Explain why communicating cross culturally is important within the business communication spectrum.

Communicating cross culturally is important to business communication for several reasons.  The first reason is that it is a way to clearly broaden a company's reach and effect to another group of people.  This enhances the opportunity to reach into new and emerging markets which can increase profitability, and add a new dimension to company growth.  Communication across cultures is critical to this.  Another reason why it is important to communicate cross culturally is that it allows the business to control its own perception.  When businesses and organizations do not communicate across cultures, one of two things seem to happen.  The first is that the business is largely ignored by a group of people.  This is not good for anyone, as potential consumers lose out on products and services and businesses lose out on potential consumers.  Communicating cross culturally increases competition, and this benefits everyone concerned  The second is that other elements (competitors, media, social groups) might be able to define the business in a way that it chooses.  For example, if Company A and B are in competition with one another, and Company A does not communicate in, for example, Polish, and Company B does, not only can Company B define itself to a new group of customers, but it can also define Company A in a disparaging light because it is not communicating, at all.  Communicating cross culturally avoids this in that it allows companies to control their own sense of selves and their own images.  I suppose the last reason why cross cultural communication is important is that it enhanced the idea of the global marketplace.  Is important for businesses to demonstrate ethnic/ racial tolerance and acceptance, not because it is good for profit, but because it is the responsibility of businesses to advocate shared valued and belief systems.  One of those values is that the global marketplace demands an extension in as many realms as possible, communicating in as many ways as possible, and bringing in as many people as possible.  Cross cultural communication does this.