英语毕业论文Cultural-Impacts-on-International-Business

CulturalImpactsonInternationalBusinessPAGE第23页共21页文化对国际商务的影响CulturalImpactsonInternationalBusinessContentsAbstract……………….…………………….1KeyWords………………….1I.Introduction….……….……..………..……….…….21.1cultureandcommunication…………….…….…………21.1.1Thebasicfunctionofculture…………….….….…21.1.2Theingredientsofculture….……………..….…..…21.1.3Theelementsofcommunication……………..………………...……31.1.4Thelinkbetweencultureandcommunication………..………..……..41.2communicationandcross-culturalcommunication………...……………51.2.1Thedefinitionofcross-culturalcommunication…….51.2.2Thelinkbetweencommunicationandcross-culturalcommunication...6II.Internationalbusiness………………72.1Thedefinitionofinternationalbusiness……………82.2Mainformsofcommunicationininternationalbusiness……….….….…92.3Culturaldifferencesininternationalbusiness………...11III.Themainelementsofculturalconflicts……………….………...133.1Thedefinitionofculturalconflicts…………..…..…….133.2Theelementsofculturalconflicts……………...……..13IV.Theeffectofcultureoninternationalbusiness……………..……….144.1Theroleofculturesininternationalbusiness…………144.1.1Thelanguagebarrieranditsconsequences:realandperceived…..144.1.2Therelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture….154.2Theinfluenceofculturesoninternationalbusiness…..…15V.Culturaldifferencesininternationalbusinessnegotiations..………165.1Theimpactsofculturaldifferencesoninternationalbusinessnegotiations.185.2Negotiationmannersininternationalbusiness…….………..…………19VI.Conclusion………….…..…………..21References………….………………….……21CulturalImpactsonInternationalBusiness摘要:这篇文章旨在简要地向读者介绍文化冲突的主要因素和它们对国际商务的影响，并从文化的多个方面，比如语言，行为方式，习俗，价值观念和态度，来证明文化冲突对国际商务的影响，从对它们相同点和不同点比较研究和分析的基础上找到一些有效的方法去避免或消除跨文化因素对国际商务产生的负面影响。无论什么时候，不同语言和文化障碍必定是交叉的，当然，这儿还存在一个潜在的交际问题，这将在很大程度上决定一场国际贸易是否成功。价值观是被个人内在化的一种共享的信念或组织标准，态度是建立在这些价值观念基础上对条件的评价。在文化价值方面的差异会影响计划的执行，决定的做出，策略的实施和人员的评价。理解不同行为方式和习俗在国际商务谈判方面非常重要，因为建立在个人参考框架上的说明解释可能会导致完全错误的结论，而在国际商务中要解决文化冲突方面的问题和调节这些文化因素就显得尤为重要。关键词:文化;语言;价值观念;习俗;跨文化交际;国际商务Abstract:Thisthesisisbrieflytotrytopresentbeforereadersthemainelementsofculturalconflictsanddimensionsoninternationalbusiness,suchaslanguages,manners,customs,valuesandattitudesonthebasisofacomparativestudyandanalysisoftheirdifferencesaswellassimilaritiessoastofindoutsomeeffectivewaystoavoidormitigatetheadverseimpactsthecross-culturalelementsmightproduceoninternationalbusiness.Everytimealanguageandculturalbarriermustbecrossed,thereisapotentialcommunicationproblem,whichwilllargelydecideasuccessorfailureofaninternationaltransaction;Valuesaresharedbeliefsorgroupnormsthathavebeeninternalizedbyindividuals.Attitudesareevaluationsofalternativesbasedonthesevalues.Differencesinculturalvaluesaffectthewayinwhichplanningisexecuted,decisionsaremade,strategyisimplemented,andpersonnelareevaluated;Understandingmannersandcustomsisespeciallyimportantinbusinessnegotiations,becauseinterpretationsbasedonone’sownframeofreferencemayleadtoatotallyincorrectconclusion.Tosolveculturalconflictsandcoordinatethoseculturalelementsinconductionofinternationalbusinessseemstobemuchmoreimportant.KeyWords:Culture;languages;values;customs;cross-culturalcommunication;internationalbusinessIntroduction1.1Cultureandcommunication1.1.1ThebasicfunctionofcultureCultureisacomplex,abstract,pervasivematrixofsocialelementsthatfunctionsasanall-encompassingformorpatternforlivingbylayingoutapredictableworldinwhichanindividualisfirmlyoriented.Cultureenablesustomakesenseofoursurroundings,aidingthetransitionfromthewombtothisnewlife.Fromtheinstantofbirth,achildisformallyandinformallytaughthowtobehave.Children,regardlessoftheirculture,quicklylearnhowtobehaveinamannerthatisacceptabletoadults.Withineachculture,therefore,thereisnoneedtoexpendenergydecidingwhataneventmeansorhowtorespondtoit.Theassumptionisthatpeoplewhoshareacommonculturecanusuallybecountedontobehave“correctly”andpredictably.Hence,culturereducesthechancesofsurprisebyshieldingpeoplefromtheunknown.Trytoimagineasingledayinyourlifewithoutaccesstotheguidelinesyourcultureprovides.Withouttherulesthatgovernyouractions,youwouldsoonfeelhelpless.Fromhowtogreetstrangersandhowtospendourtime,cultureprovidesuswithstructure.Tolackcultureistolackstructure.Wemightevengosofarastosaythat“ourprimarymodeofbiologicaladaptationisculture,notanatomy”.1.1.2TheingredientsofcultureAlthoughscholarsmaylackadefinitiveingredientlistforculture,mostagreethatanydescriptionshouldincludethethreecategoriessubmittedbyAlmaneyandAlwan(1982:CommunicatingwithArabs.Waveland).TheycontendthatCulturemaybeclassifiedbythreelargecategoriesofelements:artifacts(whichincludeitemsrangingfromarrowheadstohydrogenbombs,magiccharmstoantibiotics,torchestoelectriclights,andchariotstojetplanes);concepts(whichincludesuchbeliefsorvaluesystemsasrightorwrong,Godandman,ethics,andthegeneralmeaningoflife);andbehaviors(whichrefertotheactualpracticeofconceptsorbeliefs).Theseauthorsprovideanexcellentexampleofhowtheseaspectsmightbereflectedwithinaculture:“whereasmoneyisconsideredanartifact,thevalueplaceduponitisaconcept,buttheactualspendingandsavingofmoneyisbehavior,”Otherinventoriesprovideadditionallistingsofthecontentofculture.Someoftheseadditionalingredientsofparticularinteresttointerculturalcommunicationincludeculturalhistory,culturalpersonality,materialculture,rolerelationships,art,language,culturalstability,culturalbeliefs,ethnocentrism,non-verbalbehavior,spatialrelations,time,recognitionandthoughtpatterns.1.1.3TheelementsofcommunicationIninternationalbusiness,asinmostotherareasoflife,thebestideaintheworldcanfailifitisnotcommunicatedeffectively.Communicationisbothsituational(organizational)andpersonal(stylistic).Successfulbusinesscommunicationdependsonansweringafewcrucialquestions:haveyoumasteredandorganizedalltherelevantinformation?Haveyoutakenintoaccountthepersonalandorganizationalcontext?Haveyoudefinedaclear,achievablegoal?Haveyouconsideredtheneedsofyouraudiences?Haveyouexpressedyourselfasclearly,vividly,andforcefullyaspossible?Haveyouchosentherightcommunicationchannels?Managerssendmessagesthroughwriting,speaking,actions,gestures,electronicmedia,graphics,grapevine,andforceofpersonality.Goodbusinesspeopledevotetremendousattentiontoshapingtheirmessageanddecidinghowtodeliverit.Experiencedmanagersinsistthatsuccessdependslargelyoneffectivecommunication.Acommunicator,orsource,sendsamessagetoareceiver,oraudience,provokingaresponse.Buildingonthismodel,whichoriginatesfarbackinthehistoryofcommunicationresearch,wesuggestsevencategoriesthatwillhelpyoudefineandanalyzeanybusinesscommunicationsituation.1.Source:whoisinitiatingaction,andwhyshouldsheorhebebelieved?2.Audience:whatwillmovethemtosupportyou?Istheirattitudetowardyourproposalpositive,neutral,ornegative?Arethereanyhiddenaudiencesyouhaven’tconsidered?3.Goal:whatresultdoyouseek?Weighitagainstthecostsofachievingit.Canitstandonitsownmerits?Doesitconflictwithothergoalsofequalorgreaterimportance?How,inshort,willyoumeasuresuccess?4.Context:communicationoccursinaspecificenvironment.Itcaninvolveanefforttoreachoneperson,ortoreachmillions.Itcanmeanworkingwithinthenormsofaparticularcorporateculture,itshistory,itscompetitivesituation-orchallengingthosenorms.Beforeyouplanyourcommunicationstrategy,besureyouknowtheterritory.5.Message:whatmessagewillachieveyourgoalwiththeseparticularaudiences?Considerhowmuchinformationtheyneed,whatdoubtsthey’relikelytohave,howyourproposalwillbenefitthem,howtomakeyourmessageconvincingandmemorable.6.Media:whichmediumwillconveyyourmessagemosteffectivelytoeachsignificantaudience?Shouldyouspeak,write,call,sende-mail,meet,fax,producevideotape,orholdapressconference?Sendingamemotoanofficemate,forexample,mayexpressanunwillingnesstotalkfacetoface.7.Feedback:communicationisnotanact,butaprocess.Amessageprovokesaresponse,whichrequiresanothermessage.Thebusinesscommunicatordoesn’tshootanarrowatatarget,butsetsaprocessinmotiondesignedtoachieveaconsideredresult.Thismeanspollingyouraudienceateverystageofthecommunicationand,moreimportantly,givingthemanopportunitytorespond.Inthatwayyouknowwhattheythinkandcantailoryourmessageaccordingly.Evenabriefconsiderationofthesesevenanalyticaltoolswillrevealthatanybusinesscommunicationtaskisreallyamanagementtask.Manycommunicationsituationshappenspontaneouslytoamanagerratherthanoccurasplannedevents.Someofyourkeytopicsandgoalsmaynotbelistedonanyovertagenda.Howcantheserealitiesbeturnedintoanadvantage?Consideringthesource,audience,goal,context,message,media,andfeedbackprovidesyouwithaneconomicalframeworkforintrospectioninanybusinesssituation,whetheryou’replanningabroadstrategyordevisingaparticularcommunicationeffort.1.1.4Thelinkbetweencultureandcommunication.Ithasbeensaidthatwithoutaculturewecannotseeanything,butwithacultureweareforeverblind.Inotherwords,eachofusisbornintoaculturethatteachesusanumberofsharedmeaningsandexpectations.Weusuallylearnourownculture’swaysofdoing,speaking,andthinkingsowellthatitbecomesdifficulttothink,feel,andactaspeopleinotherculturesdo.Thebasicbuildingblocksofcommunicationisthatalthoughwordscommunicatemeaning,aswehaveseen,themeaningsofwordsaremuchinfluencedbyculture.Meaningisintheperson,notintheword,andeachpersonistheproductofaparticularculturethatpassesonsharedandappropriatemeanings.Thus,ifwewanttolearntocommunicatewellinaforeignlanguage,wemustunderstandtheculturethatgivesthatlanguagemeaning.Inotherwords,cultureandcommunicationareinseparablylinked:youcan’thaveonewithouttheother.Culturegivesmeaningandprovidesthecontextforcommunication,andtheabilitytocommunicateallowsustoactoutourculturalvaluesandtoshareourlanguageandourculture.Developingcross-culturalawareness:developingcross-culturalawarenessusuallygoesalongwithlearninganewlanguageandbeingexposedtoanewculture;suchexposurerevealsbothculturalsimilaritiesanddifferences.Andsometimesitisthesimilaritiesbetweenculturesthatsurpriseusasmuchasthedifferences.Oncealittlefour-year-oldAmericantravelinginChinawasoverheardexclaiming,“Look,mommy,thatlittleboyiseatingicecream,too.”Cross