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Case Study

Johannes van den Bosch sends an email

By Joseph J. DiStefano

2 pages

October 2000

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Reference: IMD-3-0963

A Dutch partner in a Big 5 professional services firm is experiencing difficulty in getting his Mexican partner’s cooperation in serving a British multinational client. Since part of the firm’s competitive positioning is seamless global service, the customer is getting more and more angry. After a particularly hostile exchange with the customer, Johannes van den Bosch writes a very angry email to his Mexican partner, cools off for an hour and then edits his original email to stick to “facts and figures”. He sends it off expecting to receive the required information and future cooperation soon. The question is whether the medium and the message are appropriate for the circumstances.

Keywords

Cross-cultural Relations, Financial Services

Settings

December 1999

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English, French, Spanish

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Teaching note

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