In this article, we present a witty and relevant resource for students to learn and apply communications concepts to assess barriers to communication and tactics for overcoming such barriers. Leveraging the humor of a classic Abbott and Costello comedy routine, we challenge students to analyze the clip and to identify best practices in…

In the twenty-first-century working professionals need to possess strong Interactional Competence to handle professional communication in intercultural contexts (PCIC). However, the relationship among the three PCIC constituents -- culture, workplace and interaction -- is undertheorized in current research. This leaves PCIC practitioners…

Fieldwork interviews can be utilised in intercultural communication classrooms to compare theories with real-world experiences, promoting discovery and facilitating deeper learning. However, the insights drawn from such interviews are often reduced to direct quotes from interviewees, with little reflection on why they express their views in…

Nearly every business communication textbook includes an explanation of "hard" and "soft" skills. Indeed, most business professionals understand the importance of honing interpersonal competencies as well as technical proficiencies. However, measuring the importance of soft skills and how they are used in an organization is…

English communication has gained its importance for Thai massage employees who are required to interact and provide massage services to foreign customers due to the popularity of Thai massage among foreigners. This study attempts to explore and analyze the needs and problems of Thai massage employees towards English communication in their…

Wider parts of society-at-large are not fluent in the language of numbers, and financial literacy in particular is low in many countries (OECD, 2014). This paper shows how research on financial communication with and for practitioners (Cameron, Frazer, Rampton, & Richardson, 1992, p. 22) can foster intra-lingual translation in the financial…

This study investigates Polish expatriates' stories of encounters with local personnel in a Chinese subsidiary of a Western multinational company. A narrative analysis of the stories produced important insights into Polish-Chinese communication in an intra-subsidiary context. Low proficiency in the host language was a serious obstacle to…

The textbook is an essential individual studying and learning tool which helps the student gain insight into the theoretical system as well as the practical issues of a particular field of study. It can also raise interest in and develop a commitment to a discipline with the aid of appropriate tasks and exercises. However, most importantly, the…

This article explores, in general, three areas for leadership communication that women in business need to master. Indeed, there are more than three, but the focus here is on: the need to master the art of successfully confronting the problem when it appears, the process of leading a team, the special requirements of communicating with men. An…

This paper investigates native speaker (NS) and non-native speaker (NNS) interaction in the workplace in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Based on empirical data from a 10-month email exchange between a medium-sized British company and a small-sized Italian company, the general aim of this study is to explore the nature of the intercultural…

Cross-cultural blunders caused by inappropriate use of language are a common problem in international professional communication. They cause misunderstanding, lead to business failures, and tend to be offensive at times. Such blunders may occur in business ads, slogans, products names, and instructions. Understanding their causes and finding…

Identifies major communication problems that create malfunctions in business and presents classroom activities that demonstrate the problems and possible solutions. Discusses six malfunctions and related exercises to overcome them. (JOW)

This article is devoted to the linguistic, communicative and sociocultural situation in branches of multinational companies located in the Czech Republic and Hungary. There are typically several languages used in these branches. In addition to the local languages, there are the languages of the parent companies--most commonly English or German,…

In this perspective, the concept of communication breakdown is abandoned. Instead, it is understood that miscommunication and noncommunication are also ways of transmitting messages. (SK)

In the global workplace, there has been tremendous growth in business processing outsourcing (BPO). Many industries are establishing call centers, back offices and other offshore enterprises in developing countries in an attempt to reduce costs. This development has far-reaching implications for language in these offshore destinations. Despite…