INTERCULTURAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
EX 3, PAGE 5
1. For a doctor:
Doctors have to work with lots of patients toward varying widely across cultures. Some cultures favor
treatment of the whole person, others concentrate on dealing with specific symptoms. In some cultures,
the doctor will put more emphasis on the patient as a person, while in others the focus is on analyzing
the illness.
2. For internet website designer:
The website that this person designed is on the internet, so it may reach people globally. And for some
cultures, people prefer to use visual material and icons, while others favour more text. So, if this
designer wants his/her website to be successfully launched, understanding intercultural communication
is important.
3. For a university lecturer:
The university environment has lots of cultural issues, especially lecturers working abroad. For
example, in the US and UK, students tend to call their professors by their first name, which in other
cultures would be a sign of disrespect. Moreover, forms of assessment vary—in some cultures, oral tests
predominate, in others, there are more written tests. So, to conclude, if the lecturer wants to have
better communication with students, they have to explain things clearly and satisfactorily in the first
place.
MARKET LEADER – WORKING ACROSS CULTURES book
Page 4
Before you read:
1. Common & main reasons for company to look outside domestic market: acquire more
customers, boost their sales, and increase their revenues; decrease operating cost;
boost competitiveness.
2. Problem when marketing & advertising products:
Norms and Ethics Challenges
Terrorism and Racism
Inefficient Campaign segmentation
Lack of resources
Brand Awareness
Local channels
Language Barriers
3. Kind of cultural problems when working internationally: Language, Religion, Gender conflicts,
Holidays.
A.
1. False (Para. B, line 1, 2)
2. NG (para. C line 1, 2)
3. NG (Para. C, line 20)
4. True (Para. D, line 25)
5. False (Para. F, line 35)
6. NG
7. True (Para. J, line 85)
B.
1. Dutch
2. 1970s and 1980s
3. Because of IBM' s uniformity of its corporate culture.
4. Because "nova" in Spanish means "won't go".
5. Because in Europe, there is a stronger tradition of luxury car-making and strong loyalty to local brands
on the part of their buyers.
6. Repositioning brands, changing advertising and product features to suit local sensitivities and so on.
7. Because of different national cultures (style of managing, linguistic confusion, reporting and control,
and workers' rights and responsibilities.)
8. learning to work with cultural differences, powerful innovation.