Chapter 3 LECTURE NOTES
Intercultural Communication
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS
As businesses go global and the world market place becomes increasingly international,
employees will likely experience the rewards and challenges of working in a culturally diverse
workplace. More than ever employees will encounter opportunities to work alongside
coworkers representing different cultures and interact with customers outside U.S. borders. So
that students succeed in this type of culturally rich work environment, they will need to
develop intercultural proficiency including an awareness of their own culture and how it differs
from others, and adopt methods for improving communication techniques.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Understand the powerful effects of globalization and the major trends fueling it.
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
• Updated the opening scenario featuring Walmart in Asia to highlight the intercultural
challenges in business and the need to adapt to local markets.
32 Chapter 3 Lecture Notes
• Inserted an infographic showing Starbucks’ success in bringing its coffee culture to China, a
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. The Growing Importance of Intercultural Communication (p. 81)
PowerPoint slides 1-2
A. Markets Go Global
Figure 3.1 Starbucks—A Global Brand That Understands Localization
PowerPoint slide 3
B. Major Trends Fuel Globalization
Figure 3.2 Trends Fueling Globalization
PowerPoint slide 4
C. Domestic Workforce Is Becoming Increasingly Diverse
Chapter 3 Lecture Notes 33
II. Culture and Communication (p. 87)
A. Characteristics of Culture
• Culture is learned.
Figure 3.3 Culture Combines the Visible and Invisible
PowerPoint slides 6, 7
B. Dimensions of Culture
• High and low context
Figure 3.4 Comparing Low- and High-Context Cultures
PowerPoint slides 8-18
III. Becoming Interculturally Proficient (p. 91)
A. Strategies for Improving Your Intercultural Effectiveness
• Building cultural self-awareness
B. Successful Nonverbal Intercultural Communication
• Deciphering nonverbal messages is even more difficult when cultures differ.
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Figure 3.5 Basic Expressions in Other Languages
PowerPoint slides 21-27
C. How Technology and Social Media Affect Intercultural Communication
• Social media networks offer a rich opportunity for intercultural engagement.
D. Improving Conversations in Intercultural Environments
• Enhancing oral communication:
o Observe eye messages.
o Follow up in writing.
PowerPoint slide 31
• Improving written communication:
o Use short sentences and short paragraphs.
Figure 3.6 Ineffective Intercultural E-Mail Message – Model Document
Figure 3.7 Effective Intercultural E-Mail Message – Model Document
PowerPoint slides 32, 33
IV. Checklist for Achieving Intercultural Proficiency (p. 99)
• Examine your own culture.
• Explore other cultures.
Chapter 3 Lecture Notes 35
V. Culture and Ethical Business Practices (p. 100)
A. Doing Business Abroad
• Most global companies have ethical codes of conduct.
Figure 3.8 Corruption Perceptions Index
PowerPoint slides 34, 35
B. Antibribery Laws
• The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 prohibits payments to foreign officials for
PowerPoint slide 36
C. Deciding Whose Ethics to Follow
Defining ethical behavior across boundaries is challenging. Bribery, blackmail, the
exchange of gifts, child labor, and environmental protection are ethical issues that may be
viewed differently by global business leaders.
E. Ethical Decision Making Across Borders
• Broaden your view.
VI. Workforce Diversity: Benefits and Challenges (p. 103)
A. Diversity and Its Advantages
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B. Diversity and Discord
• A diverse workforce may cause divisiveness, discontent, as well as clashes and
C. Improving Communication Among Diverse Workplace Audiences
• Seek training.
Answers to Chapter Review Questions
1. Which important trends fuel globalization? (Obj. 1)
a. Shrinking domestic markets
2. Which significant changes in the workforce can we expect over the next 40 years?
(Obj. 1)
3. List the five main characteristics of culture. (Obj. 2)
1. Culture is learned.
Chapter 3 Lecture Notes 37
4. Describe five major dimensions of culture. (Obj. 2)
1. Context describes the stimuli, environment, and ambience surrounding an event.
5. Name four or more strategies for bridging the gap between cultures and achieving
intercultural proficiency. (Obj. 3)
1. Build cultural self-awareness. Begin to think of yourself as a product of your culture, and
6. Describe three processes or attitudes that will help you achieve intercultural competence,
according to M. R. Hammer. (Obj. 3)
a. Descriptiveness. Use concrete and specific feedback. Descriptive feedback is better than
7. Does social networking help bridge cultural divides? (Obj. 3)
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8. Describe five specific ways you can improve oral communication with someone who
speaks another language. (Obj. 3)
1. Learn some phrases in the other person’s language.
9. Describe at least five ways you can improve written communication with someone who
speaks another language. (Obj. 3)
1. Accommodate the reader in organization, tone, and style.
10. What categories of ambiguous expressions should be avoided because they could
confuse readers for whom English is not a first language? (Obj. 3)
11. Are there laws forbidding bribery in the United States, and are they effective in
stopping corruption? (Obj. 4)
The United States has taken the global lead on corruption by passing the Foreign Corrupt
Chapter 3 Lecture Notes 39
12. Why is gift giving to customers and business partners problematic, and what is the
recommended limit in most U.S. companies? (Obj. 4)
Many companies suggest $50 as a top limit for gifts. The exchanging of gifts is tricky. In
13. List seven techniques for making ethical decisions across borders. (Obj. 4)
1. Broaden your view of values and customs in other cultures.
14. Name three groups that benefit from workforce diversity and explain why. (Obj. 5)
1. Consumers benefit because a diverse workforce can turn out the specialized goods and
15. Describe five guidelines for improving communication among diverse workplace
audiences. (Obj. 5)
