Assignment: International Business Communications

Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 400-600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

Consider an organization you work for, have worked for, or would like to work for. Then, identify a country in which they do business or might do business outside of the United States. You also may select a company in contemporary business news that conducts business globally.

Discuss the key differences in cultural variables between the United States and the country that are important when conducting business in the selected country. What are the implications of these differences for the practice of business? Consider political, economic, legal, educational, and social systems of the selected country. Refer to Intellipath, MUSE, and Beyond the Book references in creating your response. Include a response to the following questions in your discussion writing at least one paragraph for each bullet point:

• Describe globalization and its benefits to business operations.

• What kind of management orientation style (ethnocentric, polycentric, regiocentric, geocentric) would you use to be most effective given the cultural attributes of the country?

• How would you overcome the anticipated barriers to communication? Provide specific examples.