ASSIGNMENT 1: Business Communication

Select a fairly inexpensive product that you currently own, and a country that you're not very familiar with. The product could be a moderately priced watch, radio, or other device. Now imagine that you are with the international sales department of the company that manufactures and sells the item and that you are proposing to make it available in the country you have selected.

The first step is to learn as much as possible about the country where you plan to market the product. Check almanacs, encyclopedias, the Internet, and library databases for the most recent information, paying particular attention to descriptions of the social life of the inhabitants, their economic conditions, and cultural traditions that would encourage or discourage use of the product.

Your 1-2 page report is to be submitted to the chief operating officer of the company, whose name you can either make up or find in a corporate directory. Make sure to include the following:

Briefly describe the product you plan to market abroad.
Briefly describe the country you have selected.
Indicate the type(s) of people in this country who would find the product attractive. Provide at least one supporting fact.
Explain how the product would be transported into the country (or possibly manufactured there if materials and labor are available). Provide at least one supporting fact that justifies your choice.
Recommend a location for a regional sales center. Provide at least one supporting fact that supports your location choice.
Describe how the product will do in this new environment, with at least two supporting facts.
Describe at least two recommendations for marketing (steps the company should take immediately and those it should develop later).

ASSIGNMENT 2: Business Communication

Part A

Think about your own experiences with both effective and ineffective communication, and select one example of each to analyze.

Briefly describe each of the two scenarios- one related to a personal experience with effective communication and one related to a personal experience with ineffective communication.

Describe whether each scenario is an example of effective or ineffective communication, providing at least two supporting facts for each scenario.

Part B

Imagine that you have an interview for an internship that you really want to get. Describe three ways in which you can display professionalism in this situation.

Describe the implications of selecting the appropriate channel and medium for a business message. Describe at least two factors involved in this.

Provide one original example of each of the following: physiological barrier, language barrier, and psychological barrier.