Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The team has crafted a report that Mr. West will review and distribute to UA consultants for use
in business communications with Soybean Inc. employees. The report and its corresponding
presentation materials will teach UA consultants how to effectively deliver information to
employees. As a result, Soybean Inc. will be equipped with workers who are knowledgeable in
industry quality management standards.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge the support of Mr. Kanye West, Chief Executive Officer of
Universal Acquisitions. His encouragement and advice throughout the research process proved
to be invaluable. Assistance provided by Ms. Kim Kardashian and colleagues in the Universal
Acquisition Department of Global Projects is highly appreciated.
Special thanks is extended to the following organizations and institutions for their assistance
with research and presentation:
● The Department of English at the University of Arizona
● University of Arizona Libraries
● American Society for Microbiology
Special thanks is extended to the following individuals who generously donated their time and
knowledge in personal interviews:
● Richard York, English Language Acquisition Teacher
● Dr. Margarethe Cooper, Assistant Professor of Practice, Food Safety & Microbiology
● Frank M. Jacobs, Operations and Manufacturing Engineer, Raytheon
● Dr.Jeffrey C. Derickson, Doctor of Dental Surgery and American Dental Association
Counsel
Finally, the authors wish to thank all staff members at Universal Acquisitions and Soybean Inc.
for their continued commitment to excellence in practice, conduct, and service.
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary 0
Acknowledgements 0
Table of Contents 1
1.0 Introduction 4
2.0 Background 4
4.0 Methods 5
5.0 Speaking 6
6.0 Writing 7
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1.0 Introduction
On September 10th, 2018, Kanye West, CEO of Universal Acquisitions requested for our team
to collaborate and develop a proposal help the company communicate efficiently with our
business partners in Brazil. Mr. West has requested for our team to research Brazilian culture
and publish a communication plan that can be distributed to Universal Acquisitions employees.
Our research report and tip sheet will be delivered via paper copies.
Presently, there is no protocol that assists employees through this cross-cultural transition.
Universal Acquisitions has previously relied on personal experience to relay information to
international companies. This has created a cultural barrier and is ineffective to our staff.
Implementing a guide that is accessible to every employee will allow growth within the company.
This new learning resource describes how Brazilian people communicate and consummate
business transactions. As a result, the company become more successful. Universal
Acquisitions has a clear vision to be effective globally.
To study Brazilian culture, our team will be conducting primary and secondary research and
later present our findings to Mr.West. We would also be acquiring data from soybean
productions. If approved, this proposal would lead to an expansion of the company and broaden
our team’s skill set by preparing them for global business interactions. The team is composed of
four members that are each head of their research department. Meredythe Durckel, Kimberly
York, Ashley Maldonado and Bryant Mitchell strive to give informative insight to each and every
Universal Acquisitions team member.
2.0 Background
In today’s growing global market, communication across cultures has become essential for
success in new business endeavors. Universal Acquisitions has recently expanded to offer
quality management consulting services to companies outside of the United States. UA’s first
global client is Soybean Inc, a new soybean manufacturing plant located in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. The employees must be trained in proper manufacturing practices, but UA consultants
are inexperienced in communicating with non-native English speakers. The CEO of UA, Mr.
Kanye West, has recruited a team of supervisors from several UA departments to research
intercultural communication in the workplace.
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4.0 Methods
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5.0 Speaking
The Universal Acquisitions team must follow proper etiquette regulations and speak
appropriately to Brazilian corporations. In a professional setting, first impressions are important
within industries that solely rely on verbal communication. It is crucial for UA employees to
understand that tone, terminology, and body language can alter the direction a conversation is
going. Before approaching your associate, an individual must be prepared to greet and respond
accordingly. It would be wise to research and practice proper pronunciation of words and
phrases a. Pronunciation can vary in different regions. In a country like Brazil where Portuguese
is the primary language; it can be extremely useful to learn the specific dialect. Brasileiro used
in Brazil has some similarity to the Coimbra dialect used in Portugal, except it can differences in
syntax (1). Standard Portuguese will always use the object pronoun before the verb whereas
Brazilian Portuguese will place it before. Most Americans tend to reserve themselves in
professional settings by avoiding voicing their thoughts and opinions. Professional reserve is not
necessary in a Brazilian business encounter, but it is expected for one to say exactly what they
mean. One may not need to include phrases like “Please” or “thank you” depending on the way
a phrase or command is said. Tone will dictate the entire conversation.
