A cooperative effort of the School of Business and the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Toledo (Ohio) developed a program to provide an opportunity for business students to develop (1) foreign language skills for effective communication and performance in international trade and (2) an awareness of the importance of culture and its…

Communication patterns and language use in four national and multinational companies operating in Taiwan illustrate the potential for communication problems when more than one language is in use. The companies include Texas Instruments, Kaohsiung Monomer Company, Ltd., Bank of America, and Cheng-Yia International Corporation. In the four…

The recent "Business Communication Quarterly" special issue on management communication instruction in internationally oriented MBA programs draws attention to a delicate and pervasive problem. Debby Andrews pointed out that whereas acknowledgment of the importance of communication skills for management is commonplace, curricula…

This paper describes the process of developing and designing a Japanese business course for intermediate level students at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and for a non-credit intensive workshop for local business people. A needs assessment was conducted by means of a survey to find out the expectations and goals of students and…

Business Japanese should be the study of Japanese language and culture for business communication and should include values and beliefs and institutional constraints on which the Japanese act as well as business etiquette and terminology. Topics to be covered in instruction will vary depending on the role (seller, buyer, or colleague) played by…

The purpose of this study was to determine document origination methods used by business professionals, relationships of factors that influence selection of document origination methods, and implications for business curricula. A 3-part questionnaire was used to obtain data from 265 Masters in Business Administration (MBA) graduates (1967-1991)…

A study at Brigham Young University (Utah) sought to identify basic concepts to teach graduate students preparing for international business careers. Business presentations by graduate students fluent in English and at least one other language were examined for evidence of teachable skills for working with business in two languages. Presentations…

One teacher's experience in developing and teaching a college-level business Spanish course is described. The discussion contains information about the choice of content, level, cultural content, and objectives, and includes examples of instructional activities and class projects. The course was designed to focus on business correspondence and…

Three historically significant religions of Japan and the corresponding cultural norms are examined as they affect consumer behaviors and, consequently, marketing in that country. The religions are Buddhism, Shintoism, and Confucianism. The fundamental doctrines, attitudes, and social patterns associated with each religion are outlined and their…

A commercial Spanish course offered at Marywood College (Scranton, Pennsylvania) serves both Spanish majors and majors in international business. In addition to language proficiency activities common to most commercial language courses, students have identified two projects as most functional and challenging: (1) a "carpeta" or file into…

A survey elicited information from the business community on the written and oral business communications skills needed by entering first-level management and supervisory personnel. It also gave the business personnel surveyed the opportunity to evaluate the business communications competencies currently offered in college business communications…

One of the most difficult tasks business and professional communication teachers face is teaching students to appreciate cultural differences and their effects on business communication, both domestically and internationally. Students from a homogeneous background may dismiss or disparage cultural differences. Some classroom exercises can help…

The 5-week French Business Language and Environment Program at the Nantes Graduate School of Business is intended for overseas students of any country with at least a good intermediate level of general French language proficiency, or for language faculty wishing to acquire French business language and concepts and gain exposure to the case method…

Studies on the status of business language and business education in the United States, France, Great Britain, and Denmark indicate that business language teaching has developed into an international phenomenon, with widely varying teaching and cooperative approaches taken. Suggestions for improvement include development of colloquiums, networks,…

In this article, the author reports on the use of classroom instructors and full-time professional teaching assistants called "course tutors" for teaching business communication to large groups at an undergraduate university. The author explains how to recruit course tutors, what course tutors do in the classroom, and the advantages and…