Cultures, computers, and communication: evaluating models of international online production

The spread of online communication technologies has brought with it new perspectives on international communication. Now, with the Internet, email, and application service providers, interacting with coworkers an entire hemisphere away can be almost as easy as interacting with coworkers in the same building. As a result of the "leveling of distance" created by online communication technologies, new kinds of international business models have been proposed; models that attempt to reduce production costs while maintaining product quality. However, some of these models fail to account for cultural differences that could cause communication problems in international online exchanges. The article examines how one particular international online production model, production facilities that never close, could encounter cultural communication problems if participants involved were not aware of certain cultural communication expectations, specifically those related to the cultural concept of "face".