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6.0 Writing
Both verbal communication and nonverbal communication are important within a successful
business. Some examples of verbal communication between employees may include titles,
greetings, and small talk about acceptable topics. The nonverbal forms focus on the visual
aspects of communication, such as work attire or dress code, hand gestures, and cooperate
appearance.
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10.0 Conclusion
Universal Acquisitions is now equip to instill global communication practices within the company
using new founded skills, tools, and suggestions. This will benefit the growth of the company
and create a stronger global outreach to international companies such as Soybean Inc, located
in Brazil. The multidimensional culture in Brazil and unfamiliarity of cultural practices will create
a disorientation with topics revolving around healthcare manufacturing; mistakes in the
collaborating process may have tensions arise from any unintended disrespect. It is important,
therefore, to inform the employees on these proper interaction strategies, both to the benefit of
the individual and the company. If Universal Acquisitions is able to abide by these new
communication strategies and recognize these cultural differences, the company, its employees,
and its business partners, will succeed.
Communication tools can be sent to Universal Acquisition’s employees, such as a tip sheet, to
educate employees how speaking, writing, visual/graphics, and cultural variables impact global
communication. These tips can be utilized in any business setting. Additionally, the company
can implement common Brazilian concepts such as Jeitinho, meaning to resolve a problem
quickly and efficiently, and a hierarchical authority structure, to promote efficient corporate
decision-making. This can be used to Universal Acquisitions advantage by rewarding strong
work ethic from Soybean Inc. employees while also utilizing a piece of Brazilian culture. Lastly, it
is important to always increase positive social contributions. Corporate responsibility can be
achieved through personal interaction in the business - shaking hands, lunch meetings - as well
as positive international relations and public relations. Universal Acquisitions has to make a
conscious effort in creating sustainability, having a positive influence in the economic market,
and creating a balance in industrial growth with environmental sustainability.
Implementing these tools will create a higher standard through Universal Acquisitions. The
future of the company will contain stronger international relationships, new tips and techniques
for all employees and partners, global optimization of healthcare manufacturing, and an
increase in sustainability in the industry. Every company has something to share with one
another. If Universal Acquisitions is able to communicate effectively with any future business
partner, the company will have a continuous, positive growth. If there are any additional
questions, please reach out to the Universal Acquisitions research department.
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6. Duarte F. 2011. The Strategic Role of Charm, Simpatia and Jeitinho in Brazilian Society:
A Qualitative Study. Asian Journal of Latin American Studies 24:29–48.
7. Torres CV, Dessen MA. 2008. Brazilian Culture, Family, and Its Ethnic-Cultural Variety.
Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies 12:189–202.
9. Hong Kong Edition. 8 September 2018. China ramps up soybean purchases in August
but Brazilian supplies tipped to tighten. South China Morning Post.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/china-economy/article/2163351/china-ramps-
soybean-purchases-august-brazilian-supplies
10. De Jong M, Harkink K, Barth S. 2017. Making Green Stuff? Effects of Corporate
Greenwashing on Consumers. J of Business and Tech Comm. 32(1):77-112.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1050651917729863
11. Barbosa F, Scavarda AJ, Selitto MA, Lopes Marques DI. 20 April 2018. Sustainability
in the winemaking industry: An Analysis of Southern Brazilian companies based on a
literature review. J of Cleaner Production. 192:80-87.
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12.0 Appendices
Global
Communication
Frequently Asked Questions for
Employees
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○ Identify areas where you might make a blunder like greeting, word choice, body
language, etc. Do some research about these areas in your colleagues culture (if
you know what it is). Keep in mind that your colleague may not observe certain
cultural practices, so pay close attention to your colleague’s behavior and
respond accordingly.
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There are multiple sources cited, however, a great number of them reference the same
publisher (SAGE), which makes me question the authority of the source. The impact
factor for the PMI conference is 1.957, so for this purpose it is a credible source.
The purpose of this article is to develop a "baseline understanding of intercultural
communication, which can then be applied in a variety of cultures. First, it lists variables
in intercultural communications, then examines the differences in the world versus
business. Finally, the author applies practical communication concepts on the individual
level. The articles does not include diagrams, but does include a section of learning
objectives, and lists of key terms and concepts throughout the article
Anholon R, Rampasso IS, Ordonez REC, da Silva D, Gonçalves Quelhas OL, Filho WL.
