Objectives

• Describe the role of communication in business;
• Describe the communication skills and responsibilities of a business communicator; and
• Analyze communication barriers.

Description

Rivera is a young entrepreneur who imports medical supplies and distributes them in Canada. During the covid-19 pandemic, she has been inundated with requests for personal protective equipment (PPE) and tests, and she is doing her best to source and supply medical clients with needed equipment in a highly stressful time.

Recently, Elena received an order worth $20,000, which she paid, and then found that the masks did not meet Canadian medical standards. For a small business, $20,000 is a lot of money to lose on a defective order, so Elena wants to work out a mutually beneficial solution with her supplier.

The supplier is from China, and communication with the supplier has been challenging. The different time zones mean that the business hours do not coincide. There is also a language barrier. Even though the supplier representative, Ky Chung, speaks some English, it is difficult to communicate because there are often misunderstandings.

Elena is aware that its really important to develop strong relationships with her business contacts in China because the Chinese culture places high importance on relationships. Elena finds herself treading carefully to be tactful and respectful in her communications with Mr. Chung. She doesnt want to offend him, but she wants to ensure that they are able to work out a solution to replace the order because of how much money she has at stake on this transaction. She also feels that sometimes, Mr. Chung, who has been in business quite a long time, does not take her very seriously when she negotiates with him.

While this is a fairly new working relationship, the two firms have been successful in working out compromises before. But there have also been other differences that are difficult to overcome, such as delivery time, lack of trust, and age/gender issues.

What communication barriers did Elena encounter in this scenario, and how can she overcome them? Think of a situation in which you encountered barriers to communication. Describe the barriers. How did you handle the situation, and what did you learn from it?

Answer should different.