-culturalawarenessistheabilitytounderstandcultures-yourownandothers’-bymeansofobjective,non-judgmentalcomparisons.Itisanappreciationfor,anunderstandingof,culturalpluralism-theabilitytogetridofourethnocentrictendenciesandtoacceptanothercultureonitsownterms.Studyingasecondlanguagewithoutlearningthecultureislikelearninghowtodriveacarbystudyingadriver’smanualandnevergettingbehindasteeringwheel.Westudyaforeignlanguageinordernottocommunicatewithpeoplewhohaveleanedtheirnativelanguageinaclassroom,butinnatural,everydayinteractionswithpeopleandsituationsintheirculture.Theyhavelearnedtheintentionsbehindwordsandphrasesmostlywithoutconsciouslythinkingaboutthem;ithasbeenpartoftheircultureandtheyhavetakenitforgranted.We,however,asadultslearningasecondlanguage,mustmakeaconsciousefforttoexaminetheculturalcontextofthelanguagewewanttolearn.Itisimpossibletobeentirelyobjectivewhenweobserveanotherculture.Havingbeenbroughtupwithinthecontextofaparticularculture,wehavebeeninfluencedandshapedbyitsvalues,evenifwecannotarticulatethem.Althoughitshouldbeone’sgoaltoobserveanotherculturewithpureobjectivity,thisisveryhardtodo.Wemustrememberthatincomparingculture,“different”doesnotmean“bad”or“inferior”-itjustmeans“different”.Itisimportanttorememberthatalthoughmanymomentsofdiscomfortoccurwhenweareinteractingwithpeoplefromothercultures,noonecultureisinherentlybetterorworsethananyother.Eachculturehasitsownsetofvalues,norms,andwaysofdoingthingsthatareconsidered“right”forit.Thatoneculture’swayofdoingthingsisrightforitspeopledoesnotnecessarilymeanitis“right”foreverybody,andhereinlaysthepotentialconflictincrossculturalencounters.Becomingmoreawareoftheinfluenceofculturalvalueshasmanypositiveconsequences.Itleadstobetterunderstandingofusandofothers.Webecomemoretolerantandlessdefensive,andwecanenjoyculturaldifferenceaswellasthesimilarities.Afterall,varietyisthespiceoflife!1.2Communicationandcross-culturalcommunication1.2.1Thedefinitionofcross-culturalcommunicationItdoesn’tmatterifthisisyourfirstcommunicationcourseornot.You’veprobablyheardmanydifferentdefinitionsoftheword“cross-culturalcommunication”.Inthispaper,youwilllearnhowthatcommunicationitselfisaculturalelementbystudyingdifferentmodelsofcommunication.You’lllearnaboutthedifferentwayscommunicationandculturearestudiedandabouttheskillsrequiredtobecomemoreeffectiveininterculturalcommunication.Becausecross-culturalcommunicationisanelementofculture,ithasoftenbeensaidthatcommunicationandcultureareinseparable.AsAfredG.Smith(1966:CommunicationandCulture:ReadingintheCodesofHumanInteraction.NewYork:Holt,Rinehart&Winston)wroteinhisprefacetoCommunicationandCulture,cross-culturalcommunicationisacodewelearnandshare,andlearningandsharingrequirecommunication.Communicationrequirescodingsymbolsthatmustbelearnedandshared.GodwinC.Chu(1977:RadicalChangethroughCommunicationinMao’sChinaHonolulu:UniversityPressofHawaii)observedthateveryculturalpatternandeverysingleactofsocialbehaviorinvolvescommunication.Tobeunderstood,thetwomustbestudiedtogether.Culturecannotbeknownwithastudyofcommunication,andcommunicationcanonlybeunderstoodwithanunderstandingofthecultureitsupports.1.2.2Thelinkbetweencommunicationandcross-culturalcommunicationThelinkbetweencommunicationandcross-culturalcommunicationiscrucialtounderstandingcross-culturalcommunicationbecauseitisthroughtheinfluenceofculturethatpeoplelearntocommunicate.AKorean,anEgyptian,oranAmericanlearnstocommunicatelikeotherKoreans,Egyptians,orAmericans.Theirbehaviorconveysmeaningbecauseitislearnedandshared;itiscultural.Peopleviewtheirworldthroughcategories,concepts,andlabelsthatareproductsoftheirculture.Culturalsimilarityinperceptionmakesthesharingofmeaningpossible.Thewaysinwhichwecommunicate,thecircumstancesofourcommunication,thelanguageandlanguagestyleweuse,andournonverbalbehaviorsareprimarilyallaresponsetoandafunctionofourculture.And,asculturesdifferfromoneanother,thecommunicationpracticesandbehaviorsofindividualsrearedinthosecultureswillalsobedifferent.Ourcontentionisthatcross-culturalcommunicationcanbestbeunderstoodasculturaldiversityintheperceptionofsocialobjectsandevents.Acentraltenetofthispositionisthatminorcommunicationproblemsareoftenexaggeratedbyperceptualdiversity.Tounderstandother’swordsandactions,wemusttrytounderstandhowtheyperceivetheworld.Intheidealcross-culturalencounter,wewouldhopeformanyoverlappingexperiencesandacommonalityofperceptions.Culturaldiversity,however,tendstointroduceustodissimilarexperiencesand,hence,tovariedandfrequentlystrangeandunfamiliarperceptionsoftheexternalworld.Inallrespects,everythingsofarsaidaboutcommunicationandcultureappliestocross-culturalcommunication.Thefunctionsandrelationshipsbetweenthecomponentsofcommunicationobviouslyapply,butwhatespeciallycharacterizescross-culturalcommunicationisthatsourcesandresponderscomefromdifferentcultures.Thisaloneissufficienttoidentifyauniqueformofcommunicativeinteractionthatmusttakeintoaccounttheroleandfunctionofcultureinthecommunicationprocess.Cross-culturalcommunicationoccurswheneveramemberofonecultureforconsumptionbyamemberofanothercultureproducesamessagethatmustbeunderstood.Thiscircumstancecanbeproblematicbecause,aswehavealreadyseen,cultureforgesandshapestheindividualcommunicator.Cultureislargelyresponsiblefortheconstructionofourindividualsocialrealitiesandforourindividualrepertoriesandforcommunicativebehaviorsandmeanings.Thecommunicationsrepertoriespeoplepossesscanvarysignificantlyfromculturetoculture,whichcanleadtoallsortsofdifficulties.Throughthestudyandunderstandingofcross-culturalcommunication,however,thesedifficultiesatleastcanbereducedandatbestnearlyeliminated.Messageproduction,transmission,andinterpretationacrossculturesareillustratedbytheseriesofarrowsconnectingthem.Whenamessageleavesthecultureinwhichitwasencoded,itcarriesthecontentintendedbyitsproducer.Thearrowsleavingaculturehavingthesamepatternasthatwithinthemessageproducerrepresentthis.Whenamessagereachestheculturewhereitistobeinterpreted,itundergoesatransformationbecausethecultureinwhichthemessageisdecodedinfluencesthemessageinterpretationandhenceit’smeaning.Thecontentoftheoriginalmessagechangesduringthatinterpretationsphaseofcross-culturalcommunicationbecausetheculturallydifferentrepertoriesofsocialreality,communicativebehaviors,andthemeaningspossessedbytheinterpreterdonotcoincidewiththosepossessedbythemessageproducer.Cross-culturalcommunicationoccursinawidevarietyofsituationsthatrangesfrominteractionsbetweenpeopleforwhomculturaldifferencesareextremetointeractionsbetweenpeoplewhoaremembersofthesamedominantcultureandwhosedifferencesarereflectedinthevaluesandperceptionsofco-culturesexistingwithinthedominantculture.Ifweimaginedifferencesvaryingalongaminimum-maximumdimension,thedegreeofdifferencebetweentwoculturalgroupsdependsontheirrelativesocialuniqueness.Althoughthisscaleisrefined,itallowsustoexaminecross-culturalcommunicationactsandgaininsightintotheeffectculturaldifferenceshaveoncommunication.II.Internationalbusiness2.1ThedefinitionofinternationalbusinessWhetheryouaredealingwithissuesofmarketing,management,finance,oreventhedetailsofaccountingforafirm’sassetsandbusinessactivities,thesuccessorfailureofyourcompanyabroadwilldependonhoweffectivelyyouremployeescanexercisetheirskillsinanewlocation.Thatabilitywilldependonboththeirjob-relatedexpertiseandeachindividual’ssensitivityandresponsivenesstoanewculturalenvironment.Sowhatexactlyiscultureandhowdoesitaffectthewaywedobusiness?Cultureiseverythingthatpeoplehave,think,anddoasmembersoftheirsociety.Cultureaffectsandisacentralpartofoursociety,oureconomy,andtheorganizations,whichemployus.Everythingyouown,lease,borrow,oruseisdefinedasapartofyourculture,fromtheautomobileyoudrivetotheclothingyouwear.Wemakejudgmentseachdayaboutthepeoplewemeetanddobusinesswith,oftenwithoutevenbeingawarewearedoingso.People,inturn,judgeusbythematerialobjectsweuseandsurroundourselveswith.Wealsotendtocategorizepeopleaccordingtothewaystheythink,theideastheybelieve,orthebasicvaluestheyholdtobetrue.Everysocietyhascertainculturalnormsregardingbehavior.Atthebroadsociallevel,culturetellsuswhoweare(whatgroupswebelongto)andhowweshouldbehave.Ittellsuswhatshouldbeimportantaswellashowactinvarioussituations.Hereareafewideasaboutculturethathavebeenshowntobetrueacrosstimeandacrossbothnationalandculturalboundaries.Cultureislearned.Fewofuswouldgiveamoment’sthoughtoflearninghowtobeAmerican,Italian,Mexicanoranyotherculture.Ifyouwereintoaculture,youlearnedfromthemomentyoubegantosee,hear,andbreathe.Ourfirstcultureissocloselydefinedwitheachofusthatwearebarelyawarewehaveone.Learningasecondculture,though,isclearlymoredifficult.Theolderwebecome,theclosertoimpossiblethetaskbecomes.Culturecaninfluencebiologyandbiologycaninfluenceculture.Thismaynotseemself-evidentatfirst,butculturecan–anddoes-haveanenormousinfluenceonhumanbiology.ThemoststrikingexamplecanbeseeninthedramaticincreaseinaverageheightandbodyweightoftheJapanesepeopleduringthelast50yearsofthetwentiethcentury.Menintheirthirddecadeoflifenowweighsubstantiallymorethantheirgrandfathersdidandare,onaverage,severalinchestaller.Thegainsinwomen’sphysiognomyareequallyimpressive.Cultureisconstantlyundergoingchange.Amongthebasictruthsaboutcultureisthatnoneiseverstatic.Theclothingpeoplewear,thetransportationtheyuse,thebooktheyread,thetopicstheytalkabout.Thefoodtheyeat,themusictheylistenanddanceto,allwillchangeovertime.Changeistheconstantineveryculture.Cultureschangebecauseofinternalforces,suchasdiscovery,invention,andinnovation.Theyalsochangebecauseofexternalforces,includingthediffusionofinnovationacrossspaceandtime,andborrowingthetraits,habitsorcustomsofanotherculture.Clearly,understandingwhatmotivatesthepeopleyouhopetodobusinesswithwillbecrucialtoyoursuccess.Technicalcompetenceinyourlineofworkisimportant,butsoisanunderstandingoftheculture,customs,norms,andbeliefsofothers,whetherdomesticallyorinternationally.Theworld’seconomyisbecomingmoreglobalandinterdependent.Ourownnationisundergoingsimilarchanges.Theonlyconstantintheyearsahead,itseems,willbechangeditself.2.2MainformsofcommunicationininternationalbusinessTheimportanceofcommunicationininternationalbusinessbecomesevenmoreapparentwhenweconsiderthecommunicationactivitiesofanorganizationfromanoverallpointofview.Theseactivitiesfallintothreebroadcategories:internaloperational,externaloperational,andpersonal.Internal-operationalcommunication.Allthecommunicationthatoccursinconductingworkwithinabusinessisclassifiedasinternaloperational.Thisisthecommunicationamongthebusiness’sworkersthatisdonetoimplementthebusiness’soperatingplan.Internal-operationalcommunicationtakesmanyforms.Itincludestheordersandinstructionsthatsupervisorsgiveworkers,aswellasoralexchangesamongworkersaboutworkmatters.Itincludesreportsandrecordsthatworkersprepareconcerningsales,production,inventories,finance,maintenance,andsoon.Itincludesthememorandumsandreportsthatworkerswriteincarryingouttheirassignments.Muchofthisinternal-operationalcommunicationisperformedoncomputernetworks.Workerssendelectronicmailthroughnetworkstoothersthroughoutthebusiness,whetherlocateddownthehall,acrossthestreet,oraroundtheworld,thecomputeralsoassiststhebusinesswriterandspeakerinmanyotheraspectsofcommunication.External-operationalcommunication.Thework-relatedcommunicatingthatabusinessdoeswithpeopleandgroupsoutsidethebusinessisexternal-operationalcommunication.Thisisthebusiness’scommunicationwithitspublic-suppliers,servicecompanies,customers,andthegeneralpublic.External-operationalcommunicationincludesallofthebusiness’seffortsatdirectselling-salespeople’s“spiels”,descriptivebrochures,telephonecallbacks,follow-upservicecalls,andthelike.Italsoincludestheadvertisingthebusinessdoes,forwhatisadvertisingbutcommunicationwithpotentialcustomers?Radioandtelevisionmessages,newspaperandmagazineadvertising,andpoint-of-purchasedisplaymaterialobviouslylayaroleinthebusiness’splantoachieveitsworkobjective.Alsointhiscategoryisallthatabusinessdoestoimproveitspublicrelations,includingitsplannedpublicity,thecivic-mindednessofitsmanagement,thecourtesyofitsemployees,andtheconditionofitsphysicalplant.Andofveryspecialimportancetoourstudyofcommunication,thiscategoryincludesallthelettersthatworkerswriteincarryingouttheirassignments.Technologyassistsworkerswithexternal-operationalcommunicationinbothconstructingandtransmittingdocuments.Forexample,salespeoplecankeepdatabaseinformationoncustomers:checktheircompany’scomputersfornewproductinformationandinventoryinformationconstructsales,orderconfirmation,andotherlettersfortheircustomers.Theseletterscanbetransmittedbyfax,electronicmail,orprintedcopy.Theimportanceofexternal-operationalcommunicationtoabusinesshardlyrequiressupportingcomment.Everybusinessisdependentonoutsidepeopleandgroupsforitssuccess.Andbecausethesuccessofabusinessdependsonitsabilitytosatisfycustomers’needs,itmustcommunicateeffectivelywiththem.Intoday’scomplexbusinesssociety,businessesdependoneachotherintheproductionanddistributionalcommunication;externalcommunicationisvitaltobusinesssuccess.Personalcommunication.Notallthecommunicationthatoccursinbusinessisoperational.Infact,muchofitiswithoutpurposeasfarasthebusinessisconcerned.Suchcommunicationiscalledpersonal.Personalcommunicationistheexchangeofinformationandfeelingsinwhichwehumanbeingsengag