Business Communications

Business Communications Assignment # 1

Assignment # 1 Business Communication (525) Semester: Spring 2010 – MBA SUBMITTED TO: MRS. TASLEEM KIANI SUBMITTED BY: AH524979 Date: 28thAugust, 2010

Table of Contents Question # 1: .................................................................. ............................................................................... 1 THE SEVEN C’S OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION ....................................... ........................................................... 1 C O M P L E T E N E S S .......................................................................... ....................................................... 1 C O N C I S E N E S S ................................................................................ .................................................... 4 C O N S I D E R A T I O N ............................................................................... ................................................ 6 C O N C R E T E N E S S ..... ................................................................................ ............................................ 9 C L A R I T Y ................... ................................................................................ ......................................... 12 C O U R T E S Y ................... ................................................................................ ..................................... 14 C O R R E C T N E S S ................. ................................................................................ ................................ 16 Question # 2(a):............................ ................................................................................ ............................... 18 THE CONCEPT OF CULTURE ...................... ................................................................................ ...................... 18 CULTURAL VARIABLES ................................... ................................................................................ ............... 20 N A T I O N A L C U L T U R A L V A R I A B L E S ........... ................................................................................ .. 20 I N D I V I D U A L C U L T U R A L V A R I A B L E S .................... ...................................................................... 23 Questi on # 2(b): ..................................................................... ..................................................................... 27 PERSONA L ETHICS ....................................................................... ................................................................ 27 F A M I L Y I N F L U E N C E S P E R S O N A L E T H I C S ( P E O P L E ) ................ ............................................ 28 R E L I G I O U S B E L I E F S I M P A C T P E R S O N A L E T H I C S ( R E L I G I O N ) .................... ....................... 28 C U L T U R E A F F E C T S E T H I C A L N O R M S ( C U L T U R E ) ............................................................... ... 28 E X P E R I E N C E C A N S H I F T Y O U R E T H I C S ( L A W ) ....... .............................................................. 28 I N T E R N A L / P E R S O N A L R E F L E C T I O N ( P H I L O S O P H Y ) ................ ......................................... 29 Question #3:....................... ................................................................................ ......................................... 29 VARIOUS CHALLENGES THAT BUSINESSES FACE IN HANDLING NEW TECHNOLOGIES .............................................. .... 29 C H A N G I N G T E C H N O L O G I E S I N T H E N E W W O R L D ...... ............................................................. 29 T E C H N O L O G Y A C C E P T A N C E I N P A K I S T A N I S C E N A R I O ................. ........................................ 30 T Y P E S O F C O M M U N I C A T I O N B A R R I E R S ............................................................ ....................... 30 A D O P T I N G N E W T E C H N O L O G I E S – R I S K S I N P A K I S T A N ..................................................... 31 F I V E B I G G E S T C H A L L E N G E S I N P A K I S T A N .................. ............................................................. 32 M U L T I N A T I O N A L S I N P A K I S T A N ............................................... ................................................. 33 D E V E L O P A N I N F O R M A T I O N T E C H N O L O G Y C H A N G E M A N A G E M E N T P R O G R A M . ......... 33 Question #4(a):.................................................... ................................................................................ ........ 36 EXCHANGE RATE ...................................................... ................................................................................

... 36 FLUCTUATIONS IN EXCHANGE RATES .......................................... ...................................................................... 37 REPORT : .............................................................................. ...................................................................... 38 P R O B L E M S T A T E M E N T ...................................................... ............................................................ 38 E F F E C T S O F E X C H A N G E F L U C T U A T I O N S O N B U S I N E S S .................. ...................................... 38

F O R E I G N E X C H A N G E R I S K M A N A G E M E N T ...................... ........................................................ 39 C O N C L U S I O N ................................................................................ ................................................... 41 Question #4(b): ......... ................................................................................ .................................................. 41 SOLICITED LETTER ......... ................................................................................ ............................................... 41 D I S A D V A N T A G E S T O T H E S O L I C I T E D L E T T E R ........................................... .............................. 41 UNSOLICITED LETTER............................ ................................................................................ ........................ 42 GUIDELINES THAT SHOULD BE ABSORBED DURING WRITING TH ESE LETTERS ............................................................. 42 G U I D E L I N E S F O R W R I T I N G U N S O L I C I T E D L E T T E R S ....... ...................................................... 42 G U I D E L I N E S F O R W R I T I N G S O L I C I T E D L E T T E R S .............................. ..................................... 43 Question #5(a):........................ ................................................................................ .................................... 44 PROPOSAL ............................... ................................................................................ .................................. 44 B U S I N E S S C O M M U N I C A T I O N ................................................................................ ....................... 44 P R O P O S A L I N C O M M U N I C A T I O N ....... ................................................................................ ......... 45 S Y S T E M I N P A K I S T A N ................................... ................................................................................ 46 KINDS OF PROPOSAL .......................................................... .......................................................................... 47 Qu estion #5(b): .................................................................. ......................................................................... 49 ORG ANIZATIONAL PLAN FOR MESSAGE USING DIRECT APPROACH ............................. ........................................... 49 D I R E C T A P P R O A C H ..... ................................................................................ ................................... 49 NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION.................. ................................................................................ .................... 50 C U L T U R A L D I F F E R E N C E S I N N O N - V E R B A L C O M M U N I C A T I O N ........................................... 52 R EFERENCES ...................................................................... ............................................................................. 57

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Question # 1: To compose effective written or oral message, one must apply certa in communication principles. These principles provide guidelines for choice of c ontent and style of presentation called the seven C’s. Explain each in detail with appropriate examples. Answer: THE SEVEN C’S OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION To compose effective written or oral message, one must apply certain communicati on principles. These principles provide guidelines for choice of content and sty le of presentation adapted to the purpose and receiver of your message, called t he seven C’s. These seven C’s are: 1. Completeness 2. Conciseness 3. Consideration 4 . Concreteness 5. Clarity 6. Courtesy 7. Correctness The seven C’s of communicatio n are applicable to all forms of communication, from mere utterances and sentenc es to complete documents or presentations. They can be applied to both verbal an d written communication. To some extent the principles overlap because they are based on a common concern for the audience, whether that audience consists of li steners or readers. COMPLETENESS The message should be complete to bring desirable results. It should include eve rything the reader needs for the reaction you desire. You must know what informa tion our reader wants or needs. You should be able to know the reader s backgrou nd viewpoint needs attitudes and emotions. 1|Page

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 1. Provide all necessary information. 2. Answer all questions asked. 3. Give som ething Extra, when Desirable. Completeness offers various benefits. It helps in bringing out the desired results without extra cost other number of messages. It also helps in building goodwill and a sense of concern for other party as both the reader and sender may have different background, culture, viewpoint, needs a nd experience. A) PROVIDING ALL NECESSARY INFORMATION It means to provide entire information keeping in mind the readers point of view for their better understanding. It can be done by answering all WH questions i. e. who, what, when, where, why and other essentials like how? B) ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS ASKED A reply or reaction to a incomplete reply is most likely to be unfavorable. Not answering all the questions builds an image of being careless or trying to hide some weak spots, leading to question on our tact’s and honesty. C) GIVE SOMETHING EXTRA, WHEN DESIRABLE It refers to providing some extra information related to the question asked by t he opposite party. Giving a satisfactory reply is the main issue which would att ract the opposite party for an interaction. For example if a new member in your society wants to know about the place where the next meeting will be held? So yo ur reply should not only consist of the place where the meeting would be held it should also consist of other information relevant to the meeting like at what t ime, where, when, objective behind the meeting should be mentioned and an invita tion to him in the end will make the reader more eager to attend the meeting. 2|Page

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 EXAMPLE OF USAGE OF COMPLETENESS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION Incomplete letter to a new savings depositor: Thank you for the confidence you have shown us by the account you recently opene d. All our facilities are at your disposal, and anytime we can be of service, pl ease call on us. Our appreciation is best expressed by our service being of to y ou. Revised, complete letter to the new savings depositor: Thank you for the confidence you have shown in us by opening the savings account . Our goal is to make all our services available to you both helpful and pleasan t. Your account offers you the following benefits: • • YOUR PASSBOOK DEPOSITS EARN 7 % interest compounded half-yearly BETTER-THEN-CHECKING facility helps you make o nline transactions and even 24 hour ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) You are most welcome to come in whenever we can assist you. Please consider this association as your financial head-quarters for your savings and borrowing needs. Waiting ea gerly to see you in our premises In a complete message, the audience has everyth ing they need to be informed and, if applicable, take action. • • Does your message include a "call to action", so that your audience clearly knows what you want th em to do? Have you included all relevant information – contact names, dates, times , locations, and so on? Bad Example Hi everyone, I just wanted to send you all a reminder about the meeting we re having tomorrow! See you then, Chris 3|Page

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 This message is not complete, for obvious reasons. What meeting? When is it? Whe re? Chris has left his team without the necessary information. Good Example Hi e veryone, I just wanted to remind you about tomorrow s meeting on the new telecom muting policies. The meeting will be at 10:00 a.m. in the second-level conferenc e room. Please let me know if you can t attend. See you then, Chris CONCISENESS Business executives are dead-busy. They don t have time to go through unnecessar ily lengthy messages. The writer is also a loser if he writes wordy messages bec ause it involves more time and money to type and read. Conciseness makes the mes sage more understandable and comprehensible 1. Eliminate wordy Expressions. 2. I nclude only relevant material. 3. Avoided unnecessary Repetition. Conciseness re fers to saying whatever we want in fewest in possible words without sacrificing the other C qualities. A concise message saves time and expense for both sender and receiver. Conciseness refers to elimination of unnecessary words and inclusi on of interesting topics for the recipients. A. ELIMINATING WORDY EXPRESSIONS It refers to replacing of long wordy expressions by shorter terms of same meanin g and avoiding overusing empty phrases and limiting the use of passive voice Exa mple: Situation 1 • • Wordy: At this time Concise: Now 4|Page

