Language Use and International Business: What Can We Learn from Anthropology?

This article addresses the role of language use in international business. It argues that the impact of linguistic differences on the daily workings of international business activities and communication is shaped by the way in which these differences intersect with the social and professional structures of international firms. Thus, the analysis of management across linguistic variation requires an understanding of the character of the social and professional ties in which international business is embedded. The intensity of cross-linguistic challenges in international management is not given by the formal character and structure of linguistic differences only. While the daily practices of language use in an international firm are shaped by its social and professional structure, linguistic practices may also strengthen the social and professional ties shaping the dissemination of information. The role of linguistic differences in everyday business communication both shapes and is shaped by the character of social and professional groupings and networks in an international firm. For management, this means that handling linguistic variation and challenges also requires a consideration of the specific social as well as professional structure of a given international firm. The dynamics between language use and the social structures in which information and resources are embedded and communicated are multidirectional. This is especially clear in an international context. The article is informed by material obtained through an ethnographic fieldwork in a Saudi-Arabian subsidiary of a multinational corporation

Similarities and differences in systemic risk factors for retinal artery occlusion and stroke:A nationwide case-control study

BackgroundRetinal artery occlusion (RAO) has been considered a stroke equivalent. This study compares risk factor profiles for thromboembolism among patients with RAO and stroke, respectively.MethodsThis case-control study is based on 5683 RAO patients entered in the Danish National Patient Register between 1st of January 2000 and 31st of December 2018. Cases were matched on sex, year of birth, and age at event with 28,415 stroke patients. The Danish nationwide registries were used to collect information about age, sex, previous diagnoses, and drug prescriptions. Adjusted conditional logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between hypothesised risk factors and the patient outcome.ResultsFor atrial fibrillation, a substantially stronger association to stroke was found, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.52 (95% CI: 0.47-0.58) when comparing RAO patients with stroke patients. RAO was stronger associated with arterial hypertension, peripheral artery disease, retinal vein occlusion, cataract, and glaucoma with OR's ranging from 1.21-11.70. The identified effect measures reached equivalence or was close to equivalence for diabetes, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and renal disease.ConclusionThe differences in risk factor profiles between RAO and stroke suggests differences in the pathophysiology of the two diseases. These variations in pathophysiologies between the two diseases may indicate that different interventions are needed to ensure the optimal long-term prognosis for the patients

En ny agenda for entreprenørskabsforskningen: Dansk forskning i entreprenørielle muligheder

Hvad er en entreprenøriel mulighed? Og hvordan opstår den? Disse to spørgsmål er omdrejningspunkt for et af de centrale temaer i forskningen om entreprenørskab. I denne artikel redegøres for de danske bidrag til denne debat. Disse udgør samlet konturerne til en dansk agenda for entreprenørskabsforskning. Denne tager udgangspunkt i en antagelse om, at muligheder skabes i dynamiske sociale interaktioner. Endvidere redegøres for begrænsningerne og udfordringerne for den danske agenda.What is an entrepreneurial opportunity? And how does it arise? These two questions are at the core of one of the key issues in research on entrepreneurship. Taken together, the Danish contributions to this debate as presented in this article outline the contours of a Danish agenda for entrepreneurship research, based on the assumption that opportunities are created in dynamic social interactions. The limitations and challenges of the Danish agenda are also discussed

En ny agenda for entreprenørskabsforskningen:Dansk forskning i entreprenørielle muligheder

Hvad er en entreprenøriel mulighed? Og hvordan opstår den? Disse to spørgsmål er omdrejningspunkt for et af de centrale temaer i forskningen om entreprenørskab. I denne artikel redegøres for de danske bidrag til denne debat. Disse udgør samlet konturerne til en dansk agenda for entreprenørskabsforskning. Denne tager udgangspunkt i en antagelse om, at muligheder skabes i dynamiske sociale interaktioner. Endvidere redegøres for begrænsningerne og udfordringerne for den danske agenda.What is an entrepreneurial opportunity? And how does it arise? These two questions are at the core of one of the key issues in research on entrepreneurship. Taken together, the Danish contributions to this debate as presented in this article outline the contours of a Danish agenda for entrepreneurship research, based on the assumption that opportunities are created in dynamic social interactions. The limitations and challenges of the Danish agenda are also discussed

Kultur og konkurrence: Om mangfoldighed og innovation i sociologisk perspektiv

Toke Bjerregaard and Jakob Lauring: Cultural Diversity and Innovation: how do these relate to each other? Innovation and exploitation of cultural diversity have become key concepts in the political, scientific and business oriented discussions concerning Denmark’s international competitiveness. It is generally assumed that innovation in Denmark is not only driven by research, but also by knowledge obtained from partners, employees and users. In international firms these actors are characterised by cultural differences. Much research on diversity management and regional development suggests that cultural diversity has a positive impact on the capability to innovate. This article analyses the connection between cultural diversity and innovation. The article is based on a study of 14 Danish firms with an international and culturally diverse staff. The article describes the ways in which international employees’ perceptions of the possibilities in cultural diversity are shaped by their professional strategies and perception of international career opportunities