Applicability of American Written Business Communication Principles Across Cultural Boundaries in Mexico

Abstract

The research presented here shows that commonly accepted principles of American written business communication such as "reader concern," "positive emphasis, "and "conversational tone" have cross-cultural validity in communicating with a group of Mexican college students. These stu dents read letters from two fictitious Mexican life insurance companies— one company's letters structured with American principles of written busi ness communication, the other's without. Use of the semantic differential showed that the Mexican students formed favorable mental images of the company using "accepted principles" and negative images of the company not using them. Additional research is suggested for improving written business communication between the United States and other countries and cultures.