Copyright (c) 2013 Purdue University All rights reserved. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl Recent documents in Global Business Languages en-us Wed, 08 May 2013 16:57:30 PDT 3600 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/16 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/16 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:22:20 PST http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/15 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/15 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:22:19 PST Annie R. Abbott. Comunidades: Más allá del aula. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2009. 157 pp.

]]> Maida Watson http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/14 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/14 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:22:18 PST This article explores the role that language plays in the legacy tourism business, an increasingly important sub-segment of the tourism industry. While seemingly obvious that those traveling to the land of their ancestors may request language help from migration institutions, past research has never asked representatives of migration institutions what help legacy tourists need. Delegates at a recent meeting of the Association of European Migration Institutions participated in a survey about what they perceive to be the most important language needs of their patrons. Most indicated that while some nations, such as Scotland, emphasize that tourists should come learn the language of their ancestors, perhaps most language help by the migration institutions is fairly simple, such as explaining what a surname means. Motivations for interest in family history are also reported, with staff at migration institutions providing comparisons of their perceptions with those motivations reported by real legacy tourists. Norwegian-Americans serve as the ethnicity of emphasis in this paper because of the identifiable nature of Norway as an ancestral homeland in contrast to other ethnicities without a homeland with clear borders. Specific language marketing suggestions are provided for those who are associated with migration institutions and similar entities.

]]> Nina M. Ray http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/13 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/13 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:22:17 PST It is widely recognized that authentic materials such as advertisements are beneficial to language learners. In addition to stimulating students’ interest and motivation, advertising in the target language exposes students to different styles of expression and offers a window into another culture. This article proposes a more comprehensive approach to integrating commercial advertisements into the foreign language classroom through content-based learning. In an effort to develop its international business curriculum, California State University, San Bernardino has added Introduction to French Advertising to its already strong business course options in French. This article describes the course in detail, including topics of discussion, collaborative activities for the classroom, and the use of interactive Web technologies to build critical reflection skills needed for lifelong learning.

]]> Elizabeth Martin http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/12 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/12 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:22:16 PST US higher education has focused on the development of new cadres of employees to the near exclusion of entrepreneurship as a career path. In this article, the authors describe an entrepreneurial approach to the teaching of Business French. The senior author served as the course instructor while the junior author was a student who completed the course. To provide an entry into the world of global entrepreneurship, the senior author selected the French translation of Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad. In parallel with the reading of Rich Dad, students completed a series of entrepreneurial course activities. Selected activities are described from the perspectives of both authors. The article ends with students’ feelings about (1) entrepreneurship, (2) future career plans, (3) the theme of the course, and (4) the use of Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad.

]]> Steven J. Sacco et al. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/11 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/11 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:22:13 PST Genre studies on intercultural aspects of business languages traditionally focus on established genres, such as print advertisements or annual reports. Despite the growing importance of Web-based business communication, only a few publications have engaged in contrastive Web genre analysis. This article develops a methodology for carrying out cross-cultural research on Web genres by giving ideas for designing a corpus and for choosing parameters of analysis. It also discusses the potential benefits of intercultural Web genre approaches for researchers, students, and business professionals.

]]> Tilman Schröder http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/10 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/10 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:22:12 PST This study demonstrates that inter-cultural negotiators, one of whom is a bi-cultural American well-versed in the other’s culture, realized similar joint gains to intra-cultural Korean negotiators. The conclusion of this study is that bi-culturals, who are aware of the cultural difference and social distance, were able to close social distance and produce joint gains that were similar to the result of intra-cultural negotiation. This study also emphasizes the development of pedagogical methods to increase KFL (Korean as a foreign language) learners’ inter-cultural awareness and overcome cultural prejudices, so that they can foster cultural and linguistic competence in inter-cultural business negotiations.

]]> Yeonhee Yoon et al. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/9 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/9 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:22:08 PST Existing international business with language concentration curriculum research indicates that little is known about perceptions of current international executives who are working in multinational corporations. This article investigates an American international executive’s perceptions of language and cultural barriers in multiple multinational corporations in China. The researcher’s seven-year period of contact with the business executive from 2003 to 2010 led to the collection of multiple data sources through businessactivity protocol questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The international executive’s perceptions suggest that the international business curriculum development was in the following three areas: (1) language competency, (2) multicultural awareness, and (3) global awareness.

]]> Jinghui Liu http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/8 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/8 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:22:03 PST Despite the obvious importance of speaking skills, for technology and other reasons, it is difficult for foreign language instructors to provide ample speaking practice opportunities to students. However, particularly in business language teaching, speaking is crucial. To address this problem, the authors have created an oral program for a Business Chinese textbook on an online platform called Speak Everywhere. This article discusses general oral training issues and reports on the design of the oral program.

]]> Bailu Li et al. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/7 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/7 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:21:59 PST This article explores the use of intercultural management cases as alternative instructional materials in business language courses. These cases use the power of story to teach about successful global leaders who effectively lead across cultures. As the cases engage and inform business language students, they also serve as a valuable resource for teaching language, communication, and culture. Additionally, the cases develop situation analysis and problemsolving skills. Three prominent CEOs serve as examples of intercultural management case subjects for the business language class: Jack Ma of China’s Alibaba, Carlos Ghosn of France and Japan’s Renault-Nissan Alliance, and Ratan Tata of India’s Tata Group.

