Chinese students in a UK business school: hearing the student voice in reflective teaching and learning practice.

This paper presents the outcomes of a study carried out in 2001-2002 with nine postgraduate students from China, enrolled on taught master's programmes in a UK university business school. The aims of the research were to explore the development of the students' orientations to learning during their year of study in the UK, and to explore how the researcher's interactions with the study group contributed to her professional reflections and influenced her academic practice. The main conclusions of the project were that participants' underlying approaches to learning did not change substantially over the year, owing to the culturally implicit nature of UK academic conventions and that they experienced high levels of emotional isolation and loneliness, which affected their academic confidence

Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace

xxiv, 503 p. : Ill.; 24 c

Intercutural Communication in The global workplace

503 hlm

Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace

Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace, by Beamer and Varner addresses the issues of culture and communication within the context of international business. The text provides examples of how cultural values and practices impact business communication. The authors explore the relationships among the cultural environments of the firm and the structure of the firm. They examine how companies and individuals communicate, and concentrate on the underlying cultural reasons for behavior. This approach helps readers develop an ability to work successfully within an environment of cultural diversity both at home and abroad.xxiv, 503 hlm.; 23 c

Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace

360 hal.;xxiv.;23c

Designing and Developing Questionnaires for Translation Tutorial

Problem: Questionnaires are a popular method used by global companies to gain understanding or assess various aspects of their businesses. However, using a questionnaire across cultures requires extra effort in translating it into the target language(s) and culture(s) because a good questionnaire developed in one language/culture may not necessarily “travel well” across cultures due to differences in meaning and interpretation. This tutorial synthesizes the extant research on cross-cultural communication and surveys, and provides guidance in preparing cross-cultural questionnaires. Concepts: Translation affects the design and development of questionnaires to be used across cultures in these ways: (1) It affects the theoretical concepts to be studied: indicators-questions about concrete elements that can be measured and constructs-a series of questions about abstract elements that cannot be measured directly and essentially represent an underlying concept. Constructs must be adapted into a specific cultural context to achieve accuracy in measurements. (2) Differences in the contexts-the overall cross-cultural research context (the setting and the purpose) and the cultural context (the participants and their cultural background) of the study-affect translation because concepts in the source culture might be applied differently or not exist in the target cultures. (3) Translation might unintentionally introduce bias by inadvertently changing the perceived meanings of terms and questions-creating bias in constructs, on individual items on the questionnaire, and in its administration. (4) Translation might affect equivalence of terms in the source and translated versions, including linguistic equivalence (that is, wording of items), semantics (meaning of a phrase or concept), and grammar and syntax. Suggestions: Given these concepts, consider the following items when translating questionnaires: (1) accurately adapt or adopt questions from existing instruments, (2) make sure that you adapt the language to suit the situation, (3) hire translators who understand research processes, (4) use the decentering approach (a process in which translators move back and forth amongst the languages, checking for cultural and linguistic accuracy) when preparing the actual translation, and (5) assess your overall translated questionnaire. The questionnaire assessment model is a resource for guiding the assessment

The Audiences for Research

This articles focuses on the importance of identifying and understanding audiences in business communication. Five scholars in business communication examined some of the major dilemmas regarding the adaptation of business communications to specific audiences. Questions addressed include whether research should attempt to provide new knowledge or solve existing problems, how to mediate among the disciplinary differences within business communication, and where to publish the results of such research