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SOM 310 A/B

International Team Consulting Project:

Consulting Report and Team Presentation

Linda M. LaDuc, Director, Management Communications Program, Isenberg School of Management, Room #326, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003

Cases #1-4 (inclusive) Copyright (c) 1996 Linda M. LaDuc, all rights reserved

Overview:

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 be 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 specific 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.

Objectives:


Background.

Problem-solving reports or consulting reports (i), and academic case write-ups or responses (ii), share some similarities:

There is one major difference: because case analysis requires you to apply course knowledge to hypothetical business problems, case write-ups, in the form of "consulting reports," add an additional audience to the problematic situation you are asked to role-play. In addition to the primary (imaginary) audience described in the case, you must consider the needs and purposes of the primary (real) audience -- your instructor -- who "reads over the shoulder" of the hypothetical audience, and who is looking to see that you as student writer display your analytical abilities and your knowledge of a particular academic course's concepts, vocabulary, and readings, as you apply them to solving the case. In addition to these two primary audiences, there may be imaginary secondary audiences -- characters in the case about whom you must write tactfully, since they may also be imaginary readers.

Case responses and/or consulting reports are difficult to write -- the former are a special kind of academic writing and the latter are a special kind of business writing -- but they are both important to do well because they are frequently assigned in business schools as ways for students to learn specific concepts or to demonstrate knowledge. (Cases are examples that are usually applicable to a wide variety of problem-solving situations that management consultants might face.) [See Appendix A, in Janice Forman's, Random House Guide to Business Writing for more information about case writing.]


To respond effectively to a case you need to:

There are a variety of formats for consulting reports, so ask your instructor for guidelines. You are expected to take the role assigned and write from this point of view, develop cogent arguments for your recommendations, organize your findings/analysis for reader accessibility, and effectively integrate your readings.

Please note also that cases are general descriptions of problems. Some information included in a case may not be relevant or useful to the problem you identify.

If you need additional help, please select directions and/or points to keep in mind.


Cases:

  1. Case #1, Banking: Canada & Nigeria
  2. Case #2, Robotics: Egypt & Japan
  3. Case #3, Business Supplies: Czech Republic & German
  4. Case #4, Banking and Petroleum: Venezuela
  5. Case #5, Copiers: India & Israel

(c) Copyright 1998 Linda M. LaDuc, All Rights Reserved

Updated 4-18-97 EdC & SS
Updated 4-23-97 EdC
Last Updated 10-22-98 by EdC