2017. Observed difficulties during implementation of quality management systems in Brazilian
manufacturing companies. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management 29:149–167.
In Anholon, Rampasso, Ordonez, da Silva, Gonçalves Quelhas, and Filho’s research
paper “Observes difficulties during implementation of quality management systems in
Brazilian manufacturing companies” (2017), the authors explore the various difficulties
that impact the implementation of Quality Management Systems (QMS) in Brazilian
manufacturing companies. The authors first present existing information about general
barriers to QMS implementation by describing the results from an extensive literature
review; then, they describe their research methods and results by providing detailed
information and data tables. Finally, the authors conclude with a brief discussion of the
applications of the findings. The author's’ purpose is to “analyze the difficulties observed
during implementation of quality management systems (QMSs) in Brazilian
manufacturing companies.” They seem to have a professional audience in mind because
they describe their research methods in great detail and reference other literature.
Evaluation
The website, Emerald Insight, is mentioned on various business school websites as a
reputable source of information. The site contains links to other publications like journals.
The authors’ credentials are all listed below the article title, and I can use Google to
research the authors’ institutions and departments. The authors seem credible overall.
The publisher includes copyright information on the cover page and in the headers and
footers. The publisher’s website appears to be reputable, containing a wide variety of
journal articles in many different fields. The publisher appears to be separate from the
researchers’ organizations and affiliates. The organization and layout of the article follow
traditional journal formats. The authors include in-text citations where appropriate and
attribute tables and figures to their respective sources. The authors provide a formatted
list of references, indicating that they did their research into existing literature for this
topic. The journal article is well-constructed and written according to standards in this
field. The claims are supported by plenty of evidence, all of which is cited appropriately.
The authors used careful reasoning and described the limitations of the study. Links are
given for journals cited in the article. The article was accepted about one year ago, so
the information is still relevant for our purposes.
Valdez R, Brennan PF, Ramly E. 2010. Industrial and Systems Engineering and Health Care:
Critical Areas of Research: Final Report. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Industrial and systems engineering has the potential to address challenges faced by the
health care delivery system. Rupa Valdez, Edmond Ramly, and Patricia Brennan
articulate a vision for an ideal health care delivery system and propose a research
agenda for an ideal health care delivery system.
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Green JD. January 2007. Well-Designed food safety & sanitation training programs. Food
Safety Magazine. https://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/december-
2006january-2007/well-designed-food-safety-sanitation-training-programs/
Author states effective employee training will help a company achieve food safety and
quality goals. Training is tailored for each company operations and procedures,
“answers the whos, whats, and whys associated with food safety activities”, and
educates employees about job function, policies, corrective actions, defines terms
related to hazards and contamination, and the importance of food safety. Company must
have proper procedures for employees such as sick days, sanitary bathrooms and
shared areas, yearly training, and adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) that
follow federal regulations. This author recommends trainings involve demonstrations and
go over a couple of key concepts that should be addressed. The motivation for the
company is to protect the brand with an assured, safe produce, prevent costly recalls,
and increase yields/productivity.
Key terms: GMP, federal regulations, food safety, HACCP
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credibility is authentic. The low impact factor takes away from the credibility, typically I
only cite sources with impact factors greater than two.
Timeliness – This article was published in 2018, making it recently relevant for our topic.
Rimal RN, Lapinski MK. 2009. Why health communication is so important in public health.
Bulletin of the World health Organization. 87:247. http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/4/08-
056713/en/.
Communication is transmission of information, think about how messages are processes
of channel, source, receiver, message. Three considerations: info is processed through
individual and social perceptions (prior experience, beliefs, social patterns,
relationships). Second, discrepancies between messages sent and received, due to
different exposure and interpretation. Third, sources and receivers continuously
interchange roles in health communication – health needs extensive evaluation,
assessment of audience, message pretesting.
