Leena Louhiala-Salminen

The fly’s perspective: discourse in the daily routine of a business manager

Abstract This paper is a report of an observation study of a Business Manager’s discourse activities. A Finnish Business Manager who works in a multinational corporation was observed for one day. Most of the discourse activities during the day were tape-recorded, and copies were taken of the written materials. The data were suzpplemented with interviews. The goals of the study were two-fold: firstly, to find some of the salient features that characterize discourse activities in a multinational corporation and secondly, to test the applicability of the data collection method for a larger research project. The article describes the communication environment, shows the flow and nature of the activities, and discusses some examples of the discourse. The salient features that emerged include: the ‘native corporate language’ status of English (i.e. English used as the corporation’s first language in various types of national and international contacts), intertextuality, parallel and mixed use of spoken and written language, and the decisive role of e-mail as a communication medium. The concepts of literacy [as understood by e.g. Barton, D., & Hamilton, M. (1998). Local literacies . London: Routledge ] and discourse community [ Swales, J. (1990). Genre analysis . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press ] were used in the analysis of the discourse.

The business communication classroom vs reality: What should we teach today?

Abstract This article focuses on written business communication in the middle of the rapidly changing technological environment. Mailed letters have, to a large extent, been replaced by brief faxes and even e-mail messages, but the effects of the new media on the language used in the messages has not received much scholarly interest yet. In addition, it seems that many business communication courses need updating, as the basic concept, The Business Letter, is becoming very rare, if not extinct, in real business. This article describes the present workplace environment by presenting the results of an extensive questionnnaire and interview study conducted among Finnish business professionals on their English business communication; special emphasis is placed on the views of the informants on the recent developments of written communication: its organization, structure and language.

Facing Facebook: Impression Management Strategies in Company–Consumer Interactions

This study examines interaction between corporate representatives and critical consumers in today’s social media environment. Applying a microanalytical form of discourse analysis to a data set of corporate Facebook page discussions, the study contributes to a better understanding of the communicative resources that organizations use as part of their impression management (IM) for upholding their acceptability and promoting their credibility. The study also reveals the complexity of the work of corporate Facebook representatives, who need to align their individual IM with that of the organization while adjusting to the technologically mediated context.

Business Communication in BELF

with students is enjoyable and rewarding. Students are motivated because the program is voluntary. In the supportive atmosphere, students feel comfortable asking questions they would never raise in front of their other classmates. By using a team approach widely adopted in business, students gain practice in leadership and organization at the same time they improve their language skills. For our program, the advantages of self-directed language study groups have outweighed the disadvantages.

Language Matters An Introduction

The idea for this “Language Matters” special issue stems from a water cooler conversation at the first ELF (English as a Lingua Franca) Forum held at the University of Helsinki in spring 2008. We were both excited about the large number of linguists engaging in heated discussions about ELF. First, scholars argued about the existence or nonexistence of ELF, then about its core and boundaries, and further about its use and users. We both have a linguistic background, but are currently more involved in business and professional communication and thus follow discussions in those fields. At the water cooler, we wondered, why is it that ELF research does not really have any visibility in business communication? And this is despite the fact that a major part of all global business today is conducted in ELF—or BELF, for that matter (see Louhiala-Salminen, Charles, & Kankaanranta, 2005, for an introduction of BELF, i.e., English as a Lingua Franca in Business, contexts). Why, overall, are language matters still often “side issues” in communication research? Language is taken for granted— not questioned, examined, used as a variable, or explained. These questions finally led to a proposal for a special issue on “Language Matters” for the Journal of Business Communication, and in the end resulted in the

“Sell the Sizzle”: Communicating environmental, social, and governance issues to institutional investors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of knowledge transfer in the communication of environment, social, governance (ESG) factors between companies and institutional investors, when they attempt to reach a full appreciation and mutual understanding. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical data were gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews with six European institutional investors. Archival material was used to triangulate the findings. Findings – Based on the interviews it was evident that ESG is only one consideration in the investment process and that there are several approaches toward integrating ESG. Furthermore, the investors viewed ESG within a financial framework suggesting that this financial framework is part of their vocational cultural professional mental models. Finally, the results indicate that investors attempt to reach a mutual understanding of ESG by carrying out an active dialogue with target companies. Practical implications – The study indicates that c...

