about san luis potosi - Association for Business Communication

Transcripción

WELCOME LETTER
Welcome to the 8th Tricontinental Conference on Global Advances in Business and Communication
(GABC) jointly meeting with the Association for Business Communication Caribbean, México, Central
and South America, an event which brings together the power of interdisciplinary and international
thinking. Academics and practitioners will present ongoing scholarly activities and business practices
which shape and are shaped by the intersection of cultural factors and global business.
We expect approximately 70 attendees from different 9 countries, including the U.S., Mexico, Puerto
Rico, Hong Kong, China, India, Japan, Belgium, United Kingdom, and Malaysia. We offer bilingual
tracks in Spanish and English. Simultaneous translation will be available in the plenary sessions.
GABC and its affiliate journal are co-sponsored by the University of Antwerp, the Technological
University of Malaysia, Eastern Michigan University and the Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Valery Chistov, co-chair
Roger N. Conaway, co-chair
WEDNESDAY
Opening Night Reception
CDEE 8th floor. 6:30-9:00 PM
Please join us for an evening of light music, food (canapes), and drink.
THURSDAY
9:00-10:30 AM
CDEE building, Fifth Floor
WELCOME
Dr. Victor, Professor of Management and Director, International
Business at Eastern Michigan University.
Dr. Victor is founder of the Global Advances in Business Communication.
Notably, he was the first recipient of the Distinguished Visiting Foreign
Professorship (Graduate Level) of the Tecnológico de Monterrey in 1992. He
also represented the United States in the formation of the Regional Area
Mobility Program (RAMP) of the NAFTA initiative of the IIE bringing
together business education partnerships and exchanges among the US,
Canada and Mexico. Dr. Victor has consulted since the mid-1980’s in the
areas of international business communication, expatriate relocation and
diversity management for a range of clients including school systems,
hospital networks and city governments as well as a wide range of
companies in the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Europe including GEMA, Bayer, General Motors, Ford,
Bosch, Nissan, Continental, Lear, Yazaki, IBM, Spartan Stores, Metaldyne, American Axle and Thyssen
Krupp.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Carlos Gutiérrez, Director of Governmental and external affairs,
BMW Group Mexico
The theme of the Keynote is “Communication and Doing Business
Internationally.” Mr. Gutiérrez will focus on German luxury car maker
BMW AG´s decision to establish a $1.5 billion factory in San Luis Potosí,
a facility which, according to The Wall Street Journal, would manufacture
Series 1 and Series 3 models, among others. Mr. Gutiérrez will focus on
lessons learned about global communication and culture while doing
business and descript best practices or matters to avoid. The recent arrival
of large auto manufacturing companies like BMW has significant social and economic impact on the city
when they make a commitment to the community identity and social environment. Communication is
foundational to this process and BMW has a major role in the city.
FRIDAY
9:00-10:30 AM
CDEE building, Fifth Floor
“Challenges of Doing Business Internationally”
Panel Discussion
Moderator
Peter Cardon, Associate Professor, Marshall School of
Business, University of Southern California
Dr. Cardon teaches management communication, international business
communication, new media and communication, and advanced
business writing. His primary research interests are intercultural
communication and social networking. Pete is currently the President of
the Association for Business Communication and a board member for
the Orchid Foundation. Prior to joining USC, Pete taught at the
University of South Carolina for six years and Utah State University for
three years. Before working in higher education, he held several
marketing and management positions in the tourism and manufacturing
industries. Along the way, he has worked in China for three years and traveled to approximately forty
countries for work and research. He is the author of Business Communication: Developing Leaders for a
Networked World.
________________________________________________________________________
David Gomez, Goodyear SLP Project Site Director
David Gomez is the Goodyear SLP Project Director for the most
technologically advanced tire plant ever built by the company. He
received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from The University of
Alabama and then began working in Akron, Ohio for Goodyear. He
started as a staff Engineer, preparing expansion packages for several
plants around the world. Later, he took on the role of Resident
Engineer, in Mexico, USA and Brazil, overseeing projects ranging
from 5 to 50MM USD. He then changed to the Manufacturing area, working in various positions in Brazil
and Venezuela and then as the Manufacturing Director in Colombia, Slovenia, France and Luxembourg.
Before returning to Mexico, (which was his first international assignment) he took on the role of
European Commercial Manufacturing Director for three years. He is currently living in SLP with his wife.
They have three grown children living in Tampa, Denver and San Francisco.
Dr. Jose Torres, Planning and Development
Minister State Government of San Luis Potosi
Dr. Torres began his career working in logistics and
international marketing companies and government agencies,
later he served as a visiting professor in Peru and Spain.
In addition, he was Dean of the Business School and Chief of
“The Center of Innovation and Regional Development” of Tec
de Monterrey Campus, San Luis Potosi. As consultant, he
focused on Foreign Direct Investment, leading projects as
“Social & Economic Impact of General Motors in San Luis Potosi” and collaborating in negotiations
related to the attraction of investments as Ford & BMW to San Luis Potosi. Since 2009, he has served as
Planning and Development Minister of the Government of the State of San Luis Potosí.
Michael Coates, Managing Director of
Protostar Leadership Development Ltd.
Michael is the founder and Managing Director of
Protostar Leadership Development Ltd a UK
management consultancy that specialises in helping managers to achieve better results. Michael tends to
concentrate on coaching senior leaders and helping them to grow their organisations and improve
innovation. He has an impressive client list including Nike, Novartis, Caterpillar and some of the most
prestigious UK universities. Also a visiting professor at ITESM, Michael is no stranger to San Luis Potosi
having met his Mexican wife here when he was the European Director of HR Services for Cummins Inc. a
global automotive manufacturer. During his 10 years there he had operational control of staff based from
Moscow to Zimbabwe and was responsible for all aspects of HR, organisational development and
management training. Prolific blogger and author of “Psychology and Organisations” published by
Pearson, Michael is a regular speaker at HR and Coaching events. For more about Michael go to
www.protostar-uk.com or connect to him on LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mcoates2
Gunter Daut, General Director of Bosch,
San Luis Potosí plant
Mr. Daut’s disciplined lifestyle is based on the
military training he received as he completed his
studies in economics at the University of the Armed
Forces in Germany (Universität der Bundeswehr
München). After completing his studies
successfully, he achieved the Army rank of captain.
He has been part of the Bosch Group since 1989
and has risen to several important positions within
the company. His success earned him international
experience and knowledge of several languages (German, English, Spanish and Portuguese). Beginning in
1993, he served as Director of Logistics in Curitiba, Brazil for 5 years before returning to Germany. From
2005 to 2011 he became Vice President of worldwide logistics for the Gasoline Systems division.
Currently, he holds the position of General Director of Robert Bosch plant in San Luis Potosi, México.
Sana Reynolds, Consultant & Professor of
Management Communication, Baruch College
Dr. Reynolds, currently serves on the faculty of Baruch
College, Zicklin School of Business, City University of New
York, a top ranked, regional public business school. She has
over 25 years of extensive multinational experience as a
consultant in the United States and overseas. She has
successfully completed assignments for British, Chinese,
Indonesian, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Russian and Swiss
companies. Dr. Reynolds has a proven track record developing
programs in managerial and cross-cultural communication,
coaching executives for promotion, and preparing professionals
for international assignments. In addition to native fluency in
English, French, Ukrainian, working knowledge of Russian, and eight years’ living and working
experience in Western Europe and in Asia, she has a Ph.D. from Tulane University, a Doctorat
d’universite from the Sorbonne, and a M.A. from Middlebury.
COFFEE BREAK
10:45 PM to 11:00 PM
Aulas 1, Student Center (second floor)
MORNING SESSIONS – THURSDAY, MAY 26
Track: INTERNATIONAL MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION
10:45-11:55 AM
ROOM 307
SESSIONS 1-A, 1-B, 1-E
MODERATOR: Carlos Agredano González
Session 1-A
Christine R. Day, Eastern Michigan University, USA
0:45-11:05 AM
Elizabeth Hagensen, Bemidji State University, USA
“Integration of Multiple Disciplines (Global Business, Literature, and Criminal Justice)
to Grow Professional Communication E”
Session 1-B
William Sharbrough, The Citadel, USA
11:10-11:30 AM
Tanner B Knox, The Citadel, USA
“Does Leadership Training Lead to Increased Use of Motivating Language in a Military
College Setting?”
Session 1-E
David Victor, Eastern Michigan University, USA
11:35-11:55 AM
Bertha Du-Babcock, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Richard Babcock, University of San Francisco, USA
“Integration and Operationalization of IB Communication Models”
Track: CROSS-CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE: SKILLS, COMMUNICATION, INFLUENCE IN CONDUCTING
EFFECTIVE BUSINESS
10:45-11:35 AM
ROOM 212
SESSIONS 2-B, 2-C, 2-D
MODERATOR: Mario Cortés Garay
Session 2-B
Peter W. Cardon, University of Southern California, USA
10:45-11:05 AM
Hongqing Li, Northeast Dianli University, China
Xiaodong Ming, Beihua University, China
“The Chinese Experience in American Higher Education: Implications for Crosscultural Communication”
Session 2-D
Barry Thatcher, New Mexico State University, USA
11:10-11:35 AM
“Teaching U.S. proposal writing to Mexican engineering students at a U.S. border
university”
Track: CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT TOWARD RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
10:45-11:35 AM
ROOM TEAL
SESSIONS 3-A, 3-B, 3-C
MODERATOR: María del Pilar Castellanos Rueda
Session 3-A
Shoma Mukherji, Management Development Institute, India
10:45-11:05 AM
Neera Jain, Management Development Institute, India
“From Grassroots to Corporate: Challenging Discrimination and Communicating for
Women Empowerment”
Session 3-B
Harash Sachdev, Eastern Michigan University, USA
11:10-11:35 AM
“B2B Services Buyer-Seller Relationship in a Multi-Tier Supply Chain”
CONFERENCE LUNCHEON
12:00 PM to 1:30 PM
CDEE 8th Floor, Room 803
AFTERNOON SESSIONS – THURSDAY, MAY 26
Track: INTERNATIONAL MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION
1:35-2:45 PM
ROOM 307
SESSIONS 1-D, 1-C, 1-F
MODERATOR: Liliana González Rodríguez
Session 1-D
1:35-1:55 PM
“International Managerial Communication: Impacts of Language and Culture
Competencies on Chinese Expatriates in Germany”
Session 1-C
Juan Pablo Adame Arnedo, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
2:00-2:20 PM
“The emotional-affective process in communication”
Session 1-F
Michael S. Doyle, University of North Carolina Charlotte, USA
2:25-2:45 PM
“Nicaragua’s Grand Canal: A Business Language Case Study”
EFFECTIVE BUSINESS
1:35-2:45 PM
ROOM 212
SESSIONS 2-E, 2-F, 2-G
MODERATOR: Franziska Maria Stephanie Lotz
Session 2-E
Karin Goettsch, The Mosaic Company & University of Minnesota, USA
1:35-1:55 PM
“Engaging the Engagement Team: A Cultural Intelligence Case Study Reality Check”
Session 2-F
2:00-2:20 PM
Session 2-G
2:25-2:45 PM
Sana Reynolds, Baruch College, City University of New York, USA
“Selling with Sensitivity: Using a Student Team to Examine Marketing/Advertising
Strategies across Cultures.”
Olivia Hernández-Pozas, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Marcela Quintanilla, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
“Cultural Shock of International Professors in Mexico”
Track: GLOBAL INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION (IMC), PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND BORN
GLOBAL THINKING
1:35-2:45 PM
ROOM TEAL
MODERATOR: Sonja Marie Dohse Newton
Session 4-A
Isaias Ruiz Solano, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
1:35-1:55 PM
Carlos Agredano González, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
“Communication in Super Events: The Case of the Superbowl Avacado Advertisment”
Session 4-B
Mario Cortés Garay, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
2:00-2:20 PM
“The Effect of Crime on Marketing Communication in Latin America”
Session 4-C
2:25-2:45 PM
Valery Chistov, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
“The Use of Internet Memes as a Part of Integrated Marketing Communication
Strategy”
COFFEE BREAK
2:40 PM to 3:00 PM
ENTERTAINMENT VENUE
3:00 PM to 4:45 PM Auditorium
DINNER ON YOUR OWN
Group Option: Almacen Restaurant
MORNING SESSIONS – FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2016
EFFECTIVE BUSINESS
10:45-11:55 AM
SALON 307
SESSIONS 2-H, 2-I, 2-J
MODERATOR: Carlos Agredano González
Session 2-H
10:45-11:05 AM
Orlando Kelm, University of Texas at Austin, USA
“Using Unadjusted Executive Comments To Enhance Cross-Cultural Business Case
Analysis”
Session 2-I
Matthew Sauber, Eastern Michigan University, USA
11:10-11:30 AM
“E-Commerce Challenges and Opportunities: The Case of Mexico”
Session 2-J
11:35-11:55 AM
Sonja Marie Dohse Newton, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Franziska Lotz, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
“Do You Speak Client?”
Track: GLOBAL COMMUNICATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND BUSINESS ETHICS
10:45-11:55 AM
SALON 212
MODERATOR: Mario Cortés Garay
Session 5-A
Andrés González Reynoso, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
10:45-11:05 AM
Roger Conaway, EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
“Mexico's Role in the Promotion of Human Rights, Democracy, and Rule of Law”
Session 5-B
Momotaro Takamori, Doshisha University, Japan
11:10-11:30 AM
“Using Design Thinking to Build Business English”
Session 5-C
11:35-11:55 AM
Mahmud Rahman, Eastern Michigan University, USA
Banikanta Mishra, Xavier Institute of Management, India
Faye Kao, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
“It Takes a Global Village to Raise a Childish Question: Whose Ethics is it, Anyway?”
Track: LANGUAGES FOR INSTITUTIONS: BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND ACADEMIA
10:45-11:35 AM
SALON TEAL
MODERATOR: María del Pilar Castellanos Rueda
Session 6-B
Judith Ainsworth, University of Florida, USA
10:45-11:05 AM
“Conducting Trilingual Business in North America: Do language skills influence
customer satisfaction?”
