Business Communication

Communication 3300

Homework Assignment

In class we discussed how different cultures vary in the ways they communicate. Some of the concepts we discussed that effect communication are the various orientations or dimensions:

High or Low Context: how explicit communication needs to be.

Masculine or feminine: an emphasis on masculine values (individual accomplishment, competition, achievement, etc) vs. feminine values (caring for others, concern for quality of life).

Power distance: the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations 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.

Ambiguity: 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.

Indulgence: This dimension is defined as the extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses, based on how they were raised. A tendency toward a relatively weak control over impulses is called “indulgence”, whereas a relatively strong control is called “restraint”.

(The above information was taken from the Hofstede Center website.)

Assignment:

I am the new Vice President for Business Development at a multi-national company and you are my capable assistant. I will be traveling to a foreign country whose culture is different from the United States in several ways.

Using the Geert-Hofstede website (http://geert-hofstede.com/united-states.html), conduct a comparison of the US and the country that you are assigned. Please prepare a travel memo for me (your boss) making me aware of the ways in which the two countries differ that will impact how I communicate.

Your memo should inform me of the differences in the orientations as listed above, AND ALSO how those differences can impact my communication. For instance, should I be direct or indirect? Should I take them out to lavish dinners, or show them how frugal we are? Should I exert the power of my position as VP or offer to work with them as peers? Should I call out the good work of individuals or groups? What other ways does this country differ from the US that I should be aware of so as not to cause any blunders that may prevent the company from successfully doing business?

Your paper should be set up as a business memo:

DATE:

TO: Ms. Lori Tucker-Sullivan, VP Business Development

FR: Your name, Asst. to the VP

RE: Your upcoming travel

Ms. Tucker-Sullivan

I was asked to prepare research on your upcoming trip to __________________. Following are my findings: