MGM316-1401B-01 Quesadra D. Goodrum Class Discussion Phase2 Colorado Technical University Professor: Edmund Winters 4/07/2014 In an ever-changing world, intercultural business communication is one of the most vital aspects of carrying out business in foreign countries. We are set up to fail if we enter into foreign business agreements blindly. In the absence of proper communication skills, cultural awareness comes into play knowing the culture in which we are dealing. All of your concepts you may have grown up with and ideas that you have formed beforehand need to be thrown away and cast to the side. Your concepts and ideas in these business meetings will only be as effective as your communication skills. If your communications skills are weak so will be your presentation of your projected business plan. If I was going to develop a training program on the same, my lesson plan would look as illustrated below: I. Class Objectives: The goals or objectives for class include understanding how language affects intercultural business communications and learning about different cultures and how they communicate when conducting business activities. II. Connection to Course Goals: The class’s daily objectives will connect to the overall course goals by dealing with one topic at a time. III. Anticipatory Set: What is usually involved in intercultural business communication and how should one behave if relocated to foreign countries such as United Arab Emirates, Mexico, China and Israel? IV. Cultural Awareness V. High vs. Low Context Cultures VI. Language: Verbal vs. Non-Verbal VII. Conversational Taboos VIII. Interaction: Ethical/Unethical awareness IX. Conclusion: connecting the objectives My developed training program will help my students target and grasp the importance of the concepts listed and how they connect to one another. You will need to know a number of things regarding Cultural Awareness, High vs. Low Context Cultures, and Verbal vs. Non-Verbal, Conversational Taboos, and Interaction Ethical/Unethical awareness, and connecting the objectives. “Low context language is where things are fully spelled out or made explicit where there is also considerable dependence on what is actually being said or written (Gibson, 2002).” Western cultures tend to be inclined more toward low context language while Eastern and Southern cultures are more inclined to use high context language (LeBaron, 2003).“High context language is whereby communicators assume a great deal of commonality of opinions and knowledge so that not much is made explicit (Novinger, 2001).” In other words, communication is in indirect ways. It is of crucial importance for business individuals venturing overseas to learn more about the business culture and etiquette present in countries such as Mexico, China, United Arab Emirates and Israel as they are not the same as the American business culture. International Business Communication Understanding other cultures tend to greatly enh ...

1. MGM316-1401B-01
Quesadra D. Goodrum
Class Discussion Phase2
Colorado Technical University
Professor: Edmund Winters
4/07/2014
In an ever-changing world, intercultural business
communication is one of the most vital aspects of carrying out
business in foreign countries. We are set up to fail if we enter
into foreign business agreements blindly. In the absence of
proper communication skills, cultural awareness comes into
play knowing the culture in which we are dealing. All of your
concepts you may have grown up with and ideas that you have
formed beforehand need to be thrown away and cast to the side.
Your concepts and ideas in these business meetings will only be
as effective as your communication skills. If your
communications skills are weak so will be your presentation of
your projected business plan. If I was going to develop a
training program on the same, my lesson plan would look as
illustrated below:
I. Class Objectives: The goals or objectives for class include
understanding how language affects intercultural business
communications and learning about different cultures and how
they communicate when conducting business activities.
II. Connection to Course Goals: The class’s daily objectives
will connect to the overall course goals by dealing with one
topic at a time.
III. Anticipatory Set: What is usually involved in intercultural
business communication and how should one behave if relocated
to foreign countries such as United Arab Emirates, Mexico,

2. China and Israel?
IV. Cultural Awareness
V. High vs. Low Context Cultures
VI. Language: Verbal vs. Non-Verbal
VII. Conversational Taboos
VIII. Interaction: Ethical/Unethical awareness
IX. Conclusion: connecting the objectives
My developed training program will help my students target and
grasp the importance of the concepts listed and how they
connect to one another. You will need to know a number of
things regarding Cultural Awareness, High vs. Low Context
Cultures, and Verbal vs. Non-Verbal, Conversational Taboos,
and Interaction Ethical/Unethical awareness, and connecting the
objectives. “Low context language is where things are fully
spelled out or made explicit where there is also considerable
dependence on what is actually being said or written (Gibson,
2002).” Western cultures tend to be inclined more toward low
context language while Eastern and
Southern cultures are more inclined to use high context
language (LeBaron, 2003).“High context language is whereby
communicators assume a great deal of commonality of opinions
and knowledge so that not much is made explicit (Novinger,
2001).” In other words, communication is in indirect ways. It is
of crucial importance for business individuals venturing
overseas to learn more about the business culture and etiquette
present in countries such as Mexico, China, United Arab
Emirates and Israel as they are not the same as the American
business culture.
International Business Communication
Understanding other cultures tend to greatly enhance
international relationships. In additions to establishing a more
favorable working condition when sending employees on
foreign assignments or relocating them to the US (LeBaron,
2003). Whenever large corporations expand internationally and
become multi-language entities, issues relating to cross culture