Session 6-C
Yong-Kang Wei, University of Texas, USA
11:10-11:35 AM
“Spanglish” in the Rio Grande Valley: Adaptation, Assimilation, and Transformation”
CONFERENCE LUNCHEON
12:00 PM to 1:30 PM
CDEE 8th Floor, Room 803
AFTERNOON SESSIONS – FRIDAY MAY 27
EFFECTIVE BUSINESS
1:35-2:20 PM
SALON 307
SESSIONS 2-L, 2-M
MODERATOR: Liliana González Rodríguez
Session 2-L
Gus Gordon, University of Texas Tyler, USA
1:35-1:55 PM
“Leading Cross-Culturally in Mexico – One American’s Experience as CEO”
Session 2-M
2:00-2:20 PM
Noor Abidah Mohd Omar, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Wan Zarina Wan Zakaria, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Norzarina Sulong, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Zanariah Md Saleh, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Johana Jobil, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
“Equipping Graduating Students with Essential Communication Skills to Enhance
Employability”
Track: GLOBAL COMMUNICATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND BUSINESS ETHICS
1:35-2:45 PM
SALON 212
SESSIONS 6-E, 5-E, 5-F
MODERATOR: Ana Magdalena Ávila Pérez
Session 6-E
Brian Jacob Nienhaus, Elon University, USA
1:35-1:55 PM
Roger Nion Conaway, EGADE School of Business, Tecnológico de Monterrey,
Mexico
“Business Communication in Spain and Mexico”
Session 5-E
Misa Fujio, Toyo University, Japan
2:00-2:20 PM
“Different Organizational Styles, Different Global Managers: A Comparison
between a Japanese Company Operating in North America and a Japanese European 50% Joint Venture Company in Europe”
Session 5-F
Francisco Gabriel Rodríguez González, EGADE School of Business, Mexico
2:25-2:45 PM
Roger Nion Conaway, EGADE School of Business, Tecnológico de Monterrey,
Mexico
“Networked Governance Legitimacy, the Case of Monterrey's Metropolitan Area Water
Fund”
Track: INTERNATIONAL MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION & COMMUNICATION ISSUES IN
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT
1:35-2:45 PM
SALON TEAL
SESSIONS 2-N, 8-A, 8-B
MODERATOR: Mónica Guadalupe Sandoval Villalobos
Session 2-N
1:35-1:55 PM
“NAFTA And Automobile Industry in Mexico”
Session 8-A
2:00-2:20 PM
Session 8-B
2:25-2:45 PM
Katja Pelsmaekers, University of Antwerp, Belgium
Craig Rollo, University of Antwerp, Belgium
“Contributing to the experience: eWOM on three European heritage museums”
“Co-constructing migration narratives on TripAdvisor”
COFFEE BREAK
2:40 PM to 3:00 PM
ENTERTAINMENT VENUE
3:15 PM – 19:00 PM
Choices of tours:
Pewter Factory, Downtown Tour, etc.
DINNER ON YOUR OWN
(Select a restaurant from the list on the website)
MORNING SESSIONS – SATURDAY MAY 28, 2016
ENGLISH TRACK
Track: COMMUNICATION ISSUES IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT
8:35-10:10 AM
SALON TEAL
SESSIONS 8-D, 8-E, 8-F
MODERATOR: Sonja Marie Dohse Newton
Session 8-D
Enrique Diaz de Leon, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
8:35-8:55 AM
“Analysis of Communication of Technology Commercialization: Successful Business
Cases from Silicon Valley”
Session 8-E
Michael Coates, Protostar, UK
9:00-9:20 AM
“Examining The Cultural and Gender Differences In Attitudes Toward Employee
Engagement Surveys”
Session 8-F
Chhutten Singh Yadav, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
9:25-9:45 AM
Sunita Tanwar, Central University of Haryana, India
“Drivers of Innovativeness in the organization: An Interpretive Structural Modelling
Technique”
Session 8-H
Hadina Habil, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
9:50-10:10 AM
Rohayah Kahar, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Siti Aishah Abd Hamid, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Nabila Johari, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
“From Theory to the Real World: Surviving an Entrepreneurial Journey”
SATURDAY MORNING COFFEE BREAK
10:10 AM to 10:25 AM
MORNING SESSIONS – SATURDAY MAY 28, 2016
SPANISH TRACK
9:00-10:10 AM
SALON 212
SESSIONS 1-G, 2-C, 5-D
MODERATOR: José Gerardo Mendoza Blanco
Session 1-G
Antonio Guillermo Castañeda Ríos, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
9:00-9:20 AM
“Dinámica del Involucramiento del Trabajador Mexicano: Un Enfoque Inductivo”
Session 2-C
9:25-9:45 AM
Aida Andino-Pratts, University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
Zoraida Fajardo, University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
Leticia Fernanadez, University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
“Destrezas de Comunicación Esenciales Para Alcanzar el Éxito Empresarial y
Profesional en Diferentes Áreas de Negocios”
Luis Manuel Gil Ojeda, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
“Mejorando el Ambiente Laboral y la Productividad de los Empleados a través del
Endomarketing”
Session 5-D
9:50-10:10 AM
SATURDAY MORNING COFFEE BREAK
10:10 AM to 10:25 AM
10:25-11:35 AM
SALON 212
SESSIONS 6-A, 8-I, 8-C
MODERATOR: José Gerardo Mendoza Blanco
Session 6-A
Lieve Vangehuchten, University of Antwerp, Belgium
10:25-10:45 AM
Marielle Leijten, University of Antwerp, Belgium
Iris Schrijver, University of Antwerp, Belgium
“Leer, Resumir y Redactar: una Comparación Empírica de la Competencia de
Redacción Profesional en la Lengua Materna y una Lengua Extranjera (español)”
Session 8-I
Luis Fernando Rodriguez Rueda, TecMilenio University, Mexico
10:50-11:10 AM
“Implementación de WhatsApp en Instituciones Educativas para Agilizar la
Comunicación Organizacional”
Session 8-C
11:15 AM-11:35 PM “Promoviendo la comunicación industria-academia: Laboratorio de Nuevas
Oportunidades de Negocio (NBO Lab)”
10:25-11:35 AM
SALON TEAL
SESSIONS 8-G, 6-D, 2-K
MODERATOR: Antonio Guillermo Castañeda Ríos
Session 8-G
Giovanni Maria Baldini, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
10:25-10:45 AM
Leovardo Mata Mata, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Adriana Riveroll Arellani, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
“Word of mouth as complementary to online buying: A Mexican case”
Session 6-D
Sandra Sepúlveda, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
10:50-11:10 AM
“Emigración y comunicación: el caso de Puerto Rico”
Session 2-K
11:15 AM-11:35 PM
Jose Manuel Saiz-Alvarez, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
“Liderazgo Efectivo y Responsabilidad Social Empresarial: ¿Moda versus Necesidad?”
ABSTRACTS OF PRESENTERS
(In order of submission online)
The Chinese Experience in American Higher Education: Implications for Cross-cultural Communication
Peter W. Cardon, University of Southern California, USA
Hongqing Li, Northeast Dianli University, China
Xiaodong Ming, Beihua University, China
The China-United States of America political and economic relationship is among the most important and
consequential bilateral relationships in the world. Over the past several decades, China has invested heavily in
developing this relationship through educational exchanges. In fact, roughly 275,000 Chinese students attended
American universities during the 2013-2014 school year, nearly three times as many as the second largest place of
origin for international students (India). The millions of Chinese students who have participated in higher education
in the United States over the past thirty years are a rich source of cultural exchange and a foundation for economic
and political relationships with American and Western professionals in business and government. In any given day,
there are more in-person, cross-cultural interactions between Americans and Chinese within the American higher
education system than there are in any other setting. As such, the Chinese experience in the American higher
education system can be particularly revealing about the nature of Sino-American cross-cultural communication
and cooperation.
Our research team, composed of Chinese and American scholars with significant experience in international
education and business, has developed a series of surveys that address the following issues about the Chinese
experience in American higher education: (a) views of American communication practices; (b) perspectives about
American cultural traits; (c) friendships and interactions with American and non-American professors and students;
(d) views of American higher education; (e) reactions to American media and entertainment; and (f) adjustment to
life in the United States.
The surveys also address many issues about the backgrounds of Chinese students and scholars who are studying
and researching within the American higher education system. These background issues include issues such as (a)
prior international and domestic exposure through residence and travel; (b) socioeconomic status and funding
sources; (c) background in urban, semi-urban, and rural environments; and (d) home province. With this
background information, our research allows us to avoid blanket statements about the Chinese experience; rather, it
allows us to provide a nuanced accounting of how Chinese of various backgrounds experience the American higher
education system and interact with Americans.
In addition to the backgrounds of Chinese students and scholars, we identify which universities and communities
they have spent their time. So, this allows us to explore how Chinese experiences differ by the type of American
university and American community (urban, semi-urban, and rural; geographic region; and other factors). By
carefully exploring the backgrounds of Chinese and their American counterparts, we think we can provide a
research-based set of perspectives about not only the cross-cultural experiences of Chinese in the United States but
also the intracultural differences that impact these experiences.
Our surveys will be administered in February and March of 2016 to thousands of Chinese graduate students,
undergraduate students, and visiting scholars. Not only will we present our findings from the survey, we will
discuss the following implications: (a) grounding in and applications to existing cross-cultural research; (b)
connection to literature about international education; (c) suggestions for American higher education policymakers,
professors, and students; and (d) applications for interactions between Chinese and Americans in government and
business.
Integration of Multiple Disciplines (Global Business, Literature, and Criminal Justice) to Grow Professional
Communication E
Christine R. Day, Eastern Michigan University, USA
Elizabeth Hagensen, Bemidji State University, USA
Theme: This research discusses the integration of multiple disciplines (Global Business, literature, and Criminal
Justice) to grow professional communication excellence. Professional writers must learn the dimensions and
complexity of their field; the specifics of vocabulary; and, the precision required when constructing reports.
Purpose: This research provides the rationale for using elements of well-known international literature to enhance
this process through practice describing a story using parallel skills in professional communication. Goals: Writers
must learn to report content, but must tell that story with specific elements in mind, explicitly conveying the facts
surrounding what happened, the activities involved (sometimes criminal), the specific behaviors, and the actions
taken. Outcomes: Session participants will take away enhanced skills with a practice session that emphasizes
neutral capacity describing exact circumstances with the purpose of factual reporting for strong professional
communication.
Does Leadership Training Lead to Increased Use of Motivating Language in a Military College Setting?
William Sharbrough, The Citadel, Charleston, USA
Tanner B Knox, The Citadel, Charleston, USA
In 1998, cadets in a military college in the Southeastern US were surveyed to measure the use of Motivating
Language (ML) within the cadet organization. Results of this survey were presented at the 1998 International
Conference of the ABC. Since that time, the institution has implemented a variety of formal leadership classes,
added administrative personnel with responsibilities for leader development, etc. The paper will include an in-depth
description of the Current leadership development program. Although the training is essentially a generic
leadership training program for military cadets which focuses on principled leadership, it is hypothesized that this
training and the associated cultural changes should have a positive impact on the use of motivating language by
cadet leaders. The original survey of cadets was recently repeated and the results are compared to the 1998 survey
to determine whether the additional emphasis on principled leadership has had any impact on the use of Motivating
Language by cadet officers.
BACKGROUND
A promising line of research based on Sullivan’s Motivating Language Theory gives concrete advice for strategic
leader-follower communication. Sullivan’s original work asserted that a strategic leader with an expanded oral
language repertoire would better engage, motivate, build commitment, and create a shared organizational vision
with followers.
Results from numerous studies have validated Sullivan’s assertions and shown significant and positive relationships
between leader motivating language (ML) and critical organizational outcomes such as employee innovation, job
performance, self-efficacy, job satisfaction, effective decision making, perceived leader effectiveness, and leader
communication satisfaction. Research has also identified links between high ML use and lower employee
withdrawal behaviors, including absenteeism and intent–to-turnover. Similarly, written motivating language has
been found to have a positive effect on team creativity in a virtual workplace experimental design. Thus, a leader’s
use of ML tends to have positive effects whether the messages are written or oral. Research indicates that a 10
percent increase in ML can increase job satisfaction among subordinates by approximately 10-12 percent and
performance by approximately 2 percent.
Motivating Language theory includes four additional assumptions as well that are important to keep in mind:
• Leader language covers most verbal expressions that can occur in leader-to-follower talk.
• Leader messages must be accurately perceived by followers.
• Leader behavior strongly affects the effect of ML on worker outcomes and if leader language and leader behavior
are incongruent, then the effect of leader behavior will dominate. The leader must “walk the talk.”
• Leaders are most effective through the regular and appropriate use of all types of ML.
While most any message from the leader to the follower can be perceived as motivating, messages of the three
types are particularly motivating. Followers play a large part in what they consider to be motivating as they must
“get” the intended message, and those messages must be congruent with the leader’s behavior. Finally, the more
often and appropriately you use the three types of Motivating Language, the more effective you will be as a leader.
Motivating Language Theory proposes that the effectiveness of a leader in using three types of communication with
their followers has a significant impact on important organizational outcomes.
TRAINING CHANGES
Student Body Increase
The institution is a state-supported military college that draws the majority of its student body from the
southeastern United States, but has students from 42 states and 12 different countries. Slightly less than one third
pursue military careers upon graduation, with the majority pursuing careers in business, government, and other
traditional avenues.
In 1998, there were approximately 2000 cadets, in 22 companies, all living in four barracks. Presently, the cadet
student body is approximately 2300, with a fifth barracks. There have been many changes including adding
personnel responsible for supervision and leadership coaching/counseling along with a formal program that
includes additional classes focusing on leadership development and related topics,
TAC Officers
In 1998, when the previous study was conducted, there were approximately 5 employees of the college that were
responsible for supervision of the barracks and leadership counseling of cadets. Today, with the increase in student
body by at least 300 cadets, there are 26 employees responsible for the supervision of the twenty-six cadet
companies.
Leadership Development Program Changes
While all cadets are enrolled in federal ROTC classes for their four years as cadets, in 1998, the college held 4-6
one hour classes a year related to diversity, sexual assault and harassment, and leadership for all cadets. Today’s
cadets attend 10-15 hours of formal classes on these topics as well as drug and substance abuse. The emphasis of
many of these classes is on positive leadership development based on the college’s core values of duty, honor, and
respect. More details on this program will be presented in the full paper.