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Situation 2 • • Wordy: She bought desk that are of executive type Concise: She bough t executive-type desks B. INCLUDE ONLY RELEVANT MATERIAL The effective message should not only omit unnecessary word expression but also irrelevant material. It can be done in the following manner: 1. Stick to the pur pose of the message. 2. Delete irrelevant words and rambling sentences 3. Avoid long introductions, unnecessary explanation, excessive adjective 4. Omit obvious information to the receiver Example: • • Wordy: We hereby wish to let you know that our company is pleased with the confidence you have reposed in us. Concise: We appreciate your confidence. C. AVOID UNNECESSARY REPETITION Sometimes repetition is necessary for emphasis but when same thing is repeated t wo or three times without any reason the message becomes wordy and boring. These can be done by sticking to the following points. • • • Use of shorter name i.e. for e xample if once you have mentioned Tomas College of Commerce and Economics once, you can write Tom.com instead of such a long name in later. Use pronouns or acro nyms or initials rather then repeating long names i.e. for example you should wr ite ICC instead of writing International Cricket Council again and again. Cut ou t all needless expressions and repetition of phrases of sentences When you re concise in your communication, you stick to the point and keep it br ief. Your audience doesn t want to read six sentences when you could communicate your message in three. 5|Page

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 • Are there any adjectives or "filler words" that you can delete? You can often el iminate words like "for instance," "you see," "definitely," "kind of," "literall y," "basically," or "I mean." • • Are there any unnecessary sentences? Have you repeated the point several times, in different ways? Bad Example Hi Matt, I wanted to touch base with you about the email marketing c ampaign we kind of sketched out last Thursday. I really think that our target ma rket is definitely going to want to see the company s philanthropic efforts. I t hink that could make a big impact, and it would stay in their minds longer than a sales pitch. For instance, if we talk about the company s efforts to become su stainable, as well as the charity work we re doing in local schools, then the pe ople that we want to attract are going to remember our message longer. The impac t will just be greater. What do you think? Jessica This email is too long! There s repetition, and there s plenty of "filler" taking up space. Good Example Watc h what happens when we re concise and take out the filler words: Hi Matt, I want ed to quickly discuss the email marketing campaign that we analyzed last Thursda y. Our target market will want to know about the company s philanthropic efforts , especially our goals to become sustainable and help local schools. This would make a far greater impact, and it would stay in their minds longer than a tradit ional sales pitch. What do you think? Jessica CONSIDERATION Consideration refers to you attitude sympathy the human touch and understanding of human nature. Consideration means the message with the receiver in mind. You should try to visualize your readers their desires problems emotions circumstanc es and possible reaction to your request. 1. Focus on you instead I & We 2. Show reader benefit or interest in reader 6|Page

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 3. Emphasize Consideration means preparing every message keeping the message rec eiver in mind; Being considerate means you don’t loose your temper, you do not acc use or charge them without facts, in other sense consideration covers other six C’s of effective communication A. FOCUSING ON “YOU” INSTEAD OF “I” AND “WE” The message should focus on how message receivers will be benefited, what they w ould receive and what they need to know should be emphasized. Many people have i deas of individual gain for better standard of living. Example: • We-attitude: I am delighted to announce you that we will be extending our hours to make shopping more convenient. • You-attitude: You will be able to shop in evenings with the extended hours. B. SHOWING AUDIENCE BENEFITS OR INTEREST IN THE RECEIVER If possible you must show how your receivers will benefit from whatever the mess age asks or announces. Receiver will be more likely to react favorably and do wh at do you suggest if you show that benefits are worth the effort and cost you ar e asking them. C. EMPHASIZE POSITIVE, PLEASANT FACTS A third way to show consideration for your receivers is to accent the positive. This means stressing what can be done instead of what cannot be done, and focusi ng onwards your recipient can consider favorably. Example: Situation 1: • • Unpleasant: We don’t refund if the returned item is soiled or unsalable. Pleasant: We refund when the returned item is clean and resalable. 7|Page

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Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Situation 2: • • Unpleasant: When you travel on company expense, you will not receiv e approval for first class fare. Pleasant: When you travel on company expense, y our approved fare is for tourist class When your communication is coherent, it s logical. All points are connected and relevant to the main topic, and the tone and flow of the text is consistent. Bad Example Traci, I wanted to write you a quick note about the report you finished last week. I gave it to Michelle to proof, and she wanted to make sure you knew about the department meeting we re having this Friday. We ll be creating an out line for the new employee handbook. Thanks, Michelle As you can see, this email doesn t communicate its point very well. Where is Michelle s feedback on Traci s report? She started to mention it, but then she changed the topic to Friday s m eeting. Good Example Hi Traci, I wanted to write you a quick note about the repo rt you finished last week. I gave it to Michelle to proof, and she let me know t hat there are a few changes that you ll need to make. She ll email you her detai led comments later this afternoon. Thanks, Michelle Notice that in the good exam ple, Michelle does not mention Friday s meeting. This is because the meeting rem inder should be an entirely separate email. This way, Traci can delete the repor t feedback email after she makes her changes, but save the email about the meeti ng as her reminder to attend. Each email has only one main topic. CONCRETENESS The business writing should be specific definite unambiguous and vivid rather th an vague and general The following guidelines lead to concreteness. 9|Page

