Conclusions
The conclusions, limitations and recommendations of the present study were discussed in this chapter. This section presented the conclusions in line with the themes. All the themes examined the intercultural communication of Nicaraguan coffee business managers affiliated to CATO as follows.
The first research question explored the characteristics of the intercultural communication between Nicaraguan coffee business managers and their Taiwanese counterpart. Nicaraguan coffee business managers have years of experience communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds. For most of them, is the first time experiencing intercultural communication with Asian culture. The previous experience with other cultures helped them to create an initial positive business relationship.
The first experience with their Taiwanese counterpart was positive in all aspects, positive feedback was given as for the data gathered during the analysis process. All of the Nicaraguan coffee business managers started with a good first impression and business relationship that has become stronger during the years. Verbal communication plays an important role in this interaction. It is not commonly used and usually an interpreter assistance is needed but managers have been properly using other channels such as social media and emails to maintain a constant and successful communication with their Taiwanese counterpart.
Nicaraguan coffee business managers and their Taiwanese counterpart have notable differences that pose difficulties during the communication process. Literature review was backed by some of the findings and proposed other notable differences. All of the managers pointed differences during the communication process they have to overcome to manage a successful communication.
Language barrier was mentioned by all of the managers as a primary difficulty. Other external difficulties included the time difference and geographic location of the two countries where the two parts are located. Culture differences and working style were also mentioned as notable
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differences that create difficulties. Nicaraguan coffee business managers identified difficulties from the different cultural backgrounds and the working style between western and eastern culture.
Nicaraguan coffee business managers have encounter difficulties during the communication process and have been able to address these difficulties with effectiveness and appropriateness to manage a successful intercultural communication following guidelines bringing the concept of intercultural communication competence to light. Following practices Nicaraguan coffee business managers overcome difficulties during the communication process and ensure that some of those can be avoided in the future, planning in advance instead on working real time on solutions for possible difficulties. The benefit of these practices is tangible in the years of an effective business relationship and stronger business ties with their Taiwanese counterpart.
Recommendations
Some recommendations for improvement in this investigation were based on findings and conclusions. The recommendations are presented in the following paragraphs.
Regular Meetings
The Nicaraguan coffee business managers could consider schedule meetings to share their experience dealing with intercultural communication, in specific the experience they have while dealing with their Taiwanese counterpart. Different managers have experience different characteristics when dealing with their partners and can share this with other managers.
The share of experiences would make them recognize patterns in the intercultural communication relationship and increase their level of understanding of the other culture they are expose, as well as gain knowledge trough experience of the way Taiwanese behave, make businesses and identify behaviors for a successful business relationship.
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Creation of Guidelines to Identify Difficulties
There are intercultural communication difficulties that all Nicaraguan coffee business managers experience at some level during the process of communication. During the data analysis process, most of the managers agreed on specific difficulties that affect their communication with their Taiwanese counterpart. By identifying these difficulties, managers can be aware of the possible threads and prepare in advance to face them.
Previously knowing what type of difficulties, they might face would help them react to them in a more efficient way as well as address the difficulty before it actually happens, by preparing in advance for it, researching and mentally focus on the best solution available.
Intercultural Communication Training
The results of this investigation proposed difficulties in the intercultural communication process of Nicaraguan coffee business managers and their Taiwanese counterpart and practices to avoid or overcome these difficulties. Managers could work on in-depth analysis of the difficulties in contrast of the practices they follow to develop a model of intercultural communication and share it with their peers and employees that can serve as a guide to increase effectiveness and appropriateness for the successful results in intercultural cooperation.
Analyzing the results of this study, Nicaraguan coffee business managers can identify areas and topics and create trainings or workshops to provide their peers and employees with more knowledge and tools to successfully manage an intercultural communication with their Taiwanese counterpart.
Limitations of the Study
The study delimits to investigate the intercultural communication between coffee business managers from Nicaragua and their Taiwanese counterpart. The study is limited only to the managers of these Nicaraguan companies that are under the coffee business as a part of the free trade agreement between Nicaragua and Taiwan. Among all the companies included on the CATO directory, the researcher chose coffee businesses because of its importance for both economies,
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Nicaraguan and Taiwanese, having manages with different cultural backgrounds working together into a successful trading relationship. Since this investigation is focused only on coffee business companies, there are still more categories and companies that are out of the investigation that can generate more information for data collection, which restrict the analysis and results .
