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Business
Communication
Chapter 2
Diversity and Ethics
Copyright 2010 South-Western Cengage Learning
Overview of Diversity
 Diversity benefits
 Diversity challenges
 Diversity and you
Diversity Terms
© Digital Vision / Getty Images
A diverse workforce can help a company
understand its customers.
2.1 Diversity at Work
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Diversity Trends
 Population predictions
 U.S. population projected to reach 419.9 million in 2050
 U.S. population will become more diverse
 Diverse workforce
 Workforce will increase to 162.3 million by 2012
 Workforce will become more diverse
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The World as a Global Workplace
 Globalization: the integration of activities among
nations in areas such as commerce and culture
 Globalization and the workforce
 Multinational companies
© Beathan / Corbis
Globalization affects the workforce in many ways.
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Work/Life Balance
 Work/life balance: the need workers have to balance
work with other aspects of life
 Different careers make different demands on workers
and their families
 Consider how your career choice will affect all aspects
of your life
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Cultural Differences
 Language
 Body language
 Personal space
© Stockbyte / Getty Images
Greeting colleagues appropriately is important.
2.2 Differences
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Customs and Etiquette
 Customs: beliefs, traditions, and practices of a
group of people
 Etiquette: a set of rules of behavior for a particular
place or situation
 Customs and etiquette vary from culture to culture
 Stereotype
 Prejudice
2.2 Differences
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Building Vocabulary
 Vocabulary: words and terms you recognize and
understand
 Building vocabulary helps improve reading speed and
comprehension
2.2 Differences
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Professional Attitude
 Reduces communication barriers
 A person who has a professional attitude:
 Refrains from making judgments about others
 Keeps an open mind
 Does not make assumptions or jump to conclusions
 Keeps emotions in check
 Is slow to take offense
 Gives others the benefit of the doubt
2.3 Strategies for Effective Communication
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Cross-Cultural Communication
 Learning
 Language
 Guidelines
Cross-Cultural
Guidelines
© Digital Vision / Getty Images
When language is a barrier, use visual aids
that are easily understood.
2.3 Strategies for Effective Communication
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Fairness and Sensitivity
 Have a professional
attitude
 Treat everyone with
respect
 Do not discriminate
unfairly
© Photodisc / Getty Images
Avoid sensitive topics when talking
with clients.
2.3 Strategies for Effective Communication
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EEOC
 EEOC: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission
 Questions
1. List the links that are shown under Discrimination by
Type.
2. Write a short summary of the main points of the
Discrimination by Type page.
school.cengage.com/bcomm/buscomm
2.3 Strategies for Effective Communication
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Ethics in Business Communication
 Ethics: principles of right and wrong
 Personal ethics are influenced by:
 Your experiences
 Your culture
 Code of ethics: statement of how a business or group
should treat clients, employees, or members
2.4 Ethics in Business Communication
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Communicating in an Ethical Way
 Honesty
 Confidential information
 Medical information
 Other types of information


Identity theft
Trade secrets
 Protecting confidential
data
2.4 Ethics in Business Communication
© Photodisc / Getty Images
Be truthful when communicating
with customers.
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Communicating in an Ethical Way
 Privacy and electronic rights
 Protect data stored on computers
 Remember that e-mail and text messages are not
private
 Plagiarism
 Avoiding plagiarism
 Copyright and fair use
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Vocabulary
copyright
cross-cultural communication
culture
discrimination
diversity
ethics
ethnicity
etiquette
globalization
identity theft
inclusion
multinational company
plagiarism
prejudice
race
stereotype
trade secret
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Cross-Cultural Communication
Guidelines
 Do not make assumptions
 Be adaptable
 Avoid discussing sensitive topics
 Be careful when using humor
 Maintain personal contact
 Listen actively
 Use visual aids
BACK
2.3 Strategies for Effective Communication
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Terms Related to Diversity
Race
The division of people into groups based on physical
characteristics, such as skin or hair color
Ethnicity
The division of people into groups that share a common
ancestry, history, or culture
Culture
A set of beliefs, attitudes, practices, and social customs
that distinguishes a group of people
Inclusion
Seeing and valuing the contributions of everyone in a
workplace and treating everyone fairly
BACK
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