversy

Boundless Footwear’s workforce consists of workers from 10 different countries with up to five different languages spoken among the employees. Employee classifications range from administration to manufacturing operators. Anonymous reports emerging online in blogs and social media posts, as well as an internal company-culture survey, have demonstrated trends of concern related to workforce treatment around the number of hours worked, and lack of awareness of cultural beliefs and priorities because employees were required to work extra days and longer hours that forced the forfeiture of recent holidays while sacrificing time with family. Of the survey respondents, 50% felt the work environment had become too stressful. One employee claimed he was let go from his position because he had taken a day off during a busy work week to observe an important holiday in his culture. Workers have increased the number of hours they work by as much as 50% some weeks to meet the supply and demand of global product release. The company does not have established policies on overtime.

American Concerns

Boundless Footwear anticipates a successful global launch of its shoes based on demand from early product orders. The United States has the most pre-order requests, but the recent controversy regarding workforce claims of treatment and extended working hours has some U.S.-based companies reconsidering selling Boundless Footwear products. Some companies fear that selling these shoes will give the perception they were a contributing cause to the workforce claims. Boundless Footwear is also in need of assistance from Strategic Communications to assure the U.S. buyers that the workforce claims are under control and to establish faith in the global product launch.

Regulatory Communication

Boundless Footwear wants the Strategic Communication press release to focus on the small to midsize U.S. businesses. The press release must consider regulatory telecommunication rules from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Review the FCC’s section, Compliance Guides for Small Businesses, and identify any regulatory specifications you need to follow for the press release. You may choose to add any information applicable to Boundless Footwear's executive team in the FAQ document as necessary.

Directions

The pending global release of the Boundless Footwear products and recent negative media noting the unfair treatment of international workers make this communication plan a sensitive, yet timely, one.

Communication Plan, Parts I and II

· Part I: Press Release: The press release should address the U.S. small businesses’ concerns about being associated with the poor treatment of workers and about selling such a company’s products. The audience for the press release should focus on the customers (U.S.-based small businesses), providing them with an update on the worker accusations and cross-promoting the value of Boundless Footwear shoes.

· Apply principles of intercultural competence to created communication. Include the following in your response:

· Describe how Boundless Footwear can better address globalization and localization of workforce conditions, given its past errors

· Analyze globalization’s effect on communication in the context of the scenario. Include the following in your response:

· As global communication and technology continue to grow, how can the company utilize technology such as digital media to reach diverse audiences?

· How can understanding cultural diversity improve organizational communications in a global setting?

· What specific strategies will be beneficial in increasing sensitivity to employee diversity and cultural preferences? Consider technology and training approaches, as well as possible company policy revisions.

· Discuss regulatory specifications from relevant institutions for informing the company’s approach to global and intercultural communications. Include the following in your response:

· What specific regulatory specifications and impacts shape regulation related to intercultural communication, media laws, and social media messages?

· Which regulatory telecommunication bodies impact company policy, and what is the extent of government impact regarding the release of organizational communication?

· Part II: Global Product FAQ Release: The FAQ document should prepare Boundless Footwear executives with talking points related to the employee accusations. This is an internal document and not meant for external release. Your Global Product FAQ Release document should address working conditions to meet global-product-release supply and demand. You have been provided with a template that includes pre-populated questions.

· Identify audiences appropriate for consumption of communication based on intercultural principles. Include the following in your response:

· What is an audience-appropriate message framework addressing the treatment of workers and working conditions to meet global-product-release supply and demand?

· When communicating with diverse internal audiences (such as employees), how should the company use intercultural principles to communicate effectively?

· When communicating with diverse external audiences (such as the public), how should the company use intercultural principles to communicate effectively?

· Describe communication impacts of global and intercultural communication, specifically detailing implications of advances in communication technology. Include the following:

· What impacts do reliability and technology tools, such as blogging and social media, have on organizational communication and processes related to public perception of the treatment of workers?

· What is the extent of applicable regulatory communication agency policies in FAQ responses (i.e., if multiple answers need to be developed for a single question to meet a regional governance communication policy)?

· How does technology, such as social media and social networking, impact communication with diverse audiences?

What to Submit

Every project has a deliverable or deliverables, which are the files that must be submitted before your project can be assessed. For this project, you must submit the following:

Your two-part communication plan should include the following components:

1. Press Release (External) The press release should be approximately 1 page in length.

2. Global Product FAQ Release (Internal) Use the Global Product FAQ Release template and write a response for each question.

