Web conferencing is currently a major tool available to the business world. Its advertised uses are to save time and travel costs, bring large groups together for meetings, training presentations and interviews, allow sales teams to deliver a sales pitch from anywhere in the world and the ability to reach key decision-makers quickly. (Cochand, 2011) What is not presented is a disclaimer warning that knowing the intended audience is important prior to replacing the traditional method of face-to-face meetings, with the new wave of technology based meetings. Laying the framework for potential deals on the international stage still requires face-to-face meetings and a thorough understanding of not only the people involved but an …show more content…

Our words may not be interpreted in the way they were intended if the host culture was not first considered. Listening and observation is another cross-cultural competency that was evident and also a key component of the communication process. Mark Sullivan, CEO of WhittmanHart Consulting, demonstrated this competency by realizing his presence was more important than his words after the death of the company’s founder (Kreitner, Kinicki, 2010). Muhtar Kent of Coca-Cola represented the cross-cultural compentency of coping with ambiguity by meeting with a doctor who 3 years later became president of Albania that allowed for a bottling plant in that country (Kreitner, Kinicki, 2010). His years of forging a relationship and recognizing the potential in this person proved beneficial. Personally, the idea of receiving a foreign assignment one day is one that intrigues me, not only for myself but for my family. After reading the case study, it reemphasizes what I see frequently within my profession. It is a global world and to be successful in a global world you need to be in tune with the many different people and cultures that flourish in different ways from our own. I see great opportunity in a foreign assignment as I will learn firsthand the inner workings of a particular culture. I feel I’m more open to people and their ideas with the brief glimpses I am exposed to with my travels around the globe. I believe living in these places longer than 2-3 days