METHODOLOGY
Survey method
The original sample was a convenience sample from one summer school class who all completed the anonymous
ML questionnaire adapted to the cadet population. The current sample is also a convenience sample where
approximately 90 cadets had five other cadets complete the same ML questionnaire.
Analysis
Similar to the original research, a factor analysis will be completed to check that the current sample loads on similar
factors as the previous questionnaire. If this assumption holds, then, scores on the factors for both of the samples
will be compared to determine if there have been any changes in the use of ML by cadet leaders, which could be
assumed to be associated with the additional leadership training of current cadets. The research hypothesis is:
Hypothesis: The introduction of Principled Leadership Training will have a positive and
statistically significant impact on the use of Motivating Language.
CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
If there are no significant changes, then one recommendation would be to implement ML training as part of the
leadership program for all cadets. Additionally, if there are significant changes, the authors would suggest
implementing ML training for a test group of cadet leaders to determine whether the additional training would have
an even greater impact on the use of ML and its associated outcomes.
Destrezas de Comunicación Esenciales para Alcanzar el Éxito Empresarial y Profesional en Diferentes Áreas
de Negocios
Aida Andino-Pratts, University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
Zoraida Fajardo, University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
Leticia Fernanadez, University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
El tema de la presente investigación es Destrezas de comunicación esenciales para alcanzar el éxito empresarial y
profesional en diferentes áreas de negocios. La misma atiende la puesta en práctica de destrezas de comunicación
oral, no verbal, interpersonal y de comunicación escrita.
El objetivo del estudio es obtener información que ayude a reforzar el currículo de las Escuelas de Negocios en el
nivel subgraduado, identificando destrezas de comunicación que deben ser desarrolladas por los futuros egresados
de las diferentes concentraciones de estudio del bachillerato en Administración de Empresas ( nos referimos a las
especializaciones en Contabilidad, Finanzas, Sistemas Computarizados de Información, Gerencia de Operaciones,
Recursos Humanos y Mercadeo), para que el educando alcance el éxito profesional en sus respectivas
especializaciones y, por ende, en el ámbito laboral donde ofrezca su capacitación. Por lo tanto, el estudio se
concentrará en identificar la percepción de ejecutivos locales y de empresas multinacionales que participaron en el
Programa de Internado de la Facultad de Administración de Empresas del Recinto de Río Piedras, en torno a las
destrezas de comunicación necesarias para que el profesional de esta área alcance su óptimo nivel de desempeño y,
en consecuencia, favorezca la competitividad de su empresa.
Este es un estudio comparativo que muestra cómo el orden de importancia de las destrezas de comunicación varía
en las diferentes especializaciones bajo análisis, para alcanzar el éxito profesional. Los resultados obtenidos serán
comparados con la revisión de literatura para determinar si existen diferencias vinculadas a las destrezas de
comunicación que más se puedan privilegiar en otras áreas geográficas distantes de nuestro entorno, donde la
misma clase profesional ejerza sus labores.
Metodología
Para acopiar los datos necesarios de la presente investigación se creó un cuestionario que se distribuyó a través de
internet. El mismo consistió en la formulación de siete preguntas cerradas creadas por las investigadoras, las cuales
emanan de entrevistas realizadas a grupos focales que fueron citados por iniciativa del Comité de Currículo de la
Facultad de Administración de Empresas de la institución académica donde laboran las investigadoras. Para
efectuar este estudio, las investigadoras recibieron la aprobación de la Oficina de Protección a la Investigación con
Humanos (OHRP), equivalente en las universidades norteamericanas a la Junta de Investigación Institucional
(IRB), para distribuir el cuestionario entre la población impactada. Una vez cumplimentados los formularios de
rigor y recibida la aprobación de la OHRP, las investigadoras procedieron a iniciar su trabajo. La muestra consistió
en la participación de 148 ejecutivos procedentes de empresas locales y multinacionales que empleaban en sus
programas de internado a estudiantes practicantes y egresados de la Facultad de Administración de Empresas de la
Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras.
Se empleó la plataforma digital Formstack para enviar a los participantes dos documentos: primero la hoja de
consentimiento informado, luego el cuestionario. De los 148 ejecutivos de empresas locales y multinacionales que
recibieron el cuestionario, 32 de ellos contestaron el mismo de forma voluntaria y anónima. Esto representa el 22%
del total de los cuestionarios enviados. Se utilizó Excel para analizar los datos extraídos de los cuestionarios. De ese
modo se obtuvieron las frecuencias, los porcientos y los medidas sopesadas en esta investigación.
Como consecuencia de nuestra participación en este encuentro internacional, compartiremos e intercambiaremos
puntos de vista con colegas expertos en el área bajo estudio. La información provista por las investigadoras podrá
resultar de especial interés para los educadores en áreas de comunicación, deseosos de conocer cuáles destrezas
propias de la competencia comunicativa recomiendan desarrollar los ejecutivos de empresas locales y
multinacionales entre los egresados que aspiran alcanzar el éxito profesional en la organización donde rindan sus
servicios. De igual modo, podremos interaccionar con otros colegas que realizan investigación en áreas afines a la
nuestra, con quienes podríamos ampliar el trabajo en equipo, con miras a mejorar la oferta curricular de nuestras
respectivas instituciones académicas, preparando profesionales competentes que realizarán importantes
contribuciones en su entorno laboral. Asimismo, recibir retrocomunicación de otros colegas, vinculada a la presente
investigación, para mejorar y ampliar los alcances de la misma, será un valor añadido proveniente de nuestra
participación en este encuentro internacional de estudiosos de la comunicación.
Teaching U.S. Proposal Writing to Mexican Engineering Students at a U.S. border University
Barry Thatcher, New Mexico State University, USA
This presentation examines the teaching of proposal writing to Mexican engineering students at New Mexico State
University (NMSU), which is situated 45 miles north of Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua. NMSU has a joint B.S. in
Aerospace Engineering with La Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH). These Mexican students spend
their first two years at UACH and then the 3rd and 4th years at NMSU, and they obtain two Bachelor’s degrees:
one from each institution. One of the students’ major goals is fluency in English, particularly English writing in the
workplace. Because of this unique situation, I have developed special sections of English 218 Professional and
Technical Communication for Spanish-English bilinguals. I teach the course mainly in English, but I offer key
cultural help and much grammatical modeling in Spanish. Students write in English for their final papers, but write
in both Spanish and English when drafting and exploring. I draw on many samples of professional writing in
Mexico and the United States to help students see the commonalities and differences in Mexican and U.S.
workplace culture and writing.
One of the major genres of the course is proposal writing, situated in a U.S. workplace. As a genre, proposal
writing for U.S. contexts presents cultural and linguistic challenges and opportunities for Mexican students. While
the U.S. genre often demands an explicit statement of the problem and a concrete proposed solution, Mexican
students find it difficult to be so negative, especially when writing to their superiors. And they are often reticent
about offering concrete solutions. Instead, they are more comfortable under-stating the problem as an abstract issue,
which they propose should be handled above them in the organizational hierarchy. Thus, when teaching proposal
writing, I must engage the comparative values of hierarchy, directness, and negativity and help Mexican student
transition their voice for U.S. contexts. Related to the overall purpose of proposals, Mexican students often find it
difficult to provide the appropriate kinds of information and overall solutions that U.S. audience expect in the
proposal. Thus, when obligated to write a solution, Mexican students often provide theoretically lofty,
comprehensive solutions, while U.S. audiences often expected simple and specific solutions. Again, I focus on
helping the Mexican transition into a more U.S. practical style of problem solving. Finally, the Mexican students
struggle with appropriate tone and style, often preferring abstraction and explicit politeness strategies, while the
U.S. audience expects concreteness and directness with respect.
In addition to the cultural adaptations for the U.S. writing genre, many of the Mexican students needed help
adjusting to the proposal writing process, something common at U.S. universities. As I have documented elsewhere
(2012, 2014), work and organizational process often differ between Mexico and the United States. The Mexican
students were not as accustomed to concrete project cycles in the proposal writing process, such as brainstorming,
drafting, and revising, so I need to help the students gain as much value as possible in the processes.
Different Organizational Styles, Different Global Managers: A Comparison between a Japanese Company &
a Joint Venture Company
Misa Fujio, Toyo University, Japan
Under the recent pressure of globalization, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in
Japan (MEXT) has paid ever-increasing attention to fostering “global human resources” or the Japanese workforce
who can succeed in global business. This is part of a project, funded with a grant from MEXT, investigating and
clarifying the qualifications needed for globally-minded leaders, based on the interview data collected from
Japanese businesspeople working overseas and local staff members working with them.
In this presentation, I will compare two different kinds of data: a Japanese company operating in Canada and a
Japanese and European 50% joint venture company operating in Europe. Both companies manufacture in different
industries; the first data from the manufacturing company consists of six interviews with three Japanese expatriates
and three Canadian local staff members, and the latter is from a focus group consisting of four Japanese employees
working for the joint venture in Europe. As for the techniques used for interviews and focus groups, I followed
Eriksson and Kovalainen (2008). The same topics were discussed in both situations in order to identify the abilities
needed for global businesspeople, including the difficulties in intercultural business communication, management
policies, abilities needed for globally-minded leaders, and suggestions for university education in Japan. Both data
were analyzed, using the Modified Grounded Theory Approach (Kinoshita, 2003), whose concept and approach are
the exactly same as the Grounded Theory Approach (Glaser. & Strauss, (1967); however, a slightly different
analytical method with an introduction of analytical worksheets was used in order to clarify and simplify the
analytical process, instead of fragmenting the information in the stage of open coding.
As a result, nearly ten concepts were found, including both the category of national cultural differences (such as
different business practices, or respect for different cultures) and organizational differences between the Japanese
Headquarters and the local office (such as the manufacturer vs the sales distributor relationship, or the company
size), as well as the category of organizational challenges (such as global sharing of human resources) and
individual challenges (such as improvement of English ability) for the future.
In addition, in the Japanese company operating in Canada where the relationship between the two countries is the
Japanese parent company and Canadian subsidiary company, the interviewees mentioned advantages of sharing the
same objectives, goals and corporate culture, while the 50% joint Japanese company operating in Europe
mentioned more difficulties in understanding different business practices with the partner company. In the
presentation, these differences will be highlighted and the role of corporate culture in intercultural business
communication in addition to national cultural differences (i.e., Hofstede's 1991) will be discussed.
International Managerial Communication: Impacts of Language and Culture Competencies on Chinese
Expatriates in Germany
This presentation addresses issues of international business communication in China-based multinational business
contexts. Due to the shift in the positions of the economic super powers and the globalization of business, the rise
of China being the number 2 of the economic superpower after the US has made it important to examine the
international business communication in China-based multinational corporations (MNCs).
Using an empirical case analysis approach, this presentation illustrates East-West communication and concentrates
on communication taking place among Chinese expatriates communicating with their foreign subsidiaries located
in western countries. In the presentation, I describe and analyze the communication patterns that have developed in
the German country organizations of a Mainland China multinational corporation (MNC) which specializes in
customized telecommunication products.
The analysis is based on eight-hour interviews in that the researcher conducted interviews with mid-to upper-level
local managers and Chinese expatriates and took field notes. Using diagrams to illustrate the stages from initial
contact to the signing of the contract, I examine the communication patterns and roles of different communicators
of a sales project team in each stage. The critical factors in communication success were language proficiency, team
management, cultural understanding, and product knowledge. I show how various project team members
contributed their different competency to facilitate the communication process and the successful sale of the
telecommunication system.
Involved in the current research were Human Resources Managers, account managers, technical sales manager,
commercial manager, project manager, and product line manager. The account manager makes the initial contact
with a potential customer or vendor. This individual usually speaks fluent German so that the sales effort can take
place in the vendor’s native language but English language competency may suffice as many Germans are bilingual
speakers. The technical sales manager is responsible for explaining the technical specifications (genre languages are
critical) of the product to the vendor. This individual must possess detailed understanding of the specifications and
characteristics of the product and be able to explain them to the vendor. Once the potential sales is identified, the
project team is formed which consists of technical sales manager and project manager. The project manager
becomes responsible for coordinating the sales effort. The role of the project manager is to effectively manage the
team and guide intercultural communication among team members to overcome cultural differences. Ideally the
project manager would be tri-lingual: German to speak directly with potential customers, English to act a language
link- pin to connect vendors and other team members who were not fluent in English, and Chinese to talk directly
to team members and others as needed in the subsidiary country organization or headquarters.
Over the course of the project, the product line manager which usually stations in the headquarters may need to be
involved to provide up-to-date product information. The Product- Line Manager usually has an in- depth
understanding of the latest developments in the product as well as projected future developments and is in constant
communication with the technical personnel who are developing and updating products. When on request, the
Product Line manager needs to fly to Germany in order to join the project team and explain the technical aspects of
the telecommunication system that is not known by other technical sales managers. However, once the product line
manager, who usually possesses limited English and local language proficiency, joins the team, the communication
dynamics changes in that the communication with the client could become a three-way communication form where
link-pin communication becomes important and critical.
In sum, this empirical case analysis illustrates the communication challenges and the adjustments that Mainland
Chinese companies are making as they enter into a new phase of global competition. The overriding obstacle for
these Chinese expatriates was that they are not fluent English speakers, let alone the local language. While
proficiency in both general language and professional genres (genre languages) are important, proficiency in
professional genres was the more critical factor in predicting communication success and successful expatriate
adjustment.
Contributing to the experience: eWOM on three European heritage museums
Value in the tourism business is currently conceived as giving consumers the opportunity to engage in a rich
experience, i.e. providing goods and services to create a memorable event (e.g. Pine and Gilmore 1998). Players in
cultural tourism, such as contemporary heritage museums have also adapted their efforts in visitor attraction in that
sense (see e.g. Ferguson et al. 2015, Walby et al. 2015). Our own research (Pelsmaekers et al. 2015) has shown
how three European emigration museums consistently communicate and present their offering as an emotional
journey in the footsteps of 19thC-20thC transatlantic migrants.
The tourism industry has also been reshaped by the Internet, most notably in the way travel-related information is
passed on and shared. As experience is inherently personal, deriving from the interaction between the staged event
and the individual’s state of mind, the ways in which tourists inform themselves, plan and consume their
experiences has also been modified (Ferguson et al. 2015). Apart from searching information on destination
websites, they frequently rely on eWOM (electronic Word-of-Mouth) platforms like Facebook, Instagram or
TripAdvisor to help shape their understanding of the tourist experience before and after the event. Encouraged to
upload and share their experiences, responses and other content, tourists influence other consumers’ attitudes,
decision-making processes and experience (Litvin et al. 2008, Dickinger 2010).