]]> Christine Uber Grosse http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/6 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/6 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:21:58 PST Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helú has been a fixture on Forbes’s list of billionaires since 1991, and for the past three years, he has topped the magazine’s list of the world’s richest men. Although he is exceptionally well-known in his native Mexico, the majority of American college students have never heard of Carlos Slim. This article presents a curricular module built around this charismatic and controversial figure. The module requires students to navigate Internet-supported news media in the target language (Spanish), and engages them in independent, small-group, and larger, teacher-led activities designed to foster critical and comparative skills in cultural competency and analysis through process-based, student-led inquiry. Pedagogically and methodologically, the author engages with the recommendations and conclusions of recent studies by ACTFL and MLA committees, as well as by other leading scholars, regarding both the use of technology in the classroom and the idea of “teaching culture.” The unit’s content significantly deepens and enriches students’ understanding of social, economic, and political issues in modern Mexico. The article carefully situates each stage and aspect of the curricular unit presented in relation to recent studies of constructivism in foreign language acquisition and on the hierarchy of Bloom’s taxonomy of learning objectives.

]]> Roberto Rey Agudo http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/4 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/4 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:21:57 PST In this article, we will first review various perspectives on the teaching of culture and what effect this can have on intercultural interaction in language teaching. We then take a look at ways of using culture to teach a foreign language. The first example is how preparing to write a German Lebenslauf can serve as a means to get to know and better understand fellow classmates. In addition, we look at how preparing for a mock job interview can function as the basis for teaching German. Finally, we see that students appreciate and value the use of culture in the teaching of Business German.

]]> Michael Hager http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/5 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/5 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:21:57 PST Spanish for Business classes have increased substantially in the last 30 years in American higher education. Lived experiences in another country are a necessary part of any research conducted to teach cultural aspects of any society. As instructors of these classes, we cannot rely entirely on the information provided by official government Web sites. Mexico is not the exception, and instructors should travel to this country to gain the lived experience that provides first-hand knowledge of the country’s business cultural practices.

]]> Carlos Coria-Sánchez http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/3 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/3 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:21:56 PST Situated within the growing body of work on languages for specific purposes and community service-learning, this article explores the place of specific professional skills in the business language curriculum. It argues that the integration of explicit curricular content related to professional correspondence (emails, letter of recommendation requests, and cover letter content) will better prepare students for the work place without compromising the rigor of the traditional humanities disciplines.

]]> Darcy Lear http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/2 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/2 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:21:55 PST As English emerges as the lingua franca of many international corporations worldwide, academic institutions are erroneously retracting funds from language-learning programs, citing the lack of need or the inability to support nonessentials. With this approach, the true needs of language learners have been neglected. The blame can easily be placed on institutions that misunderstand the additional benefits learners garner while pursuing language studies (i.e., culture). However, it can be argued that the blame is actually that of the language educators who fail to arm themselves with the proper ammunition to argue their side properly. The administrators who decide the fate of language programs often remain uninformed about the reality of foreign language curricula. Language programs that focus on specialized purposes (LSP) can prepare students linguistically and culturally, as well as complement their education in content areas such as business and the sciences. A curriculum shift that encompasses important language and cultural nuances found in traditional classrooms, but also includes topics relating to the professional world outside of academia, is essential. Courses in LSP provide learners with a global perspective and language skills that surpass the qualifications of their monolingual counterparts. Funds and support will continue to be stripped from language programs across the US unless language instructors can demonstrate that language learning is not an isolated discipline, but rather part of a merging of complementary fields.

]]> Jennifer L. M. Gerndt http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/1 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol17/iss1/1 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:21:53 PST Allen G. Wood http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol16/iss1/12 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol16/iss1/12 Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:05:17 PDT Allen G. Wood http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol16/iss1/10 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol16/iss1/10 Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:05:16 PDT In this article we present a brief case study entitled “Breathe Pure Chile” that illustrates some of the cultural issues that come up in international professional settings. The company exports fruits from Chile and uses new technologies to preserve the foods longer. More importantly, this case offers insights into the interaction between North American and Latin American professionals. The story is based on actual interviews that were conducted with employees of the company in Santiago, Chile; however, the names of the people and the company have been modifi ed. In order to analyze the various cultural issues, the contents of the case are reviewed using three different models of business communication: Victor’s LESCANT model; Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions; and Hampden-Turner and Trompenaars’s Cultural Dilemmas. Finally, this article also looks at analysis and comments that university students have made as they review the content of the case study. The pedagogical implication is that students are better able to analyze and interpret the cultural aspects of a case scenario when they have access to some model or framework to work from.

]]> Orlando R. Kelm http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol16/iss1/11 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol16/iss1/11 Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:05:16 PDT Orlando R. Kelm http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol16/iss1/9 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/gbl/vol16/iss1/9 Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:05:15 PDT At the lower and intermediate-levels of language instruction, students do not have sufficient language proficiency to inform themselves about current events in the target language. Knowledge of current events is an important part of cultural competence and should not be absent from instruction because of linguistic restrictions. This article proposes to remedy this problem, by creating out-of-class reading assignments of current events articles from US and international English language news sources. The article provides practical information on selection criteria for articles, suggests news sources, and gives examples of assignments.

]]> Norbert Hedderich