Evaluation
This article was produced relatively recently, so the information presented is still relevant
for our purposes. The article discusses communication, which is central to our topic. The
bulletin is available on the World Health Organization’s website, so the information is
readily available for all users. The intended audience is health professionals who will
utilize the information about communication in public health work. The authors are Rajiv
N Rimal and Maria K Lapinski. Rimal is an authority on the subject of communication
and health because he is with the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at John
Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Lapinski is an authority on communication as
well because she is with the Department of Communication at Michigan State University.
The authors provide plenty of supporting evidence and documented sources, so the
information presented can be verified. The information is presented clearly, but the
authors are slightly biased to the importance of communication in public health due to
their affiliations. However, the bias does not detract from the main points of the article.
The viewpoints are balanced relative to the nature of the topic. The language, tone, and
style are all suited for the context of the article. The publisher, the World Health
Organization, is a well-known organization. The authors’ purpose was to explain how
and why communication is an important factor in public health work. No visuals were
provided, but the article does not need any.
Galan JG, Mendonca MD. 2018. Professional Practice in Higher Education: A Case Study in
Faculty Training in Brazil https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.06853
Jose Galan and Miranda Mendonca cultivated research with the objective “to know the
characteristics of the training received for their professional practice, both in the field of
scientific education and their educational role and ability to transfer knowledge.” A
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Pearson VS, Stephan WG. 1997.Preferences for styles of negotiation: A comparison of Brazil
and the United States 2:77-83 https://arizona-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-
explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_bcrc221628161&context=PC&vid=01UA&lang=en_US&search_s
cope=Everything&adaptor=primo_central_multiple_fe&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,Bra
zil%20business%20communications&sortby=rank&offset=0
This scholarly article studied American and Brazilian negotiating differences.The authors
begin by explaining the many variables that transform intercultural relations. The
dissertation is based on conflict resolution and studying appropriate and preferred
strategies that can create an effective business interaction. Pearson and Stephan
introduce theories of collectivistic world views in brazilian culture and how this impacts
future business transactions. “Considering the accommodating traits of Brazilian
societies, the hypothesis is based on the dual concern model.” The research,
questionnaires and graphs included all demonstrate the favored methods used in
Brazilian business culture.
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always a level of understanding that I had when I met non-english speaking patients. These
classes set the bar high for employees by making sure patients feel understood, assured and in
the right hands.
Interviewer: Have you utilized any technology that has helped?
Interviewee: Yes, I have a piloting license and often volunteer in Mexico. When I travel, I have
applications on my phone that help me speak into the phone for certain words. My colleagues in
Mexico are bilingual and I can understand them perfectly, but the assistants provide patients
with phone-like devices that carry google translate. Technologies like this definitely help me in
the workplace when a patient needs urgent treatment.
Interviewer: How do you effectively cross train your staff to communicate with language
barriers?
Interviewee: Some of my staff is already bilingual, but it is vital for my staff to understand basic
dental terms in other languages. In Tucson, spanish is a prominent language and I make sure
that my staff can respond. If not, one of my employees may switch out for someone who does
speak the language properly.
Interviewer: How often are refresher courses needed for communication?
Interviewee: I usually take a refresher course before entering a new country as I stay there for a
few weeks. This enables me to understand effective communication within a specific country.
This also introduces any new cultural differences I may encounter.
Interviewer: What are non-verbal cues that a provider may recognize from a non-native
speaker?
Interviewee: If a patient is uncomfortable, they may have closed off extremities. Common signs
are crossed arms, wincining, tightening of the body and clenching. Fidgeting or tapping may
suggest that an individual is nervous or is anxious. If there are large language barriers, I
typically will use hand signals as a last resort. Thumbs up, smiling and hand shakes are used to
initiate positive feedback. Some words are difficult to translate or understand, so I always make
sure to draw by hand a picture of what treatment is going to be done.
(End of Interview)
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world is in a pretty common stage of manufacturing. We all have the same main techniques but
apply them differently. It also depends on what you are processing, what resources you have,
and the economic status of the area you are working in.
Interviewer: Last question, is it easy for you to go global in your career?
Interviewee: There are a lot of opportunities to go global. There are many companies in the US
that are worldwide and provide outlets for careers overseas. I know in my experience I was sent
to help our manufacturing plants all around the world. Since you will be working in the United
States, a lot of the ideologies are valued elsewhere in the world, especially if you work for a
renowned company.
Interviewee: Perfect! Thank you for taking the time to talk to me!
(End of Interview)
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