Purpose
This assignment is designed to teach you the following:
Gathering secondary and primary research
Analyzing the communication strategies of a specific cultural group
Applying business writing principles
Writing a professional email that is clear and concise
Scenario
The executives at your financial investment firm need more information on how to make a positive impression on their potential new clients. They have asked you to send them an email describing their potential clients’ communication preferences. They have specifically asked you to research and report on these three topics:
Medium preferences. You are expected to describe which mediums business executives use and avoid while communicating in your clients’ culture.
Business presentation preferences. You are expected to focus on how one should adapt a business presentation with a slide deck in that culture. You should not write about how people conduct business meetings because you have already explained this in your presentation.
Business writing preferences. You are expected to explain the unique writing behaviors of that culture. You should also describe how one should follow-up in writing after a meeting.
Remember that the potential clients speak English, so the executives won’t need to translate any information for their clients.
Your email will address the best business practices of the country you have already researched and presented on (Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, Singapore, China, Italy, Sweden, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Kenya, or Nigeria). You should not choose a different country.
Your Task
Write a professional email in which you address the three topics the executives requested. Your analysis should be based on your knowledge of these cultural dimensions: high vs. low context, individualism vs collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, time orientation, assertiveness, and verbal and nonverbal communication. You are free to give a brief explanation of these subjects in order to explain or give evidence to your recommendations. You should not repeat information that you have already provided in your presentation.
Here is how to proceed:
Review the insert “How to Write Effective Emails” (between pages 84 and 85 in the paper textbook) to check the format of business emails. Your email will include a subject line, a formal salutation, the body of the message, a complimentary close, and a signature block.
Use the principles of business writing to deliver a message that is professional, clear, concise, and free of grammatical and mechanical errors. Follow the principles of business communication referred to in previous modules.
Use a minimum of three sources. This will help you ensure that the information you found is accurate.
Consider using bullets, numbered lists, headers, and other visuals to create a document that is easy to navigate. Note that you will need to write paragraphs following the principles of business communication. Your message should not primarily consists of bullet points.
Link your sources in the body of your message to provide citations.
