Businesses see value in increasing the cultural competence of their employees. The makeup of the American population has changed, and diverse populations exist within organizations. Increasing intercultural awareness also helps employees understand those who have different perspectives and ways of doing things. It also lessens misunderstandings in terms of business etiquette, values, and behaviors when traveling to other countries.

Your company's HR director wants to build a curriculum for an in-house intercultural training class. You have been asked to search for websites that offer excellent information on intercultural business etiquette and communication. In your search you may discover the informative etiquette guides for specific countries by Kwintessential Ltd. (http://www.kwintessential.co.uk) and Executive Planet (www.executiveplanet.com).

Your Task. Write a short memo report to Jeff Abrams, Director of Human Resources, listing at least five resources that offer excellent information on intercultural business etiquette and communication. List each site and the information it provides. You may also recommend the sites you found most helpful. If your instructor suggests, write this report as a feasibility study in memo format, describing the need for such a class, the benefits to employees, the costs associated with offering the class (workbooks, handouts), any anticipated problems, and a possible time frame for implementation. You may need to address hiring a knowledgeable presenter or an intercultural panel, scheduling a training room, and selecting suitable times-perhaps two-hour sessions during working hours. Other considerations: Will the training be mandatory or optional? How many sessions will be offered to accommodate most employees? What times of day work best for most employees? What credentials should the presenter have?