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 1. Use specific facts and figures 2. Put action in your verb 3. Choose vivid image building words. Concreteness refers to being more specific, definite, and vivid rather than and general and repetitive. The main benefit of being concrete is obvious that the r eceiver knows exactly what is required or desired. The other benefit of being co ncrete is that the reply might be in the same way that may be interrupted by you as the receiver. A. USING SPECIFIC FACTS AND FIGURES Whenever possible use specific, exact, precise statement or figure instead of ge neral words which helps in making your message more concrete. Examples: • General, Indefinite: She’s a brain; Concrete, Precise: Her percentage have increas ed from 84% in S.S.C to 88% in H.S.C • General, Indefinite: Eastern Europe is making progress in obtaining investments; Concrete, Precise: In 1990, investments in Eastern Europe were about US $30 mil lion; today that figure has increased by 12%. But sometimes when you don’t know the exact figures and want to be concrete you ca n write as “half the committee was present” B. PUT ACTION IN YOUR VERBS Verbs can bring your concreteness back to being alive and more dynamic. Use of v erbs especially the active verbs make your sentence more Specific, Personal and Concise. Even the passive verbs are more useful sometimes when you want to avoid any Personal or accusing comments. Examples: • • “The Principal Has decided” is more specific then “A decision has been made”. “You will no te” is both personal and specific than “It will be noted”. 10 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 C. SELECTION OF MORE VIVID AND IMAGE-BUILDING WORDS This section refers to the use of language or words which are capable of creatin g an atmosphere in the mind of the reader that he imagines himself, being, in th at situation rather than using words which would bounce over the gray matter. Th e inclusion of vivid words also helps in creating a scenario that the writer or speaker has a wider scope of imagination instead having an image of sticking to the basics. Examples: No Literal and dull More vivid and image-builder • • • His work in group was exemplary He could be called the “The spark plug of the grou p” The results are very good this year and are expected to be very good next year. The results this year have been excellent and we expect them to touch the mount ain in the coming year. When your message is concrete, then your audience has a clear picture of what yo u re telling them. There are details (but not too many!) and vivid facts, and th ere s laser like focus. Your message is solid. Bad Example Consider this adverti sing copy: The Lunchbox Wizard will save you time every day. A statement like th is probably won t sell many of these products. There s no passion, no vivid deta il, nothing that creates emotion, and nothing that tells people in the audience why they should care. This message isn t concrete enough to make a difference. G ood Example How much time do you spend every day packing your kids lunches? No more! Just take a complete Lunchbox Wizard from your refrigerator each day to gi ve your kids a healthy lunch AND have more time to play or read with them! This copy is better because there are vivid images. The audience can picture spending quality time with their kids – and what parent could argue with that? And mention ing that the product is stored in the refrigerator explains how the idea is prac tical. The message has come alive through these details. 11 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 CLARITY Clarity demands that the business message should be correct concise complete con crete and with consideration 1. Use the right level of language 2. Proper punctu ation make the writing clear 3. Check accuracy of fact figure & Words Getting the meaning from your head to the reader’s head accurately is the purpose of clarity. Of course, you know it is not simple. We all carry around our own un ique interpretations, ideas, thinking, experiences associated with the words. A. USE THE RIGHT LEVEL OF LANGUAGE Clarity is achieved in part through a balance between precise words and familiar words. Defining the above sentence, example, although it is appropriate to use technical terms and business jargon s in professional institutions but they need to be avoided when communicating with a person who is not acquainted with the t erminology. Example: • Possibly unfamiliar: Assessed valuation; Familiar to the layperson: Property val ue for tax purposes. • Possibly unfamiliar: Charge to your principal (banking); Familiar to the laypers on: Increase the balance of your loan. • • Possibly unfamiliar: Buyouts; Familiar to the layperson: Purchase by other compa ny. Possibly unfamiliar: People plying on skywalk; Familiar to the layperson: Pe ople moving on over bridge B. PROPER PUNCTUATION MAKE THE WRITING CLEARS In this important characteristics to consider are length unity and coherence. 12 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 • Length: Generally short sentences are preferred, the suggested average sentence length should be about 17-20 words, because longer sentence may cause lack of co ncentration in sentence. • Unity: In a sentence whether it is simple, compound or complex the link i.e. the unity matters which means to have one main idea traveling through the entire co nversation. Every sentence or word must be closely related to each other. C. CHECK ACCURACY OF FACT FIGURE & WORDS (COHERENCE ) Coherence in sentences means the words should be correctly placed or arranged so that ideas clearly reflect the intended meaning. • Emphasis: It refers to the quality that gives force to important parts of the se ntences and paragraphs. The writer must know when and where the emphasis is requ ired which helps in making the letter more clear along with other C qualities When writing or speaking to someone, be clear about your goal or message. What i s your purpose in communicating with this person? If you re not sure, then your audience won t be sure either. To be clear, try to minimize the number of ideas in each sentence. Make sure that it s easy for your reader to understand your me aning. People shouldn t have to "read between the lines" and make assumptions on their own to understand what you re trying to say. Bad Example Hi John, I wante d to write you a quick note about Daniel, who s working in your department. He s a great asset, and I d like to talk to you more about him when you have time. B est, Skip What is this email about? Well, we re not sure. First, if there are mu ltiple Daniels in John s department, John won t know who Skip is talking about. Next, what is Daniel doing, specifically, that s so great? We don t know that ei ther. It s so vague that John will definitely have to write back for more inform ation. 13 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Last, what is the purpose of this email? Does Skip simply want to have an idle c hat about Daniel, or is there some more specific goal here? There s no sense of purpose to this message, so it s a bit confusing. Good Example Let s see how we could change this email to make it clear. Hi John, I wanted to write you a quick note about Daniel Kedar, who s working in your department. In recent weeks, he s helped the IT department through several pressing deadlines on his own time. W e ve got a tough upgrade project due to run over the next three months, and his knowledge and skills would prove invaluable. Could we please have his help with this work? I d appreciate speaking with you about this. When is it best to call you to discuss this further? Best wishes, Skip This second message is much clear er, because the reader has the information he needs to take action. COURTESY Courtesy is more important and advantageous in business writing than it is in fa ce to face communication or conversation. Courteous message strengthen present r elations and make new friends. It is a goodwill building. 1. Answer your mail pr omptly 2. Be sincerely tactful thoughtful and appreciative 3. Use expressions th at show respect True courtesy involves being aware not only of the perspective o f others but also their feelings. It is merely politeness and mechanical inserti ons of “please” and “thank-you”. A. BEING SINCERELY TACTFUL, THOUGHTFUL AND APPRECIATIVE • Tact: Though few people are intentionally waiting for someone to argue, so being tactful avoids any cause of discourtesy and avoiding any negative feedback from the sender. Example: “Clearly, you did not read my latest fax” can be written as “Som etimes my wordings are not precise; let me try again”. 14 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 • Thoughtfulness and Appreciation: It means bringing a thought in the entire conve rsation and appreciating the reply from the other party. B. USE EXPRESSIONS SHOWING RESPECT No reader wants to receive message that offends. This can be done by eliminating irritating expressions and Questionable humor because humor to one person may b e disgust for another as everyone has different sense of humor. C. ANSWER YOUR MAIL PROMPTLY Another requirement for courtesy is the use of nondiscriminatory language that r eflects equal treatment of people regardless of their gender, race, age and phys ical features. Some of the examples are given below: Situation 1 • • Questionable: Each customer will have the new changes noted on his bill. More de sirable: Customers will have the changes noted on their bill. Situation 2 • • Questionable: Our criteria are firm; he is to be a scholar, he is to be a good t eacher. More desirable: Our criteria suggest he or she is supposed to be a schol ar and a good teacher. Courteous communication is friendly, open, and honest. There are no hidden insul ts or passiveaggressive tones. You keep your reader s viewpoint in mind, and you re empathetic to their needs. Bad Example Jeff, I wanted to let you know that I don t appreciate how your team always monopolizes the discussion at our weekly meetings. I have a lot of projects, and I really need time to get my team s prog ress discussed as well. So far, thanks to your department, I haven t been able t o do that. Can you make sure they make time for me and my team next week? Thanks , Phil 15 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Well, that s hardly courteous! Messages like this can potentially start officewi de fights. And this email does nothing but create bad feelings, and lower produc tivity and morale. A little bit of courtesy, even in difficult situations, can g o a long way. Good Example Hi Jeff, I wanted to write you a quick note to ask a favor. During our weekly meetings, your team does an excellent job of highlighti ng their progress. But this uses some of the time available for my team to highl ight theirs. I d really appreciate it if you could give my team a little extra t ime each week to fully cover their progress reports. Thanks so much, and please let me know if there s anything I can do for you! Best, Phil What a difference! This email is courteous and friendly, and it has little chance of spreading bad feelings around the office. CORRECTNESS To be correct in communication the following principles should be borne in mind. 1. Use the correct level of language 2. Include only facts words and figures 3. Maintain acceptable writing mechanics 4. Apply the following qualities 5. There should be proper grammar punctuation spelling and paragraphing At the core of the correctness is the proper use of grammar, punctuations and sp elling. A message may be perfect grammatically and mechanically but still insult or lose a customer. A. USING RIGHT LEVEL OF LANGUAGE There are different levels of languages which may be formal, informal, and subst andard. Formal writings are usually associated with the scholarly writing, legal documents, and other documents where formality is the style in demand. 16 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Examples: Formal and Informal Approach • • More Formal: Participate. Less Formal: Join More Formal: Interrogate. Less Forma l: Question More Acceptable and Sub stand • • Substandard: Can’t hardly, More Acceptable: Can hardly Substandard: I regardless, More Acceptable: regardless B. CHECKING ACCURACY OF FIGURES, FACTS, AND WORDS Many a times it is impossible to convey the message directly from the sender’s hea d to the receivers head. So this can be done to an extent by including figures a nd facts like as follows: 1. Verifying your statistical data 2. Double-checking your totals 3. Avoid guessing of laws that have an impact on sender or receiver 4. Determine whether a fact have changed over a time. Other factor is the inclus ion of words that don’t confuse for example the following will help in clearing th is topic. Example 1: Accept-Except: Here accept means to receive and except mean s to omit. Example 2: Biannually-Biennially: Biannually means 2 times a year and biennially mean every 2 years. C. MAINTAINING ACCEPTABLE WRITING MECHANICS This topic relates to the proper use of words and spellings. But in today’s world writing have been more easier, since, spell-checkers and various kinds of word f ormatting are available When your communication is correct, it fits your audienc e. And correct communication is also errorfree communication. 17 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 • • • Do the technical terms you use fit your audience s level of education or knowled ge? Have you checked your writing for grammatical errors? Remember, spell checke rs won t catch everything. Are all names and titles spelled correctly? Bad Example Hi Daniel, Thanks so much for meeting me at lunch today! I enjoyed o ur conservation, and I m looking forward to moving ahead on our project. I m sur e that the two-weak deadline won t be an issue. Thanks again, and I ll speak to you soon! Best, Jack Miller If you read that example fast, then you might not ha ve caught any errors. But on closer inspection, you ll find two. The first error is that the writer accidentally typed conservation instead of conversation. Thi s common error can happen when you re typing too fast. The other error is using weak instead of week. Again, spell checkers won t catch word errors like this, w hich is why it s so important to proofread everything! Question # 2(a): Define t he concept of culture. Also describe the national cultural variables and individ ual cultural variables with examples. Answer: THE CONCEPT OF CULTURE Culture refers to the behavioral characteristics typical of a group. This defini tion implies that communications, oral and nonverbal, within a group also are ty pical of that group and are often unique. There is not one aspect of human life that is not touched and altered by culture. This means personality, how people e xpress themselves (including shows of emotion), the way they think, how they mov e, how problems are solved, how their cities are planned and laid out, how trans portation systems function and are organized, as well as how economic and govern ment systems are put together and function. It is the least studied aspects of c ulture that influence behaviour in the deepest and most subtle ways. 18 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Culture refers to the following Ways of Life, including but not limited to: a. L anguage: the oldest human institution and the most sophisticated medium of expre ssion. b. Arts & Sciences: the most advanced and refined forms of human expressi on. c. Thought: the ways in which people perceive, interpret, and understand the world around them. d. Spirituality: the value system transmitted through genera tions for the inner well-being of human beings, expressed through language and a ctions. e. Social activity: the shared pursuits within a cultural community, dem onstrated in a variety of festivities and life-celebrating events. f. Interactio n: the social aspects of human contact, including the give-and-take of socializa tion, negotiation, protocol, and conventions. When we discuss communication and culture, we should be aware of the total spectrum of communication including lan guage, non-verbal communication, customs, perceived values, and concepts of time and space. Do all tourists identify with Canadian traditions and values? Likely not. But the more interesting question is: Why not? The answer lies in the simp le fact that most tourists come from different cultures: some vastly different l ike those from Japan and China, others less different, such as tourists from Eas tern Canada or the United States. Even if tourists share the same language, they may have much different customs and values. What happens when people from diffe rent cultures interact face-to- face? One way to appreciate the impact of cultur al differences is to look in the mirror. When Americans and Canadians travel to other countries, they look for Cokes, steaks and hamburgers and the same ameniti es in hotels and other accommodations that they are used to at home. While the h ost country may offer an authentically different culture, which is one of the re asons people travel, North Americans tourists are notorious for wanting the comf orts of home wherever they may be. In many third world countries, North American s seek out joint venture hotels to enjoy North American food and lodging and to be served by people who speak English. Strangely, what we expect for ourselves i n travel is not deemed to be reasonable when we’re the hosts dealing with tourists from other countries. 19 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 CULTURAL VARIABLES The message sender and the receiver, both are affected by external and internal stimuli. When communicating with business people in a foreign country, you must realize that overall national and individual cultural differences within the cul tures further affect those stimuli. Country I Country IV Country II Major Cultural overlap Core Similarities Little Cultural overlap Country III NATIONAL CULTURAL VARIABLES An entire country may have a series within that country may accept most National cultural variables are: a. s d. Politics e. Religion f. Social 20 | P a g e

of cultural norms; individual ethnic groups of those norms as well as adding their own. Education b. Law and Regulations c. Economic Norms g. Language