Among the most popular tourism review sites is TripAdvisor, but research on how heritage and museum visitors
share their experience on this platform is scarce. Yet there may be some evidence for a global online thematic
rhetoric concerning heritage sites (Munar and Ooi 2012, Ferguson et al. 2015, Pearce & Wu 2014), while there is
also a burgeoning interest in the discursive properties of TripAdvisor reviews (Vásquez 2011, De Ascaniis &
Gretzel 2013).
In our research, we draw on a reasoned selection of English-language reviews in a corpus of more than 800
TripAdvisor comments on three European transatlantic migration museums, i.e. Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp
(Belgium, 400+ reviews), Ballinstadt in Hamburg (Germany, 110 reviews), and Deutsches Auswandererhaus in
Bremerhaven (Germany, 300+ reviews). In a first move, we make a mixed-method thematic analysis, addressing
both the overall emergence and prominence of topics in the reviews, and their local in-text development as they
mix and connect factual and emotional constructions. The link with overall evaluation, chronology, and contributor
origin will also be made.
We will argue that these reviews are not just a reflection of individual tourist experience, but that they jointly create
a frame and perspective for collective future experience.
Co-constructing migration narratives on TripAdvisor
In this second part of our research (cf. Contributing to the experience: eWOM on three European heritage
museums), we focus on the theme of migration as it emerges from a collection of TripAdvisor reviews on three
European migration museums. Whereas TripAdvisor reviews have been used repeatedly in visitor satisfaction
research, little is known about how they figure in discursive macro-processes and dominant Discourses (e.g. Gee
2010).
Cultural tourism and management studies have shown that museums today create value by providing visitors with
mediatized, embodied and communal experience (Larsen & Svabo 2014), often by relying on theming (Pine &
Gilmore 1999). The theming of a venue involves attempts to capture the essence of a phenomenon (Lugosi 2014),
leading to ‘quasification’ or the creation of experiental spaces that operate as if they were something else. This
requires the construction or borrowing of various metanarratives of identity and culture (Lugosi 2014). In earlier
research (Pelsmaekers et al. 2015), we have shown how European migration museums present their offering as an
emotional (sea) journey in the footsteps the 19thC-20thC transatlantic migrant. In their own ‘rhetoric of display’
(Blair & Michel 2007; Noy 2015) the museums offer the visitor views of authentic and replicated objects, and
exposure to multisensory and affective personal stories of ‘typical’ migrants with a handful of typical trajectories,
in physical spaces that replicate or suggest associated historical venues. The experiental spaces, their objects and
the visitors become actors in a dialogic process in which meaningful narratives are construed. These narratives
attempt to essentialize almost a century of emigration by more than 14 million people altogether. Since the
museums are establishing analogies with current phenomena, they clearly attempt to go beyond that.
Visitors can participate in the co-construction and (re)production of these narratives in various ways, for instance
by writing in visitor books or leaving comments on the museum social network site. Among other possibilities, a
visitor can upload a personal account of their museum experience on an electronic review platform like
TripAdvisor and hence contribute to how a collective memory of emigration and its contemporary analogies is
constructed.
Using a selection of visitor accounts relating to the three European emigration museums (i.e. Red Star Line
Museum in Antwerp (Belgium), Ballinstadt in Hamburg (Germany) and Deutsches Auswandererhaus in
Bremerhaven (Germany), we zoom in on the theme of migration and analyse how the reviewers construct their own
narrative of the phenomenon. Particularly, borrowing from positioning analysis (especially De Fina 2013) and
paying special attention to the broader social context in which the narratives are produced, we analyse how
visitors/writers align with or distance themselves from the museum narrative. By doing so, we will argue, they also
index their position in broader discourses on migration. Finally we will argue that TripAdvisor reviews are not just
transparent sources of information on experience quality, but should also be looked at in terms of cultural products
that reflect and construct the cultural values of the day.
Mexico's Role in the Promotion of Human Rights, Democracy, and Rule of Law
Andrés González Reynoso, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Roger Conaway, EGADE School of Business, Mexico
The purpose of this presentation is to describe my first-hand experience in Mexico's role in the promotion of human
rights, democracy, and rule of law. I had the opportunity to work as part of the Mexican Representation to the
Council of Europe for one year, and I experienced the essential role of global communication in upholding these
principles.
I am a Mexican student who studied in the French city of Strasbourg for a year. Strasbourg has often been seen as a
banner of European unity, after being conquered and liberated twice between 1871 and 1944. In 1949, the resilient
spirit of the city allowed it to become the seat of the Council of Europe (CoE), an intergovernmental organization
comprised of 47 Member States and whose main goal is the promotion of human rights, democracy, and rule of
law. Among these, ethics plays a vital role. The CoE also addresses subjects such as bioethics, sports ethics, and
business ethics.
In a similar way to Strasbourg, Mexico is known to have had a turbulent recent history. In past decades, our
country’s efforts to promote and uphold the values the CoE stands for earned us an invitation to become an
observer state in 1999, following the steps of the United States, Canada, and Japan, and becoming the first LatinAmerican country to receive such distinction.
I was part of the Representation during the year 2014, a year that represented major challenges regarding human
rights for Mexico. For example, 43 students disappeared in an incident in southern Mexico that involved municipal
police forces. I worked alongside the diplomatic corps to ensure proper communication took place and to reaffirm
Mexico's commitment to following through with the investigation of the crime. I attended an unprecedented round
table regarding the human rights situation in Mexico, and there was a notable backlash from other Member States,
but our country's commitment managed to ensure other States all proper measures would be taken.
In another significant role during my representation, I took part in meetings that covered topics such as: programs
to evaluate public officials, plans of action to reduce bureaucracy and corruption, prevention of hate speech,
protection of journalists, gender equality in mass media, elimination of torture, prevention of child abuse, data
protection, and more. Regarding business ethics specifically, I attended a presentation by ACCESS Facility, an
NGO pioneering the use of non-judicial grievance mechanisms for potential conflicts between companies and
employees or communities. Hewlett Packard and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) have started to implement these reforms in Mexico but there's still a long way to go. The integration of
mechanisms like these can drastically improve the relationship between companies, communities, and
governments, but, unfortunately, the lack of information about this alternative is stopping companies from
effectively identifying reliable mediators and thus this mechanism has stalled. Non-judicial grievance mechanisms
would facilitate constructive dialogue between parts; however, States should promote them as a way to improve
their effectiveness.
My conclusions point to the essential role of global communication in development of these rights. I will explain in
detail specific communication aspects taking place in the Council. Mexico has always given utmost importance to
its diplomatic and international relations, and emphasis has always been placed on global communication. From my
time at the Council of Europe, it is clear this communication is the key to solve universal, diverse problems at every
level.
Engaging the Engagement Team: A Cultural Intelligence Case Study Reality Check
Karin Goettsch, The Mosaic Company & University of Minnesota, USA
Building cultural intelligence, or CQ, in today’s global business environment is as critical as IQ, EQ or technical
skills. Places where cross-cultural communication challenges arise are not always visible to all stakeholders;
sometimes these are subtle differences, but other times they manifest into serious shortcomings that threaten the
outcomes of a given initiative. Even self-aware cross-cultural communication subject matter experts can be
blindsided. It is clearer than ever that in our rapidly-changing workplaces, such effective global team
communication is growing in importance within many organizations, often in virtual environments which adds an
additional layer of complexity (Daim et al., 2012; Dekker, 2010; Hofstede, 2010; Rice-Bailey, 2014; Tenzer et al.,
2014; Wageman et al., 2012).
The presenter will discuss a cultural intelligence case in two facets: first, by highlighting results and strategies from
a qualitative research study (what the research indicates are best practices, or, what we should do) and, secondly, by
reflecting on the challenges and surprises faced in putting them into practice, both organizational constraints and
those driven by the presenter’s multiple roles (what reality says we can or can’t do and how we respond).
The selected case study is a global business team dedicated to designing and conducting an all-employee
engagement survey with the broader goal of driving an engagement culture deeper into the company. A reality
check of their journey together describes the dynamics of a global, virtual working team representing five countries,
several languages and multiple time zones. Specifically, it explores how this newly-formed team engaged to reach a
sense of belongingness and collaboration beyond their multicultural, multilingual challenges and also how they
could have made further strides.
Another unique factor of influence is that the presenter served three roles at the time which, in hindsight, provided
different perspectives on the team’s effectiveness. These three roles included practitioner (project lead for the
business team), researcher (completing a study on global virtual teams) and instructor (for a cross-cultural
communication seminar at a local university).
Takeaways for the GABC/ABC community audience are two-fold. First, those involved in global teams in any
format will hear a few select lessons learned and strategies for developing more effective cross-cultural
communication. For example, consideration should be given to creating trust, team-building, belongingness,
perceptions of linguistic fluency and comprehension, cultural priorities, social connections, and technology and
communication preferences. Second, attendees will be encouraged to reflect more deeply on their own influence in
similar scenarios according to their own role(s) as researcher, instructor, or practitioner. For example, researchers
provide important foundational work, drive towards revealing good data and valid studies, and can seek to package
it to disseminate for wider audiences too. Instructors, on the other hand, can learn to be aware of practical
implications as well as good theory, challenge students to consider what might succeed in reality and what
pushback might be encountered, and form partnerships with companies such as internships to get students’ hands
dirty and test research hypotheses. Finally, practitioners or consultants with direct connections to organizations may
present critical research but also establish key insider connections/informants, dig down to the reality by going to
the source and asking the right questions of the right people, then push for more information and details on what’s
going to stick in a business environment and recommend whether any change management principles should be
embedded.
Reality checks can be sobering, but necessary and helpful in whatever form our business communication work
takes. As shown in this case study of cultural intelligence, best practices may not live up to their promise, when
circumstances present them as barriers instead of interesting insights into the intersection of theory and practice in
cross-cultural business communication. By strengthening our academic-industry partnerships, researchers,
instructors and practitioners can continue to look into challenging elements of culture, language, and collaboration,
enabling us to see what we have learned and how to shape future cultural intelligence and cross-cultural
communication initiatives.
Integration and Operationalization of IB Communication Models
Richard Babcock, University of San Francisco, USA
This presentation will explain why and how the merger and integration of IB communication models can help to
advance and operationalize IB communication theory and provide a more comprehensive framework to facilitate IB
communication practice. Our focus is twofold in that we will (a) provide an overview of a comprehensive model
resulting from the merger of two models and (b) show the logic that guided and the process we went through in
developing the more comprehensive model. We specifically draw on the LESCANT (Victor, 1992) and languagebased communication zones (Du-Babcock & Babcock, 2007, 2006, 2001, 1996) models to illustrate this merger and
integration. We also will suggest how the process we followed can be generalized in order provide the basis for
further integration and theory advancement of IB communication theory and practice
To provide the background and setting for the presentation, we will provide an overview of the two models.
“LESCANT is an acronym for the seven elements that commonly shift across cultures in an international business
setting: Language, Environment and Technology, Social Organization, Contexting, Authority Conception,
Nonverbal Communication and Temporal Conception.” LESCANT discussed the variables that need to be taken
into consideration in order to communication effectively and efficiently in IB. The language-based communication
model showed how differing general and genre language competency matches determined IB communication
possibilities and patterns among IBCs in three language-based communication zones. If communicators do not
share general language competency in a language, they communicate in Zone One and must use intermediaries
(language link-pins) for most substantive messages Shared genre competency without general language
competency allows the successful exchange of messages in a Zone One genre. If communicators share partial
competency in a language, they communicate in Zone Two. Partial general language competency is required for
successful communication exchange in Zone Two genres. Language link-pins are still required for complicated
messages that fall outside of a Zone Two genre. If communicators share full general competency in a language,
they communicate in Zone Three. They can exchange all general language messages directly but require genre
competency to exchange understandable message in a Zone Three genre.
The possibility for merger and integration of the models came about because LESCANT and the language-based
communication zones models dealt with different aspects of the international business communication process; and
combing them could produce a comprehensive model. LESCANT did not explore how the competency levels and
matches of IBCs impacted the IB communication process. The language-based communication model, with its
concentrated on immediate message exchange, did not set communication in a language, environmental and
technical, and social background context or consider the effect of IB expertise (informational and conceptual
knowledge of IB and the know-how to use this knowledge) on communicator interaction.
The merging of the models required the rearrangement of LESCANT and the expansion of language-based
communication zones model. Although LESCANT and the language-based communication zones model had
corresponding variables in the language variables, the relationship between cultural variables (SCANT in
LESCANT with intercultural corridors in the language-based communication zones model) was unclear; and E in
LESCANT did not have a corresponding variable in the language-based zones model. This mismatch provided the
initial impetus that set off the search for merger and integration. LESCANT was divided into two parts to reflect (a)
the language, environmental, and social systems in which international business communicators interact (LES) and
(b) the major cultural factors within the social system that need to be considered and adapted when cultural
differences exist among individuals (CANT). IB expertise-based and intercultural-based communication zones
were added to the language-based communication zones model. These zones have six corridors which reflect
differing levels of ability to exchange information relating to international factors (IB expertise-based
communication zones) and differing levels in the understanding of intercultural differences (intercultural-based
communication zones). This still left the model incomplete and unbalanced as it placed culture in an inferior
position and did not account for the need for IB knowledge and expertise. So, the final step in creating the
framework for the general model was to convert the intercultural corridors to intercultural zones and add IB
expertise-based zones. We originally labeled IB expertise-based zones as knowledge-based zones but broadened the
definition with the realization that the know-how that comes with experience as well as informational and
conceptual knowledge is mandatory for successful IB communication. Adequate knowledge of international
systems (LES) provides international business communicators with the competency to fit their messages within
wider expertise-based communication zones. Awareness of cultural differences as identified by CANT provides
international business communicators with a systematic way to identify cultural differences. They then can decide
whether and how to adapt their communication behavior to compensate for the cultural differences so as to
communicate in wider intercultural-based communication zones. In sum, merging these models provides
international business communicators with a framework and a toolkit that can guide them in communicating in
different situations and environments and with people having different backgrounds and competency levels.
The presentation will conclude with an application and demonstration of the model. This section will be based on
an intercultural business communication episode between a Chinese and an American. We will show how either
participant (Chinese or American) could use merged model to efficiently and effectively adapt intercultural
communication behavior in this episode.
Leer, Resumir y Redactar: Una Comparación Empírica de la Competencia de Redacción Profesional en la
Lengua Materna y Una Lengua Extranjera (español)
Lieve Vangehuchten, University of Antwerp, Belgium
Marielle Leijten, University of Antwerp, Belgium
Iris Schrijver, University of Antwerp, Belgium
Introducción
Una tarea de leer, resumir y redactar, o reading-into-writing task (Weigle 2004), es una compleja operación
cognitiva, que requiere varias destrezas: el entendimiento del asunto que tratar, el dominio del lenguaje escrito, el
conocimiento del perfil del público meta así como de las características discursivas del género deseado, y, por fin,
la formación pragmática para poder cumplir los fines comunicativos del texto. Preparar y elaborar una redacción
profesional nunca es fácil, y, de ser así para hablantes nativos, bien se puede imaginar que a los aprendices de una
lengua extranjera con fines profesionales específicos les resultará aún más desafiante.
Este estudio se concibió con el fin de adquirir una mejor comprensión de las dificultades que aprendices avanzados
del español como lengua extranjera para fines comunicativos profesionales (N=19, nivel del Marco común europeo
de referencia: B2-C1), experimentan a la hora de realizar una tarea de reading-into-writing. El objetivo es analizar
el proceso de redacción tanto en la lengua materna como en la lengua extranjera, y aprovechar los resultados para
poder mejorar la práctica de la competencia de redacción profesional en este tipo de alumnado. Ya que el desarrollo
y la práctica de la competencia de redacción profesional, tanto en la lengua materna como en la lengua extranjera,
forman una parte explícita de la carrera de los sujetos participantes, se partió de la hipótesis de que se iba a producir
un progreso en ambos idiomas, aunque no en la misma medida.
Método
Se les pidió a 19 estudiantes de una carrera académica de comunicación profesional multilingüe (un programa de
máster de un año) que realizaran al principio del curso una tarea de reading-into-writing tanto en su lengua materna
(el neerlandés) como en español (una lengua extranjera para ellos). Esta tarea se repitió al final del curso. En las dos
ocasiones se trató de un ejercicio de redacción de síntesis informativa de unas 200-250 palabras a partir de tres
fuentes digitales en neerlandés (un informe de la Unión Europea, un sitio web, un artículo de prensa). Estas fuentes
fueron manipuladas en cuanto a complejidad léxica y sintáctica, contenido, estilo, género y propiedades discursivas.
Se les pidió a los participantes que adaptaran su texto específicamente al perfil de un lector joven de 17 años
(último año de la enseñanza secundaria). El orden en que se presentaron las tareas no fue arbitrario sino equilibrado
entre los dos grupos. Los datos se recogieron mediante el programa de keystroke logging Inputlog (Leijten & Van
Waes, 2013).
Resultados
Todas las redacciones, de los dos momentos y para las dos lenguas, fueron valoradas por dos evaluadores
independientes. Sólo se pudo observar una mejora en las redacciones realizadas en la lengua materna: los resultados
aumentaron de un promedio de 82.14 a 94.54; p <.05. Para la lengua extranjera los resultados permanecieron
idénticos entre el principio y el final del curso (cf. Tabla 1). De ahí que las redacciones en la lengua extranjera
volvieran a evaluarse, esta vez a partir de una evaluación tripartita, basada en los parámetros de (1) corrección
lingüística y estilo, (2) estructura y coherencia textual interna, y (3) contenido (cualidad de exhaustivo y adecuación
discursiva), tal como indican, por ejemplo, los autores Chan, Inoue & Taylor (2015). Sin embargo, estos resultados
analíticos tampoco revelaron ninguna mejora (cf. Tabla 1).
Tabla 1. Resultados medios holísticos y analíticos al principio y al final del curso para las redacciones en español
Momento en el curso
Principio Final
(n=19) Promedio (sd) Promedio (sd) Significancia
Resultado holístico 90.921 (28.7) 88.421 (34.14) .943
Nivel sintáctico 97.631 (21.15) 98.684 (22.96) .285
Nivel textual 98.157 (19.51) 95.000 (20.53) .485
Nivel de contenido 100.263 (23.31) 96.711 (23.68) .383
En esta comunicación se pretende dar varias posibles explicaciones de la discrepancia entre los resultados en la
lengua materna y la lengua extranjera. Para ello, se recurre a modelos didácticos de teorías de aprendizaje en la L1
y la L2 (por ej., Mungra 2010), a las diferentes hipótesis de adquisición de una lengua materna y una lengua
extranjera (por ej., Skehan 2009, Limited capacity/Trade off hypothesis), y a los resultados de investigaciones
empíricas recientes (por ej., Ruiz-Funes 2015). De esta manera los autores se proponen preparar un estudio de
intervención enfocado en el análisis más profundo del proceso de aprendizaje y adquisición de la competencia
profesional escrita en una lengua extranjera, con la finalidad de mejorarla.
Selling with Sensitivity: Using a Student Team to Examine Marketing/Advertising Strategies across
Cultures.
Sana Reynolds, Baruch College, City University of New York, USA
Selling with Sensitivity: Using a Student Team to Examine Marketing/Advertising Strategies across Cultures.
In teaching the concept of why cultural knowledge is critical to sound business practice, I illustrate what can
happen in marketing strategies or advertising campaigns via the following examples (Roger Axtell, Do’s and
Taboos of Doing Business around the World; Robert Moran, Managing Cultural Differences):
 General Motors failed to market the “Nova” automobile in Latin America because “no va” means “doesn’t
go” in Spanish. The company’s promotion in Belgium for its car with a body by Fisher was translated into
Flemish as “Corpse by Fisher.”

Pepsi’s “Come alive with Pepsi” was translated in Taiwan as “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the
grave.”

The advertising campaign used by Electrolux, the Swedish vacuum manufacturer, failed in the US. The
slogan literally translated from Swedish was “Nothing sucks like Electrolux.”

Sales of Big Macs and Coke plummeted during the 1994 World Cup when both McDonald’s and CocaCola reprinted the Saudi flag including the quote from the Koran – “There is no God but Allah, and
Mohammed is his prophet” on the paper and cups used to serve the purchased food and drink. Muslims
were appalled that those (sacred to them) words would be used to sell a product or be put on something that
is thrown away.

Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpaste in Southeast Asia by emphasizing that it “whitens your teeth.” The
campaign bombed because local natives chew betel nuts to darken their teeth which they find attractive.

A company advertised eyeglasses in Thailand by featuring a variety of cute animals wearing glasses. The
ad was a poor choice since animals are considered to be a lower form of life; no self- respecting Thai would
wear anything worn by animals. Coca-Cola’s ad showing polar bears drinking Coke needed to be changed
for the same reason.

The soft drink “Fresca” was being promoted by a saleswoman in Mexico. She was surprised that her sales
pitch was greeted with laughter, and later embarrassed when she learned that fresca is slang for “lesbian.”

When Kentucky Fried Chicken opened their first restaurant in Beijing in 1987, they translated KFC’s
slogan “finger-lickin’ good” as “we’ll eat your fingers off.”

Mazda’s car “Laputa” translates into Portuguese and Spanish as “the whore.”
Mexico’s biggest manufacturer of white bread (big enough to buy Wonder Bread) had to change its Mexican name
Bimbo to be profitable internationally.
A core assignment (worth 30 percent of their final grade) in the Intercultural Communication class I teach at
Baruch, City University of New York, is a team presentation that self-selected student teams spend the semester
preparing. These presentations are delivered to the class in the final weeks of the semester.
One of the most exciting team presentations in the fall 2015 semester focused on how Brazil and Qatar advertised
the World Cup in their countries. The students illustrated the cultural values imbedded in the advertisements,
captured the differences between the two cultures, and analyzed the relationship between marketing/advertising and
culture.
My presentation will share some of the most vivid examples the team presented to the class and discuss how
students internalized the concept of cultural values in a manner that was both tangible and practical.
_______________________________________________________
Goals/Mrthodology/Takeaways: This presentation will illustrate a teaching methodology that I find increasingly
effective. When students acquire knowledge through their own agency, a fundamental shift occurs in how they
digest the subject matter. It is no longer something that an “authority” or an “expert” provides; it is their own effort
that causes understanding to occur.
This methodology is often particularly useful with millennials, who exhibit a stronger than average distaste for
lectures.
Cultural Shock of International Professors in Mexico
Olivia Hernández-Pozas, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Marcela Quintanilla, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Universities around the world, that aim to bring to their students, international experiences, specialized knowledge
and exposure to diverse cultures frequently invite foreign professors to teach in their campuses through Global
Mobility programs. Global Mobility programs, in an academic context, are similar to those of expats, in the
corporate world. When professors pursue an international career, it is common they experience cultural shocks. A
cultural shock is a feeling of confusion and disorientation when someone is exposed to a new culture. Global
Mobility programs, when preparing on-boarding training, should take into consideration potential cultural shocks in
specific cultures.
This paper aims for a better understanding of the cultural shocks that international professors, appointed in Mexico,
experience. Mexico’s ongoing reforms, trade agreements and good economic indicators place the country in an
international promising position. Thus, in the last decades, Mexican universities have taken an active role inviting
foreign professors to teach in their campuses, and to collaborate with Mexican professors in the preparation of
students for international careers. The purpose of this research is to identify how cultural shocks occur in an
academic environment. Then, to link these cultural shocks with the cultural values of Mexico and with the cultural
values of international professors. Finally, to review if scores of professors’ Cultural Intelligence, at arrival, can be
linked to their cultural shocks and adaptation.
Research was exploratory. It was conducted using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative
method consisted of in-depth interviews with international professors. Participation of professors was voluntary.
Invitation was sent to 47 professors, appointed to a private university, for the semester August-December, 2015.
Response rate was 47%. This comprised 20 professors. In most of the cases, interviews were conducted on web
conferences and averaged 30 minutes long. Interview questions included demographics, previous international
experience, cultural shocks, as well as professor’s recommendations for better adaptation. Researchers used content
analysis on the interviews to retrieve meaningful information and to identify patterns of responses.
The quantitative study was conducted using the CQ self-inventory questionnaire. The questionnaire measured
Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and cultural values. CQ is defined as the capacity to function effectively in multicultural
settings. The CQ Self-Inventory is an online evaluation where individuals answer 54 questions that form CQ
dimensions and sub-dimensions. It is provided by the Cultural Intelligence Center and administered by a CQ
certified facilitator. CQ has four factors: CQ Drive, CQ Knowledge, CQ Strategy and CQ Action. CQ Drive is the
individual’s interest, drive and confidence to adapt to multicultural situations. CQ Drive has three sub-dimensions:
Intrinsic Interest, Extrinsic Interest and Self-Efficacy. CQ Knowledge is the individual’s understanding about how
cultures are similar and different. CQ Knowledge has four sub-dimensions: Business, Values and Norms, SocioLinguistic and Leadership. CQ Strategy is the individual’s awareness and ability to plan for multicultural
interactions. CQ Strategy includes three sub-dimensions: Planning, Awareness and Checking. CQ Action is the
individual’s ability to adapt when relating and working inter-culturally. CQ Action has three sub-dimensions:
Speech-Acts, Verbal and Non-Verbal. Cultural values, included in the questionnaire are the following:
Individualism vs. Collectivism, Low vs. High Power Distance, Low vs. High Uncertainty Avoidance, Cooperative
vs. Competitive, Short vs. Long Term, Low vs. High Context and Being vs. Doing.
Results from qualitative analysis show cultural shocks in two categories: In-campus and Off-campus. In-campus
cultural shocks included those related to students’ behavior, colleagues’ behavior, relationship with parents, use of
technology, work hours, grade systems, language and differentiated treatment for international professors. Offcampus cultural shocks included those related to relationships among people, time, harmony, driving skills,
emotional display, hierarchy, communication styles, greetings, privacy, and gender differences. As expected, there
was a connection between the cultural shocks of international professors and the cultural values of Mexicans, also a
connection with those cultural values that international professors learned in their previous teaching experiences. In
sum, international professors suffered a cultural shock, because in their previous teaching experiences they were
not used to what they experienced in Mexico. However, most professors self-rated high in CQ. This seems to have
helped them to enjoy the differences and adapt well. However, opportunities for training and improvement were
identified on specific CQ sub-dimensions.
This research contributes to theory development by identifying common cultural shocks of foreign people in
Mexico, and by describing specific behaviors that represent Mexican cultural values. In particular, in a university
context that is seldom reported. Also, by connecting scores of Cultural Intelligence with perceptions of cultural
shocks. This paper contributes to Management practitioners too. In particular, to those in charge of Global Mobility
programs and on-boarding training, by giving specific recommendations of how to prepare foreign people to better
adapt to the culture, when moving to Mexico.
Using Unadjusted Executive Comments to Enhance Cross-Cultural Business Case Analysis
Orlando Kelm, University of Texas at Austin, USA
This paper describes a pedagogical approach to enhance business case analysis through bringing together comments
provided by executives from different cultural backgrounds to a common cross-cultural business situation.
The use of business cases in cross-cultural studies is an effective tool in allow for inductive reasoning useful for
developing applied cultural analysis skills. Most cases regardless of subject matter employ an open-ended question
to a problem with multiple potential solutions. The likelihood of multiple solutions to a given problem is
particularly the case in cross-cultural interactions where different frames of reference result in different approaches
to the questions raised. Cultural behavior in a business context is usually not a matter of right or wrong, rather only
one of difference.
The method described here provides a possible means for addressing two common difficulties in classroom or
consulting case analysis: 1) intransigent belief that a single “right answer” exists to a given situation, and 2) the
sense that the case material is unrelated to actual lived experience.
To address these concerns, the authors have written short cases based on actual events (or a combination of actual
events) that reveal cross-cultural differences centered on US managers conducting business in another country.
These countries to date include Brazil, Japan, Mexico, India, Thailand, France and Germany.
The short case is then sent to actual executives either living as expatriates in the countries involved or having
regular business in those countries, with three from the United States and three from the other country. Thus for the
US-Brazilian short case, three US managers living in Brazil or working closely with Brazilian business and three
Brazilian managers living in the United States or working closely with US business each provided their own
thoughts and responses to the situation. These responses were not altered in any way, and indeed frequently
contradict each other – which is the point. This demonstrates that practitioner experts approach the same situation
from different business and cultural perspectives to reach different conclusions.