Supporting Materials

The following resources may help support your work on the project:

Citation Help Need help citing your sources? Use the CfA Citation Guide and Citation Maker.

Document:  Press Release Guide

Document:  FAQ Document Format and Components

Press ReleaseWhich Resources Can Help?Applies principles of intercultural competence to created communication for addressing globalization and localization of workforce conditions☐ Mastered ☐ Not Yet

· Unit Resources: Communicating With Diverse Audiences

Analyzes globalization’s effect on communication, and includes use of technology to reach diverse audiences and highlight cultural diversity understanding for improving organizational communications☐ Mastered ☐ Not Yet

· Unit Resources: Global Communication

Discusses regulatory specifications from relevant institutions, considering their impact on intercultural communication, media laws, and social media messages, as well as company policy☐ Mastered ☐ Not Yet

· Unit Resources: Regulatory Entities

Global Product FAQ ReleaseWhich Resources Can Help? Identifies audiences appropriate for consumption of communication based on intercultural principles, including approaches for communicating with diverse internal and external audiences (such as employees), and how the company should use intercultural principles to communicate effectively☐ Mastered ☐ Not Yet

· Unit Resources: Global Media Messaging

Describes communication impacts of global and intercultural communication, specifically detailing implications of advances in communication technology, and includes impacts of technology tools on diverse organizational communication and processes related to public perception of the treatment of workers☐ Mastered ☐ Not Yet

· Unit Resources: Global Media Messaging

GeneralWhich Resources Can Help?Clearly conveys meaning with correct grammar, sentence structure, and spelling; shows understanding of audience and purpose☐ Mastered ☐ Not Yet

· Academic Support

Lists sources where needed using citation methods with no major errors☐ Mastered ☐ Not Yet

· Citation Help

HOME ›COUNTRY COMPARISON

COUNTRY COMPARISON

Select one or several countries/regions in the menu below to see the values for the 6 dimensions. Go further, discover our cultural survey tool, the Culture Compass™ or join our open programme Introduction to Cross-Cultural Management or download the App (Google Play, App store).

· ×United States

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· United States

WHAT ABOUT THE USA?

To compare your personal preferences to the scores of a country of your choice, get the  Culture Compass™ from our store.

If we explore the US culture through the lens of the 6-D Model©, we can get a good overview of the deep driving factors of American culture relative to other cultures in our world. By supplying you with this information please realise that culture describes a central tendency in society. Everybody is unique, yet social control ensures that most people will not deviate too much from the norm. Moreover, within every country regional cultural differences exist, also in the States. Americans, however, don’t need to go to a cultural briefing before moving to another state successfully.

POWER DISTANCE

The fact that everybody is unique implies that we are all unequal. One of the most salient aspects of inequality is the degree of power each person exerts or can exert over other persons; power being defined as the degree to which a person is able to influence other people’s ideas and behavior.

This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal, and it expresses the attitude of the culture toward these power inequalities amongst us. Power distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. It has to do with the fact that a society’s inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders.

INDIVIDUALISM

The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members. It has to do with whether people´s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “We”. In Individualist societies people are only supposed to look after themselves and their direct family. In Collectivist societies people belong to “in groups” that take care of them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty.

The fairly low score on Power Distance(40) in combination with one of the the most Individualist (91) cultures in the world reflects itself in the following:

The American premise of “liberty and justice for all.” This is evidenced by an explicit emphasis on equal rights in all aspects of American society and government. Within American organisations, hierarchy is established for convenience, superiors are accessible and managers rely on individual employees and teams for their expertise. Both managers and employees expect to be consulted and information is shared frequently. At the same time, communication is informal, direct and participative to a degree. The society is loosely-knit in which the expectation is that people look after themselves and their immediate families only and should not rely (too much) on authorities for support. There is also a high degree of geographical mobility in the United States. Americans are the best joiners in the world; however it is often difficult, especially among men, to develop deep friendships. Americans are accustomed to doing business or interacting with people they don’t know well. Consequently, Americans are not shy about approaching their prospective counterparts in order to obtain or seek information. In the business world, employees are expected to be self-reliant and display initiative. Also, within the exchange-based world of work we see that hiring, promotion and decisions are based on merit or evidence of what one has done or can do.

MASCULINITY

A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the “winner” or “best-in-the-field”. This value system starts in childhood and continues throughout one’s life – both in work and leisure pursuits.

A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in society are caring for others and quality of life. A Feminine society is one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the best (Masculine) or liking what you do (Feminine).