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 CULTURAL VARIABLES National Variable s Education Time Law and Regulations Space Economics Message Senders Politics Ac ceptable Dress Social Norms Manners Language Decision Making Food Message Receiv ers Individual Variables Overlapping Cultural Variables A. EDUCATION Management education-including train ing in business communication-is more prevalent in the US than in other countrie s. Some countries have no academic courses in communication training. Asian and Chinese managers have less formal education than US managers. Keeping China as a n example; Chinese managers lack extensive education. In relation to its size, C hine does not have many institutions of higher education. China is an agrarian e conomy, over 800million people live in the countryside and 69% of the labor forc e is agricultural. Education, according to some earlier Chinese leaders, was not required in such an environment. So whenever communicating with such country, i t should be kept in mind that the manager should have the knowledge about the te chnicalities also, because his education won’t matter but his experience will. 21 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 B. LAW AND REGULATIONS Making mistakes in Communication is easy in a foreign cou ntry. You or your legal department must be aware of strictness to the law or sim ply meeting the letter of the law. In both the developed and developing nations, various government regulations affect business communications and the sale of p roducts. For instance, cigarettes- is restricted in Europe; also money spent on advertising is limited. Other countries such as France, Mexico and the Province of Quebec, also have a restriction on the use of foreign language in advertiseme nts. In Iran Fashion magazines are not allowed and women are meant to wear modes t clothes or veils. So whenever communicating with different countries, their ru les and regulations should be kept in mind and communication should be conducted according to those regulations. C. ECONOMICS Ability of capital and transportat ion and the standard of living per capital vary from nation to nation. The oppor tunity to borrow money, the rate of inflation and the exchange rates influence b usiness and a country’s ability to communicate concerning that business. For insta nce, Under the US enterprise system, competitors set their own prices, in contra st, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries sets oil prices. D. POLITICS P olitics of different nations is different. Even concepts of democracy will vary as interpreted in Korea, the Philippines or Great Britain. Indeed, the sweeping political changes in Eastern Europe and its altered concepts of government will affect future business relations. Even the events in Tiananmen Square affected i ndividual and business contacts with China; more changes will certainly occur in the future. All such events affect communication, understanding of a country an d a company’s willingness to do business in an unclear political environment. E. R ELIGION Be specifically careful of religious beliefs within foreign countries. A lthough some basic beliefs overlap, there are major differences that, if not und erstood, can result even personal harm. In connection to the religion, there is great need for tolerance. Buddhism, Hinduism and Muslim religions are found in 22 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 many parts of the world. These three religions forbid consumption of alcohol; th us no liquor is served at business meetings/affairs. Religious holidays and mont hs also affect international communication, interrupting work schedules or delay ing responses to requests. Religion can affect the status of women too, their po sition within an economy and even their buying patterns and habits of dress. To communicate well internationally, it also pays to understand the diversity patte rns within one’s own country. F. SOCIAL NORMS National environmental constraintseducation, law and regulations, economics, politics, religionaffect a nation’s soc ial norms. In many countries a male line of family profoundly influences some bu siness decisions. Then the family and how its members relate to one another-deci sions, buying patterns, pooling of resources, special interests-affects behavior and business communication. G. LANGUAGE An important constraint that undergirds all the preceding variables is language. Obviously, unless both sender and rece iver understand a common language, the opportunities for successful business com munication are significantly limited. Knowing the language of you host country i s the most significant contributor on a personal and business level. English is a world language- and to a major extent the language of business. But you will d o a better job overseas if you know some basic vocabulary of your host country. INDIVIDUAL CULTURAL VARIABLES All people value their individual freedom. Often this freedom is expressed in on e’s own ethnic diversity. On the micro and more personal level, are differences in verbal and nonverbal cues, expressed through varying concepts of time, individu al speech, food, acceptable dress, manners at home and at work, decision making patterns and other non-verbal variations. Individual cultural variables are: a. Time b. Space 23 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 c. Food d. Acceptable Dress e. Manners f. Decision Making g. Verbal and Nonverba l Communication A. TIME Time is an important variable in communication. People o f different nations have different concepts about time, for instance, people in Latin America and the Middle East treat time more casually then do the Americans , who normally prefer promptness. Germans are time-precise; rarely does one have to wait for an appointment in Germany. Similarly, in some cultures, business pe ople take afternoon naps, close shops and postpone timings for business meetings and dinners etc. Like in Pakistan, shops and all the businesses take gap for th e Jumma prayers, and in Saudi Arabia businesses are closed in all the prayers ti mings. One should plan the meeting according to the cultural time of others. Eve n when referring to seasons of a year, countries differ. Some speak of the rainy and dry season, some think of summer, winter, autumn and fall. When writing a d ate and time at the end or beginning of a business letter one should keep in min d the time variable- In Great Britain 9’o clock is referred as 900 hours and in Pa kistan it is 9:00 am. It should not take too long to recognize which is the time -conscious culture and which is the one less concerned with precision in time. K nowing cultural perceptions of time helps you understand why some responses are slow-by your standards. B. SPACE Space and environment is another very important factor that can greatly affect the communication. Americans demand more room-bu ffer space- between themselves and others when speaking. To some cultures, Ameri cans who do not stand close seem cold and aloof. Conversely, some cultures consi der those who stand close to you as intrusive, rude, pushy and overbearing. In s ome cultures, like the one of Germans, meetings are held in closed doors where a s some cultures prefer out door, i.e, meetings at restaurant etc. Some cultures prefer round table, some prefer rectangle and some like to sit in groups. Theref ore, while communicating, the space should be kept in mind. 24 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 C. FOOD It may be a good idea prior to visiting your host country to visit vario us ethnic restaurants in your home country. Then you’ll have an initial idea as to the kinds of foods available: how they are served, fixed, or eaten. For instanc e, Pork is forbidden in the Middle Eastern countries but is a part of Asian diet and that of many other countries; beef is hard to find in India, veal is plenti ful in Europe and rice is ever present in Hong Kong and China. In Asia, dark and light teas are national drinks. Buddhism, Hinduism and Muslim religions are fou nd in many parts of the world and they forbid consumption of alcohol; thus no li quor is served at business meetings/affairs. D. ACCEPTABLE DRESS It is better to ask about the mode of dress for an occasion in your law host country, than to r isk making an embarrassing mistake. In America business males wear the business suit whereas women wear dresses or tailored suits. And in great measure that “unif orm” is common throughout the world, even in Eastern Europe as it adopts more capi talistic methods. Some British fellows wear the bowler along with a dark suit an d carry with a tie. In Islamic countries, women wear modest clothes and cover th eir heads with head scarves. E. MANNERS Some cultural anthropologists suggest th at you observe children in foreign cultures, because by watching them you learn the behavioral habits of elders. Children shake your hand in Germany, hug you in Italy, and often stay in the background in India. Infact, the ritual of the gre eting and the farewell is more formal overseas with children and adults. You bri ng a gift when visiting most homes in Europe. If you bring flowers you avoid gif ts of red roses in Germany, or white chrysanthemums in France, Belgium, and Japa n. Adopting the manners of a country may mean a 23 hours lunch in Europe is acce ptable, if you can call up your patience. Be prepared to sit close together in A sia: twelve people at a whether small round table, eating chopsticks, is not unu sual. 25 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 F. DECISION MAKING Patience above all is needed in intercultural communication, in doing business with other countries are typecast as moving too quickly in ask ing for a decision. Give more thought to inductive communication. Americans get to the point quickly, i.e. take decisions and make plans quickly – unlike the Germ ans who take time and do group consensus and then moves towards a decision. G. V ERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION Verbal Communication: Regardless of culture, a kind of verbal sparring occurs when strangers meet, each seeking to determine w hich topics are acceptable and non controversial. Additionally, the tone of voic e of one’s initial words can influence your initial perception of whether the meet ing is positive or negative. Even the oral phrase “How would you like to” can have e ither a direct or an indirect meaning; it could be a command or a question. In A ustralia it is taken as a request and not a question, in US it’s a question. We ju dge people to a great extent by their voice. Some people native languages demand many tonal variations, giving the impression to a nonnative of loudness even ar rogance. Nonverbal Communication: A handshake is a traditional form of greeting in West. Facial expressions vary across cultures. You could get the wrong impres sion when some Filipinos smile and laugh when underneath this behavior they are angry. Or, the inscrutable facial expression of the Japanese does not suggest di sinterest, whether an unwillingness to make public one’s inner thoughts. A myriad of nonverbal symbols exists for every culture, even in sub cultures. Knowing the major desirable and undesirable cues helps knowing both intended and unintended communication errors. 26 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Question # 2(b): Your personal ethics are shaped by five major influences. Descr ibe each in detail. Answer: PERSONAL ETHICS Personal ethics act as the foundation for your moral compass; the internal guide that tells you what’s right and wrong. They drive your actions and, to a certain extent, your emotions, on a daily basis. But where do they come from? And why do people who appear similar sometimes have completely different sets of personal ethics? You may not realize that the ethical principles you’ve built your life on are not an established set of rules handed to you at birth. They grow and develo p with you over time and many things influence how they’re crafted. The five major influences of personal ethics are: a. Family influences (People) b. Religious b eliefs (Religion) c. Culture d. Experience (Law) e. Personal Reflection (Philoso phy) Religion Philosophy Personal Ethics People Culture Law 27 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 FAMILY INFLUENCES PERSONAL ETHICS (PEOPLE) While your parents can’t dictate your morality, they are typically the first to vo ice and demonstrate ethical boundaries for you. Most parents consider it one of their critical jobs to instill a strong sense of right and wrong in their childr en. When parents tell their children that stealing is wrong, they are building a foundation for their child’s personal ethics. How parents behave has a strong imp act as well. Children absorb the actions of their family, which contributes heav ily to their sense of morality. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS IMPACT PERSONAL ETHICS (RELIGION) Religious beliefs have a unique impact on personal ethics. In general, religion allows people to accept an established set of moral rules. By following these sp iritual laws, people feel they are behaving ethically. Religion often promises r ewards in the afterlife as motivation for following the “rules”. Interestingly, reli gion can inspire all kinds of acts, including violence. Some devout followers ca n come to embrace an ethical code that allows for incredible cruelty to be done in the name of a greater spiritual being. CULTURE AFFECTS ETHICAL NORMS (CULTURE) Culture can dictate the ethical norms that people are used to and come to expect . The culture you live in may impact your ethical code more than you even realiz e, simply because it surrounds you. The customs and traditions of the society yo u inhabit become ingrained in your psyche, and the ethics of the group are gener ally accepted. Racism, gender discrimination and other forms of prejudice can be come an accepted part of a person’s ethical standards when surrounded by people wh o do it and allow it. EXPERIENCE CAN SHIFT YOUR ETHICS (LAW) The events that happen in your life can also impact your ethics. Emotion and per sonal understanding may cause a powerful shift in beliefs. For example, many peo ple claim to be against the death penalty. However, if a loved one is murdered, they may find themselves feeling differently when looking into the eyes of the p erson responsible. Codes of ethics of various professions, such as accounting, l aw, medicine etc requires to be followed. 28 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 INTERNAL/ PERSONAL REFLECTION (PHILOSOPHY) Personal ethics are also developed by our feelings. When we do something that is against our moral code, we feel bad, guilty or ashamed. Likewise, when we do so mething that fits into our ethical idea of “right” we feel good, proud or happy. Thi s causes a sort of immediate feedback for creating our moral standards and makin g ethical decisions. The concept of personal ethics is incredibly complicated. I t develops from a variety of factors and deserves in-depth exploration. Question #3: Describe the various challenges that businesses face in handling new techno logies in managing their information for greatest productivity inside and outsid e the organization. Answer: VARIOUS CHALLENGES THAT BUSINESSES FACE IN HANDLING NEW TECHNOLOGIES The organizations face great challenges when they opt to change and try new tech nologies in managing their information. The basic issue that arouse when new tec hnology is implemented is of training of the employees of the organization. On t he first place, the employees do resist the change in any case because they do n ot understand that the change is for their betterment and to make their processe s easy to operate by introducing new and advance technologies. CHANGING TECHNOLOGIES IN THE NEW WORLD Today, one of the subjects that is been taught in universities for the business administration students is Change Management. This training or course is for the organization development practitioners who are actually the trainers and provid e services to different organizations for bringing change for better in the orga nization. One thing that we should always keep in mind is that the change should not be for the purpose of change only. Sometimes what happen is like the organi zations try to adopt new technologies of new ways of working just because they w ish to change. But this is harmful for both the organization and the employees. 