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Communicating Globally
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Communicating Globally
Intercultural Communication and International Business



February 2007 | 336 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

Communicating Globally: Intercultural Communication and International Business uniquely integrates the theory and skills of intercultural communication with the practices of multinational organizations and international business. Authors Wallace V. Schmidt, Roger N. Conaway, Susan S. Easton, and William J. Wardrope provide students with a cultural general awareness of diverse world views, valuable insights on understanding and overcoming cultural differences, and a clear path to international business success.

Key Features

  • Offers an interdisciplinary view: The authors draw on a variety of sources, including important intercultural and organizational theories in the intercultural communication and international business disciplines.
  • Provides an innovative perspective: This book presents cutting-edge viewpoints on cosmopolitan communication, global leadership, cultural synergy, and the dynamic processes affecting international business.
  • Presents an integrated, action-oriented framework: The integrated framework for understanding intercultural communication and international business focuses on essential principles and practices necessary for developing a cosmopolitan orientation.
  • Introduces different ways of conducting business around the world: The text provides insights into "doing" business abroad by examining significant geographic regions and emphasizing cultural themes and patterns, business conduct and characteristics, and emerging trends.
  • Includes a regional resource guide: The authors encourage readers to continue their own cross-cultural or international business research, personally transforming their understanding into individually instructive significance.

Intended Audience

This is an excellent text for advanced courses in intercultural communication, business communication, international business, and organizational communication as found in departments of communication and business.


 
Preface
 
UNIT ONE: KEY CONCEPTS
 
1. The Concept of International Business and a Global Marketplace
Why Study Global Communication and International Business

 
International Business, Globalism, and the Nature of Global Communication

 
Political Issues and Globalization

 
Economic Issues and Globalization

 
Technological Issues and Globalization

 
Training Challenges of a Complex Intercultural World for International Business

 
Summary

 
 
2. The Concept of Intercultural Communication and the Cosmpolitan Leader
Defining Culture and Cultural Patterns

 
The Interface of International Business, Culture, and Communication

 
Cosmopolitan Leadership and an Emerging World Culture

 
Summary

 
 
3. The Concept of Cultural Synergy and the Global Organization
The Emerging Global Landscape

 
The Reconfigurable Organization and Globalism

 
Corporate Cultural Models and Critical Cultural Factors

 
Globalism and Cultural Synergy

 
The Virtual Organization, Cultural Synergy, and the Global Marketplace

 
Summary

 
 
UNIT TWO: DEVELOPING NEW SKILLS AND INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCIES
 
4. Cultural Contact and Interfacing With Others
Relational Dialectics and Cultural Contact

 
Adaptation and Building Intercultural Relationships

 
Intercultural Effectiveness and Cross-Cultural Competencies

 
An Expatriate's Journal: A Three-Year Sojourn In Singapore

 
Summary

 
 
5. The Nature of Language and Nonverbal Communication
Characteristics of Language

 
Nonverbal Communication

 
Summary

 
 
6. Intercultural Communication and Conflict Management
Defining Intercultural Conflict

 
Phases of Intercultural Conflict

 
Characteristics of Intercultural Conflict

 
Steps in Constructive Intercultural Conflict Management

 
Conflict Negotiation, Mediation, and Arbitration

 
Summary

 
 
UNIT THREE: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND THE NEW WORLD OF BUSINESS
 
7. Cosmpolitan Leadership, Teams, and the Global Workforce
Cosmopolitan Leadership and Leadership Competencies

 
Cosmopolitan Leadership and Global Teams

 
Decision-Making, Problem-Solving, and the Global Teams

 
The Global Workforce and Technology

 
Summary

 
 
8. Disturbing the Equilibrium and Creating Planned Change
Chaos, Change, and Innovation

 
Strategies for Innovation and Change: Theoretical Frameworks

 
Communicating About Changes

 
Cross-Cultural Considerations for Implementing Change

 
Taking the Long View: Seeing the Future

 
Summary

 
 
UNIT FOUR: ENTERING THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE AND WORLD BAZAAR
 
9. Doing Business in North America
Geography and Demographics

 
Case Study: The Growing Latin American Population

 
Cultural Themes and Patterns

 
Social, Economic, and Political Factors

 
Case Study: The Cost of Terrorism

 
Business Conduct and Characteristics

 
Emerging Trends

 
Summary

 
Resource Guide

 
 
10. Doing Business in Latin America and the Caribbean
Geography and Demographics

 
Cultural Themes and Patterns

 
Social, Economic, and Political Factors

 
Trade and Economic Integration

 
Case Study: The Mexican Peso Crisis

 
Business Conduct and Characteristics

 
Emerging Trends

 
Summary

 
Resource Guide

 
 
11. Doing Business in East Asia and the Pacific Rim
Geography and Demographics

 
Cultural Themes and Patterns

 
Case Study: How Cultural Factors Contributed to the 1997 Asian Economic Crisis

 
Social, Economic, and Political Factors

 
Business Conduct and Characteristics

 
Case Study: The Sino-Japanese Struggle?--Who Will Trump Asia?