The score of the US on Masculinity is high at 62, and this can be seen in the typical American behavioral patterns. This can be explained by the the combination of a high Masculinity drive together with the most Individualist drive in the world. In other words, Americans, so to speak, all show their Masculine drive individually. The British, however, have the same culture in this respect. The question, therefore, should be: is the same drive not normally to be seen on the surface? This difference is a reflection of the higher score of the US on Uncertainty Avoidance than of the UK. In other words, in both societies we find the same drive, but Americans show it up-front whereas the British will take you by surprise.

This American combination reflects itself in the following:

Behavior in school, work, and play are based on the shared values that people should “strive to be the best they can be” and that “the winner takes all”. As a result, Americans will tend to display and talk freely about their “successes” and achievements in life. Being successful per se is not the great motivator in American society, but being able to show one’s success Many American assessment systems are based on precise target setting, by which American employees can show how well a job they did. There exists a “can-do” mentality which creates a lot of dynamism in the society, as it is believed that there is always the possibility to do things in a better way Typically, Americans “live to work” so that they can obtain monetary rewards and as a consequence attain higher status based on how good one can be. Many white collar workers will move to a more fancy neighborhood after each and every substantial promotion. It is believed that a certain degree of conflict will bring out the best of people, as it is the goal to be “the winner”. As a consequence, we see a lot of polarisation and court cases. This mentality nowadays undermines the American premise of “liberty and justice for all.” Rising inequality is endangering democracy, because a widening gap among the classes may slowly push Power Distance up and Individualism down.

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE

The dimension Uncertainty Avoidance has to do with the way that a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen? This ambiguity brings with it anxiety and different cultures have learnt to deal with this anxiety in different ways. The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these is reflected in the score on Uncertainty Avoidance.

The US scores below average, with a low score of 46, on the Uncertainty Avoidance dimension. . As a consequence, the perceived context in which Americans find themselves will impact their behaviour more than if the culture would have either scored higher or lower. Thus, this cultural pattern reflects itself as follows:

There is a fair degree of acceptance for new ideas, innovative products and a willingness to try something new or different, whether it pertains to technology, business practices or food. Americans tend to be more tolerant of ideas or opinions from anyone and allow the freedom of expression. At the same time, Americans do not require a lot of rules and are less emotionally expressive than higher-scoring cultures. At the same time, 9/11 has created a lot of fear in the American society culminating in the efforts of government to monitor everybody through the NSA and other security organisations

LONG TERM ORIENTATION

This dimension describes how every society has to maintain some links with its own past while dealing with the challenges of the present and future, and societies prioritise these two existential goals differently. Normative societies. which score low on this dimension, for example, prefer to maintain time-honoured traditions and norms while viewing societal change with suspicion. Those with a culture which scores high, on the other hand, take a more pragmatic approach: they encourage thrift and efforts in modern education as a way to prepare for the future.

The United States scores normative on the fifth dimension with a low score of 26. This is reflected by the following:

Americans are prone to analyse new information to check whether it is true. Thus, the culture doesn’t make most Americans pragmatic, but this should not be confused with the fact that Americans are very practical, being reflected by the “can-do” mentallity mentioned above. The polarisation mentioned above is, so to speak, strengthened by the fact that many Americans have very strong ideas about what is “good” and “evil”. This may concern issues such as abortion, use of drugs, euthanasia, weapons or the size and rights of the government versus the States and versus citizens. The US is the one of the only “Caucasian” countries in the world where, since the beginning of the 20th century, visiting church has increased. This increase is also evident in some post-Soviet republics such as Russia. American businesses measure their performance on a short-term basis, with profit and loss statements being issued on a quarterly basis. This also drives individuals to strive for quick results within the work place.

INDULGENCE

One challenge that confronts humanity, now and in the past, is the degree to which small children are socialised. Without socialisation we do not become “human”. This dimension is defined as the extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses, based on the way they were raised. A tendency toward a relatively weak control over their impulses is called “Indulgence”, whereas a relatively strong control over their urges is called “Restraint”. Cultures can be described as Indulgent or Restrained.

The United States scores as an Indulgent (68) society on the sixth dimension. This, in combination with a normative score, is reflected by the following contradictory attitudes and behaviour:

Work hard and play hard. The States has waged a war against drugs and is still very busy in doing so, yet drug addiction in the States is higher than in many other wealthy countries. It is a prudish society yet even some well-known televangelists appear to be immoral.

What Is a Message in Communication?

