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Book Home > Table of Contents > Chapter Outline > Page 12
Chapter 3: Communicating Interculturally
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Exercises
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| 1. | Intercultural Sensitivity: Recognizing Differences
You represent a Canadian toy company that's negotiating to buy
miniature truck wheels from a manufacturer in Osaka, Japan. In your
first meeting, you explain that your company expects to control the
design of the wheels as well as the materials that are used to make
them. The manufacturer's representative looks down and says softly,
"Perhaps that will be difficult." You press for agreement, and to
emphasize your willingness to buy, you show the prepared contract
you've brought with you. However, the manufacturer seems increasingly
vague and uninterested. What cultural differences may be interfering
with effective communication in this situation? Explain. |
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| 2. | Ethical Choices
A U.S. manager wants to export T-shirts to a West African country, but
a West African official expects a special payment before allowing the
shipment into his country. How can the two sides resolve their
different approaches without violating U.S. rules against bribing
foreign officials? On the basis of the information presented in Chapter
1, would you consider this situation an ethical dilemma or an ethical
lapse? Please explain. |
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| 3. | Teamwork
Working with two other students, prepare a list of 10 examples of slang
(in your own language) that would probably be misinterpreted or
misunderstood during a business conversation with someone from another
culture. Next to each example, suggest other words you might use to
convey the same message. Do the alternatives mean exactly the same as the original slang or idiom? |
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| 4. | Intercultural Communication: Studying Cultures
Choose a specific country, such as India, Portugal, Bolivia, Thailand,
or Nigeria, with which you are not familiar. Research the culture and
write a brief summary of what a U.S. manager would need to know about
concepts of personal space and rules of social behavior in order to
conduct business successfully in that country. |
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| 5. | Multicultural Work Force: Bridging Differences
Differences in gender, age, and physical abilities contribute to the
diversity of today's work force. Working with a classmate, role-play a
conversation in which
- A woman is being interviewed for a job by a male personnel manager
- An older person is being interviewed for a job by a younger personnel manager
- A person using a wheelchair is being interviewed for a job by a person who can walk
How did differences between the applicant and the interviewer
shape the communication? What can you do to improve communication in
such situations? |
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| 6. | Intercultural Sensitivity: Understanding Attitudes
As the director of marketing for a telecommunications firm based in
Germany, you're negotiating with an official in Guangzhou, China, who's
in charge of selecting a new telephone system for the city. You insist
that the specifications be spelled out in detail in the contract.
However, your Chinese counterpart argues that in developing a long-term
business relationship, such minor details are unimportant. What can you
do or say to break this intercultural deadlock and obtain the contract
without causing the official to lose face? |
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| 7. | Culture and Language: Understanding Differences
Germany is a low-context culture; by comparison, France and England are
more high context. These three translations of the same message were
posted on a lawn in Switzerland: The German sign read, "Walking on the
grass is forbidden"; the English sign read, "Please do not walk on the
grass"; and the French sign read, "Those who respect their environment
will avoid walking on the grass."43
How does the language of each sign reflect the way information is
conveyed in the cultural context of each nation? Write a brief (two- to
three-paragraph) explanation. |
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| 8. | Culture and Time: Dealing with Differences
When a company knows that a scheduled delivery time given by an
overseas firm is likely to be flexible, managers may buy in larger
quantities or may order more often to avoid running out of product
before the next delivery. Identify three other management decisions
that may be influenced by differing cultural concepts of time, and make
notes for a short (two-minute) presentation to your class. |
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| 9. | Intercultural Communication: Using Translators
Imagine that you're the lead negotiator for a company that's trying to
buy a factory in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. Your parents
grew up near Prague, so you understand and speak the language fairly
well. However, you wonder about the advantages and disadvantages of
using a translator anyway. For example, you may have more time to think
if you wait for an intermediary to translate the other side's position.
Decide whether to hire a translator, and then write a brief (two- or
three-paragraph) explanation of your decision. |
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| 10. | Internet
Some companies are experimenting with software that automatically
translates business messages and Web sites. To see how this works, go
to the AltaVista site. Click on "translate" and enter a
sentence such as "We are enclosing a purchase order for four dozen
computer monitors." Select "English to Spanish" and click to complete
the translation. Once you've read the Spanish version, cut and paste it
into the "text for translation" box, select "Spanish to English," and
click to translate. Try translating the same English sentence into
German, French, or Italian and then back into English. How do the
results of each translation differ? What are the implications for the
use of automated translation services and back-translation? How could
you use this Web site to sharpen your intercultural communication
skills? |
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| 11. | Intercultural Communication: Improving Skills
You've been assigned to host a group of Swedish college students who
are visiting your college for the next two weeks. They've all studied
English but this is their first trip to your area. Make a list of at
least eight slang terms and idioms they are likely to hear on campus.
How will you explain each phrase? When speaking with the Swedish
students, what word or words might you substitute for each slang term
or idiom? |
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end–of–chapter resources
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