Elizabeth Visits Gpc’s French Subsidiary Discussion Questions
ELIZABETH VISITS GPC’S FRENCH SUBSIDIARYDiscussion Questions
1. What can Elizabeth Moreno do to establish a position of power in front of French managers tohelp her accomplish her assignment in five days? Explain.
The French tend to regard authority as residing in the role and not the person; Elizabeth willneed to find subtle ways to accentuate her expertise, her advanced degree in Chemistry, andher role as Vice President. Further, she will need to demonstrate an intellectual flexibilitywhile allowing the French to show their ability to grasp complex issues and evaluatesolutions. 2. What should Elizabeth know about “high-context” vs. “low-context” cultures in Europe?
Explain.
Countries in Europe do not share the same cultural context; France is more high-context thanGermany. As a result, Elizabeth should pay especially close attention to the cultural contextof the communication including: the medium, the source, the setting, proxemics, paralanguageand object language.
3. What should Elizabeth include in her report so that future executives and scientists avoidcommunication pitfalls?
Elizabeth could help her peers by noting communications processes that worked and noting which processes failed. She should provide as much information about the communication context as possible.
4. How can technical language differ from everyday language in corporate communications? Technical language is often shared across cultures (the Arabic word for computer is“computer”). Technical language is communicated through its own communication channels —papers, proceedings and journals. These journals are often, though not always, prepared inEnglish. While technical jargon creates a common or shared language on some levels, it doesnot eliminate the problems associated with cross-cultural communication 1. drawing from your understanding of verbal and nonverbal communication patterns from this chapter,explain what elizabeth moreno can do
1. What can Elizabeth Moreno do to establish a position of power in front of French managers tohelp her accomplish her assignment in five days? Explain.
The French tend to regard authority as residing in the role and not the person; Elizabeth willneed to find subtle ways to accentuate her expertise, her advanced degree in Chemistry, andher role as Vice President. Further, she will need to demonstrate an intellectual flexibilitywhile allowing the French to show their ability to grasp complex issues and evaluatesolutions. 2. What should Elizabeth know about “high-context” vs. “low-context” cultures in Europe?
Explain.
Countries in Europe do not share the same cultural context; France is more high-context thanGermany. As a result, Elizabeth should pay especially close attention to the cultural contextof the communication including: the medium, the source, the setting, proxemics, paralanguageand object language.
3. What should Elizabeth include in her report so that future executives and scientists avoidcommunication pitfalls?
Elizabeth could help her peers by noting communications processes that worked and noting which processes failed. She should provide as much information about the communication context as possible.
4. How can technical language differ from everyday language in corporate communications? Technical language is often shared across cultures (the Arabic word for computer is“computer”). Technical language is communicated through its own communication channels —papers, proceedings and journals. These journals are often, though not always, prepared inEnglish. While technical jargon creates a common or shared language on some levels, it doesnot eliminate the problems associated with cross-cultural communication 1. drawing from your understanding of verbal and nonverbal communication patterns from this chapter,explain what elizabeth moreno can do