29 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE IN PAKISTANI SCENARIO In a country like Pakistan the people are reluctant to change. One reason is the new technologies are not easily understood by the employees due to lack of I.T knowledge and less awareness of high-tech equipments. Technologies if not unders tood properly by the employees also create an instinct of dissatisfaction in the ir mind and this is one of the biggest issues if we look on to the new technolog y adaptations in the human resource management perspective. At any point in the communication process a barrier can occur. Barriers keep us from understanding o thers ideas and thoughts. Barriers can appear at any point of the communication loop. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION BARRIERS There are two types of Barriers: a. Internal b. External 1. INTERNAL BARRIERS Ex ample of internal barriers are fatigue, poor listening skills, attitude toward t he sender or the information, lack of interest in the message, fear, mistrust, p ast experience, negative attitude, problem at home, lack of common experience, a nd emotions. 2. EXTERNAL BARRIERS Example of external barrier includes noise, di stractions, email not working, and bad phone connection. When communicating watc h out barriers. Monitor the actions of the receivers. What is body language; che ck to make sure the message receiver received is the one sent ask questions and listen. Because of rapidly changing technology can development, a business manag ers now have to know something about information technology in order to manage i t as effectively as a manager manage people and products. 30 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 ADOPTING NEW TECHNOLOGIES – RISKS IN PAKISTAN There are several risks involved in adopting new technologies in organizations w orking in Pakistan. Following challenges are faced by businesses in handling new technologies: Risk of failure Heavy investments Risk of non-acceptance Risk of commercial failure of product Risk of non transformation of technology into an a cceptable product. In the beginning of the information explosion, this was not t rue, technical specialist and consultants (commonly known as OD practitioners in Pakistan) handle all the necessary detail and problems. But with a chain brough t about by a personal computer and individual access to information to anywhere in the world information technology in now in everyone s business. Additional ch anges and of all requirements in computer literacy even entry level position and changing individuals work demand and expectations. All these factors may genera te more suggests as the amount and speed of available information eliminates the time for reflection that borders, slower system allowed. A fit into this little , a manager will need to understand and manage the transitions facing you as a m anager in business operations. According to summary such as the problem is not s o much technical since the technology itself has become increasingly easier to u se, but other organization and because new structures must be set to manage info rmation in the world for ever change it by it. Information Technology: it impact s all individuals in organization, from data entry clerk to decision making mana gers, through to top executives. These impacts range from setting new standards for communication on an organizational basis to dynamic changes which technologi cal advances are having on the workforce. However, these often dramatic changes can cause a type of shock to many workers; some how reject any kind of change, and other who do not feel comfortable with the new wave of technological adva nces. 31 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 FIVE CORPORATE CULTURE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN PAKISTAN Corporate organization and department culture in Pakistan all flows from the top down. The written and unwritten rules, policies and philosophy of a manager or the organization all eventually find their way into the attitudes and performanc e of almost everyone in the organization. One of the critical things to remember when dealing with people in Pakistan is: you get the behavior you reward. If th e culture directly or indirectly rewards a certain type of attitude or behavior, you are, by your actions or inactions, probably reaffirming that these are acce ptable. If you want to change behavior of a workforce of any country especially Pakistan, you must first evaluate the culture that is in place that may be rewar ding the type of behavior you are getting but don t necessarily want. COMMUNICAT ION STYLE Rumors, gossips, memos, emails, meetings, individual counseling sessio ns and bulletin boards all have one thing in common - they communicate informati on - some more effectively and timely than others. If communication in an Pakist ani organization is all top-down, you can be assured that you are not in touch w ith the realities of your organization, the marketplace, your customers or suppl iers. ORGANIZATION DIRECTION One of the biggest challenges Pakistani managers fa ce today is effectively communicating corporate direction with clarity and consi stency to all employees who have a right and need to know. Most organizations do a poor job of this at best. One way to find out what your people believe is to conduct an anonymous survey of attitudes, perceptions and opinions. DECISION MAK ING Many managers in Pakistan make decisions that other employees will either ha ve to implement or that will affect them. If these decisions are made without bo ttom-up feedback, you can guarantee that the outcome of the decisions will be le ss than desired or expected. 32 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 FEEDBACK MECHANISMS Employees want to know how they are doing - whether poorly o r well. Failure to give them the feedback they need is to keep them in the dark regarding the assessment of their performance and how and where they need to imp rove. MULTINATIONALS IN PAKISTAN New technologies have either made the business operations and communication quit e easy or they have made them tough to do in traditional ways. Newer technologie s are giving some industries edge over the others using older technologies. So i t is becoming more and more compulsory to keep oneself quite auto update about t echnologies to remain in the business and make operational edge over the others. But there are a number of problems which the businesses are also facing with th e new technologies. The first problem is that after implementation of the new te chnology the HR creates problems for the company. Company has to provide the ski lls to the employees to use the technology, which can be again costly for the co mpany. You can take the example of Pakistan where there are a number of multinat ional companies which have the problems in hiring people skilled in using new te chnologies. DEVELOP AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CHANGE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM The purpose of the Change Management Program (CMP) is to assure that the negativ e impact of changes to a company’s Information Technology system is minimized by u sing a standardized process of governance. Some changes are not optional. If, fo r example, the bar code standard is changing, you must adapt; if a tax withholdi ng structure changes, you must have a change. Nevertheless, all changes of this kind are still subject to governance. It must never be the case that ad-hoc chan ges are made to the system or to procedures without some oversight. This idea mu st originate with senior management and be passed down, with no exceptions, to e veryone in the company. Without backing at the highest level, the CMP is a usele ss waste of time and money. With proper backing, this program will save your com pany from some very costly errors. 33 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 DEVELOP A REQUEST FOR CHANGE (RFC) This may originate from problem management wh ere an issue, or a series of related issues, is identified and a mitigating chan ge is necessary to prevent (or minimize) future effects. The RFC may also origin ate as a result of a business decision that will require some modification (add, delete, change) to the supporting technology. An RFC may also be necessary due to outside influences (i.e. governmental regulations or changes made by business partners). OBTAIN BUSINESS CHANGE ACCEPTANCE The decision to make a change is t ypically a business decision where costs vs. benefits are weighed. Even in situa tions where the change is strictly infrastructure oriented (component or system failure) the decision to spend money resides with the business, not with the IT department. There are occasions when procedures are developed in advance to prea uthorize changes such as emergency system maintenance, but regardless of the tim ing of the authorization, the decision still rests with the business management. INITIATE THE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT Development of the change (including testing) is an IT-guided function. In the event of an emergency change (server is down) t hose functions are typically predetermined. When a new system is to be developed , there is a collaborative effort between the business users and the IT team. Th e systems are designed by IT, the design is approved by the business partners (u sers), developed by IT, tested by a combination of IT and the users, and the fin al product is approved by both. Careful attention must be given to ancillary eff ects the new change may have on existing systems PASS THE CHANGE MANAGEMENT GATE The Change Advisory Board (CAB) reviews all changes before they can be put into production. Normally, the CAB will consist of a group of people with different perspectives, backgrounds and areas of expertise. Their function is to review th e change from a process and governance standpoint to assure that all foreseeable risks have been identified and mitigated, and that compensatory techniques are in 34 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 place for any elements of exposure (things that could go wrong). The development team and the change sponsor will present the change to the CAB. Evaluation of r isk will be the focus. Implementation strategies, communication to affected stak eholders, backout plans and post-implementation monitoring are elements on which the CAB is required to focus. The CAB is not responsible for determining if the change is appropriate – that decision has already been made. The CAB is also not responsible for determining if the change is cost effective. Again, that is stri ctly a business decision. IMPLEMENT THE CHANGE If the CAB does not approve the c hange, the reasons are listed (this is always because certain risks have not bee n mitigated or communications have not been planned) and the development team wi ll be given time to fix those issues and reschedule a meeting before the CAB. If the change is approved, the implementation is scheduled. It is not normally the case that the CAB is represented at implementation although it is possible that some members of the CAB have expertise that is necessary during the implementat ion, but they will not be present as official CAB representatives, but rather as subject matter experts (SME). How the change is implemented, the checklist and steps, are predefined and were presented to and approved by the CAB. The entire process must be thoroughly documented and the approved process must be precisely followed. REPORT THE RESULTS Either the change was implemented successfully wit h no issues, the change was implemented with issues that were corrected during i mplementation, the change was implemented with issues that were deemed acceptabl e, issues arose that were unacceptable and the change was rolled back, or in the worst case the change was implemented with unacceptable issues and could not be rolled back. Whatever the result, that is documented and returned to the CAB. T he CAB is then responsible for distributing that information to the stakeholders and for storing and maintaining those results in the Change Management system ( that may either be an automated database or a paper filing system, but the docum ents must be maintained for audit purposes). LINK PROBLEM MANAGEMENT TO CHANGES Issues that arise should be compared to the CAB documentation of changes so any unanticipated adverse effects of a change can be isolated. It is often the case that undesirable effects of a change are 35 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 not noticed immediately, but are identified by the emergence of problems in anci llary systems. For example, the addition of several fields to a database might n ot have a direct negative effect on the users but could impact network performan ce that would be apparent to other users who are not directly involved with the modified system. PERIODICALLY AUDIT THE CMP At least once each year an audit of the CMP should be conducted to assure that all change documentation is maintaine d and available. Every change approval document should be examined to assure tha t the proper signatures are in place and that the results of the implementation are properly documented. Question #4(a): You are working in a company which has been dealing in foreign exchange. Your company has seen the effects of recent ex change fluctuations and its impact on business. Your managing director has asked for your advice in the matter and requested for a brief report on the subject. Write such report. Answer: EXCHANGE RATE The exchange rate (also known as the foreign-exchange rate, forex rate or FX rat e) between two currencies specifies how much one currency is worth in terms of t he other. It is the value of a foreign nation’s currency in terms of the home nati on’s currency. For example an exchange rate of 91 Japanese yen (JPY, ¥) to the Unite d States dollar (USD, $) means that JPY 91 is worth the same as USD 1. The forei gn exchange market is one of the largest markets in the world. By some estimates , about 3.2 trillion USD worth of currency changes hands every day. The spot exc hange rate refers to the current exchange rate. The forward exchange rate refers to an exchange rate that is quoted and traded today but for delivery and paymen t on a specific future date. 36 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 FLUCTUATIONS IN EXCHANGE RATES A fluctuation in exchange rates is the change in an exchange rate. If the Britis h pound is worth $2 on Monday and $1.80 on Tuesday, a (somewhat dramatic) curren cy fluctuation has occurred. Currency fluctuations happen constantly and occur f or all floating currencies. For example, if demand for a particular currency is high because investors want to invest in that country s stock market or buy expo rts, the price of its currency will increase. Just the opposite will happen if t hat country suffers an economic slowdown, or investors lose confidence in its ma rkets. A market based exchange rate will change whenever the values of either of the two component currencies change. A currency will tend to become more valuab le whenever demand for it is greater than the available supply. It will become l ess valuable whenever demand is less than available supply (this does not mean p eople no longer want money, it just means they prefer holding their wealth in so me other form, possibly another currency). Increased demand for a currency is du e to either an increased transaction demand for money, or an increased speculati ve demand for money. The transaction demand for money is highly correlated to th e country s level of business activity, gross domestic product (GDP), and employ ment levels. The more people there are unemployed, the less the public as a whol e will spend on goods and services. Central banks typically have little difficul ty adjusting the available money supply to accommodate changes in the demand for money due to business transactions. The speculative demand for money is much ha rder for a central bank to accommodate but they try to do this by adjusting inte rest rates. An investor may choose to buy a currency if the return (that is the interest rate) is high enough. The higher a country s interest rates, the greate r the demand for that currency. It has been argued that currency speculation can undermine real economic growth, in particular since large currency speculators may deliberately create downward pressure on a currency by shorting in order to force that central bank to sell their currency to keep it stable (once this happ ens, the speculator can buy the currency back from the bank at a lower price, cl ose out their position, and thereby take a profit). 