Business Letter; “Write a business letter to an international audience” Custom Essay

    Focus on managing a problem/issue with the business associate. The problem has reached a point at which you conclude, if the issue is not resolved you will have no other alternative but to end the relationship.
    To be clear, the errors were made by the organization from a high-context culture, in this case Japan—not your organization. You will need to articulate both the problem and a solution/action plan for managing the problem. Depending on your level of expertise with regard to Japan and Japanese audiences, you may need to do extra research on how to conduct business effective within this specific culture.
    You are the CEO of a small, profitable jewelry company; your specialty is making shell pearl jewelry designs. In particular, you design pearl bracelets, necklaces, and rings. For the past ten years, you have worked with a Japanese company, Watanabe Exchange, and, overall, appreciate the work that they have done for you. However, in the last six months, the quality of the products has decreased, shipping costs have increased, and quite a few orders have arrived late.
    The following are examples of how the products have decreased in quality:
    •the colors of some of the dyed pearls have been off (i.e. the blue pearls have too much green in them; the white pearls are inconsistent—sometimes pure white and sometimes cream; the red coloring is too bright);
    •there are often small chips on the exterior of the shell pearl;
    •bracelet and necklace clasps are beginning to break or are already broken upon arrival to the warehouse;
    •the shell pearl rings are the incorrect size—much too large—and are therefore impossible to sell.
    It is important to note that you view this business relationship as important, and you would like to maintain this relationship; however, you must be assured that the problems are solved and that they will not happen again.
    When crafting your one page letter, you should:
    •include an introduction, body, and conclusion;
    •use full block format;
    •include a date line, inside address, salutation, complementary close, signature, enclosure line (if necessary), and copy notation (if necessary);
    •write short, manageable single-spaced paragraphs;
    •skip a space between each paragraph; and
    •incorporate bullet points or lists ONLY IF APPROPRIATE.

    Remember: ‘Bad News letters’ should~
    •Be easy to read and understand
    •Reflect a professional business tone and polite, appropriate phrasing
    •Explain the reasons clearly and completely
    •Maintain the confidence of the receiver as well as the professional relationship
    Remember also that when crafting your message to an international audience, you will need to take an audience-centered approach. Dates and salutations are often written differently in different countries. In addition, most high-context cultures use a less direct approach, especially when communicating about problems; saving face is critical in such cultures.
    Use your creativity to design a letterhead for the company. The address for your letterhead is:
    1 A well-articulated summary of anthropologist Edward T. Hall’s theory of high-context cultures is represented in the following paragraphs.
    According to Hall, high-context cultures—including much of the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America—are relational, collectivist, and intuitive. This means that people in these cultures emphasize interpersonal relationships. Developing trust is an important first step to any business transaction, and the value of trust must continue throughout the business relationship. Most high-context cultures are collectivist, preferring group harmony and consensus to individual achievement; and, people in these cultures are less governed by reason than by intuition or feelings. Words are not so important as context, which might include the speaker’s tone of voice, facial expression, gestures, posture—and even the person’s family history and status.
    A Japanese manager explained his culture’s communication style to an American: “We are a homogeneous people and don’t have to speak as much as you do here. When we say one word, we understand ten, but here you have to say ten to understand one.” High-context communication tends to be more indirect and more formal. Flowery language, humility, and elaborate apologies are typical. Values include: honor, trust, accuracy, relationships, family, work, groups, indirect communication, sensitivity to conflict, and saving face.

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