The authors have tested these cases out as pedagogical tools in both business school and language for business
classes, as well as in consulting with corporate executives.
Conducting Trilingual Business in North America: Do language skills influence customer satisfaction?
Judith Ainsworth, University of Florida, USA
The increasing trend of globalisation makes the management of languages and cultural understanding a growing
challenge throughout the world. Globalisation has led to mergers and acquisitions, and to organisations centralising
many of their processes, which in turn has reduced personal contact and all but eliminated personalised customer
service. Even if a customer manages to communicate with a real person, the exchange is often through written
email communication due to distance and different time zones. In addition, communication may take place with a
company employee whose first language differs from that of the customer.
Much of the current research on communication in multinationals explores the impact of language and cultural
understanding (Lauring, 2011; Louhiala-Salminen & Charles, 2006; Marschan-Piekkari, Welch, & Welch, 1999;
van den Born & Peltokorpi, 2010), or internal email use (Kankaanranta, 2006) in multinational organisations.
Moreover, the results of this research have revealed that English is often used among non-native speakers (NNSs)
in multinational organisations. Consequently, researchers have proposed the use of the term English as a Business
lingua franca or BELF.
BELF competence calls for clarity and accuracy of content, as well as knowledge of business-specific vocabulary,
rather than linguistic correctness and general purpose English. In addition, because BELF interactions take place
with NNSs from a variety of cultural backgrounds, the relational orientation is perceived as integral for BELF
competence. In sum, BELF competence can be considered an essential component of business knowledge in
today’s global business environment (Kankaanranta & Planken, 2010).
However, BELF studies have examined internal corporate communication between head office and international
subsidiaries. External, email communication between company employees and consumers has been less examined.
Furthermore, few studies have focused on business communication in a North American context where company
employees and consumers are bilingual, but none are trilingual.
Therefore, this study seeks to analyse employees’ writing skills and willingness to cooperate as perceived by an
English native speaker (NS) Canadian (bilingual French) throughout the mortgage application process at a Spanish
multinational bank in the United States. We hypothesise that
1) globalisation, lack of face-to-face meetings, and the exclusive use of written communication, namely email, will
lead to communication breakdowns for the English-speaking consumer when dealing with employees at the
Spanish multinational bank
2) breakdowns will be related to inadequate grammar knowledge and insufficient explanation of content related to
mortgage loan terminology
3) the bilingual Canadian will be responsible for all contact with French Canada and for crafting necessary
documents in English to fulfil mortgage application requirements.
This study takes a case study approach to exploring an English NS’s experience applying for a mortgage through a
multinational bank in Florida in the United States. Over 75 emails written to the applicant were analysed. The
native Spanish-speaking Consumer Asset Processor wrote emails in English, while the native French-speaking
management company owner wrote in French. The emails were analysed for comprehensibility, organisation,
mechanics and amiability. Preliminary analyses indicate that emails written by the native Spanish speaker led to
communication breakdowns and misunderstandings caused by incorrect grammar usage and failure to explain bank
terminology. Emails written by the management company owner demonstrated unwillingness to help, in addition to
incorrect grammar.
In conclusion, content-related business knowledge is important in a multinational context, as for BELF
competence, but the ability to clearly explain that knowledge to a foreign national is crucial. Using correct grammar
eliminates misunderstandings and communication breakdowns, which differs from the research findings on BELF
competence. In addition, willingness to cooperate with customers contributes significantly to brand satisfaction.
Using Design Thinking to Build Business English
Momotaro Takamori, Doshisha University, Japan
This study proposes the use of design thinking for creating a new type of business English (BE). As explained by
linguists such as Graddol (2006), the global community of English speakers now has a greater number of nonnative speakers (NNSs) than native speakers (NSs) of the language. As frequently discussed, this trend can be
observed in the field of business. English is often chosen as a sole means of international business communication.
For example, an increasing number of multinational corporations are adopting English as their official language.
Neeley (2012) lists companies such as Airbus, Daimler-Chrysler, Fast Retailing, Nokia, Renault, Samsung, SAP,
Technicolor, and Microsoft in Beijing, along with a Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten which recently made
international headlines for mandating English as their only language for in-house communications.
Under this linguistic climate in business, NNSs are bringing their versions of English, or “World Englishes” to the
table. The type of English used in international business scenes, especially among NNSs, has been given the name
BELF (Business English as a Lingua Franca), and has attracted attention of business communication researchers
(e.g. Fujio 2014; Kameda 2013; Kankaanranta & Planken 2010; Louhiala-Salminen et al. 2005; Victor 2013).
Kankaanranta & Planken (2010) discovered three features of BELF which can be characterized as “simplified
English, specific terminology related to business in general and the professional expertise in particular, and a hybrid
of discourse practices originating from the speakers’ mother tongues.” (p.392). The concept of NNS’s BE explained
here is a paradigm shift for many business people (BP) in Japan. Norisada (2014) explains that Japanese BPs have
traditionally held NS’s English as the gold standard. This is what Kachru (2005) calls the “native speaker
syndrome”. However, many have pointed out that trying to attain a native-like English proficiency is an unrealistic
goal, and some Japanese BPs who have experienced global business firsthand have proposed their version of BE
lite (e.g. Hayashi 2011).
One of such versions of English was “Globish” proposed by Nerriere & Hon (2009). Globish, which is a
combination of words ‘global’ and ‘English’, is a reduced form of English with a vocabulary list of 1500 words. It
was created through Nerriere’s experience as a former IBM executive. As a global BP, Nerriere could observe NSs’
use of BELF, from which he noticed similar characteristics Kankaanranta & Planken (2010) had observed. He
formed his own idea of systematic BELF by adding various ideas from the field of world Englishes (e.g. Graddol
2006).
In recent years, some leading business communication researchers in Japan have pointed out the need to create a
new type of BE, which is not governed by NS’s standard. In his paper titled From “Business English to learn” to
“Business English to build together” Norisada (2014) argues that Japanese people should be free from the native
speaker syndrome, and NSs should not be ethnocentric when it comes to BE for there are many Englishes used to
do businesses and NS’s English is just one of them. Kameda (2012) has proposed the concept of “Easternized
English” as a variety of BELF. Kameda (2013) developed the idea further, and discussed regional block-based
BELFs. Norisada and Kameda have both developed their ideas based on Globish. Although they do not agree with
this model of BE fully, they do accept the concept as a good place to start in order to design a better BELF.
Globish, as well as concepts proposed by Kameda (2013) and Norisada (2014) are prototypes of new BE.
If we view the process of BE creation through the perspective of design thinking, we can have a better grasp of
what should be done in order to build a new type of business communication tool. One of the most well known
organizations for using this approach for problem solving is IDEO. Their website explains “Design thinking is a
human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer's toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the
possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.” Although design thinking is frequently tied
with product or service design, it can also be used as a general problem solving tool. Another prominent institution
for design thinking is d.School at Stanford University. Their website shows design thinking process in five steps:
(1) Empathize (2) Define a problem (3) Ideate (4) Make a prototype (5) Test the prototype and get feedbacks to
create a better one. In the context of BE creation, the process would be as follows: (1) Observe how NNSs are using
BELF (2) Know what problems or difficulties they have in BELF communication (3) Brainstorm ideas to make
NNS friendly BE (4) Make something like Globish (5) Share the idea and get feedbacks.
The presentation will elaborate on the design thinking process of new BE, and make suggestions for building a
better BELF.
La Publicidad de Boca en Boca Como Una Fuente de Información Constante a la Hora de Comprar un
Auto: El Caso Mexicano
Adriana Riveroll Arellani, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
En este trabajo se analizan los hábitos de compra tradicionales para un auto nuevo, incluyendo los esfuerzos de
búsqueda de los consumidores, como visitas a distribuidores, catálogos impresos, revistas especializadas y
publicidad de boca en boca (WOM). Sin embargo, dado que el internet ha superado las fuentes más tradicionales de
búsqueda del consumidor, resulta interesante estudiar si WOM sigue siendo un factor preponderante en la compra
de un auto nuevo.
En este documento se encuentra evidencia para afirmar que WOM complementa la búsqueda en internet y que
reduce el tiempo de decisión, en relación a otras fuentes tradicionales de publicidad e información.
Para ello se realiza una encuesta en la zona metropolitana de la Ciudad de México, pues debe recordarse que
México es un actor relevante a nivel mundial dentro de la industria automotriz. Aunque, su principal mercado de
exportación sigue siendo Estados Unidos, 68% de la producción nacional, muchos países latinoamericanos han
aumentado su participación en las exportaciones mexicanas. (N. Meza 2014).
DATOS
Los datos utilizados en este estudio provienen de una encuesta que se aplicó a los empleados, administrativos,
profesores y estudiantes del Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Estado de México. La encuesta fue entregada
directamente a 3045 encuestados en un formato de documento y se recogió directamente como lo contestaron, se
recogieron 3045 encuestas completas. La encuesta sigue la misma tónica que el instrumento aplicado en febrero de
1990, 2000 y 2002 en la zona de Buffalo NY y que fue parte del estudio llevado a cabo por Ratchford et al. (2003).
La razón para usar la misma encuesta fue comparar los resultados con aquellos presentados hace más de 20 años.
El método utilizado para evaluar los resultados de la encuesta fueron modelos de probabilidad no lineal logit/probit.
La variable dependiente adquiere el valor de 1 si el tiempo de búsqueda del individuo es menor al promedio del
resto de los encuestados. La idea es verificar si el efecto marginal de WOM es significativo. En otras palabras,
encontrar evidencia para afirmar que la probabilidad de que el tiempo de búsqueda para la compra de un auto nuevo
es menor, debido a la publicidad de boca en boca. En este caso, se afirmaría que WOM se ha mantenido como un
factor constante y relevante en las compras potenciales de autos nuevos de la zona metropolitana de la Ciudad de
México, en relación a las fuentes tradicionales de publicidad, información e internet.
CONCLUSIÓN
En este trabajo se encuentra evidencia para afirmar que la publicidad de boca en boca sigue siendo un factor clave
en la compra de un auto nuevo. Esto se puede afirmar porque bajo los modelos probit/logit se estima que la
probabilidad del tiempo de búsqueda para la compra se reduce. WOM no sustituye a internet ni desplaza a las
fuentes tradicionales de publicidad e información. Más bien lo que sucede es que WOM complementa a internet y
se mantiene con un efecto constante a lo largo del tiempo, frente a otras alternativas. Este hecho, resulta claramente
intuitivo, ya que cualquier proceso potencial de compra se ratifica por la “recomendación” de personas cercanas al
consumidor, radica en un componente de confianza, a nivel emocional.
Promoviendo la Comunicación Industria-Academia: Laboratorio de Nuevas Oportunidades de Negocio
(NBO Lab)
En este artículo se reportan los resultados de un modelo de aprendizaje experiencial que busca promover la
comunicación entre la industria y la academia. Formando equipos de trabajo, estudiantes de diferentes disciplinas y
un empresario, investigan las condiciones para enviar un nuevo producto al mercado.
Palabras clave: innovación, emprendimiento, prototipos rápidos, experimentación, nuevos productos de base
tecnológica
1 Introducción
La gran mayoría de los proyectos de innovación no fallan por su incapacidad de construir un producto, sino porque
después de lanzar el nuevo producto al mercado, la empresa se da cuenta de que, en realidad, los supuestos clientes
no querían esa solución [1]. Es decir, se tienen grandes retos en la comunicación entre las necesidades del mercado
y el diseño de nuevos productos tecnológicos.
No sólo eso, sino que además, la gran mayoría de los proyectos de innovación exitosos abandonan sus planes
iniciales y aprenden lo que funciona y no funciona en el mercado. Es decir, la experimentación es fundamental en el
lanzamiento de nuevos productos al mercado. De manera que, al igual que un experimento que sigue el proceso
científico, los emprendedores deben plantear hipótesis y validarlas para conocer las condiciones para éxito de un
producto.
La aplicación de métodos de lanzamiento de productos o servicios, inicialmente imperfectos basadas en
experimentación y aprendizaje, permite a las compañías, en especial las nuevas (también conocidas como startups),
no requerir una financiación grande al inicio, para llevar a cabo su lanzamiento. Es por eso que, una acertada
inteligencia en el manejo de expectativas del cliente puede permitir -a su vez- guiar estrategias de innovación,
posibilitando conceder y distribuir eficientemente los recursos y esfuerzos internos, no sólo humanos y financieros,
necesarios en el desarrollo de los productos y servicios.
Con el objeto de fortalecer a las empresas que apuestan por soluciones y negocios innovadores creados en México,
el NBO Lab es una propuesta busca identificar un modelo de capacitación involucrando a alumnos y profesores de
manera que apoye la comercialización de las tecnologías desarrolladas las empresas.
Es decir, el NBO Lab busca desarrollar e implementar un programa piloto de capacitación para PyMES de diversos
sectores, involucradas en la innovación tecnológica que tengan productos listos para comercializar.
El resultado del proyecto es un modelo genérico para el fortalecimiento de empresas del sector tecnológico en el
área de comercialización.
Analysis of Communication of Technology Commercialization: Successful Business cases from Silicon Valley
Technology commercialization is a communication process of translating a technological innovation into a
marketable product customers are willing to pay for. This article reports five interviews to entrepreneur experts
from Silicon Valley that show how communication is key in the success of commercializing new technology
products.
Introduction
The fast and growing flow of technology, knowledge and resources in general through globalization has created a
highly competitive environment for people, organizations and countries. This situation has imposed new challenges
for economic development of societies.
In this context is where innovation has turned into a key element for creating a competitive advantage for
sustainable growth. For more than three decades, some countries have implemented public policies to stimulate
research, intellectual property protection and entrepreneurship, being United States one of the leaders of this
“knowledge economy”.
But the path to technology commercialization has not been easy or cheap. The numbers show that a lot of resources
have to be invested on research to really come up with a “blockbuster” solution that industry is interested in and
still more resources have to be spent by companies to turn research results into a viable commercial product or
service.
According to a survey conducted by the Association of University Research Managers in 2010 (Association of
University Technology Managers, 2010), a total of $59.1 billion dollars was the expenditure for sponsored research
4,284 licenses were executed and only 657 new commercial products were created.
