IL(13)-Strategy.ppt

1、USING INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE,Learning Objectives,Identify characteristics of good written communication. Identify characteristics of good oral communication. Identify characteristics of the good usage of weights and measures (metric system). Identify the importance of cult

2、ural sensitivity. Review specific advice given in preceding chapters.,Outline,Communication Challenges International English Special English Metric System Cultural Sensitivity Specific Advice Social capital,Outline,Communication Challenges International English Special English Metric System Cultural

3、 Sensitivity Specific Advice Social capital,Communication Challenges,Effective communication is a challenge in international trade. Most international communication takes place in English. English is everybodys “second language.” Native speakers and non-native speakers have a particularly hard time

4、communicating. Most international communication is done in challenging conditions: over the phone, by fax or through e-mail. Good communications build a competitive advantage.,Communication Challenges,Classification of Languages in Terms of Difficulty to Learn for a Native English Speaker,Outline,Co

5、mmunication Challenges International English Special English Metric System Cultural Sensitivity Specific Advice Social capital,International English,Definition A technique of written communication in the English language, developed by Edmond Weiss It consists of removing all possible ambiguities, so

6、 that the communication can be understood by someone with a limited knowledge of English. Using International English in written communications can help build a competitive advantage.,International English,Rules of Good Written Communication Always assume that the person for whom English is a second

7、 language is relying on a dictionary for some words; use the word with the clearest definition. Example “The companys sales took off 25 percent last year,” Write “The companys sales increased 25 percent last year.” Identify which dictionary definition matches “increase” in the next slide; what is th

8、e first definition? Speculate as to what could be understood.,International English,Take-Off entry in the dictionary:,International English,Rules of Good Written Communication Always proofread carefully and avoid all grammatical and spelling errors. Example “The customer purchases products from Comp

9、any A and its marketing services form Company B.” Write “The customer purchases products from Company A and its marketing services from Company B.” The original sentence could be understood as “The customer purchases products from Company A and (it is in the business of) marketing services for Compa

10、ny B.”,International English,Rules of Good Written Communication Always make sure that quantitative information will be understood without doubt. Example “The patent was granted on 06/12/05.” Write “The patent was granted on 12 June 2005.” An American reader will understand the original 06/12/05 “co

11、rrectly,” but a French reader will understand “6 December 2005” and a Chinese reader will understand “5 December 2006.”,International English,Rules of Good Written Communication Always use simple and short sentences, containing only one idea, and avoid all stylistic “shortcuts.” Example “The company

12、 requests the report be sent early in the month.” Write “The company requests that the report should be sent between the first and fifth day of the month,” although it may not be perfect grammatical English.,International English,Rules of Good Written Communication Never use idioms that are sport or

13、 military related, as they are rarely, if ever, understood properly. Example “Our salespeople hit several home runs at the trade show last week.” Write “Our salespeople had several substantial successes at the trade show last week.” Consider that a “home run” is a “hit in baseball that enables the b

14、atter to make a complete circuit of the bases and score a run,” and speculate on what the foreign recipient of this e-mail will understand,Outline,Communication Challenges International English Special English Metric System Cultural Sensitivity Specific Advice Social capital,Special English,Definiti

15、on A technique of oral communication in the English language, developed by the Voice of America. It is designed so that the oral communication can be understood by someone with a limited knowledge of English. Using Special English in phone conversations and in-person conversations can help build a c

16、ompetitive advantage.,Special English,Rules of Special English Sentences should be short and contain only one idea. Example “We did not yet get delivery of this shipment because our freight forwarder told us that Customs was waiting for a document that our bank had not released.” Say “We did not get

17、 delivery of the shipment. There is a problem with a document. Our bank has not released the document to Customs. We learned this information from our freight forwarder,” although the last sentence is probably unnecessary.,Special English,Rules of Special English The vocabulary should be limited to

18、correct and accurate terms. Example Do not say “We will call you tomorrow, irregardless, about the amount of boxes that we did not receive.” Say “We will call you tomorrow about the number of boxes that we did not receive.” * * “Amount” is a word used for non-countable items (sand, money, etc.: we c

19、annot say 1 sand, 2 sands, .) and “number is the correct word for countable items (1 box, 2 boxes, .). “Irregardless” is a non-existent word,Special English,Rules of Special English The speed at which the sentences are spoken should be slower. Example Do not speak at a normal conversational rate. Sp

20、eak as slowly as you can possibly handle, enunciate every word of every sentence and make every word “distinct” from the others.,Special English,Rules of Special English If a foreigner asks a native speaker to repeat a sentence, do not repeat it louder. The native speaker should repeat the sentence

21、using slightly different vocabulary or repeat the sentence and offer an alternative word. Example Suppose “Our company would like to sleep on that proposal for a few days,” is not understood. Repeat “Our company would like to sleep on that proposal think about it for a few days.”,Outline,Communicati

22、on Challenges International English Special English Metric System Cultural Sensitivity Specific Advice Social capital,Metric System,Definition A decimal measuring system developed in the late eighteenth century Since the 1960s, it is officially known as the International System of Units (abbreviated

23、 SI, due to its French name, the Systme International dUnits). It is widely adopted worldwide (the only system of measurement for many countries), but not commonly used in the United States. Using the Metric System in all transactions will build a competitive advantage over U.S. competitors, but wil

24、l only close the competitive disadvantage with other foreign competitors.,Metric System,Rules for using the Metric System It should be the only system used in international transactions. Few people understand the intricacies of the U.S. system of measurements. Example Do not offer to sell items in c

25、artons of 24 retail boxes, each being 8 ounces in size. One looking up “ounces” will find that there are at least five different types of ounces in the U.S. system, and will not know which was used.,Metric System,Rules for using the Metric System The simple conversion of U.S. units into metric units

26、 is not appropriate; the translation of a “round” number of U.S. units into an odd number of metric units is not useful. Use “round” numbers of metric units. Example Do not sell items in 3.785-liter containers (1 U.S. gallon). Sell items in 1- or 2-liter containers, which is what the foreigner can u

27、nderstand (and its customers).,Outline,Communication Challenges International English Special English Metric System Cultural Sensitivity Specific Advice Social capital,Cultural Sensitivity,Intercultural Communication Points Learn the way people address each other in person, in the mail or over the t

28、elephone and the level of formality that such interactions necessitate. Understand the work culture of a country. Recognize that there are culturally determined differences in the way people respond to requests. Learn the ways in which people spend their workday.,Outline,Communication Challenges Int

29、ernational English Special English Metric System Cultural Sensitivity Specific Advice Social capital,Specific Advice,A company can obtain a strategic advantage over its competitors by making customer-driven decisions: By being flexible in the choice of Incoterm in a particular transaction By offerin

30、g terms of payment that are favorable to the customer, while protecting itself from the risk of default By choosing a currency of payment that is convenient to the importer, while hedging its transaction exposure By being very careful and diligent in its document preparation By using appropriate and

31、 thoughtful packaging alternatives,Outline,Communication Challenges International English Special English Metric System Cultural Sensitivity Specific Advice Social capital,Social capital: why social and why capital?,The word capital indicates that we are dealing with an asset which when used have ec

32、onomically beneficial effects. The word social indicates that the asset springs from social relations Studies have shown a correlation between social capital and competitiveness, economic growth and development Social capital makes possible the achievement of ends that would otherwise not be attaina

33、ble, or the achievement of ends at costs lower than in its absence.,Definition of Social Capital,“. features of social organization, such as trust, norms and networks that can improve the efficiency of society by facilitating coordinated action” (Putnam) ”. the ability of actors to secure benefits by virtue of