Language in international business: a review and agenda for future research

A fast growing number of studies demonstrates that language diversity influences almost all management decisions in modern multinational corporations. Whereas no doubt remains about the practical importance of language, the empirical investigation and theoretical conceptualization of its complex and multifaceted effects still presents a substantial challenge. To summarize and evaluate the current state of the literature in a coherent picture informing future research, we systematically review 264 articles on language in international business. We scrutinize the geographic distributions of data, evaluate the field’s achievements to date in terms of theories and methodologies, and summarize core findings by individual, group, firm, and country levels of analysis. For each of these dimensions, we then put forward a future research agenda. We encourage scholars to transcend disciplinary boundaries and to draw on, integrate, and test a variety of theories from disciplines such as psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience to gain a more profound understanding of language in international business. We advocate more multi-level studies and cross-national research collaborations and suggest greater attention to potential new data sources and means of analysis

Le projet DYLAN "Dynamique des langues et gestion de la diversité"

The DYLAN project addresses the core issue underlying topic 3.3.1 - whether and, if so, how a European knowledge based society designed to ensure economic competitiveness and social cohesion can be created despite the fact that, following enlargement, the European Union is linguistically more diverse than ever before. The overarching objective is to demonstrate that, with regard to the creation of a knowledge based society, the linguistic diversity prevalent in Europe is potentially an asset rather than an obstacle. To this end, the project will address the historical, political and cultural developments that have shaped the current linguistic situation in Europe, before assessing communicative situations involving speakers of different languages in a variety of relevant contexts. The project intends to show in what ways different modes of thinking and different forms of behavior, carried by different languages can promote the creation, transfer and application of knowledge, provided citizens are enabled to understand and exploit these different ways of thinking and acting. One of the preconditions for this to occur is that citizens become multilingual and will provide support for the EU's language education policy, notably for the view that foreign languages constitute one of the most important "new basic skills" citizens need to acquire if they are to take an active part in the creation of a European knowledge based society