 
Summary

 
Resource Guide

 
 
12. Doing Business in Europe
Geography and Demographics

 
Social, Economic, and Political Factors

 
Trade and Economic Integration

 
The European Union and the Euro

 
Case Study: The Russian Federation

 
Business Conduct and Characteristics

 
Emerging Trends

 
Summary

 
Resource Guide

 
 
13. Doing Business in Africa and the Middle East
Geography and Demographics

 
Cultural Themes and Patterns

 
Culture, Language, and Religion

 
Social, Economic, and Political Factors

 
Business Conduct and Characteristics

 
Emerging Trends

 
Summary

 
Resource Guide

 
 
Epilogue: Breaking Free and the Road Ahead
 
References

"College-level libraries strong in business and global communications won't want to miss Communicating Globally: Intercultural Communication and International Business. From understanding the processes of communication and miscommunication, to insights into how to do business abroad given differing cultural perspectives, communicating Globally offers many important key concepts essential for global business success."

James A. Cox

"The insight supplied is based on research and application that can permit you to make necessary choices and decisions. This is definitely an excellent book for advanced courses in the field of international business communication."

Johnson Thomas
Business India
Business India

An ambitious text which seeks to cover lots of ground, but which gives the impression at times that more detail would be helpful. Lots of scientific references, some useful examples and anecdotes, but also some puzzling choices, such as the focus on Russia in the "European" section. This book could be useful in generating a bibliography for certain areas, but arguably doesn't contribute an original synthesis on the question of "communicating globally", while more attractive and readable introductory textbooks exist to both intercultural communication and international business.

Dr Alex Frame
UFR Langues & communication, University of Bourgogne
May 28, 2015

Potentially useful for a short course in the subject, a little instrumental for a course which hopes to build competence on a wider base of intercultural competence.

Mr Indranath Neogy
Communication Studies, Hult International Business School
January 6, 2014

The text navigates adeptly between conceptual development and practical suggestions for business students. The regional overviews in the final unit provide in-depth application of ideas developed in earlier parts of the book.

Mr Brent Saindon
Comm English Foreign Lang Dept, Davis and Elkins College
December 7, 2012

This is a compact, well written and very well structured little book. It covers (almost) all main topics in intercultural communication. Because of the well thought out structure of the book, every chapter ends with good tips for further reading, books as well as online sources. However, due to its size and the many sub-topics they try to cover, the writers are unable to really explore all the (in-depth) different facets of these topics. Of course this is not the main objective of the writers, but it does make this book less applicable for some of my courses in organizational communication. Nevertheless, highly recommended for first-timers on the subject.

Mr Martijn Vlug-Mahabali
Department of Communication Science, University of Amsterdam
August 3, 2011

This book seems to fit my needs nicely and was written by numerous communication scholars.

Dr Katherine Thweatt
Communication Dept, West Virginia Wesleyan College
April 10, 2011
Key features

 

  • Offers an interdisciplinary view by drawing on a variety of sources and builds a strong foundation for readers with important intercultural and organizational theories that they are likely to encounter in the intercultural communication and international business disciplines.

  • Provides readers with an innovative perspective on cosmopolitan communication, global leadership, cultural synergy, and the dynamic processes affecting international business and globalism. 

  • Enhances understanding with an integrated framework for intercultural communication and international business that focuses on essential principles and practices.  

  • Prepares students to conduct business by providing an in-depth look at the cultural and business practices of regions around the world. Regional Resource Guides in chapters 9-13 facilitate and support reader interests by establishing a sensible foundation for readers to continue their own cross-cultural or international business research thus personally transforming their understanding into individually instructive significance. 

  • Provides readers with an understanding of the new competencies needed for conducting international business and entering the world marketplace by examining intercultural transitions and cross-cultural relationships as well as how virtual groups or teams and constant change influence multinational organizations. Grounded on established principles and tested procedures, attention is directed to what readers can or should do.