37 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 REPORT: PROBLEM STATEMENT The company has been dealing in foreign exchange since last few years, and is pa ssing through a hard time because of the effects of recent exchange fluctuations . The business has been affected badly as it had to suffer from a major cash out flow. Due to the business contracts with the sellers, it had to pay more for the currencies that were taken for less, and similarly the custom duty VAT etc that is directly linked with such currencies had to be paid more. In short the busin ess suffered from an extreme Exchange Risk. EFFECTS OF EXCHANGE FLUCTUATIONS ON BUSINESS Currency and Political risks are often the main risks that are feared in any bus iness. Currency Risks is generally associated with adverse currency movements th at negatively affect purchasing or pricing power. Merchants that accept and hold foreign currency lose purchasing power when the value of that foreign currency falls against their home currency. Meanwhile, businesses that offer goods and se rvices overseas are unfavorably affected by increasing domestic currency values that raise the prices for exports. Whereas, in Political Risks all international operators are challenged by political risks, which impede the flow of global bu siness. Exchange rates for domestic currency have a bilateral cause and effect r elationship with the home government. First, political unrest and instability wi ll cause currency values from that particular nation to fall. Second, the nation s citizenry will pressure leadership to action if they feel that foreign exchan ge and trade are not being coordinated effectively. The upheaval may result in t rade wars, excessive taxes on international commerce or the outright seizure of foreign assets. Exchange Fluctuations can have many affects on business; some of them are listed below; Due to fluctuations in the currency market, foreign curr ency risk has been a major concern in the abilities to trade overseas. The Excha nge fluctuations can threaten our ability to trade overseas. Exchange fluctuatio ns can cause increase in shipping costs (26 per cent) and the payment of additio nal import and export duties (24 per cent) as significant threats to the cross b order trade. Currency fluctuations can negatively impact on the profitability up to 42 per cent. Uncertainty in the foreign exchange market can hamper the abili ty to plan for the future 38 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Businesses make payments in foreign currency on an ad hoc basis, any fluctuation in the foreign currency would affect the business dealing directly or indirectl y FOREIGN EXCHANGE RISK MANAGEMENT We are in a new economic era where all the businesses have to work even smarter in order to gain a competitive advantage. It is important that smaller importers and exporters up their game when it comes to managing their finances, including the area of foreign currency risk management. It is impossible to eliminate all risks, but negative exchange outcomes can be anticipated and managed effectivel y by individuals and corporate entities. It can be achieved by becoming familiar with the typical foreign exchange risks, demanding hard currency, diversifying properly and employing hedging strategies. Risk aversion in the forex is a kind of trading behavior exhibited by the foreign exchange market when a potentially adverse event happens which may affect market conditions. This behavior is cause d when risk averse traders liquidate their positions in risky assets and shift t he funds to less risky assets due to uncertainty. In the context of the forex ma rket, traders liquidate their positions in various currencies to take up positio ns in safe haven currencies, such as the US Dollar. Sometimes the choice of a sa fe haven currency is more of a choice based on prevailing sentiments rather than one of economic statistics. An example would be the Financial Crisis of 2008. T he value of equities across world fell while the US Dollar strengthened. This ha ppened despite the strong focus of the crisis in the USA. Stop Losses should be activated when Critical levels in the rate being monitored are reached, which cl early tell that the view held has been proven wrong. The factors/ assumptions be hind a view either change or are proven wrong. The Exposure Manager should be ac corded flexibility to set appropriate Stop-Losses for each trade. The Exposure M anager should, however, make sure he has set a stop-loss for positions he enters into, on an a priori basis. Stop Loss is nothing but a commitment to reverse a decision when the view is proven to be wrong. 39 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 HARD CURRENCY Foreign exchange risk can be minimized by demanding that all trans actions are settled in hard currency. Hard currency is associated with the indus trialized, group of seven (G7) nations. The G7 is made up of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. The currencies employe d are the U.S. dollar, Canadian dollar, British pound, Euro and Yen. Hard curren cy values are relatively stable as they are associated with strong economies and political regimes that protect individual rights. DIVERSIFICATION All currencie s fluctuate in value over time. Diversification allows people and businesses to neutralize the risks of holding currency that deteriorates in value, by carrying competing currency that is gaining in value. Doing business within several diff erent countries, converting profits into separate foreign currency reserves and/ or coordinating cash flow with basic hedging strategies are ways to achieve dive rsification. HEDGING STRATEGIES Currency futures contracts trade at the Chicago Board of Trade. Hedging strategies related to foreign exchange are executed to s mooth currency fluctuations by anticipating and locking in exchange rates. Finan cial managers hedge against currency risks with futures contracts and currency s waps. Currency futures are contracts entered into by traders that set a fixed fo reign exchange rate between currencies into the future. Currency swaps allow sep arate parties to switch the principal and interest payments upon debt that is de nominated in one currency for that of another. Lenders use currency swaps to ens ure that loans do not lose value. Borrowers use currency swaps to hedge against the risk of loans becoming more expensive to pay off in foreign currency. Of cou rse, hedging strategies carry the opportunity cost risk of losing out on currenc y movements that are actually favorable. 40 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 CONCLUSION We are in a new economic era where all the businesses have to work even smarter in order to gain a competitive advantage. It is important that smaller importers and exporters up their game when it comes to managing their finances, including the area of foreign currency risk management. In order to reduce the affects of foreign exchange fluctuations on a Business, the managers or decision makers sh ould make a Foreign Exchange Risk Management plan. Question #4(b): Differentiate between solicited and un-solicited letters. What guidelines should be observed for writing these letters? Answer: SOLICITED LETTER A solicited letter is written when a former employer, professor or person you ve had a business relationship is asked by you if they will write you a letter of reference sometime in the future. Normally if they consent to do so, you should assume they will write you a good letter which highlights all of your real quali ties and glosses over any imperfections you may have. When you get the job inter view and are told that you will be hired providing your references are good, you give the name and phone number or email address of the person(s) who agreed to write the letter and they are contacted by the prospective employer directly and the person who solicited the letter (i.e. the one who asked the employer if the y d write a letter sometime in the future), never sees it. DISADVANTAGES TO THE SOLICITED LETTER There are disadvantages to the solicited letter. In a professor-student relation ship, the professor and student have similar research interests (it was why the student did research with the professor in the first place). Unfortunately, no o ne wants to graduate a student whose career overshadows their own. As a result, it might take some time for someone who has gotten past the interview stage to d etermine that one of his/her reference letter writers is damage their future pro spects by writing uniformly nasty things 41 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 about them or their abilities. Where 3 letters are required, it can require a le ngthy process of elimination of first one reference, then another, and finally a 3rd. until it can be determined who is having a damaging effect on your future job or career prospects. UNSOLICITED LETTER An unsolicited letter of reference is a letter of reference that tends to be see n as quite unbelievable. People arrive at a job with a letter in hand that they may have written themselves and it is such a glowing tribute to their work ethic and persistence in the face of insurmountable obstacles that you re unable to a scertain if you re not in the presence of the messiah. GUIDELINES THAT SHOULD BE ABSORBED DURING WRITING THESE LETTERS As a simple guideline, it is better to contact someone who is acquainted with yo ur work who is not in direct competition for funding, grants and the like to wri te a solicited letter of reference than someone who will turn the exercise into a series of disappointing job refusals. The writer of the letter should attempt to insure the recipient that he will write a good letter, I ve had situations ar ise when after going back to someone who said they d write a good letter and I d received a job refusal based on their letter alone, claimed they write "balance d" letters. This was the same professor who told his undergraduate students that getting a "B" in his course was like getting an "A" in someone else s course. A "B" on your transcript is still a "B". Nobody knows or cares about the personal standards of the grader except the grader themselves. Hence, be cautious. Most companies will not accept an unsolicited letter of reference. Arriving for a job with one in hand is not your guarantee of much more than ridicule from a prospe ctive employer. GUIDELINES FOR WRITING UNSOLICITED LETTERS 1. Letters that we write without any inquiry are called unsolicited letters. Tip s to write unsolicited sales letters are following; 2. Your first sentence shoul d be attention getting. Remember that your reader will not go to the middle of t he letter of he feels that your first paragraph is boring. 42 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 3. In your second paragraph, include some statements to make your reader realize the need of the thing that you are offering. 4. Tell him how you are different from the other services or goods providers in market. 5. In your last paragraph, you should tell them an easy action. What your reader should do to buy your pro duct or services. GUIDELINES FOR WRITING SOLICITED LETTERS 1. Solicited letters are generally written in response to some specific inquiry. Tips to write solicited sales letters are following; 2. Mention in your first p aragraph what reader has inquired from you. 3. You should give complete and accu rate answer of whatever has been asked. 4. After telling your reader all require d information, you can include in your letter some information to let him inform about some of the products that you think that he or she is not aware. 5. You n eed to follow any business format of letter writing. We shall suggest you to use Block Head format. NOTE: • • • • At the end of both letters, mention your name. Type the letter under letter head of your organization. Type your letter and print it on quality paper. Especiall y in unsolicited letters people see it. Proofread your letter at least once to m ake sure that your letter persuades the reader enough to contact you. 43 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Question #5(a): What do you understand by word “proposal” in communication? Describe different kinds of proposals? Answer: PROPOSAL A proposal is defined as a formal description of the creation, modification or t ermination of a contract. A proposal may serve as the blueprint for a future agr eement and may be accepted or rejected by the entity or entities that receive it . In other words, a proposal is a description of the work you will complete on a project. The details included in a proposal depend on the project s scope and w ho will read the document. Typically, organizations advertise a need for proposa ls and consultants or organizational developers respond to the need. However, as a manager, you may determine that a problem exists, and therefore, propose solu tions to an organization. In this case, one must first convince the agency that the problem exists before proposing his/her solutions. BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Business communication is the communication between the people in the organizati on for the purpose of carrying out business activities. It may be oral, verbal, written etc.. A business can flourish when all objectives of the organization ar e achieved effectively. For efficiency in an organization all the people (inside and outside) of the organization must be able to convey their message properly. The exchange of ideas and understanding within and outside the organization to achieve the business goals is known as business communication. Any business writ er can write emails, memos, and letters - correspondence that communicates clear ly and has impact. But that is not the actual business communication that prevai ls in the business world. Business people do not pay heed to the ethics of busin ess communication. Many write emails as thoughts occur to them and send emails w ithout revising the words into coherent messages. As a result, business writing is at times fragmented, incomplete, and full of careless language errors. 44 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 PROPOSAL IN COMMUNICATION A business proposal is a written scheme from a seller to a prospective customer. The main purpose is to fulfill the requirements of a client. A proposal include s a company s profile as well as its products and services offered. An entrepren eur mentions profile and other components to convince a prospective client about the benefits of his products and services for a client. A proposal also aims to demonstrate the credibility and authenticity of a company and its products and services to win a client s confidence. A good proposal has the potential to port ray a company unique and credible that gives an edge over its competitors. ELEME NTS One should consider few vital points while drafting business proposals for a company. An entrepreneur should know his clients very well before writing a pro posal. You should undergo extensive study about your targeted clients. One shoul d be well aware of the needs, wants or requirements of a potential client. This knowledge is valuable as it can assist you to address the immediate need of a cl ient. It helps you to maintain the focus of your proposal. CLIENT’S PERSPECTIVE A proposal should clearly define a business problem and provide a solution to this problem. You should write from a client s perspective and not mention about the benefits of your products and services in the beginning. In other words, one sh ould first focus on a client s problems. OFFER AN OPPORTUNITY After focusing the client’s problem one can offer an opportunity to a client for finding a solution to his problems. You should persuade the customer so that he can find solution t o his dilemma by using your products and services. A person can do so by giving a number of reasons. The reasons supported by facts make a proposal appear authe ntic. A company s profile is also essential to mention. Executive Summary contai ns the profile of a company in which one can mention nature, vision and goals of a company. 