This book aims to present the results of research in the sphere of business language and culture, as well as the experience of pedagogical staff and practitioners concerned with broadly understood business. The highly complex nature of contemporary business environment, approached from both the theoretical and practical standpoint, does not cease to prove that research into business studies cannot be dissociated from the cultural and linguistic context. The chapters included in this book were contributed by academics and practitioners alike, which offers a balanced approach to the topic and ensures high levels of diversity together with an undeniable homogeneity. They were gathered with a view to show various aspects of business language, perceived both as a medium of communication and as a subject of research and teaching. They are concerned with business culture as well, including business ethics and representations of business in popular culture. Owing to its multidisciplinary approach, the book presents a roadmap towards successful functioning in business settings, highlighting such issues as education for business purposes, the study of language used in business contexts, the aspects of cross-cultural communication, as well as ethical behaviour based upon different values in multicultural business environments. Given its multifarious character, the book surely appeals not only to academics, but also to the interested laymen and students who wish to expand their knowledge of business studies and related phenomena.

The contributions gathered in this volume attempt to take varied perspectives on current state of art within the field of linguistics, sociolinguistics and ethnolinguistics. This vast interpretative perspective stretches from the modern European and American conceptualisations of the societal identity, through the extralinguistic reality hidden behind the language expressions and phraseology in order to complete this image with the insightful presentation of various linguistic diasporas. Sociopragmatic and ethnolinguistic considerations accomplish this attempt to represent the leading themes of modern linguistic studies. Diverse methodological and empirical perspectives are employed in the present volume – from socio- and ethnolinguistic issues through (inter)cultural and communication studies to good practices in translatology.

This innovative and provocative work introduces complexity theory and its application to both the study of language and the study of material culture. The book begins with a wide-ranging theoretical background, covering the areas of dialect geography, the anthropological study of material culture, and a general introduction to the study of complex adaptive systems. Following this general introduction, the principles of complexity theory are demonstrated in data drawn from linguistics and material culture studies. Language and Material Culture further highlights the principles of complexity through a series of case studies, using data from the Linguistic Atlas, colonial American inventories and the Historic American Building Survey. LMC shows that language and material culture are intertwined as they interact within the same cultural complex system. The book is designed for students in courses that focus on language variation, American English and material culture, in addition to general courses on applications of complex systems.

This book presents an empirical study to develop and validate a proficiency scale of business English writing in the Chinese tertiary context. Through a mixture of intuitive, quantitative and qualitative methods, the book demonstrates how a pool of descriptors are collectively formulated, statistically calibrated and meticulously validated for the establishment of a proficiency scale of business English writing. The writing scale differs in significant ways from the existing language scales, most of which were constructed in English as L1 or L2 contexts and applied to English for General Purposes (EGP) domains. This book also provides important insights into the construct of business English writing as well as the methods for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) proficiency scale development and validation. It is of particular interest to those who work in the area of ESP teaching and assessment.

The Cultural Context in Business Communication focuses on differences and similarities in business negotiations and written communication in intercultural settings. To set the scene, Edward T. Hall looks back at “culture” as an evolutionary concept and Charles Campbell explains the value of classical rhetoric in contemporary cultures. Further contributions present case studies of cross-cultural encounters and discourse aspects in various settings. Steven Weiss explores the proper character of six cultures: Chinese, French, Japanese, Mexican, Nigerian, and Saudi. Other chapters contrast English with cultures such as Chinese, German, Dutch, Finnish, and Irish. The book closes with two chapters on training for effective business communication and provide models in participatory training and gaming.

A masterpiece in intercultural training! Exploring Culture brings Geert Hofstede's five dimensions of national culture to life. Gert Jan Hofstede and his co-authors Paul Pedersen and Geert Hofstede introduce synthetic cultures, the ten "pure" cultural types derived from the extremes of the five dimensions. The result is a playful book of practice that is firmly rooted in theory. Part light, part serious, but always thought-provoking, this unique book approaches training through the three-part process of building awareness, knowledge, and skills. It leads the reader through the first two components with more than 75 activities, dialogues, stories, and incidents. The Synthetic Culture Laboratory and two full simulations fulfill the skill-building component. Exploring Culture is suitable for students, trainers, coaches and educators. It can be used for individual study or as a text, and it serves as an excellent partner to Geert Hofstede's popular Cultures and Organizations.