However, although the number of products seems to be low, the impact on the U.S. economy as estimated by this
same Association for 2011 (Association of University Technology Managers, 2011) was around $80 billion dollars
of product sales by licensees of U.S. Institutions based on an average royalty rate of 1.8 percent of the $1.5 billion
dollars received from running royalties by all U.S. institutions.
The governmental strategy of investing large amounts for research funding to get a high volume of projects,
disclosures and patents, seems to be a successful way to increase the probability of achieving breakthrough
innovations that turn into very profitable licenses for industry and Academy.
This article compounds five business cases based on personal interviews to experts guided with a questionnaire
designed specifically for this purpose.
It Takes a Global Village to Raise a Childish Question: Whose Ethics is it, Anyway?
Mahmud Rahman, Eastern Michigan University, USA
Banikanta Mishra, Xavier Institute of Management, India
Faye Kao, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
A global village implies that everyone in the world is linked in some ways. The world is not what it used to be
once. Like in the wizard of Oz movie: “we are not in Kansas anymore, Toto!” A partial genetics of global village
stems from the globalization of businesses. With increasing globalization, a new reality dawns upon the
businesses—how to practice global ethical behavior. In today’s world, a good corporate citizenship is not an option,
but an obligation. So, the challenge is to arrive at a consensus of an ethical standard that is befitting for a business
that operates in a global village.
Ethics defines what an acceptable principle of conduct is for a person, profession or organization. The more
homogeneous the majority is, the more receptive they are of a common ethical behavior. But the world is neither a
flat oyster, and nor is the definition of “acceptable” is without dissent. A global village is a diverse real estate struck
by millenniums of life experiences, cultures, languages, histories, religions, norms, values, laws, and politics--just
to name a few. So, ethics--a commingled result of these influences, may flaunt as many variants as the topography
of the global village.
That premise is problematic, and poses a challenge for a global village. Without a shared common ethics, can we
have a global village? Whose ethics will it adopt? Everybody’s? Nobody’s? The natives’? The village elders’?
Though these question are not new, the answers are still evolving, and are often akin to a search for an elusive
foundation in a shifting sand.
Till the era of today’s push for globalization—the major unifying force of the past has been religions across the
globe. Even then, not all religions share a common denominator. So, while tomatoes and cucumbers may happily
be in the same salad—not all ethics may be ripe enough picking to be tossed in the same salad bowl.
A major effect of globalization has been in the standardizations of products, processes, regulations, mindset and so
forth. Emerging technologies have broadened the scopes of communications, increased interactions, heightened
learning and adaptive capacities, reduced distances of ignorance and illiteracy, and shortened not just the trade
routes, but also misunderstandings. So, one would argue that if there ever were a fighting chance for a shared
ethical standards, it is today. A true litmus test of a global village is now in having a shared ethical values. Or, is it?
The focus of this paper is on the major ethical issues confronting today’s global businesses. Particular attention will
be given to the examples from the four countries of the GABC founding institutions: USA, Mexico, Malaysia, and
Belgium. Here are some of the issues:
• Employment practices: child-labor, fringe benefits, working conditions, wage differentials are some of the many
vexing issues
• Human Rights: freedom to unionize, shared governance, voice in the management, sexual orientation
• Environmental regulations: that could be exploitative, polluting, or destruction of commons
• Corruptions: where the lines between gifts and bribery, lobbying and conscience may be fuzzy
• Obligations of corporate citizenship: through community engagement and enrichment
The world of business is both fast and furious, as it has ever been. In that dynamic environment nothing is static,
least of all politically and economically. The literature on this subject is rich, but a consensus is yet to emerge. This
paper would survey the existing literature, and present the major trends that emerges from both theoretical
arguments and observed practices. So, this research intends to seek the spirit, and not the letters of what the ethical
standards ought to be in a global village.
“Spanglish” in the Rio Grande Valley: Adaptation, Assimilation, and Transformation
Yong-Kang Wei, University of Texas, USA
When it comes to intercultural communication, adaptation, assimilations, and transformation are of the essential
dimensions and can take place throughout the whole process of communication. Plus, many scholars believe
cultures not only diverge but also converge, meaning that cultures can transcend differences and become
“hybridized” in the end, as seen in day-to-day business or other types of communications in the Rio Grande Valley.
A place that fuses two cultures and two languages, the Rio Grande Valley holds its unique role in helping us
understand the significance of adaptation, assimilation, and transformation. In the proposed paper presentation, I
would like to identify, and describe, features of communications in the Valley that are characterized by a “TexMex” style. I will discuss how this Tex-Mex style points to a trend happening on a much larger scale (i.e., beyond
the Valley) Finally, I would like to draw implications for further research on the subject, and on intercultural
communication that focuses on linguistic interactions between English and Spanish and cultural interactions
between American and Mexican.
Emigración y Comunicación: el Caso de Puerto Rico
Sandra Sepúlveda, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
Interesada y motivada por el constante despoblamiento de Puerto Rico y al ser yo un producto de otra ola
emigratoria del siglo XX, representó un desafío investigar cómo los puertorriqueños están cambiando sus
esquemas comunicacionales y culturales. Parte de ese proceso es debido a la crisis económica que afecta hace
varios años a Puerto Rico y que nos ha obligado a girar en 360 grados con respecto a las políticas sociales,
educativas, comunicativas y de desarrollo económico.
Muchos teóricos, eruditos, periodistas e investigadores identificados con la problemática, se han dado a la tarea de
analizar y explicar este fenómeno. Diariamente en Puerto Rico la prensa, radio y televisión analizan la necesidad
urgente de comunicarse con eficacia. Frente al cuadro desolador de una población en fuga, la pregunta principal,
proyectada en dos vertientes es : Primero, ¿cómo lo haremos con una población envejecida que no tiene esa
habilidad? Segundo, las estadísticas oficiales en Puerto Rico revelan que en la última década (2000-2010) cerca de
500,000 personas, principalmente jóvenes puertorriqueños profesionales y empleados, han emigrado a los Estados
Unidos utilizando una nueva “guagua aérea”, frase que evoca el título del ensayo La guagua aérea de nuestro
insigne escritor Luis Rafael Sánchez donde el autor nos presenta el problema de la emigración de puertorriqueños a
EE UU durante la segunda gran ola emigratoria de los ’50 al ’70.
Según el Censo Nacional de 2010 de los Estados Unidos, aproximadamente 4,6 millones vivían en Estados Unidos
en 2010, principalmente en Florida; actualmente, son cerca de 5 millones. El Dr. Jorge Duany, uno de nuestros más
reconocidos investigadores de la diáspora puertorriqueña, publicó recientemente un artículo donde reveló que
durante 20 años (1990-2010) la población de puertorriqueños en Florida aumentó de 247,010 a 847,550 personas.
Por otra parte, el Dr. Mario Marazzi, economista y Director Ejecutivo del Instituto de Estadísticas de Puerto Rico,
afirmó recientemente que para entender la realidad de la diáspora puertorriqueña es necesario entender la realidad
de los puertorriqueños en Estados Unidos. Por ejemplo, solo en un año, 2011-2012, Puerto Rico perdió cerca de
40,000 personas debido principalmente a la emigración. Esta situación provoca un disloque social, profesional,
educativo y comunicacional.
Si es así, ¿dónde los profesores de la Universidad de Puerto Rico construiremos nuestra identidad nacional: en
Puerto Rico o Estados Unidos? Si la meta es cumplir con los objetivos nacionales para que el país se desarrolle y
crezca, ¿cómo se puede alcanzar esta meta con una población envejecida cuyas necesidades e intereses no
concuerdan necesariamente con esto? o ¿Con unos jóvenes en fuga que emigrarán sin aportar a la recuperación de
Puerto Rico?
Queda muy claro que nuestro mundo evoluciona constantemente y que esta generación Y o Millenials es
indiferente a la tradición y la reputación de las generaciones y décadas pasadas. El ejemplo más reciente es el
cantante de música urbana o reguetón Arcángel quien afirmó en una entrevista en Colombia que él era más grande
que Ismael Rivera, una leyenda de la música popular en Puerto Rico.
En esta investigación cualitativa y cuantitativa definiremos la situación, describiremos, interpretaremos,
analizaremos y recomendaremos algunas ideas para los cursos de comunicación empresarial de la Universidad de
Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras, ya que debemos comenzar por algún lado. No podemos seguir cruzados de
brazos hablando y hablando sin hacer nada.
B2B Services Buyer-Seller Relationship in a Multi-Tier Supply Chain
Harash Sachdev, Eastern Michigan University, USA
Recent supply-chain literature points in the direction that all economic exchanges are embedded within social
networks (Mena, Humphries, and Choi, 2013). Additionally, each organization’s supply-chain actions are
influenced by its position within the chain (structural embeddedness) and social context in which it is embedded
(relational embeddedness). Because the performance of each organization is dependent on its position and role
(e.g., physical or facilitating), understanding its embeddedness is important (Carter, Rogers, and Choi, 2015). For
instance, Mena et al. (2013) conducted a case study using three different supplier-structural embeddedness to
suggest differences between their interdependence, power balance, and relationship stability. Zafeiropoulou and
Koufopoulos (2013) conducted a case study to suggest relational embeddedness differences between social and
fast-food franchise structures.
Because each organization in a supply-chain network may play a physical or facilitating role, its supply chain
becomes bounded by a fuzzy horizon comprising visible and non-visible structures. Failure to recognize the blind
spots in one’s configuration has resulted in mistrust, over analysis of contracts, and unnecessary monitoring
policies. Thus, researchers have put a call out for more such studies to comprehend embeddedness across different
supply-chain configurations (e.g., Carter, et al., 2015).
The purpose of this research is to study embeddedness for a major global supplier, its main global Third-PartyLogistician (TPL), and its buyer (a manufacturer). Using a case approach, the visible and non-visible portion of this
configuration is identified for the supplier and TPL to detect the problems and opportunities that have occurred
over a decade of their relationships. This case study may assist supply-chain managers to recognize the differential
information possessed by the participants in this chain and the need to be reliant on each other to build governance
value across this chain.
E-Commerce Challenges and Opportunities: The Case of Mexico
Abstract
Despite enormous potential in Internet use and mobile communication, Mexico’s e-commerce is lagging, partly due
to a dearth of credit card use and citizens’ reluctance to transact online. Web retailers need to be creative and use
non-traditional methods to attract Mexican shoppers to online outlets. This paper proposes strategies that ecommerce companies can use to expand online shopping in Mexico. Shoppers are reluctant to pay for goods online
and many do not have credit cards.
Introduction
The growth of e-commerce has been closely associated with Internet connectivity and advances in mobile
communication. Cross-border bandwidth has grown 45 times since 2005. The growth is expected to continue nine
times in the next five years as flows of information, searches, communication, video, and transactions surge
globally according to McKinsey Global Institute. Gone the era that trade was the domain of advanced economies
and their multinational corporations (MNCs). Today’s global marketplace has opened the door to developing
economies as well as small, midsize enterprises (SMEs), and start-ups that pursue global e-commerce from
anywhere. Tens of millions of SMEs worldwide that participate in international e-commerce now account for 12
percent of global trade.
E-Commerce in Latin America
As one of the major online shopping regions in the world, Latin America and the Caribbean region are rapidly
embracing e-commerce according to a recent study by Forrester. Consumers in the region display more positive
attitude toward e-commerce compared to the past. They shop online for a variety of products and offers. Almost 30
percent shop online several times a months, more frequently compared to the rest of the world. Although Latin
Americans don’t shop online at the same rate as their American or European counterparts, the region’s e-commerce
market is not limited to a wealthy few. E-commerce sales have come a long way, from $1.6 billion in 2003 to
$62.56 billion in 2014, an average growth of 391%. The sales volume is expected to reach $71.10 billion in 2015
and $87.28 according to Statistica.
Although compared to Asia Pacific, Latin America is not the largest e-commerce region in the world, it is home to
the world’s fastest growing Internet market according to Fox News Latino. The population is also the most socially
engaged, spending twice the global average time on social media, and 5 out of top 10 most socially engaged
markets are in the region.
The largest number of Internet users is in Brazil, followed by Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, and Venezuela. As the
most populated country in the region and aided by young demographic, Brazil leads the way with its e-commerce
growth rate, only second to China. It accounts for 60% e-commerce sales in the region. The number of credit cards
in circulation (over 173 million) is an important factor that drives the size of the country’s e-commerce market.
Other factors contributing to Brazil’s e-commerce include the country’s national postal service (carrying 40% share
of the shipping market), reduced e-commerce taxes, interest rates, and free merchandize return.
Mexico’s Underdeveloped Ecommerce
Mexico holds the second largest number of the Internet users after Brazil. It accounts for 15% of e-commerce sales
volume. Despite its enormous potential, Mexico’s e-commerce has yet to take off among the country’s 122 million
residents. There are more online buyers as percentage of Internet users in Argentina and Brazil than Mexico
according to eMarketer.
According to Euromonitor International, e-commerce represents about 2% of Mexico’s $203 billion in annual
overall retail sales even though the online sales have increased more than fourfold in the past five years and are
expected to double again by 2020. Certain factors contribute to the slow growth of e-commerce in Mexico. Online
Payment is a challenge in a populated country of 120 million with just only 22.6 million credit cards in circulation.
While 85% of Internet users access social networks, only a quarter use the Internet to make purchases, according to
a survey by the Mexican Internet Association. With the rapid growth of mobile phone use, 40% in 2015, online
retailers are hopeful to see a surge in e-commerce sales. There are detailed strategies that online retailers and their
affiliates can use to advance e-commerce popularity and online sales.
Examining The Cultural, Age and Gender Differences In Attitudes Toward Employee Engagement Surveys.
Michael Coates, Protostar Leadership Development Ltd, UK
In order to assess levels of engagement in a global organisation, employees must communicate their views,
concerns and issues, typically through an online anonymous survey. The main providers such as Towers Watson,
Gallop or Effectory, often release white papers and eye catching headlines about varying degrees of employee
engagement around the world (Penhale Smith N, 2015.)
