Research projects in International Business Communication at HSE/Aalto

Transcription

1 Research projects in International Business Communication at HSE/Aalto Leena Louhiala-Salminen Anne Kankaanranta LIBRI Annual network meeting, 7-9 Oct Aarhus School of Business

2 Research projects in International Business Communication at HSE/Aalto 1 Research environment of IBC 2 IBC s research agenda 3 Examples of IBC s recearch projects

3 1 Research environment of IBC: Structure HSE Aalto University School of Economics Dept of Languages and Communication Dept of Communication (= 1. programs & research, 2. languages required for BSc degree) Two MSc programs (International Business Communication, Finnish Business & Corporate Communication) One MSc program in Communication (incl. areas of specialization)

4 1 Research environment of IBC: Requirements Aalto targets world class by 2020 both research and education emphasized Research: - AACSB accreditation, rigorous criteria for academically qualified faculty - publication mainly in top journals (FT45, IF >1.0) - communication not core business

5 2 IBC s research agenda Our mission is to enhance the business knowhow of internationally operating companies by contributing to greater understanding of the strategic role of communication in international business operations. We investigate global communications at two levels: in the operations of the corporate communication function in international corporations in all interactions taking place in corporate contexts

6 3 Examples of IBC s research projects Merger project, Does business know how?, Communication in Finnish-Russian Business, Master s thesis projects, BELF communication in multicultural meetings: Hong Kong and Finland, 2010-

7 Merger project, Finnish-Swedish mergers: Nordea & Stora Enso Funded by the Academy of Finland Suomi? Svenska? English? Communication survey and authentic meeting and data Findings: - NL/English 80% / 20 % - Internal/external communication 80%/ 20% - Amount of other languages minimal but impact on relationship building and rapport significant BELF

8 Does business know how? project, One of 17 projects investigating business know-how in a major Research Program funded by the Academy of Finland Focus: communication know-how as business knowhow Five subprojects (BELF, meetings, intranet, investor relations, globalizing organization)

9 Does business know how? 1. described some of the key features (both at the macro and micro levels) of the current technologically, linguistically and culturally complex context of global business & corporate communication 2. showed the crucial significance of communication knowhow as integral to business knowhow 3. identified discursive and contextual features that contribute to successful communication 4. increased understanding of the use and characteristics of BELF (English as a Business Lingua Franca) 5. showed how multiple understandings in (multicultural) team meetings relate to individual and organizational knowing and learning

10 Communication in Finnish-Russian Business, Focus: From the communication point of view, what is included in Russia know-how? e.g. Challenges in Finnish-Russian business communication Composition of personnel employed in Russian operations The use of different languages (Finnish, Russian, English) in different communication situations

11 Communication in Finnish-Russian Business, 2008: example framework FOREIGN MARKET ORIENTATION Customer orientation Competitor orientation Interunit coordination CORPORATE COMMUNICATION Frequency Medium Language Bidirectionality COMMUNICATION QUALITY INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION Relationship Language Cultural knowledge Medium Frequency INNOVATION Product innovations Administrative innovations

12 Master s thesis projects, : Identity, Reputation and Communication Strategy of a Non-profit Expert Organization 2009: Communicating CSR to Consumers and Employees 2010: Process Thinking in Corporate Communication 2010: Social Media in Reputation Management

13 BELF communication in multicultural meetings: Hong Kong and Finland, A collaboration with Prof. Bertha Du-Babcock, City University of Hong Kong Data - video d management meetings with Finnish & Swedish and Chinese & Japanese participants Objective - to increase knowledge about management meetings in multicultural settings - to gain insights into Chinese and Finnish interaction and to add to previous knowledge of BELF usage

14 References Charles, M. (2007). Language Matters in Global Communication: Article Based on ORA Lecture, October 2006, Journal of Business Communication, July 2007, 44: Huttunen, S. (2010). Problematic talk. The role of multiple understandings in project meetings, Aalto University School of Economics Doctoral Dissertation. Helsinki: Aalto University School of Economics. Kankaanranta, A. & Planken, B. (2010). BELF competence as business knowledge of internationally operating business professionals. Journal of Business Communication, Special issue of Language Matters, 47(4), Kankaanranta, A. & Louhiala-Salminen, L. (2010). English? Oh, it s just work! : A study of BELF users perceptions. English for Specific Purposes, 29, Lehmuskallio, S (2006). The Uses, Roles, and Contents of Intranets in Multinational Companies in Finland, Journal of Business and Technical Communication, July 2006, 20: Louhiala-Salminen, L: (2009). Disciplinary Perspectives: Business Communication in F. Bargiela- Chiappini (ed), The Handbook of Business Discourse (pp ), Edinburgh: EUP. Louhiala-Salminen, L. & Kankaanranta, A. (Eds) (2009). The Ascent of International Business Communication, B-109. Helsinki: HSEPrint. Louhiala-Salminen, L., Charles, M. & Kankaanranta, A. (2005). Language as a lingua franca in Nordic corporate mergers: Two case companies. English for Specific Purposes, 24,