Are Strategic Communication Management Competencies and Personal Attributes Global? A Case Study of Practice in Finland and New Zealand

The drive to both maintain competitiveness and to meet marketplace expectations using the strategic management of communication is a feature of the international workplace. In the complex and dynamic commercial environment of the new millennium, this drive includes the imperatives to employ competent communication professionals. Whether organizations are intent on acquiring or developing proficient practitioners, the ability to achieve these aims rests on the identification of relevant competencies and attributes. This study uses the Critical Incident Technique to explore the practice of Communication Management in a sample of practitioners in New Zealand and Finland—two geographically disperse countries. The identified critical incidents mostly related to managing crisis communication across both countries. To manage the incidents, communication practitioners predominantly used two competencies: stakeholder relationship management and external interface management. In addition, the personal attribute of adaptability was most commonly employed in both countries. Despite the similarity of incidents and the competencies and attributes required to manage them, also variability in practitioners’ strategic and personal responses was evident.

An Introduction to Language Matters Part 2

Having met up recently at the ABC’s 10th European conference in Antwerp, we coeditors were very pleased to see how well the first issue of “Language Matters” (Journal of Business Communication, April 2010), which focused on language at the macro level, has resonated with the business communication community. Not only were many positive comments made about the articles in the first issue but also many of the key concerns raised regarding the centrality of language in business communication were reflected in the conference presentations and plenary sessions. Indeed, both Guiliana Garzone (2010) and Brigitte Planken’s (2010) plenary addresses emphasized the importance of both language and new technologies in development in business communication, and several of the articles in “Language Matters” show how the synergy between language and technology is influencing the evolution of business communication today. Similarly, Jo Mackiewicz’s (2010) engaging plenary talk reminded us of the importance of relating research findings to business practice and of the need to give due attention to the implications of any research we do: a plea that we hope has been carefully attended to in the articles in these two issues. Both issues of “Language Matters” attempt to show how language continues to play a central role in what Planken (2010) referred to as “the changing landscape of business communication” as increasing globalization and the

Diagrams in Contracts: Fostering Understanding in Global Business Communication

Research problem: Business-to-business contracts are complex communication artifacts, often considered “legal stuff” and the exclusive domain of lawyers. However, many other stakeholders without a legal background are involved in the negotiation, drafting, approval, and implementation of contracts, and their contributions are essential for successful business relationships. How can we ensure that all stakeholders in the global business context—whatever their native language or professional background—easily and accurately understand contract documents? This study suggests that integrating diagrams in contracts can result in faster and more accurate comprehension, for both native and non-native speakers of English. Literature review: We focused on the following research topics: (1) ways to integrate text and visuals to create more effective instructions, since we conceptualize contracts as a type of business instructions; (2) cognitive load theory, as it may help explain why contracts are so hard to understand and why text-visuals integration may ameliorate their understandability; (3) cognitive styles, as individual differences may affect how individuals process verbal and visual information, thus allowing us to explore the limitations of our suggested approach; (4) the English lingua franca spoken by business professionals in international settings, their needs and challenges, and the fact that pragmatic approaches are needed to ensure successful communication. Methodology: We conducted an experiment with 122 contract experts from 24 countries. The research participants were asked to complete a series of comprehension tasks regarding a contract, which was provided in either a traditional, text-only version or in a version that included diagrams as complements to the text. In addition to measuring answering speed and accuracy, we asked the participants to provide information about their educational background, mother tongue, and perceived mental effort in task completion, and to complete an object–spatial imagery and verbal questionnaire to assess their cognitive style. Conclusions: We found that integrating diagrams into contracts supports faster and more accurate comprehension; unexpectedly, legal background and different cognitive styles do not interact with this main effect. We also discovered that both native and non-native speakers of English benefit from the presence of diagrams in terms of accuracy, but that this effect is particularly strong for non-native speakers. The implication of this study is that adding diagrams to contracts can help global communicators to understand such documents more quickly and accurately. The need for well-designed contracts may open new opportunities for professional writers and information designers. Future research may also go beyond experimental evaluations: by observing this new genre of contracts in vivo, it would be possible to shed light on how contract visualizations would be perceived and interpreted in a global communication environment.

An Introduction to Language Matters

Having met up recently at the ABC’s 10th European conference in Antwerp, we coeditors were very pleased to see how well the first issue of “Language Matters” (Journal of Business Communication, April 2010), which focused on language at the macro level, has resonated with the business communication community. Not only were many positive comments made about the articles in the first issue but also many of the key concerns raised regarding the centrality of language in business communication were reflected in the conference presentations and plenary sessions. Indeed, both Guiliana Garzone (2010) and Brigitte Planken’s (2010) plenary addresses emphasized the importance of both language and new technologies in development in business communication, and several of the articles in “Language Matters” show how the synergy between language and technology is influencing the evolution of business communication today. Similarly, Jo Mackiewicz’s (2010) engaging plenary talk reminded us of the importance of relating research findings to business practice and of the need to give due attention to the implications of any research we do: a plea that we hope has been carefully attended to in the articles in these two issues. Both issues of “Language Matters” attempt to show how language continues to play a central role in what Planken (2010) referred to as “the changing landscape of business communication” as increasing globalization and the