Intercultural Communications

Intercultural Communication is how people from different cultural backgrounds interact through language, customs and gestures. While researching for the Intercultural Communication team assignment we have all learned new information regarding the communication habits and tendencies of the country we were assigned.

It is crucial to understand the communications of a foreign country if you plan on visiting in the future. It is even more important to have a grasp of the foreign culture if you are visiting the country on a business trip. You are representing your company and one offensive mishap may cost your company millions of dollars in future business. You must do your research on the culture, language, and the difference between a good gesture and a bad gesture.

The two parts I want to focus on are your actions and how you communicate. Important aspects of your actions are demeanor, gifts, and knowing the proper time to communicate in a business sense. Some countries have a more relaxed approach to business and some may not. Likewise, gifts are sometimes frowned upon in certain countries. Also, some countries prefer not to discuss business while eating. The important aspects of communication are the handshake, language, and your gestures. The handshake is very important because it is a first impression and in some cultures men will wait for a woman to extend her hand for a handshake. Understanding the language is important or at least the skills of a well known interpreter. Some gestures and body language that is ok to use in the United States may be offensive in a foreign country and you do not want to come off as intimidating or angry.

I found an interesting video depicting how the Chinese say no in negotiations and how Westerners may not understand their intentions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4HB1aUE4p4&feature=PlayList&p=668F2B3B414F00F0&index=5

Crisis Communication

When crisis occurs, organizations should always be prepared. There are any number of scenarios that could occur causing a crisis. Organizations are held legally liable in an event of a crisis. They are also held to an ethical and moral standard as well, by protecting those involved in and around their organization. In an event of a crisis, companies, organizations, invididuals, or groups should all know and become familiar with what their regulated crisis management plan is. Referred to as crisis communication, it is necessary to have regulations to the different scenarios that could possibly occur. Through communication, it is important and absolutely necessary to respond quickly, effectively, efficiently, andrealize an effective crisis communication strategy and solution to the occurring problems or problems. Communicating through technology is also very important. Technology ensures that a rapid and coordinated response to potential crisis will help organizations execute a well thought out plan. In the case that this does not happen, organizations' reputation and other aspects could be substantially damanged.
Below is an article titled "Crisis Communication Planning: Organizing and Completing A Plan That Works". It is an outline of how companies, organizations, or individuals should prepare and respond through communication to a potential crisis.
http://www.101publicrelations.com/crisis-communication.html

Government Relations

Chapter 9 of our book covers the topic of government relations to businesses in America. The actual beginning of government regulation in business began in 1887 with the Act to Regulate Commerce and with the institution of the Interstate Commerce Commission. This was followed by the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1990. One of the most significant acts that affected business was the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. This act was designed to review and protect audit requirements and practices.

Today, government is involved in almost all stages of business development and businesses eventually realized that instead of fighting the government’s regulation, it might be more useful to lobby their own positions to political decision makers. In December 2002, a survey revealed that of the 565 Fortune 1000 firms, 72.6% have political interaction with the federal government. And many companies have felt the consequences of not having a presence in Washington. This includes Wal-Mart when they were attempting to open stores in China. Today, Wal-Mart has 5 lobbyists in Washington. In America, the government and business relationship is an ongoing process.

An example of government regulation in today’s economy is the fall of General Motors. Attached is a link to a video with a debate with Peter Flaherty, president of National Legal and Policy Center, debating the actual cause of GM’s death. Flaherty claims government safety regulations and fuel economy standards resulted in making vehicles harder to sale and had car companies creating too many similar vehicles and lessening competition. He claims the biggest short coming was the failure to take on unions and that government regulations distorted the entire standard of the industry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWfsHlT65ic

Internal Communication

Chapter 7 of our book discusses effective internal communication. According to the text the most effective was to have effective internal communication is to have the following practices. First, Communicate across all levels. Management should communicate with all employees (even the newest or lowest ones) and employees should communicate with management. Secondly, making the meetings face-to-face seems to be an important aspect of effective communication. Thirdly, the chapter highlight the effectiveness of using the internet or intranet to communicate within i nthe company. The chapter goes on to highlight additional strategies for effective internal communication such as creating internal publications and taking into account the company grapevine when posting internal memos.
I have worked for a resort who i think does an excellent job of internal communication. The resort is family owned( 3 members) and rather large (about 1000 employees over several sites miles apart). The family's goal was to have as much exposure to all of the employees as possible on a daily basis. Everyday that I worked there were several times everyday when I had the opportunity to speak to upper management, and many times when they spoke to individual employees directly. I think this has been very successful for them because it helps keep the companies image in the minds of all employees. Additionally, if you have ever worked in the hospitality business you understand that there is a huge importance on the impression given to guest. By the management always being around and stressing this I think the resort was capable of producing a better product and kept their employees happy in the process.
To highlight the need for this type of hands-on communication I am sharing a link to a video that discusses some of the practices that the book highlights and the resort uses. To me the most interesting thing that the video, book and my resort did was too take into account employee opinions and make them feel as though they are a part of the decision making process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ni1N_guvxA

