Respond to (2) Colleagues D2W7

To: Bob Frost, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Subject: Tips, Tools, and Resources for an Effective Meeting

Good Afternoon Mr. Frost,

Thank you for continuing to lead Anthony’s Orchard into the future filled with innovation, diversity, inclusion, and authentic leadership. Anthony’s Orchard is actively working to become more integrated into the global market as a leader in all thing’s apples. One of the biggest factors to be cognizant of through technology is that it “robs us of a lot of nonverbal communication and can undermine trust through misunderstandings” (Lepsinger, 2012, p. 10). In addition, the “lack of face-to-face contact makes it more difficult to build personal relationships and establish trust” (Lepsinger, 2012, p.10), demonstrating that a commitment to building personal relationships through virtual domains must be practiced. The frequency for misunderstandings into the global virtual domain can increase based off natural cultural differences between parties. By utilizing video conferencing software to produce face-to-face interactions, you will be more effective in creating those intangible relationships to better produce lasting results. Examples of video conferencing software include Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Skype; these programs allow for clean visual and audio communications.

The mission and vision statements of Anthony’s Orchard are to enhance consumers’ awareness of apples and apple orchards and to “provide the best apple products and services to our customers and generate returns for our shareholders, while enhancing the well being of our community” (Laureate Education, 2015). For you to portray our mission and vision most effectively, you will need to show a strong sense of cultural diversity awareness or “being aware of diversity that’s present in any working or social environment” (Quintanilla & Wahl, 2020, p.106). Your cultural awareness will be dictated by your cultural competence or your level of knowledge about others who differ from you (Quintanilla, Wahl, 2020); for your meeting with our international investors, the level of cultural knowledge you display will be a direct reflection of you and the company’s level of inclusion to diverse demographics. In addition to showing awareness, you must consider different examples of diversity to include: gender, ethnicity and race, language differences, religion, and generational differences (Quintanilla & Wahl, 2020). Please be sure to take into consideration the different examples of diversity and how they will dictate your interactions with the different international investors.

As the face and leader of Anthony’s Orchard, you will be the guiding coalition that will build the initial relationship with our international investors. By utilizing the teleconference programs, prioritize clear and concise usage and reading of visual queues to curate your communications with the investors. The investment of effort into building these initial relationships will provide our investors with a positive gauge of the diverse and inclusive organizational culture that Anthony’s Orchard has and continues to promote within its organization and operations.

Thank you again Mr. Frost for allowing me to provide relevant feedback and ideas to help you in your preparation and execution of your meeting with our international investors. The environment of collaboration that you have created and sustained has only made Anthony’s Orchard that much stronger of an organization. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or require more elaboration.

Very Respectfully,

Gaurav S. Bagdwal

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015). Sample corporate website: Anthony’s Orchard. Retrieved from https://mym.cdn.laureate-

Lepsinger, R. (2012). The virtual challenge: It’s more than cultural differences. People and Strategy, 35(1), 10-11.

Quintanilla, K. M., & Wahl, S. T. (2020). Business and professional communication: KEYS for workplace excellence (4th ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.