Culture and Cross-Communication Memo

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Memorandum
To:
From:
Date: February 8, 2012

Subject: Briefings to orient the coworker moving Brazil regarding cultural dimensions of doing business in Brazil and cross cultural communication in this country.

Introduction:

Moving to work abroad in a different culture can be challenging for a person who does not fully comprehend the other culture. This is because different cultures differ in various ways such as how they communicate express themselves or how they use their time. These differences can be apparent with people from different cultures especially in business activities (Hooker, 2008). This memo presents briefings to orient the coworker moving Brazil regarding cultural dimensions of doing business in Brazil and cross cultural communication in this country. In essence the memo explains the role that culture plays in international business, suggesting ways to maximize cross cultural communication and using the Hofstede model, address the challenges associated with conducting business with different cultures.

The role that culture plays in international business:

Doing business internationally is not just about doing business across borders but also about doing business across cultures. Culture strongly influences how people communicate, think and behave and in essence affects how various business deals are often perceived. different individuals perceive messages and body language differently and this impacts business negotiations, ways in which people are motivated for instance unlike the American culture which values more individual rewards, Brazilian culture is a group culture and values more groups rewards. In addition, Culture impacts the manner in which performance appraisals are carried out and ...