1. What do you think the primary sources of information will be after Melissa’s visit?

Ans: The president of the Italian partner extended a cordial welcome to Melissa during her
week in Venice and expressed his congratulations. Melissa should be assigned as their primary
point of contact in Italy because she established a rapport with the Italian partner and helped
them comprehend the practices employed by her company. Having said that, her employer
would be wise to have a backup contact or a correspondence team to ensure Melissa isn't put
at a disadvantage as the single potential point of failure.

2. What might account for Melissa’s change in attitude about dealing with the Italian
partners after her visit?
Ans: Before leaving for Italy, Melissa was concerned about the relationship between her
company and its Italian partner. Based on the knowledge she received before the trip, she was
quite cautious and felt that she had to be very watchful. After speaking with the partners during
the initial meeting, Melissa was able to diffuse the situation and change her initial pessimistic
assumption to an optimistic outlook for the remainder of her time in Italy. She clearly
overestimated how much the language barrier would hinder them, and it wasn't until they really
met that she realized that it wasn't as bad as she had imagined. Another factor to consider for
Melissa's attitude change was the manner in which she had prepared for the trip. She knew the
partners would be upset, so she was prepared to enter and undertake damage control. When
she discovered the source of the partnering company's discontent, she was able to ease any
previous tensions and close the gap.