3. affect every aspect of the business.
Cross cultural training through cultural awareness is
aggressively being adopted by numerous large and medium
enterprises a like. It is in the preparation of their teams, vendors
and clients with the necessary abilities to carry out world-level
business in a multi-cultural environment. Providing language
and cultural training for employees is big business and
employers are developing training programs on how language
affects intercultural business communications.
Some conversation taboos that my students should be aware try
to be polite and subtle when communicating with individuals
from, say, China, as they tend to find Westerners rather
offensively blunt (Gibson, 2002). They also find Chinese
business individuals to be devious, secretive and unforthcoming
with information (Novinger, 2001). Students should note that
Arab nations as well as Israel do not eat pork (LeBaron, 2003).
Unlike Westerners, individuals from the mentioned countries do
not allow men to shake hands with women in public and this too
should be noted (Zhu, 2014). However, take into consideration
that there are a few pros and cons of using an interpreter in
these countries for instance; they can be misunderstood if the
interpreter is not as good at their job as expected (Gibson,
2002). Interpreters come in handy as they prevent language
barriers and allow for better intercultural business
communications.
References
Gibson, R. (2002). Intercultural Business Communication: An
Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Intercultural
Business Communication for Teachers, Language Trainers, and
Business People. . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
LeBaron, M. (2003). Bringing Cultural Conflicts: New
Approaches for a Changing World. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
M.U.S.E. (2014, April 06). Career Education Corporation.
Retrieved from International Communication:
https://campus.ctuonline.edu/courses/MGM316/p1/hub1/hub.ht

4. ml
Novinger, T. (2001). International Communication. Austin:
University of Texas Press.
Zhu, Y. Z. (2014, April 06). Diplomacy.edu. Retrieved from
Diplomacy:
http://www.diplomacy.edu/sites/default/files/IC%20and%20Dipl
omacy%20%28FINAL%29_Part13.pdf
MGM316-1402A
Quesadra D. Goodrum
Class Discussion2 Phase 1
Colorado Technical University
Professor: Edmund Winters
04/06/2014
If your company was to do business in your chosen country,
what kind of social hierarchies and social interactions should
you be aware of?
Their social hierarchies rule often every aspect of both family
and business life in their country. China hierarchical is either
society or business are based on strict observation of rank.
These social ranking are priority whereas your ranking in the

5. business plays a subordinate role. Organization heads will enter
the meeting room in ranked order both in social and
organizational rankings. They are a very conscious people when
it comes to roles and rankings. In China, the highest-ranking
person will lead all negotiations and will direct all of the
discussion during the meeting (father figure/authoritarian). I
would target any social media forum such as media applications,
Facebook, LinkedIn, and other online mass media forums. Since
we are in the age of the technological era I would target
products that I know everyone has.
What kind of management style would you use to be most
effective given the cultural attributes of the country?
There are a myriad of cultural attributes at work here. Each one
plays its very own significant role in the management structure.
“Asian management style flows with Confucian philosophy in
all cases (Staff writter bizshifts-trends.com, 2014).” What I
mean by this is that the relationships formed are unequal and no
matter as to whom holds what position the younger must always
show the up most respect to the elder. This is the case even if
the senior is a subordinate. “The cultural ethical behavior
demands that these inequalities need to be respected (Staff
writter bizshifts-trends.com, 2014).”
Often women stay home and take care of the family because the
man is supposed to be the provider. These family social ranking
hold true in business for them as well. The father husband leads
and guides his family in the direction he believes they should
travel. Much like the head of the company when doing business
provides the vision for the employees to follow (M.U.S.E,
2014). Yet in taking an authoritative approach you also, must
assume that responsibility as well. There are more benefits to
this approach than drawbacks. You can encourage your
employees on their performance, sit in when needed, and
delegate what needs to be done and how, and promote from
within due to what you have observed (M.U.S.E, 2014).

6. How would you overcome the barriers to communication?
Chinese culture tends to be seen and recognized as having a
tough negotiating style. People from other cultural backgrounds,
especially from the West, often find the behavior of Chinese
negotiators strange and unintelligible (Zhu, 2014). This is why
much attention is given to studying the Chinese negotiation
style. So I would tend to research and look at prior
communications with the Chinese. Find out what
communication channels and body language worked verses what
did not. I would then model my approach using all of the
positive aspect that had great outcomes (M.U.S.E, 2014).
Do you agree with the saying, “When in Rome, do as the
Romans do” when it comes to doing business with another
country?
To overcome the barriers of communication I would have a
diverse population for my employees. This is to ensure that I
can keep pace in my industry when dealing with other cultures
and countries. That is why the saying, “When in Rome, do as
the Romans do” is so true, but also a little misguided. Let me
give you an example. I think that one should do enough to
respect the other negotiating country/culture; without
compromising one’s own belief and countries business ethics. I
think that more companies get compromised ethically when
their arbitration and dealing and foreign countries goes array
and negotiators are ethically compromised trying to close the
deal (Zhu, 2014).
For instance, China is highly masculine (high MAS Index) in
family values as well as in business. Meaning, I cannot send a
woman to represent my company to promote business with
China because she is not a man. In China, you must be the head
of your household (father figure, authoritarian) figure and look
them directly in the eye when speaking. I believe there are
limits and levels of mutual respect when it comes to
communication across cultural barriers (Staff writter bizshifts-
trends.com, 2014).

7. References
M.U.S.E. (2014, April 06). Career Education Corporation.
Retrieved from International Communication:
https://campus.ctuonline.edu/courses/MGM316/p1/hub1/hub.ht
ml
Staff writter bizshifts-trends.com. (2014, April 06). bizshifts-
trends.com. Retrieved from Bizshifts Trends: bizshifts-
trends.com
Zhu, Y. Z. (2014, April 06). Diplomacy.edu. Retrieved from
Diplomacy:
http://www.diplomacy.edu/sites/default/files/IC%20and%20Dipl
omacy%20%28FINAL%29_Part13.pdf