45 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Mention about the credentials One should also mention about the credentials, pas t projects and certification that gives authenticity to a company. There should be section containing the description of deliverables. A management plan is also a part of good business proposal that describes the plan of allocation of resou rces and major milestones. FLAWLESS DOCUMENTATION One should prepare a flawless document that is devoid of any grammatical error. The print of the document sent to a client should appear lucid. Any grammatical or printing error in the docum ent can diminish the opportunities of acceptance of your proposal. Its effective use can bring you the best results. Good communication skills require: 1. An un derstanding of one s audience and the subtle interactions between writer and rea der. 2. Organizational skills to methodically progress through the necessary sta ges of a project (e.g., writing a proposal) 3. Certain basic communication (writ ing/speaking) skills, i.e., a facility with the basic elements of transmitting i nformation clearly. SYSTEM IN PAKISTAN The task of writing a grant proposal in response to a specific set of instructio ns is used to illustrate the analysis and responses necessary to complete a majo r written communication project. The concept of focusing on and writing for the reader (in this case, the proposal reviewer) is emphasized. Although good commun ication skills affect life-styles, productivity, and economics in our society, t he communication skills of the American pubic are sorely lacking even among peop le with high levels of education because students receive little training in the se skills in the United States educational system but not in Pakistani system un fortunately. However, such skills can be taught to younger students as well as t o adults. 46 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 KINDS OF PROPOSAL There are many types of proposal including RFP (Request for Proposal), informal proposal, business proposal, marketing proposal, project proposal, sales proposa l, research proposal, grant proposal, book proposal, and speculative proposal. S ome require us to respond in very specific ways; e.g., an RFP requires detailed responses to particular questions. Grant proposals may be similar, where applica nts must complete specific forms. The Top 5 Proposal Types that people seek help with online are: • • • • • Grant Proposals - For funding proposals to all levels of gover nment. Business Proposals - For all types of business proposals Technical Propos als - Research, academic, business and government Project Proposals - For all ty pes of projects - all sectors Sales Proposals - For all types of products and se rvices In addition to the above list of most popular proposal types, Construction propo sals, Training proposals, Thesis proposals, Book proposals, Technical proposals, Show proposals, Building proposals, Development proposals, Network proposals, E vent proposals, Idea proposals, Exhibition proposals, Design proposals, Sponsors hip proposals, Museum proposals, Show proposals and more also helps in writing. No doubt there are other types of proposals as well. These are just the ones tha t I noticed that people who were coming to my websites have been looking for inf ormation on. There are many different types of proposal requests created by orga nizations for a variety of purposes. Proposal requests are useful when attemptin g to negotiate the terms of providing a service or requesting resources for oper ational or project needs. A proposal request is most often used to secure a cont ract with another organization or to obtain funding for a specific purpose. The most common form of a proposal request is a solicited request, also known as a r equest for proposal, or RFP. This type of proposal request may be advertised in a local or industrial publication by an entity to directly request vendors to se nd in written proposals. This type of proposal request is often 47 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 seen in the construction industry when building and design firms may request con struction bids be submitted by a particular deadline. Another form of proposal r equest is the unsolicited variety, in which the organization does not ask for bi ds to be placed. The unsolicited request for proposal may be a standing order in which other potential vendors or providers must always submit a request before any contractual agreement can be considered. Unsolicited requests for proposals are most often in the form of sales proposals or grant proposals that must be su bmitted before any action can commence. In some cases, if the organization is se eking additional funding or agreements with another entity, such as a government agency or a supplier, repeat or renewal requests for proposal may be required p eriodically. This type of RFP ensures that the organization can continue to bene fit from the resources provided by another for a certain period of time. The rep eat or renewal request for proposal is a written record of transactions and agre ements made between the organizations. An additional form of RFP is the business proposal in which one company agrees to perform a specific service or provide a product to another for a certain price. Each company has a particular way of wr iting and executing a business proposal. Generally, the writing of the proposal is managed by the sales executive team or the administrative support team at the company then submitted in accordance with the other party’s demands. When an orga nization opts to make a change to a request for proposal or contract, this is mo st often handled by writing and submitting a request for amendment to the contra ct. The proposal amendment lists the change to the contract in black and white s o that both parties are in agreement for legal purposes. The amended contract in cluding the proposal changes then replaces the existing contract. 48 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Question #5(b): Write short notes on the following: a. Organizational plan for m essage using direct approach b. Nonverbal Communication Answer: ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN FOR MESSAGE USING DIRECT APPROACH Your choice of organizational plan depends on a number of factors: how you expec t your reader or listener to react to your message, how much this person knows a bout the topic or situation, and what his or her cultural conventions are. For l etters and memo, you can choose one of four basic organizational plans: the dire ct-request, goodnews, bad-news, or persuasive-request plan. The first two plans use the direct approach, which begins with the main idea; the last two plans use the indirect approach, which states the main idea later. All these plans are fl exible, guide only, not rigid rules. Your own judgment must help you decide the best organization and content of your message, taking into consideration your au dience’s view, conventions, knowledge, and culture. DIRECT APPROACH Use the direct approach when the audience is receptive to your message. When you think your reader or listener will have a favorable or neutral reaction to your message, you can use the direct approach. You begin with the main idea or best news. After the opening, you include all necessary explanatory details in one or several paragraphs and end with an appropriate, friendly closing. Use direct re quest plan when the main purpose of your message is to make a request that requi res less persuasion; use the good-news plan to grant requests, announce favorabl e or neutral information, and exchange routine information within or between com panies. The direct- request and good-news plans have three basic parts. 49 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Direct-Request Plan 1. Main idea a. Request, main statement, assertion, recommen dation, question b. Reason, if desirable 2. Explanation a. All necessary and des irable details and data b. Numbered questions, if helpful c. Easy reading device s Good-News Plan 1. Best news or main idea 2. Explanation a. All necessary and desirable details and data b. Resale materia l c. Educational material d. Sales promotion material 3. Courteous close, with motivation to action a. Clear statement of action desired b. Easy action, dated when desirable c. Appreciation and good will 3. Positive, friendly close, including, if appropriate: a. Appreciation b. Clear statement of action c. Appreciation and desired, if any d. Easy action, dated w hen desirable e. Offer of further help, reader benefits NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION A handshake is a traditional form of greeting in West. Facial expressions vary a cross cultures. You could get the wrong impression when some Filipinos smile and laugh when underneath this behavior they are angry. Or, the inscrutable facial expression of the Japanese does not suggest disinterest, whether an unwillingnes s to make public one’s inner thoughts. A myriad of nonverbal symbols exists for ev ery culture, even in sub cultures. Knowing the major desirable and undesirable c ues helps knowing both intended and unintended communication errors. Definition “n onverbal communication involves those nonverbal stimuli in a communication setti ng that are generated by both the source [speaker] and his or her use of the env ironment and that have potential message value for the source or receiver [liste ner]. Basically it is sending and receiving messages in a 50 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 variety of ways without the use of verbal codes (words). It is both intentional and unintentional. Most speakers / listeners are not conscious of this. It inclu des — but is not limited to: touch glance eye contact (gaze) volume vocal nuance p roximity gestures facial expression ? pause (silence) intonation dress posture s mell word choice and syntax sounds (paralanguage) Broadly speaking, there are tw o basic categories of non-verbal language: • • nonverbal messages produced by the bo dy; nonverbal messages produced by the broad setting (time, space, silence) WHY IS NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IMPORTANT? Basically, it is one of the key aspec ts of communication (and especially important in a high-context culture). It has multiple functions: Used to repeat the verbal message (e.g. point in a directio n while stating directions. Often used to accent a verbal message. (e.g. verbal tone indicates the actual meaning of the specific words). Often complement the v erbal message but also may contradict. E.g.: a nod reinforces a positive message (among Americans); a “wink” may contradict a stated positive message. 51 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Regulate interactions (non-verbal cues covey when the other person should speak or not speak). May substitute for the verbal message (especially if it is blocke d by noise, interruption, etc) — i.e. gestures (finger to lips to indicate need fo r quiet), facial expressions (i.e. a nod instead of a yes). Note the implication s of the proverb: “Actions speak louder than words.” In essence, this underscores th e importance of non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication is especially significant in intercultural situations. Probably non-verbal differences accoun t for typical difficulties in communicating. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES a. GENERAL APPEARANCE AND DRESS IN NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION All cultures are concerned for how they look and make judgements based on looks and dress. Americans, for instance, appear almost obsessed with dress and person al attractiveness. Consider differing cultural standards on what is attractive in d ress and on what constitutes modesty. Note ways dress is used as a sign of statu s? b. BODY MOVEMENT We send information on attitude toward person (facing or lea ning towards another), emotional statue (tapping fingers, jiggling coins), and d esire to control the environment (moving towards or away from a person). More th an 700,000 possible motions we can make — so impossible to categorize them all! Bu t just need to be aware the body movement and position is a key ingredient in se nding messages. c. POSTURE Consider the following actions and note cultural diff erences: • • Bowing (not done, criticized, or affected in US; shows rank in Japan) S louching (rude in most Northern European areas) 52 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 • • • • Hands in pocket (disrespectful in Turkey) Sitting with legs crossed (offensive i n Ghana, Turkey) Showing soles of feet. (Offensive in Thailand, Saudi Arabia) Ev en in US, there is a gender difference on acceptable posture? d. GESTURES Impossible to catalog them all. But need to recognize: • • incredible po ssibility and variety and an acceptable in one’s own culture may be offensive in a nother. In addition, amount of gesturing varies from culture to culture. Some cultures a re animated; other restrained. Restrained cultures often feel animated cultures lack manners and overall restraint. Animated cultures often feel restrained cult ures lack emotion or interest. Even simple things like using hands to point and count differ. Pointing : US with index finger; Germany with little finger; Japan ese with entire hand (in fact most Asians consider pointing with index finger to be rude) Counting: Thumb = 1 in Germany, 5 in Japan, middle finger for 1 in Ind onesia. e. FACIAL EXPRESSIONS While some say that facial expressions are identic al, meaning attached to them differs. Majority opinion is that these do have sim ilar meanings world-wide with respect to smiling, crying, or showing anger, sorr ow, or disgust. However, the intensity varies from culture to culture. Note the following: • • • • Many Asian cultures suppress facial expression as much as possible. M any Mediterranean (Latino / Arabic) cultures exaggerate grief or sadness while m ost American men hide grief or sorrow. Some see “animated” expressions as a sign of a lack of control. Too much smiling is viewed in as a sign of shallowness. 53 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 • Women smile more than men. f. EYE CONTACT AND GAZE In USA, eye contact indicates: degree of attention or in terest, influences attitude change or persuasion, regulates interaction, communi cates emotion, defines power and status, and has a central role in managing impr essions of others. • Western cultures — see direct eye to eye contact as positive (a dvise children to look a person in the eyes). But within USA, African-Americans use more eye contact when talking and less when listening with reverse true for Anglo Americans. This is a possible cause for some sense of unease between races in US. A prolonged gaze is often seen as a sign of sexual interest. • Arabic cult ures make prolonged eye-contact. — believe it shows interest and helps them unders tand truthfulness of the other person. (A person who doesn’t reciprocate is seen a s untrustworthy) • g. TOUCH Question: Why do we touch, where do we touch, and what meanings do we assign when someone else touches us? Illustration: An African-Am erican male goes into a convenience store recently taken over by new Korean immi grants. He gives a $20 bill for his purchase to Mrs Cho who is cashier and waits for his change. He is upset when his change is put down on the counter in front of him. What is the problem? Traditional Korean (and many other Asian countries ) don’t touch strangers., especially between members of the opposite sex. But the African-American sees this as another example of discrimination (not touching hi m because he is black). Basic answer: Touch is culturally determined! But each c ulture has a clear concept of what parts of the body one may not touch. Basic me ssage of touch is to affect or control — protect, support, disapprove (i.e. hug, k iss, hit, kick). 54 | P a g e Japan, Africa, Latin American, Caribbean — avoid eye contact to show respect.

