Ch03 Student FINAL

Unit 1
Communication Foundations
1
Chapter 3
Intercultural Communication
Student PowerPoint Library, 9e
Guffey/Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 9 th Edition. © 2018 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be
2
scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Markets Go Global
Mergers, acquisitions, American Increasingly even
and buyouts stir growth companies in many home-grown
beyond national global markets businesses are
boundaries. must adapt to other controlled by global
cultures. enterprises.
Guffey/Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 9 th Edition. © 2018 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not 3
be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Trends Fueling Globalization
Stagnating or declining domestic markets
Favorable trade agreements and removal of trade barriers
Growing middle classes in emerging economies
Advancements in transportation and logistics
Information and communication technology breakthroughs
Characteristics of Culture
• Culture is learned. • Culture is the basis of self-identity
• Cultures are inherently and community.
logical. • Culture combines the visible and
• Culture is dynamic. invisible.
Dimensions of Culture
• High and low context
• Time orientation
• Individualism and collectivism
• Communication style
• Power distance
High and Low Context
Low-context cultures High-context cultures
Tend to be logical, linear Tend to be relational, collectivist, intuitive,
and action oriented and contemplative
Favor explicit messages Leave much unsaid and transmit
that they consider to be communication cues by posture, voice
objective, professional, and inflection, gestures, and facial expression
efficient
Communication Style
Low-context cultures High-context cultures
Emphasize words, Rely on nonverbal cues and the total
directness, and openness; picture to communicate; meanings are
people tend to be informal, embedded at many sociocultural levels.
impatient, and literal.
Characteristics of High-Context and Low-Context
Cultures
How We Form Judgments (1 of 3)
Stereotype
Oversimplified behavioral pattern applied uncritically to groups
Prejudice
Rigid attitude based on erroneous beliefs or preconceptions
Prototype
Mental representation based on characteristics that are flexible and open

to new definitions
Techniques for Achieving Intercultural Competence
Descriptiveness: Giving descriptive feedback instead of judgmental feedback
Nonjudgmentalism: Being tolerant, which helps prevent defensive reactions
Supportiveness: Encouraging others with head nods, eye contact, and facial
expressions
Improving Conversations in Intercultural Environments
Learn foreign phrases.

Observe eye messages.
Use simple English.
Speak slowly and enunciate clearly.
Encourage accurate feedback.
Enhancing Intercultural Oral Communication
Improving Intercultural Written Communication (1 of 2)
Adjust your writing style and tone.

Avoid humor to prevent misunderstandings.
Use short sentences and short paragraphs.
Observe title and rank.
Improving Intercultural Written Communication (2 of 2)
Avoid ambiguous expressions.

Use correct grammar.
Strive for clarity.
Cite numbers carefully.
Anti-Bribery Laws
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 – prohibits payments to foreign
officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business; applies only to U.S.
companies.
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 – a tool in the anticorruption battle; forbids off-
the-book bribes.
Global treaty promoted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) in 1999 – bans bribery of foreign government
officials.
Ethical Decision Making Across Borders (1 of 2)
• Broaden your view.
• Avoid reflex judgments.
• Find alternatives.
• Refuse business if options violate your basic values.
Ethical Decision Making Across Borders (2 of 2)
• Embrace transparency.
• Resist legalistic strategies.
• Don’t rationalize shady decisions.
Applying the Five-Question Test to Intercultural Dilemmas
Even in another culture, these questions can guide your decisions:

1. Is the action legal?
2. Would you do it if you were on the opposite side?
3. Can you rule out a better alternative?
4. Would a trusted advisor agree?
5. Would family, friends, an employer, or co-workers approve?
Benefits of Workplace Diversity (1 of 2)
Diverse Staff Members Diverse Teams
• Better able to read trends and • Better equipped to create products
respond to diverse customers at that markets require
home and abroad • Come up with more creative and
• More likely to see opportunities that a effective problem-solving techniques
homogeneous group would miss
Benefits of Workplace Diversity (2 of 2)
Diverse Consumers
• Want to deal with companies that
respect their values and reflect
themselves.
• Demand specialized goods and
services tailored to their needs
Companies that figure out the

diversity challenge have a
competitive advantage.
Benefits of Workplace Diversity to Businesses
Companies that Diversity is a critical The government
cultivate diversity bottom-line business and corporations
suffer fewer strategy to improve increasingly
discrimination employee contract only with
lawsuits, fewer union relationships and to suppliers who can
clashes, and less increase productivity. show “cultural
government scrutiny. readiness.”
Improving Communication Among Diverse Workplace
Audiences
• Seek training.
• Understand the value of differences.
• Don’t expect conformity.
• Make fewer assumptions.
• Build on similarities.
End

Ch03 Student FINAL

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Unit 1

Oversimplified behavioral pattern applied uncritically to groups

Rigid attitude based on erroneous beliefs or preconceptions

Mental representation based on characteristics that are flexible and open

Learn foreign phrases.

Adjust your writing style and tone.

Avoid ambiguous expressions.

Even in another culture, these questions can guide your decisions:

Companies that figure out the

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