A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Business communication needs: A multicultural perspective
Authors: Goby Valerie Priscilla
Publisher: Sage
Publication year: 2007
Journal: Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Journal name in source: Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Journal acronym: J BUS TECH COMMUN
Volume: 21
Issue: 4
First page : 425
Last page: 437
Number of pages: 13
ISSN: 10506519 15524574
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1050651907304029
Web address : https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/34548395952
Abstract
How should we teach international business communication? What role can multiculturalism play in the business communication classroom? Can we identify a set of business communication requirements that are valid across different cultures? This article enters this discussion by presenting a small empirical study of the business communication needs expressed by postgraduate students in a North Cyprus university and comparing it to similar studies conducted in the United States and Singapore. The findings reveal some interesting correspondences between the needs expressed by students in these different countries. In addition, the multicultural environment of the North Cyprus university studied suggests that multicultural interaction increases students' sensitivity to the need for a nonethnocentric approach to international communication. The findings also indicate that respondents in multicultural settings may be more inclined to engage in groupthink because of their heightened awareness of cultural differences and their wish to avoid conflict.
How should we teach international business communication? What role can multiculturalism play in the business communication classroom? Can we identify a set of business communication requirements that are valid across different cultures? This article enters this discussion by presenting a small empirical study of the business communication needs expressed by postgraduate students in a North Cyprus university and comparing it to similar studies conducted in the United States and Singapore. The findings reveal some interesting correspondences between the needs expressed by students in these different countries. In addition, the multicultural environment of the North Cyprus university studied suggests that multicultural interaction increases students' sensitivity to the need for a nonethnocentric approach to international communication. The findings also indicate that respondents in multicultural settings may be more inclined to engage in groupthink because of their heightened awareness of cultural differences and their wish to avoid conflict.
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