Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Cross-Cultural Communications

I read a blog post a few days ago by a friend who is studying abroad in Paris. The title of her post was "Lost in Translation."  


She said: 
"Here, the word "date" means nothing. Literally, there's no translation. Rendez-vous is probably the closest thing you can say to "date". but it still doesn't have the same meaning. You can Rendez-vous with your boss, teacher and grandparents. The word I am looking for has nothing to do with my grandparents, ya dig?"


I found this to be so interesting! I think it relates quite nicely to cross-cultural communications. Even though the book says that "globalization has narrowed the cultural divide" and that "cross-cultural faux pas are no longer deal-killers," I still believe that it's important for organizations to understand all aspects of not only their current customers, but also smaller segmented groups of customers they may or may not be communicating with. 







There are so many innuendos of other cultures that organizations fail to recognize, and these can hugely inhibit the success of their business affairs.  As the "global village" continues to expand, we will probably being to see less and less differences between cultures. Nevertheless, there will still most likely be very obvious barriers like language, customs and traditions that are imperative to understanding how a culture works, thinks and communicates.    

I found a handy chart that suggests ways in which to enhance cross-cultural communications. It goes along with the tactics listed in the book like awareness, commitment, research, partnerships, testing and evaluation. I think it epitomizes the steps that need to be taken in order to fully understand a different culture in a business or publica relations setting. 


To me, the most important would be to ask questions, distinguish perspectives, and respect differences.  

Adventures in PR: Consumer Relations

As our country's economy continues to weaken, what effect is it having on the American consumer? If money is the tool that allows people to exchange goods and services, what will happen as less and less people are able to acquire money?

According to chapter 8, the middle and upper classes control the majority of consumer spending power in our country. But as we are well aware of today, the middle class is quickly shrinking as jobs are becoming more scarce due to companies hiring less employees.

The section titled "Surging Demand for Luxury Goods" talked about how luxury items have evolved to become necessity. "These lifestyle and expenditure norms have risen pretty dramatically for the middle class and the upper middle class." But can it keep on rising? How much longer until the whole thing just collapses in on itself?



From a PR perspective, sure, consumer relations is crucial to the continuation of the profession and for companies and corporations to remain in existence. But what responsibilities, if any, do these entities have  in ensuring the continuation of an actual physical economic environment to continue this way of life? Banks (who are controlled, of course, by corporations) just keep printing more and more money, sending the value of the dollar directly into the toilet, all while the American "consumer" is worked to the bone so he can afford "necessities" like new cars, cell phones and flat screen TVs. And, while all this is going on, our global environment is being destroyed just so these gadgets can exist. It's an entirely screwed up and unsustainable situation.

I guess this is more of a rant than a journal entry, but it's just what's on my mind at this point.

Also, don't you think it'd be nice if Champlain re-named their "Mass Communications" major to "Integrated Marketing Communications"? It has a more succinct ring to it. "Mass Communications" is too generic and I always have to explain what it means when people ask me what my major is.


Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Adventures in PR: B2B Relations


 The expression that encompasses the concept of B2B relations the most, in my opinion, is “the facilitation of mutually beneficial relationships.”

As chapter 9 stated, there is not one single conclusive definition for business to business (B2B) relations.  In my opinion, this is because B2B relations encompasses so many different facets of communication. In my own experiences as the Communications Director for Black Horse Fine Art Supply in Burlington, VT, I can see how so many responsibilities can meld together. 

Not only do I facilitate communication between the business and its clients, but also between merchandise distributors, potential customers, social media platforms and so on. I am simultaneously incorporating PR, marketing and advertising, social media, as well as web and graphic design to help promote the business as a whole.

These efforts all come together to help accomplish the main goals of B2B relations: to drive sales and acquire new customers.  I predict that B2B relations will continue to grow and expand to fit in with the constantly evolving economic, social and technological landscape we inhabit. 

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Mac: Pre-released Download!

While trolling the interwebs the other day I came across a beautiful working torrent for Adobe Photoshop CS6. It requires you to add a patch to the host file but other than that it's easy as pie to install. 

Adobe Photoshop CS6 with its fancy new grey interface. 
Important note about this download: the serials will only work for 1 year as with all pre-released versions of Adobe software. 


Click here to go to torrent download page via kickasstorrents.com


Questions/Comments? Leave them below!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Adventures in PR: Community Relations

Community relations is all about fostering relationships among different groups within the public.  I recently read a press release from PR Newswire titled "Aggregate Industries US Recognized for Excellence in Environmental and Community Relations." This news release caught my eye for a few different reasons.  First, because I have driven by Aggregate Industries quarries many times in my home state of Massachusetts, and second, because of their obvious positive impact on both the environment and the local community.  

This is a very important achievement for Aggregate Industries.  They are a leading supplier of construction materials to markets in 16 different states. This means their business operations affect an extremely wide variety of communities.  As a business with such a large responsibility on their hands, it is good to  know they are working hard at fostering positive relationships across our country. 

Aggregate Industries

The news release states: 
"The community relations award recognizes companies that effectively enhance public perception of the aggregates industry. NSSGA awards those facilities that demonstrate they are an asset to their community, good neighbors and responsible corporate citizens." 

Aggregate Industries is clearly applying the social exchange theory in their business practice.  They are minimizing costs and maximizing rewards for the communities they deal with.  


Another interesting article I found about community relations is called "Seattle police board hosts community relations talk."  Apparently, a recent investigation into the Seattle police department revealed an excessive use of force by many of the officers while on the job.  This has created quite a division between the police force and the public of Seattle.  A community relations consultant from Ohio was hired to coach the department about community relations and ways that they could increase a positive image within the community.  

This is an interesting application of community relations, because there is clearly a sharp dichotomy between law enforcement officials and civilians, not only in Seattle but in all of America.  I think if community relations is correctly utilized in this situation, the benefits could be very rewarding for the community.  

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Adventures in PR - Media Relations

This chapter got me thinking about the quality of news available to us in this day and age.  As someone who watches very little television news, I rely mainly on websites like The Huffington Post and Google News for obtaining information. I also like to follow a variety of different individuals and organizations on Twitter who post interesting and relevant articles from a variety of different sources. 


I've noticed that in the past year and a half, ever since The Huffington Post merged with AOL, the quality of their news has gone downhill fast. The most popular stories nowadays are almost entirely celebrity based.  The more outlandish the headlines, the more views and comments an article tends to have.  


typical "news" from HuffPo

This is very disheartening. I think as a society we've become conditioned to focus so much on Hollywood and celebrities that people literally couldn't care less about what's going on in our country politically, never mind what's happening on a global scale. Of course, this doesn't apply to everyone, but in terms of the masses, I seriously believe people are brainwashed.  


Lately I've been heading over to Al Jazeera English for my news. I love this site for a few different reasons.  First of all, it's not American! The content is actually NEWSWORTHY, objectively written, and unbiased. I don't have to worry about what American corporation might be paying to plug a story. There is no celebrity garbage cluttering up the headlines. 


actual news

I also enjoy this site because it covers news from every single corner of the globe. The stories are fresh and interesting. The people who comment on articles actually seem intelligent and provide scintillating discourse. Many of the stories I find here are not found on other American news websites. Are they censored stories? I'm not sure. But I am sure that many people could benefit from more actual news like what's provided through this site!