Media Relations

In chapter six our author discusses media relations. Media relations have become an increasingly important issue for businesses since the beginning of the computer/internet age. The chapter gives background information comparing the traditional method of media relations to the method that is used nowadays. The chapter discuses dealing with the media, gauging your successes with media relations, and planning a positive long term relationship with the media. There is a reoccuring focus on the importance of technology in media relations today. This was also evident in the speech yesterday by IUP representative Michelle Fryling.
When reading the chapter and hearing the discussion yesterday i was intrigued by the difficulties that are presented in protecting the reputation and image of the organization in the technological world we live in today.When the rampant use of blogs and other online forums a business must be careful that their message is the one potential clients read and not the image presented by blogger and others in cyberspace.
A common example of some of the dangers of this are sites like Angie's list. Angie's list allows anyone to post a comment about a business for future potential clients to read and evaluate the business before choosing them. While it's premise is admirable, sometimes the effect of such a service can be disastrous. A company may not be able to recover from a very unfavorable review or it may be very difficult to do. To illustrate how difficult this can be i have listed a link below to an article which gives some examples of how you can re-achieve your previous image or at least diminish the negative views. The article also discusses some other similar sites, such as epinnions and the ebay rating feature.

http://www.cuttingedgepr.com/articles/coming-to-grips-online-reputation.asp

Corporate Responsibility

Our author highlights corporate responsibility in chapter 5. Corporate responsibility has become more important for companies in all industries over the past few years. Corporations are making efforts to do the extra things that would make them appear socially conscious to their constituents. These corporations must be sure to conduct business ethically and lawfully. A negative public viewpoint of a company could affect their reputation and potentially cause them to lose valuable business. Therefore, even if it’s the last thing they would prefer, a company has to be socially responsible to survive in their industry.
The Go Green campaign is a prime example of companies being socially responsible. Taking care of our environment and being less wasteful as a nation is the goal of this campaign. Corporations are taking the lead role in the movement by manufacturing products that are environmentally friendly. Companies are going paperless and conducting business electronically. Companies are also getting more involved in the community and starting fundraisers and foundations like the JP Morgan Chase foundation that donated 2% of its $4.5 billion dollar income in 2004.
Corporate responsibility protects the environment as well as the consumers. As long as corporations have the public keeping an eye on everything they do, they will continue to handle their business ethically and lawfully. This here is a link that gives us the details of what companies have to do to be socially responsible.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-corporate-responsibility.htm

Identity, Image, Reputation, and Advertising

I agree with Kayla about the visibility of McDonald's and its worldwide reputation and image. It is very well-known throughout the world and is a giant in the fast-food industry.

Another company that used to be very visible and a giant in its industry is General Motors. They are starting all over from scratch and trying to establish a new identity and re-build its reputation. It has a very negative reputation and identity, but I agree with its marketing new marketing strategy. If you have not seen the new GM commercial in which the company's new chairman talks about the company and its rebuilding efforts. They are focusing their new marketing campaign and image-building on what they do best: their cars. They are stating that, if you compare them car for car with other automobile companies, they will have the best car. Their new tagline is "May the Best Car Win." I like this marketing strategy because they are admitting that they being honest about their reputation right now, but are focusing on the quality and consistency of their product line in order to re-gain a foothold in the marketplace.

GM is trying to re-establish their identity and I believe that they are going about it the right way, and that is honestly and consistently. If you have not seen the GM commercial with the new chairman, here it is.

Identity, Image, Reputation, and Corporate Advertising

Chapter 4 discusses identity, image, reputation, and corporate advertising. Looking at the corporate giant McDonalds one can see these 4 characteristics. The image and identity of McDonalds can be seen from the use of the "M" arch and the clown Ronald McDonald. Morgan Spurlock in his movie super size me showed kids a picture of President Bush and none of them knew who he was. When shown a picture of Ronald McDonald all the kids knew him. This is an example of a corporate business imprinting their image and identity on the youth. Reputation is stellar with this fast food monster as their charity (the Ronald McDonald Charity) raises funds to help sick children. Lastly, McDonalds really works toward getting their product out there in advertising. McDonald's commercials can be seen during the commercial break for almost any show. In these commercials the viewer usually sees people hanging out having fun. This is also where the familiar jingle “I’m Lovin it" is played.