Suggestion for Future Research
The future studies about intercultural communication among the Coffee Business Managers from Nicaragua can include mixed methods or triangulation (interviews, observation and questionnaire) in order to collect more in-depth information. Since this study is only focused in coffee businesses future researchers can conduct the same investigation in businesses from a different category, from the 41 Nicaraguan businesses currently listed in CATO directory.
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APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Describe the type of communication mode that you use with your Taiwanese counterpart 2. How often do you work with people from different cultures and what previous experience
do you have?
3. Can you describe your first international experience with a Taiwanese counterpart?
4. Describe your communication in general with your Taiwanese business partners.
5. From your perspective, what is the most important factor to ensure that a message is received and understood?
6. What do you think are important factors to ensure a good communication with your Taiwanese business partners?
7. In your opinion, what were the difficulties to communication with your Taiwanese business partners?
8. From your perspective, non-verbal communication represents a difficulty in the communication?
9. Does the Taiwanese culture in contrast with the Nicaraguan culture represents a difficulty in the communication?
10. Is the language spoken a difficulty in the communication process?
11. What do you do to ensure that someone you are communicating with understands the message you are trying to deliver?
12. What practices do you follow to avoid or solve miscommunication that are applied to your communication with your Taiwanese business partners?
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1. Describa el tipo de communication que usa normalmente con su contraparte taiwanesa 2. ¿Que tan frecuentemente trabaja con personas de diferentes culturas y que experiencia
previa posee?
3. Podría ser tan amable de describir su primera experiencia internacional con su contraparte taiwanesa.
4. Describa su comunicación en general con su contraparte taiwanesa
5. Desde su perspectiva, ¿Cual es el factor mas importante a tomar en cuenta para asegurarse de que el mensaje que quiere transmitir es recibido y entendible?
6. ¿Cual cree que son factores importantes para asegurar una Buena comunicación con su contraparte taiwanesa?
7. En su opinión, ¿Cuales son las dificultades que enfrenta al comunicarse con su contraparte taiwanesa?
8. Desde su perspectiva, ¿Comunicación no verbal representa una dificultad al momento de comunicarse?
9. ¿La cultural taiwanesa en contraste con la cultura nicaragüense representa una dificultad al momento de comunicarse con su contraparte taiwanesa?
10. ¿Es el lenguaje de la comunicación una dificultad?
11. ¿Como se asegura de que una persona con la que se esta comunicando entiende el mensaje que esta queriendo transmitir?
12. ¿Que practicas sigue para evitar o resolver problemas de comunicación que son aplicadas en su comunicación con su contraparte taiwanesa?
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APPENDIX B: INVITATION LETTER FOR THE INTERVIEWS
Mi nombre es Carlos Eduardo Sánchez Rojas. Soy un nicaragüense que reside en Taiwán quien está realizando sus estudios de Maestría en Desarrollo de Recursos Humanos en la National Taiwan Normal University. Actualmente me encuentro trabajando en mi tesis titulada:
Examinando la comunicación intercultural entre empresarios cafetaleros nicaragüenses afiliados a CATO.
Mi estudio pretende analizar las caracteristicas en la comunicación intercultural, diferencias que generan dificultades y las practicas para manejar una comunicacion intercultural eficiente, por lo cual me es necesario realizar una entrevista a los empresarios cafetaleros nicaragüenses que están directamente involucrados en el proceso de comunicación con empresarios taiwaneses.
Luego de diversas reuniones con el Sr. Rodolfo Lacayo, Tercer Secretario con Funciones Comerciales quien labora en la Embajada de Nicaragua en Taiwán, así como Ifi Tseng, Project Manager y Andrea Weng, Assistant Director, quienes trabajan en CATO, logré consolidar una lista de empresarios a quienes quisiera incluir en mi investigación.
