Business Communication Research and Theory Development in Asia: Past, Present, and Future Prospects

Bertha Du-Babcock 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2018 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.1 No.1

Objectives: Multinational corporations headquartered in Asia have steadily taken a greater market share in the global marketplace. This growth will continue, and Asia will be the leading economic force in the 21st century. This article attempts to provide a critical review of the literature of international business and business communication in Asia over the last two decades. Methods: This paper describes and reviews intercultural communication and business research and theory development in Asian multinational corporations. It traces the development of cultural, linguistic, and international business streams of research and theory development. Existing models and frameworks that can guide research and theory building are presented to lead to a unified theory of Asian business communication. Results: It was shown how distinct management and communication systems developed in Japan, Korea, overseas Chinese countries, and Mainland China. These streams were largely independent and are now going through an initial period of integration. Conclusions: There are hopeful signs for expanded research and theory building on Asian business communication. Scholarship and research is shifting to Asia as a way of following the movement of global business communication. A comprehensive framework, theories, and models are needed in order to guide future research endeavors in this increasingly diverse and complex globalized business communication environment and to provide a more complete and comprehensive explanation of international and Asian business communication.

Can Simulated Data be Comparable to Authentic Data?: A Comparative Analysis of Meeting Chairing Activities

Bertha Du-Babcock,Angela Chi Kuen Chan 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2019 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.2 No.2

Objectives:This paper examines an under-researched issue - the comparability between authentic and simulated data, both of which are commonly used in business and professional communication. By analysing face-to-face business meetings, this paper aims to investigate (1) whether the four meeting chairing activities are accomplished in similar or different ways in authentic and simulated meetings?, and (2) under what settings simulated data would be comparable to authentic data for business and professional communication research. Methods:The study employs a fine-grained discourse-analytic approach to examine and compare four meeting chairing/facilitation activities (i.e., meeting opening, agenda management, turn allocation, meeting closing) in two authentic and two simulated business meetings. Results:Analysis shows that simulated meetings display a considerable degree of similarities to authentic meetings in terms of communicative strategies used to open or close a meeting, to manage the meeting agenda, and to allocate speakership while differences are observed in the actual discourse used to accomplish these chairing activities. The observed differences can be attributed in terms of the participants’ orientations to the meetings’ contextual factors including the setting that a simulated meeting is embedded, the organizational roles that a meeting chair is playing, and the relationship among the meeting participants. Conclusion:Findings suggest that simulated data can be compatible for studying communicative patterns at macro-levels although it may not be suitable for researching business communication at a micro-level of interaction. We also provide implications of using simulated data for conducting research in business communication.

Impact of Bilingual Language and Their Proficiency on Role Behaviors in Strategic Decision-Making Meetings

Bertha Du-Babcock 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2020 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.3 No.1

Objectives:This paper investigates whether (1) Hong Kong bilinguals exhibit different role behaviors in interconnected Cantonese (L1) and English (L2) strategic decision-making meetings; (2) individuals with higher L2 proficiency exhibit more task-facilitating role behaviors, while individuals with lower L2 proficiency likely exhibit more relational-maintenance role behaviors; and (3) English proficiency affect the role behavior of Hong Kong bilinguals. Methods:The study adopted a schema developed by Benne and Sheats and Barker, Wahlers, Watson, & Kibler. The data consisted of 22 meeting transcripts with a total copra of 65,397 words of English dialogs and 120,998 Chinese characters. The number and frequency of the role behaviors of each participant were codified, counted, and compared to examine the impact of language use and L2 proficiency on role behaviors. Results:The results showed that Hong Kong bilinguals performed more task-facilitating and relational-maintenance role behaviors in Cantonese meetings than in English meetings. Findings also revealed that L2 proficiency influenced task-facilitating role behaviors when making decisions in English and that the individuals who performed more task-facilitating role behaviors in English meetings had a tendency to perform more task-facilitating role behaviors in Cantonese meetings. Conclusion:The study clarifies when and why Hong Kong bilinguals communicate differently in their L1 and L2 meetings. The study provides possible markers for improving the quantity and quality of intercultural communication. When bilinguals with intermediate L2 proficiency participate in an intercultural meeting requiring interactive decision making, the challenge is to create a communication structure where their communication potential can be more fully utilized.

Adapting Western-Based Management and Business Communication Courses to Global Environments: Expatriate Professor Perspectives

Bertha Du-Babcock,Li-Ying Wu 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2023 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.6 No.1

Objectives: The present study examines an under-researched issue – the transferability and adaptations of Western-based (mainly US) business and management communication courses to the global environments. This paper investigates whether and how the Western expatriate professors adapted their US-delivered modes to accommodate the global communication environments regarding language, culture, and contexts. Methods: The present study is exploratory research using qualitative methodology. Ten expert Western professors who taught in Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, India, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Singapore were invited to participate in the research. The data were gathered through a triangulation method, including objectifying interviewing and the written responses to open-ended questions. Results: The findings demonstrate that the instructional material and teaching style used in the US or UK could serve as the framework for Asian and Middle Eastern teaching but that adaptations need to be made for language, culture, and context differences in and among Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Notably, the English competency of the students determines the quantity of teaching material that could be presented. Conclusions: Findings suggest that multifaceted adaptations, including language, culture, and context factors, are critical to the success of transforming US-based business and management courses to the global business communication environment. The paper concludes by identifying five emerging themes in an expanding business communication theory and an internationalized business communication classroom genre. Implications and suggestions for future research are also provided.

A Comparative Analysis of Conflict Management Styles between Local and Expatriate Managers in Hong Kong-Based Multinational Corporations

Li-Ying Wu,Bertha Du-Babcock 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2021 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.4 No.1

Objectives:This paper investigates and compares how and whether conflicts are managed differently between expatriate managers and Hong Kong local managers when handling conflicts with organizational members from different organizational levels. Methods:Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. To examine the differences, Rahim’s ROCI–II Forms A, B, and C questionnaires were administered to 41 expatriate and 50 local managers working at multinational corporations in Hong Kong. The questionnaire addresses five conflict management styles (CMS). In total, 273 questionnaires were collected. Ninety-one in-depth interviews were also conducted to strengthen findings and interpretation of the questionnaire data. Results:The findings show that similar and different preferred CMS are observed in both expatriate and local managers when handling conflicts at different organizational levels; to superiors, subordinates, and peers. Of five CMS, integrating style was the most preferred CMS by both expatriate and local managers. Dominating style was preferred when handling conflicts with subordinates by expatriate and local managers, while compromising style was likely to be used by local managers but not expatriate managers. Avoiding style, being considered lose-lose orientation, is least preferred. By adopting the avoiding style, both parties tend to withdraw themselves from the conflict scenes and leave conflicts go unaddressed. Conclusions:Findings suggest that culture affects the use of CMS between expatriate and local managers. Differences also are found by local and expatriate managers when dealing with conflicts in different organizational levels. We also provide implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research.