International Communications Exam

Front 1

Ten Factors

Back 1

1. Language challenges
2. Political considerations
3. Different ethical systems (corruption)
4. Different laws and legal systems
5. Different cultural norms (what's 'proper')
6. Religious influences
7. Attitudes towards women
8. "Early Stage" media limitations
9. "Narrow" media channel
10. Limited information technology infrastructure

Front 2

Why is corporate communications an increasingly international practice?

Back 2

1. Companies operate without borders, becoming transnational, multinational, and even supra-national. Disciplines within these organizations - including PR - are global practices.
2. In working for foreign-owned companies, Canadian PR practitioners may be reporting to a management structure in another country, language and business culture.
3. Canadian corporate communicators increasingly find themselves working for offshore companies and doing 'international' communication in Canada.

So, corporate communicators must be 'globalized' - globally aware and skilled but 'locally' informed and competent.

Front 3

Why is excellent translation and proofreading so important?

Back 3

Mistakes can be VERY embarrassing (eg. Incest in Canada Day). Good translation and good proofreading are your first line of defense against language errors in messaging. Budget heavily for translation and proofreading - doing it right is expensive, but doing it wrong is more expensive. You can loose money, time, reputation, and - worst - corporate confidence in you.

Front 4

What is Ogden's Razor?

Back 4

Ogden's Razor is derived from Occam's Razor - the simplest answer is usually the best one.
Ogden's Razor is to get local help ASAP.
Getting local help as soon as you can is the solution for avoiding many blunders when operating in another country.

Front 5

What are implicit and explicit messages?

Back 5

This is a part of language challenges, and it is a "cultural trap". It affects how you present a message that will be understood.
North American/Anglo communication styles are 'explicit', messages are conveyed solely through words. Background information is necessary, ambiguity is avoided and spoken words have literal meaning. (onus is on speaker to deliver the message).
In many other cultures (often high context cultures), communication is 'implicit', messages can be interpreted differently based on who is speaking. Listeners are expected to read between the lines. (Onus is on listener to interpret the message.)

Front 6

Why is understanding political control over the media so important to PR practitioners?

Back 6

Political power is about who gets to speak and who has to listen. Communication is often controlled by the state (China/N. Korea). Mass media is the prime means by which professional communicators deliver messages to their public. The degree to which a state controls its media is a crucial question for corporate communication practitioners because it is a controlling factor in how easily we will be able to do our jobs.

Front 7

What are the 5 standards of professionalism in global relations code of ethics?

Back 7

Advocacy, Honesty, Integrity, Expertise, Loyalty.

Front 8

Why is it important to have a plan B (local resources)?

Back 8

Plan B must be created because there is always the risk of plan A falling apart, for example due to misinterpretation. If plan A falls apart, a plan B with local resources is much easier to start. But plan B must be organized and prepare well in advance and has to only be with your resources available to you on the ground in your target country.

Front 9

What are the 4 areas/ types of law on human behavior?

Back 9

1) Laws around message (constraints on information dissemination/ dialogue)

2) Laws around images (what you show)

3) Laws around public assembly
4) Laws that affect individual behaviour

Front 10

What is the significance of the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (CFPOA) to corporate communicators?

Back 10

In the global context, ethics arises much more often and to more egregious degrees than it usually does in North America/ Europe. In MANY countries, what we might consider corruption is 'how things are done here'.

The Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (CFPOA) looms large at all times for the international corporate communicator.
By this definition, corruption involves officials.
There is a debate on whether or not labeling the behavior of foreign officials as "corrupt" is racist - we (the developed world) impose our standards for civil service on them (the developing world). On the other side of the debate, others say that if it's not wrong, then why is it done surreptitiously?

The Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act is an anti-corruption law, and it tells us that we shouldn't take bribes.

The PR Codes of Ethics will be immensely helpful in dealing with any ethical dilemmas.

Front 11

Why is political control of the media important?

Back 11

Mass media is the #1 channel for international corporate communications. Knowing whether political control of the media is a factor will help to discern whether which media is best and trusted. And it will also help you discover which persons to speak with and what messages are OK for media to disseminate. (Ex. China paints a picture of Tienanmen Square then the rest of the world does).

Front 12

Essay on Language Challenges

Back 12

Language is more than the spoken word. It is a complex mosaic of culture history and national determinism.

The relative importance of global languages to corporate communicators is easy to measure 0 by where they fit in the most important emerging global corporate communication channel - the Internet.

There are many different languages used by people around the world.

Pure language Issues around how messages are being understood

Cultural traps: linguistic imperialism, dis-honouring non-official languages, 'implicit' vs 'explicit' understanding of the message, and tone -what's expected' - in the written and spoken word.

Hire a good translator and a separate proofreader. Hire the best you can afford, making a mistake will be more costly.

Also, when the text in a document has been translated, be aware of and budget for print 'swell' and 'shrink'.

The best solution for avoiding language traps is to get local help as early as you can.