The impacts of a globalized marketplace and a diverse workforce have changed the way we communicate. Communication has evolved to accommodate to changes in our lives. The reason I chose this topic is because if we want to succeed in today's competitive world economy, we must learn about other cultures and learn how to effectively communicate with people from all over the world, and people with different views. The world economies are interdependent and no country can live in isolation. As fear escalates, recent social, economic and political reforms sweeping the Middle East will have a profound impact on the economies of the world.
In today’s Wall Street Journal, An article about oil prices going up is written by Guy Chazana aptly titled Oil Prices Surge on Fears Unrest May Hurt Supply. In the article, oil prices have surged to 2008 levels. Worries about effects of the chaos on the Suez Canal and the Sumed pipeline could further increase the prices of oil. Both the Suez Canal and Sumed pipeline (which connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea) carried about 2.6 million barrels a day in December. Oil can still reach Europe and the U.S if ships are rerouted around Africa but that would further increase the price of oil.
This is an obvious example of how the world economies are connected. An unrest in Egypt will increase gas prices at the pumps. We can’t not care about what is going on around the world and say this will not affect me. This goes beyond how much you pay for a gallon of oil, or the cost to heat your home. This is going to change the way the Middle East is perceived by the West.
If we want to understand what is going on in Egypt, we must first understand their culture and history. In business communication we need to learn about other cultures. Learning about other cultures can enhance the ability to perform better in today’s highly competitive globalized economy. How do we learn about other cultures and improve our skills in intercultural communications? We can learn about other cultures by studying other cultures and languages, respect style preferences, write and speak clearly, listen carefully, using translators and interpreters and helping others to adapt to our culture. To enhance our sensitivity to culture and diversity we need to overcome ethnocentrism, and recognize cultural differences.
Secondly, the American workforce is becoming more diverse and we must utilize the advantages of a diverse workforce if we want to become effective managers. As managers we must realize that advantages of a diverse workforce. According to the textbook, some of these advantages include a broader range of views and ideas, a better understanding of diverse fragmented markets, and a broader pool of talent from which to recruit. Moreover, thousands of U.S businesses depend on exports for a large portion of their revenues to countries around the world. Most of these countries speak a different Language than English and have a different culture that what we are used to.
