Communication in a Multicultural Business Meeting

Intercultural Communication - Group

As the Manufacturing Procurement Lead for an American/Japanese automobile manufacturer, my main task is to coordinate several characteristics of production and delivery schedule of an Italian designed and manufactured electronic braking system for a new high performance sports car to be launched to the American market. An important aspect of achieving this goal is conducting a three-day meeting that incorporates various social activities, price, negotiations of delivery schedule, and creation of a preliminary contract. The social activities include cocktail reception on the first evening and a final dinner on the final day of the three-day meeting. The other vital component of success in this meeting is an understanding of group dynamics since it will affect discussions and negotiations.

The American/Japanese automotive manufacturer will be doing business with an Italian company, which implies that understanding cultural differences and business interactions with the Italian customer is essential for successful negotiations. This is crucial towards achieving cross-cultural success through an understanding of and respect for cultural differences. Similar to most south European people, Italians are relationship-oriented given that they have preference for developing direct relationships before engaging in business. Italians tend to prefer direct relationship, which is developed by establishing a climate of respect and trust before discussing a business deal or proposal. In addition, these people consider business meetings as means to obtain deeper understanding of an issue instead of generating conclusions in decision-making. Therefore, the Italian customer will largely focus on analysis and explorations instead of emphasis on decision making ("Business Meeting Etiquette," n.d.).

With regards to culture, protecting and safeguarding the natural heritage of Italy is important even in business negotiations and discussions. The Italian culture does not necessarily prioritize punctuality, which implies that some delays should be expected in the discussions between the American/Japanese automotive manufacturer and the Italian customer. While the American and Japanese culture may consider delay as a sign of disrespect, punctuality is not a major issue for Italians ("Business Etiquette," n.d.). Therefore, Italians tend to allow flexibility into work plans, especially when setting deadlines. However, when some deadlines must be strictly met, it's important to clarify to the Italian customer. Given their preference for doing many things simultaneously, Italians have a tendency of multitasking. This implies that the business interactions should accommodate shift of priorities in case of emergence of new demands but without significant interruptions.

Gift giving is not common in the Italian business culture though a small token of appreciation is suitable for Italian hospitality. The Italian culture also places much significance on dress and presentation in which fashionable style is regarded as an indicator of success and wealthy social status. The Italian business culture prefers formal dressing for business meetings, particularly dark colors for businessmen and elegance for businesswomen.

Since Italians are exploratory and analysis-oriented, business discussions or negotiations tend to be lengthy and conducted slowly. This is also brought by Italians' tendency to critically examine advantages and risks as well as increased likelihood of contacting individuals with limited decisional authority who must report to other executives for final decisions. A sense of urgency during business interactions with Italians tends to weaken a person's or an organization's bargaining power. In business interactions and negotiations, Italians place much emphasis on verbal commitments, which implies that final contracts are based on previous informal commitments. Moreover, interrupting a speaker during business discussions or interactions with Italians is tolerated because it's considered as a means of introducing new elements or reaching conclusions quickly.

Key Points for PowerPoint Presentation

The three-day business meeting will involve interactions between American/Japanese automotive manufacturer and an Italian customer, which implies that it's a mixture of three different cultures.

Formal dressing is usually required when conducting business with Italians, especially for serious and positive impression during initial contact.

The Italian customer will prefer direct relationships based on a climate of trust and respect before engaging in business discussions and negotiations.