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By 

Richard Nordquist

Updated July 14, 2019

In rhetorical and communication studies, a message is defined as information conveyed by words (in speech or writing), and/or other signs and symbols. A message (verbal or nonverbal, or both) is the content of the communication process. The originator of the message in the communication process is the sender. The sender conveys the message to a receiver. 

Verbal and Nonverbal Content

A message may include verbal content, such as written or spoken words, sign language, email, text messages, phone calls, snail-mail, and even sky-writing, John O. Burtis and Paul D. Turman note in their book "Leadership Communication as Citizenship," adding:

Intentionally or not, both verbal and nonverbal content is part of the information that is transferred in a message. If nonverbal cues do not align with the verbal message, ambiguity is introduced even as uncertainty is increased.

A message will also include nonverbal content, such as meaningful behavior beyond words. This includes body movement and gestures, eye contact, artifacts, and clothing, as well as vocal variety, touch, and timing

Encoding and Decoding Messages

Communication refers to the process of sending and receiving messages, which can also be referred to as encoding and decoding messages. "However," say Courtland L. Bovée, John V. Thill, and Barbara E. Schatzman, in "Business Communication Essentials," "communication is effective only when the message is understood and when it stimulates action or encourages the receiver to think in new ways."

Indeed, some people — such as those who are highly media literate, for example — may be able to see much more in a given message than others, says W. James Potter in "Media Literacy," adding:

They are more aware of the levels of meaning. This enhances understanding. They are more in charge of programming their own mental codes. This enhances control. They are much more likely to get what they want from the messages. This enhances appreciation.

In essence, some people may be able to gain far more insight as they decode messages than others, depending on their level of literacy in the medium in which the message is being encoded. Those people will gain a higher understanding, control, and appreciation of a given message.

The Message in Rhetoric

Rhetoric is the study and practice of effective communication. "A rhetorical act," note Karlyn Kohrs Campbell and Susan Schultz Huxman, in their book, "The Rhetorical Act: Thinking, Speaking and Writing Critically," "is an intentional, created, polished attempt to overcome the challenges in a given situation with a specific audience on a given issue to achieve a particular end."​

In other words, a rhetorical act is an effort the speaker makes to persuade others of her point of view. In performing a rhetorical act, a speaker or author creates a message whose shape and form are melded in an effort to persuade an audience.

The notion of rhetoric dates back centuries, to the ancient Greeks. "Both Cicero and Quintilian accepted the Aristotelian notion that a rhetorical message [inventio] consists of the effective use of logical, ethical, and pathetic proof," says J.L. Golden, et al., in "The Rhetoric of Western Thought." Golden adds that the rhetor who has command of these three persuasive strategies is in a good position to motivate an audience, according to these Greek thinkers.

Messages in the Media

Successful politicians and others have been able to put forward messages to persuade a vast audience as to their point of view. Peter Obstler, in his essay "Working With the Media" published in "Fighting Toxics: A Manual for Protecting Your Family, Community, and Workplace," says: "A well-defined message has two key components. First, it is simple, direct, and concise. Second, it defines the issues on your own terms and in your own words."

Obstler gives the example of the well-defined message in the slogan used by Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign in 1980: "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?" The message was simple and obvious, but it also allowed the Reagan campaign to control the rhetoric of the 1980 presidential election debate at every turn, regardless of the nature or complexity of the situation in which it was used. Bolstered by the persuasive message, Reagan went on to win the presidency by defeating his Democratic rival, incumbent President Jimmy Carter, in a general election landslide.

Sources

Barry National Toxics Campaign. "Fighting Toxics: A Manual for Protecting your Family, Community, and Workplace." Gary Cohen (Editor), John O'Connor (Editor), Barry Commoner (Foreword), Kindle Edition, Island Press, April 16, 2013.

Bovée, Courtland L. "Business Communication Essentials." John V. Thill, Barbara E. Schatzman, Paperback, Prentice, 2003.

Burtis, John O. "Leadership Communication as Citizenship." Paul D. Turman, Paperback, SAGE Publications, Inc, November 6, 2009.

Campbell, Karlyn Kohrs. "The Rhetorical Act: Thinking, Speaking, and Writing Critically." Suszn Schultz Huxman, Thomas A. Burkholder, 5th Edition, Cengage Learning, January 1, 2014.

Golden, James L. "The Rhetoric of Western Thought." Goodwin F. Berquist, William E. Coleman, J. Michael Sproule, 8th Edition, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, August 1, 2003.

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