Answer: T
Explanation: Even though Business English is the primary language of commerce almost world-wide (French is widely used), U.S. management professionals are increasingly aware that cultural differences between people may greatly affect conducting business in specific situations, even when the parties involved are all speaking or writing in the same language. Protocols for becoming acquainted, for communicating to personnel, and for making agreements may quite different from country to country, and even the strategies employed in persuading someone in a business letter or memo may vary, subtly or significantly. Today, even though we can hire translators, interpreters and culturally skilled experts such as software localization managers, we still need to gain knowledge of our trading partners' cultures and practices, or we are working in the dark and at the mercy of others who possess such knowledge.
The demand on US management professionals is not new -- large corporations and governments have always needed knowledge of language and culture to gain a trading edge, or political power. In previous decades this information was sometimes gained through "intelligence gathering" efforts -- through espionage -- and chief executives can still hire trade experts, and employ spies. Today, advances in transportation and technology have made it possible for even small hometown businesses to export worldwide, and despite that such businesses have fewer resources, any business person who wants to sell to new and emerging markets can't assume that just because his or her trading partner speaks and writes English that he or she does not need to learn the other's language or cultural practices. Basically, as it is always the job of the marketer to find out about his or her market, it is always the obligation of the business writer to obtain knowledge of the audience's needs, preferred patterns of communication and ways of conducting business. Not to pay attention to cultural matters is increasingly a breach of global business etiquette, but more importantly, it is bad, long-term business practice.
Consider how foolish US car makers looked when they tried to sell cars with steering wheels on the left into countries where people drive on the left side of the road. Consider also the mistakes we have made negotiating joint ventures with China, Russia, and other countries who have entirely different concepts of what "business" means. Consider how vulnerable we are even in seemingly simple attempt to write business letters. For example, many Japanese business people have learned our "RTA formula" for writing letters, and they use it when they write to U.S. companies, because they want our business. Their success in selling us products speaks for itself. Doesn't it seem logical that if we want to sell to them, we should learn the language and strategies that will persuade them to buy from us? (Especially now that there is worldwide competition, and we can not assume that we are the only or best supplier...)
In view of these new business realities, management professionals need to learn the language and culture of at least one other country in depth, as a way of understanding the role of language and culture in business and our world. Since many of us will conduct business in the future with several other countries, however, we will also need to learn quickly on occasion, about the preferred business practices and protocol, and the communication/writing strategies and problems of specific overseas clients. This assignment presents you with an exercise that will engage you in practicing quick "intelligence gathering ."
As a group, you will be assigned a case to analyze and resolve. As part of the case you will collect and analyze and/or draft international business correspondence -- letters, memos or proposals -- and your analysis will be foundational to the solutions you offer your imaginary client in the consulting report you write for the assignment. Your consulting report will persuade your imaginary client to act in a pecific way, while it also provides evidence to your instructor that you understand the role of culture in international business communication.
To analyze the case effectively you will need to gather information about a specific country, to gather, where possible, samples of business correspondence from that country, and finally, to research the kinds of strategies, formats, and logics that business writers from that country rely on when they write, to us as well as to each other.