1. Seek training. Look upon diversity as an opportunity, not a threat.
40 Chapter 3 Lecture Notes
Answers to Critical Thinking Questions
1. English is becoming the world’s business language because the United States is a
dominant military and trading force. Why should Americans bother to learn about other
cultures? (Objs. 1, 2, and 5)
Nearly every large U.S. company today is part of a global market, whether it wants to be or
2. A stereotype is an oversimplified perception of a behavioral pattern or characteristic
applied to entire groups. For example, the Swiss are hardworking, efficient, and neat;
Germans are formal, reserved, and blunt; Americans are loud, friendly, and impatient;
Canadians are polite, trusting, and tolerant; Asians are gracious, humble, and
inscrutable. In what way are such stereotypes harmless or harmful? (Objs. 2, 3)
These attitudes may or may not accurately describe cultural norms. As we have seen,
stereotypes often do contain a grain of truth because they originate as observations leading to
Chapter 3 Lecture Notes 41
3. It is quite natural to favor one’s own country over a foreign one. To what extent can
ethnocentrism be considered a normal reaction, and when could it become destructive
and unproductive? Provide examples to support your answer. (Objs. 2, 3)
The love of country can express itself in healthy patriotic sentiment or in potentially hateful
4. Some economists and management scholars argue that statements such as “diversity is
an economic asset” or “diversity is a new strategic imperative” are unproved and
perhaps unprovable assertions. Should social responsibility or market forces determine
whether an organization strives to create a diverse workforce? Why?
(Obj. 5)
Thomas A. Kochan, one of the most respected human resources management scholars in the
country, said that his five-year study shows that “there are no strong positive or negative
5. Ethical Issue: You know that it’s not acceptable to make ethnic jokes, least of all in the
workplace, but a colleague of yours keeps invoking the worst ethnic and racial
stereotypes. How do you respond? Do you remain silent and change the subject, or do
you pipe up? What other options do you have in dealing with such a coworker? Consider
whether your answer would change if the offender were your boss. (Objs. 4, 5)
42 Chapter 3 Lecture Notes
Answers will vary. Students will probably realize that they will have to choose their battles
ZOOMING IN
Intercultural Lessons for World’s Largest Retailer
Critical Thinking
• In its international expansion policy, Walmart at first followed the advice of Harvard
business professor Theodore Levitt. His famous book The Globalization of Markets
advocated standardization, not localization. “Gone are accustomed differences in
national or regional preference,” Levitt wrote. Whereas conventional multinational
companies adapted to “superficial and even entrenched differences within and between
nations,” truly global firms sought to “force suitably standardized products and
practices on the entire globe.” Should companies stick to a standardized approach or
adapt to local markets?
Many analysts believe that multinational companies with a proven business model, such as
• What domestic and global changes are taking place that encourage the international
expansion of companies such as Walmart?
Like Walmart, many domestic as well as multinational companies are expanding their
Chapter 3 Lecture Notes 43
• What other U.S. businesses can you name that have merged with foreign companies or
expanded to become multinational in scope? Have you heard of any notable successes
or failures?
Students should be able to name many U.S. companies that are multinational, such as
ZOOMING IN
Your Turn: Applying Your Skills at Walmart
Walmart is struggling with image problems at home and abroad, mainly due to its bottom–line, cost–
cutting approach, its conservative human resources policies, low wages and lack of health insurance,
and what some perceive as corporate hubris. At the same time, since at least 2005, Walmart has
embarked on a campaign to burnish its tarnished image. Whatever its motives, the company has
launched some significant green initiatives and encouraged others to collaborate on making global
consumption more sustainable. Thanks to its sheer size, Walmart is in a good position to effect
genuine change. It can pressure suppliers to adopt its sustainability mandates. How should the news
about green initiatives be spread? Students should consider starting a Facebook page and suggest that
the corporate website provide links to social media including Twitter to help “publish” the positive
news and press releases on the Web as soon as they happen.
Ethics Check Questions
Ethics Check, Page 89
Culture Change: From “Sexist” to Gender-Neutral Language
Just a generation ago, businesspeople were businessmen, letter carriers were postmen, and
flight attendants were stewardesses. A sea change in language now dictates gender
neutrality to avoid typecasting. In business, the honorific Ms. is used for all women,
regardless of their marital status. Does language reflect just the current culture, or does it
have the power to effect change?
44 Chapter 3 Lecture Notes
Introduce examples of other changes in language use that were the result of conscious efforts to
Ethics Check, Page 93
The World’s Worst Tourists: The “Ugly American” Is Back
The demanding, ethnocentric traveler who finds fault with all that is different abroad is no
longer French. Only a few years ago, tourists from France topped the list of least liked
visitors in one study. But a recent survey among 5,600 travelers from five countries puts
Americans first as the worst. The Irish believe the British are the worst travelers, while the
British picked the Germans as the tourists to hate. Americans rank the Dutch, Irish, Swiss,
and Australians among the best foreign visitors. What may account for such perceptions?
Such discrepancies in survey results may depend on the type of questions asked, the sample
Photo Essay Solutions
Photo Essay, Page 87
To outsiders, a nation’s cultural customs seem arbitrary. However, cultural norms are inherently
logical for people who learn them. The visible customs of dress, gestures, body language, and
manners are connected to invisible, yet deeply held beliefs, attitudes, values and feelings.
Customs embody the beliefs people have about relationships, community, time, authority, and
more. Learning to respect and accommodate other cultures begins with being aware of one’s own
culture and how it contrasts with others. Achieving intercultural proficiency also requires
guarding against ethnocentrism, or the belief in the superiority of one’s own race or culture.