Debido a la larga trayectoria de su empresa, su ética laboral, producto de alta calidad en el mercado internacional y sus relaciones comerciales con clientes y empresarios taiwaneses, me es de sumo interés su participación como parte fundamental de la empresa, trayectoria profesional y experiencia, por lo que le solicito amablemente un poco de su tiempo para contestar mi entrevista el cual me es de vital importancia para culminar este estudio.
La entrevista cuenta con 12 preguntas abiertas, es completamente confidencial, los datos serán procesados por mi persona y verificados por mi tutora de tesis. Una vez procesados los resultados y las conclusiones, estas serán presentadas en mi documento final de tesis, el cual será publicado por mi Universidad, y extenderé una copia digital a las personas o empresas que formaron parte de la investigación.
De amablemente aceptar ser parte de mi investigación, le enviaré un link a través del cual podrá acceder a un documento en el programa de google con las preguntas referentes a la entrevista. Luego podremos definir la fecha y hora de la entrevista a su major conveniencia.
Espero poder contar con su valiosa y amable ayuda. Agradecido de antemano,
Carlos Eduardo Sánchez Rojas
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My name is Carlos Eduardo Sanchez Rojas. I am a Nicaraguan student living in Taiwan, currently studying a Master Degree major International Human Resource Development in the National Taiwan Normal University. Currently, I am working on my thesis under the title:
Examining Intercultural Communication among the Coffee Business Managers from Nicaragua affiliated to the Central America Trading Office.
My study aims to analyze the characteristics of the intercultural communication, differences that can generate difficulties and practices to manage a successful intercultural communication, for this reason it is necessary for me to interview Nicaraguan coffee business managers directly involved in the process of communication with their Taiwanese counterpart.
After several meetings with Mr. Rodolfo Lacayo, Third Secretary with Commercial Functions working in the Embassy of Nicaragua in Taiwan, also with Ifi Tseng, Project Manager and Andrea Weng, Assistant Director, working for CATO, I made a list of managers that I would like to interview for my investigation.
Due to the long trajectory of your company, your work ethic, high quality product in the international market and your commercial relations with Taiwanese clients and businessmen, I am very interested in your participation as a fundamental part of the company, professional trajectory and experience, so I kindly request your time to answer my interview which is of vital importance for me to complete this study.
The interview has 12 open questions, completely confidential, the data collected will be processed by me and verified by my thesis advisor. Once the data is analyzed, results and conclusion will be written, presented on the final thesis document, published by my University, and a digital copy can be extended to the people involved in the investigation in case is requested.
If you decide to accept being part of my investigation, I will send you a link prior to the interview with the questions. Later, we can define the date and time of your preference.
I hope I can count with your valuable help. Thanks in advance, Carlos Eduardo Sánchez Rojas
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APPENDIX C: CONSENT FORM
Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to talk to me. It is greatly appreciated.
The aim of this interview is to examine the intercultural communication between the Nicaraguan coffee business managers affiliated to the Central American Trading Office and their Taiwanese counterpart. For instance, characteristics of the communication, differences that can create difficulties and practices to manage a successful intercultural communication.
As previously discussed, I am aware that you have a position that is directly involved in the communication between your company and the Taiwanese counterpart that could help me examine this intercultural communication. This interview will take between 30 and 45 minutes. Your name and personal information will be kept confidential.
In order to analyze the data, this interview will be recorded. The result from this research will not include information that will identify the individual participants; participants will be assigned a pseudonym and a code to protect their identity. Participation in this research is voluntary and you may choose to discontinue your participation at any given time and none of your data will be used. If you have any questions or comments about this study, you can contact Carlos Eduardo Sanchez Rojas, at [email protected] or call +886-979-478868. I sincerely invite you to
In order to analyze the data, this interview will be recorded. The result from this research will not include information that will identify the individual participants; participants will be assigned a pseudonym and a code to protect their identity. Participation in this research is voluntary and you may choose to discontinue your participation at any given time and none of your data will be used. If you have any questions or comments about this study, you can contact Carlos Eduardo Sanchez Rojas, at [email protected] or call +886-979-478868. I sincerely invite you to