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 • USA — handshake is common (even for strangers), hugs, kisses for those of opposite gender or of family (usually) on an increasingly more intimate basis. Note diff erences between African-Americans and Anglos in USA. Most African Americans touc h on greeting but are annoyed if touched on the head (good boy, good girl overto nes). • Islamic and Hindu: typically don’t touch with the left hand. To do so is a social insult. Left hand is for toilet functions. Mannerly in India to break your bread only with your right hand (sometimes difficult for non-Indians) • Islamic cultures generally don’t approve of any touching between genders (even han d shakes). But consider such touching (including hand holding, hugs) between sam e-sex to be appropriate. • Many Asians don’t touch the head (Head houses the soul and a touch puts it in jeop ardy). Basic patterns: Cultures (English , German, Scandinavian, Chinese, Japane se) with high emotional restraint concepts have little public touch; those which encourage emotion (Latino, Middle-East, Jewish) accept frequent touches. h. SMELL • USA — fear of offensive natural smells (billion dollar industry to mask o bjectionable odors with what is perceived to be pleasant ) — again connected with “a ttractiveness” concept. • • Many other cultures consider natural body odors as normal (Arabic). Asian cultures (Filipino, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Indian) stress freq uent bathing — and often criticize USA of not bathing often enough! i. PARALANGUAG E • Vocal characterizers (laugh, cry, yell, moan, whine, belch, yawn). These send different messages in different cultures (Japan — giggling indicates embarrassment ; India – belch indicates satisfaction) • Vocal qualifiers (volume, pitch, rhythm, t empo, and tone). Loudness indicates strength in Arabic cultures and softness ind icates weakness; indicates confidence and authority to the Germans,; indicates i mpoliteness to the Thais; indicates loss of control to the 55 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 Japanese. (Generally, one learns not to “shout” in Asia for nearly any reason!). Gen der based as well: women tend to speak higher and more softly than men. • Vocal se gregates (un-huh, shh, uh, ooh, mmmh, humm, eh, mah, lah). Segregates indicate f ormality, acceptance, assent, uncertainty. 56 | P a g e

Business Communication (525) – Assignment # 1 REFERENCES Effective Business Communications by Herta A Murpgy, Herbert W. Hilde brandt and Jane P Thomas http://www.wikihow.com http://effective-communicationsk ill.blogspot.com http://personaldevelopment.suite101.com http://www.blurtit.com http://www.wikipedia.com 57 | P a g e