One can base a successful business on these 4 characteristics. When companies are looking to expand and reach their customers on a better level, they should take a look at how McDonalds has grown throughout the decades and became a successful world-wide power house in the global market. McDonalds is a business "done right" and should be an example for nearly every company looking to grow and exceed not just at home in the United States, but world-wide.

Below is a video on how McDonalds dealing with today’s economy and how they are still growing and being successful since their mission focuses around customer satisfaction as well as affordability. They do this all while maintaining their familiar identity, image, reputation, and advertising to their customers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK7XVzT6ma0

Communication theories

In regards to communication theories, the issue of feedback is broached in Shramm's third model. I have had the opportunity to be in a leadership position as a sales manager and came to find that feedback is key in all communication, but especially with someone in a leadership position. My sales staff was coming to me with potential sales opportunities and wanted to get my feedback to see if this would be worthwhile efforts to increase their performance and our business. Feedback is key to managers because your employees come to you looking for guidance and if you do not give them that guidance (feedback), they might not be effective and neither would your communication.

Here is an article that defines a number of various communication theories.

Changing environment for business

In regards to the topic of today's changing environment for business, I would like to comment on something that has strongly contributed to this changing environment, which is globalization. My company decided to address the issue of globalization by recognizing the fact that a great deal of our products, and our competitor's products, were being produced in Asia. In order to make ourselves more competitive in the market, we decided to build a production facility in China which would help to lower our costs on goods and raw materials that we were importing from overseas. Instead of having to use a third-party that is based in Asia, we could obtain the raw materials and goods directly from our facility in China, which reduced costs and gave us a significant advantage over our competitors. Recognizing the effect of globalization and the effect is has on today's business climate can enable a company to remain competitive and not get behind the competition.

Here is a short article that discusses the impact that China has on globalization and American business.

Changing Environment of Business

Paul A. Argenti highlights ‘The Changing Environment of Business’ in the first chapter of his text Coporate Communication.This change has been influenced by consumer confidence, technology and competition. Businesses are forced to not only recognize these changes but be flexible enough to adapt and prosper based on the new parameters of the business environment.

Perhaps the most dramatic impact, particularly in recent years, was the technological innovation and implementation that have provided businesses a competitive advantage over their rivals who have not effectively utilized such advancements.

This technologically rich era has led to what Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan envisioned some time ago, a “Global Village.” This term is used to describe a planet that shares knowledge via an electronic connection.

As many of us move through each day we are faced with numerous such examples but given their availability and affordability, particularly in developed nations, we often take them for granted and forget what life before the techno boom was like.

While working as a marketing intern, I was required to utilize one such tool. To facilitate better company communication, all employee cell phones were e-mail compatible. Having adapted to the speed of the modern work world, the company was able to achieve goals at a faster pace. If an employee was on the road, they still had access to their account. With this, they were able to not only read important e-mails they were receiving in real time but also had the ability to respond.

Countless time the willingness to be flexible aided the company in moving forward when the absence of such technology would have greatly reduced the speed and efficiency of project completion. By recognizing and incorporating this tool the company was able to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors that were either unaware or too rigid to reap the benefits.

This technology is certainly not the end of the revolution. Often limited by the capability of the cell service provider some cell customers are unable to send/receive e-mail. One new venture aims to provide e-mail service to more basic, non PDA mobile devices. This video highlights the progression that will inevitably take place as the nature of competition heats up.

Communicating Strategically

I am addressing the issue how companies communicate strategically and address their various constituencies in an effective manner that is conducive to corporate success.

My company, Fastenal, is an industrial sales company whose motto is "Growth Through Customer Service". This means that the overall growth (financial and otherwise) is achieved not by mass advertising or corporate sponsorship, but by pleasing your consumers and displaying outstanding customer service among all divisions of the company (sales, HR, management, marketing, etc.) This leads to repeat business, more and larger opportunities, as well as new customers which all leads to the growth of the business. Fastenal is achieving its objective of Growth Through Customer Service by communicating this idea to one constituency which then relays this idea and objective to the primary constituency, which is the consumer. Effective and strategic communication to the employees from management and corporate HQ is a key action because the employees need to be able to effectively communicate with the customer in order for the company to achieve its objective.

The following link is an interesting example of a different type of strategic communication plan for an organization. The article outlines elements of the plan and contains in which you can view the plan itself. This plan is from the Department of Defense and is their communication plan for the war on terror in Afghanistan.
http://mountainrunner.us/2007/09/dod_approved_strategic_communi.html.