Audiences and Culture Exercises

Module: Audiences and Culture Exercises

Exercise 1- Identifying Sources of Miscommunication

· Do only and identify one or more ways that cultural differences have led to miscommunication.

· Next, suggest one or more solutions to the problem. For this scenario, consider that Alan must conclude his business or risk losing the sale. What can he do to get this Mexican customer's business?

· For full credit, answer fully, in complete sentences.

1. Alan is a Canadian sales representative in Mexico. He makes appointments and is careful to be on time. But the person he's calling on is frequently late. To save time, Alan tries to get right to business. But his hosts want to talk about sightseeing and his family. Even worse, his  appointments are interrupted constantly, not only by business phone calls, but also by long conversations with other people and even thecustomers' children who come into the office. Alan's first progress report is very negative. He hasn't yet made a sale. Perhaps Mexico just isn't the right place to sell his company's products.

2. Stan wants to negotiate a joint venture with a Chinese company. He asks Tung-Sen Lee if the Chinese people have enough discretionary income to afford his product. Mr. Lee is silent for a time, and then says, "Your product is good. People in the West must like it." Stan smiles, pleased that Mr. Lee recognizes the quality of his product, and he gives Mr. Lee a contract to sign. Weeks later, Stan still hasn't heard anything. If China is going to be so inefficient, he wonders if he really should try to do business there.

3. Elspeth is very proud of her participatory management style. On assignment in India, she is careful not to give orders but to ask for
suggestions. But people rarely suggest anything. Even a formal suggestion system doesn't work. And to make matters worse, she doesn't sense the respect and camaraderie of the plant she managed in Canada. Perhaps, she decides gloomily, people in India just aren't ready for a female boss.

Exercise 2- Revising Sexist Job Titles suggest nonsexist alternatives.

- Barmaid - deliveryman - ombudsman -chairwoman -female soldier -male model

- Lunch lady - lady lawyer - fireman - policeman - postman - stuntman

Exercise 3- State the type of bias and rewrite the sentence without bias.

1) While he is a victim of muscular dystrophy, Salvatore is one of our top salesmen.

2) Though she was born and raised in the south, Terri is surprisingly open-minded about people of different races.

3) Sam Madigan

Ark Industries

5112 Grosvenor boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90066

Dear Mr. Madigan:

4) Though Xian doesn't look like he was born in this country, he speaks English better than anyone else that I know.

5) Make sure you seat the entire team, including the minorities Atik, Curtis, and Brianna, at the center table during this year's "Celebration of Diversity" dinner.