As an Organisational Development Consultant, increasingly involved in both administering employee surveys,
including the communication that precedes their implementation, I became concerned that comparing engagement
results between countries was at the very least problematic and potentially unreliable. When I hear that Indian
employees are more engaged than Chinese (Dale Carnegie, 2014) and Austrians are the most engaged in Europe
(Effectory, 2014) the potential variances within the profiles of respondents would appear at first glance to be
significant enough to impact direct comparisons. For instance, do employees in former communist countries see
engagement and its typical composites (leadership, benefits, development, welfare, trust, brand loyalty, etc.) in the
same way as those from countries with, as Hostede highlighted, lesser degrees of “Power Distance” (Hofstede
Centre, 2015.)
Starting with the null hypothesis that “attitudes to employee surveys do not vary by country or gender and age
within those countries” I conducted an online survey with employees from one organisation in, the UK, USA,
Mexico, Romania, India and China, (n= 286) assessing their attitudes towards factors such as belief in the
anonymity of surveys, honesty of response, preferred method of raising concerns and whether they believe
employee surveys to be the most effective method of communicating issues related to engagement. In addition, the
results of a recent pan European Employee engagement survey and focus groups I had conducted, were examined
to see if differences in attitude could be identified.
Conclusion
That in countries with a high level of “Power Distance” such as Romania, India, China and Mexico, employee
surveys were the preferred method of communicating upwards, particularly with female employees. (P=<0.001)
Skepticism over the true anonymity of a survey varied dramatically with those in the UK being highly skeptical, in
stark contrast to those from India. (P=<0.001) Similarly, respondents from the UK and USA were far less likely to
be honest in an employee survey (P=<0.001) and respondents from all countries were uncomfortable in raising
issues through other means such as focus groups with a manager present or even at their appraisal, particularly in
countries where the so called “Rank and Yank” process of exiting the lowest 10% performers existed. Millennials
in most countries also viewed employee surveys differently to their older colleagues.
Overall there were many differences in attitude towards communicating upwards using an online anonymous
survey and this raises serious concerns for practitioners when asked to compare the results from employees around
the world. In light of the strong correlation between attitudes to employee surveys and high levels of Power –
Distance, it may be possible to identify countries and minority groups within them, for whom a survey is the most
effective method, and in turn recommend other methods to gather feedback, in those with a lower level.
Assistance will be requested at the conference, in order to replicate this research in another global organisation.
Business Communication in Spain and Mexico
Brian Jacob Nienhaus, Elon University, USA
Roger Nion Conaway, EGADE Business School, Mexico
Building on a study presented last year for private universities in Mexico (Nienhaus and Conaway, 2015), we
present our findings on the teaching of business communication skills at 27 private university campuses in Spain.
We read course descriptions posted online, and we again use content categories developed by Wardrope and
Bayless (1999), Russ (2009), and Sharp and Brumberger (2013). For this presentation, our research question is
different from that which guided our study of Mexican universities. For Mexico, it was simply where business
communication was taught. Our answer: almost nowhere. In this study we learned early on that we would have a
different answer for Spain, so we ask instead, to what degree are business communication skills offered in Spanish,
or in one of the regional languages of Spain?
We are particularly interested in business communication offered in Spanish to facilitate future business student
exchanges. Students would study business communication in their native languages in their home countries, and
then, when on study abroad or student exchange, they would study business communication in the new target
language. Key to this idea was a course in business communication that would share a similar set of orienting
conceptions and tasks for the students to perform, with the tasks mostly in writing followed by performance in
groups and individual speaking performances—the basic plan for the business communication course in the United
States. Because of this longer-term interest, we were concerned by our principal finding for Mexico in 2015.
Business communication as described above is not offered in Spanish in business schools in Mexico. Classes that
include communication skills are offered by faculty from academic departments other than business, primarily
literature or communication studies, or as a hybrid course of research and writing skills modeled on social science
research (Nienhaus and Conaway, 2015). The practical consequence of this finding is that curricular
barriers prevent the use of business communication as a linking course in student exchanges between Mexico and
the U.S.
It was in this context we decided to look more closely at business communication in Spain. Spanish private
universities are diverse, ranging from traditional Catholic institutions such as the University of Deusto in Bilbao to
the modern multi-continent Laureate Universities in four Spanish cities to the unique, cooperatively based
Mondragon University, founded in 1997.
Our preliminary findings are that business communication skills are present in most Spanish business degree
programs and deeply infused in some (see also Louhiala-Salminen and Kankaanranta, 2012 for a more general
review of the distribution of corporate linguistic practices). Business communication also has a presence in Spain’s
regional languages. By the time of the conference we will be able to report on business communication in Catalan
but not in Basque or Galician (Strubell and Marí, 2013). In Spain, it may be that no matter what the business
discipline or language of instruction, curricular resources are devoted to the development of professional
communication skills. What could this mean for our larger student-exchange project?
Student exchange programs with a business communication course as linchpin could be developed quickly. In
addition, should business school faculty in Mexico decide to include business communication skills in their
curricula in the future, they will find that curricular models and administrative support for delivering these skills
already exist in the Spanish-speaking world.
Historical and cultural contexts differ between Spain and Mexico and Spain and Latin America, but we believe that
their business communities face increasingly common challenges in the future. It may be counter-intuitive, but our
review of the research literature in Spain suggests that increased globalization seems to provide openings for
maintaining or re-introducing languages other than English in professional settings (see Sabatí i Dalmau, 2012 for
Spain). Because of Catalonia’s recent history of suppression of Catalan by two nationalist Spanish governments in
the 20th century, for example, resources have been devoted to studying and using Catalan in professional settings.
For Catalonians, historically generated sentiments encourage the use of the regional language in firms while they
also operate in Spanish and, if they are export-oriented, in English and other European languages (Strubell and
Marí, 2013). We suspect that similar movements exist in the Basque country for similar reasons.
Business organizational forms will continue to evolve, but it is our judgment that whatever form they take, they will
prosper if their employees at all authority levels and within all linguistic groups make use of common professional
communication skills and practices. They may not perform as well as organizations if only one of their linguistic
subgroups, the English speakers, is trained in modern business communication practice.
Drivers of Innovativeness in the organization: An Interpretive Structural Modelling Technique
Chhutten Singh Yadav, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Sunita Tanwar, Central University of Haryana, India
Individual Innovativeness paves ways for corporate entrepreneurship and sustainability. It is in the hands of the top
leadership to nurture or to quench the same. Corporate entrepreneurship, public or private sector hinges on how
innovative the employees are. Innovative employees are the main resources of the organization. To flourish an
innovative culture in the organization depends on its employees so it is important for the top management to
identify the factors which are attributing towards innovativeness. By identifying the factors promoting
innovativeness in the organization and its outcome, an organization can create a culture for the promotion of the
same.
This paper not only identifies the variables or factors for promoting the innovative culture in the organization and
but also find the relative linkages of these variables. Authors have approached various stakeholders, reviewed
secondary literature, analyzed best practices across different organizations, and conducted expert interviews. An
extensive literature review is conducted to identify the variables responsible for nurturing the sustainable growth in
the organization and expert’s opinion is taken to identify the relationship of the variables. Also exploratory analysis
has been conducted to identify the factors promoting the innovativeness in employees.
Using an Interpretive Structural Modeling Technique interrelationship of variables is identified based on
Innovativeness in the organization. These variables have been categorized according to their driving and
dependence power. This methodology provides a means for identifying the complexity of the variables as an
Interpretive Structural Modeling Technique helps in framing a model based on classification of variables in three
categories i.e. Strategic variables, linkage variables and Outcome variables. MICMAC Analysis provides the tool
for developing not only hierarchical framework of the various indicators but also the pattern of interrelationships
between them graphically.
This will help the top management to take strategic decision regarding the implementation of innovative culture in
the organization. Based on the push and Pull factors an organization can design a culture for innovative approach in
the organization. The role and relationship of these variables is also important for motivating the employees
accordingly.
Mejorando El Ambiente Laboral y La Productividad de Los Empleados a Través Del Endomarketing
Luis Manuel Gil Ojeda, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Tal vez el marketing, mercadotecnia, mercadeo o como quieran llamarle, ha sido una de las disciplinas que más
innovaciones y adaptaciones ha tenido dentro del mundo de los negocios en los últimos 30 años. Hay que recordar
que una de las principales intenciones de esta materia es ayudar a las empresas a detectar las necesidades de los
clientes para poder ofrecerles productos y servicios que satisfagan sus demandas. Sin embargo, la mayor parte de
estos esfuerzos se habían enfocado hacia el cliente externo, lo que provocaba clientes más satisfechos, aumento en
ventas, creatividad publicitaria, etc.
Pero se estaba dejando de lado a un elemento muy importante y vital para el éxito de cualquier empresa y me
refiero al “factor humano”. Al no tener bien atendidos a todos los elementos que forman la cadena de producción,
comercialización y consumo, quedan espacios vacíos que han provocado baja productividad, altos niveles de
insatisfacción, disminución de fidelidad, alta rotación, pirateo de clientes y muchos otros comportamientos nada
envidiables para cualquier empresa.
Los empresarios han buscado soluciones a esta problemática solamente implementando estrategias que ellos
consideran que servirán, pero pocos se han preocupado por saber a profundidad que pasa con sus empleados y
cómo pueden aumentar sus índices de satisfacción hacia su propia empresa.
En ocasiones es difícil comprender la forma de pensar de los empresarios, pues se preocupan por lo que pasa fuera
de sus negocios pensando solo en lo que el cliente quiere, invirtiendo grandes sumas económicas en investigaciones
de mercado, campañas publicitarias, rediseño de productos, etc. Pero no quieren invertir en hacer una investigación
interna profunda en la que seguramente descubrirán datos dignos de tomarse en cuenta para lograr tener una
empresa íntegra y completa al cerrar la pinza y tener contentos a todos los participantes de su mercado.
Se ha desarrollado una técnica que colabora de manera muy directa para lograr estas mejoras internas
indispensables para seguir vivos en un mercado tan competido. Es conocida como “Endomarketing” La palabra
“endomarketing” viene del griego con el prefijo “endo”, que significa “dentro”, y marketing, por lo que el término
representa a una estrategia de marketing enfocada al interior de las empresas.
Es importante que como empresario o alto directivo de una empresa sin importar el tamaño de ésta se pregunte los
siguiente: ¿Cómo podemos cumplir las metas de los negocios si ni siquiera sabemos las metas personales o sueños
de nuestro grupo de colaboradores? Lo primero es trabajar sobre este tema, identificar por parte de los empleados,
los aspectos que valoran, temas que les interesan, actividades recreativas que realicen, hobbies. Debemos evitar
pensar que el dinero tiene la solución a todo, pues en ocasiones hay reconocimientos que no tienen nada que ver
con lo económico y resultan más efectivos que un bono.
Necesitamos crear en los empleados experiencias de vida satisfactorias que hagan recordar a la empresa y que la
tengan siempre presente en todos los momentos positivos que se tienen.
Si analizamos una conversación entre amigas, amigos, compañeros de trabajo, invariablemente saldrá a flote el
tema laboral y desafortunadamente, la mayor parte del tiempo, se la pasan hablando de cosas negativas, con la
expectativa de buscar un nuevo empleo, no necesariamente que pague más, pero si en el cual encuentren más
satisfacción, reconocimiento, valoración, apoyos, etc. Estoy seguro que no quieren ser parte de este grupo de
empresas en las que los empleados se la pasan quejándose de sus trabajos, patrones o compañeros.
Para comprender mejor el funcionamiento del endomarketing en comparación con el Marketing tradicional, me
permito presentar un esquema que ayudará en gran medida a su entendimiento.
Para poder iniciar con un plan de endomarketing exitoso, no necesitas ser una gran empresa pues en todos los
niveles se tiene factor humano que necesita ser escuchado, puedes arrancar rompiendo paradigmas organizando una
reunión de trabajo en la cual no hables de trabajo, sí, efectivamente eso dije… En esta reunión puedes hablar de sus
metas personales y pedirles que las estructuren con el fin de que puedan cumplirlas dentro de una fecha real y
alcanzable, si tu empresa es más grande, puedes realizar una encuesta de diagnóstico para conocer el ambiente que
se vive en general y de ahí saldrán estrategias que se pueden adaptar a toda la corporación para buscar un mayor
índice de satisfacción.
La forma de medir la efectividad de los programas de endomarketing es tener a la mano y actualizados todos los
estadísticos que utilizan normalmente, tales como: índices de rotación, control de mermas, ausentismo,
productividad de reportes, desempeños deportivos de los equipos que la empresa apoya, trabajos de horas extras,
etc.
Una vez que se tengan los resultados de la encuesta viene una de las tareas más retadoras y es precisamente la de
“COMUNICAR” a los integrantes de la empresa los planes que se tienen con respecto a realizar cambios que serán
en beneficio de todos los empleados, para esto, se pueden utilizar diferentes canales o actividades, las cuales van
desde los pizarrones informativos, eventos sociales, torneos deportivos, creación de espacios para áreas recreativas,
disminución de horas laborales sin sacrificar productividad, premios o reconocimientos institucionalizados, etc.
La comunicación jugará un papel clave para lograr ese cambio tan esperado y es cuestión de hacer planes bien
estructurados para ver los resultados de un corto y mediano plazo, hasta lograr de esto una nueva cultura
corporativa.
Así como la medición del índice de satisfacción que tiene los empleados con su empresa, jefes, compañeros.
NMQS (Normative of Measuring The Quality On Service) Si los resultados salen positivos, entonces vas por buen
camino, sino es momento de hacer ajustes que vayan desde la raíz.
¿Te gustaría que tu empresa sea reconocida no solo por los productos que vendes si no como una de las empresas
en las que sus empleados se encuentran contentos, dan buenos resultados y son altamente productivos? ¡Piénsalo tal
vez es menos complicado de lo que piensas!
The Emotional-Affective Process in Communication.
Juan Pablo Adame Arnedo, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
During the first of the 21st century we have seen an exponential rise in our ability to communicate almost instantly
via a variety of technological means such as mobile phones, laptops and/or tablets. In business settings this new
found capacity allows us to increase our productivity by permitting a quick exchange of ideas and opinions but in
taking a deeper view it is soon evident that there are some downfalls to this method of communication via
technological devices. In this digital era where colleagues sometimes just know each other via email or some other
digital communication method, it is of the utmost importance that we recognize the value of a face to face
conversation and that we promote whenever possible such exchanges in order to improve our effectiveness and
productivity while conversing.
There are four key aspects in a communication process that are hampered by the use of technology and they are: 1Tone of voice and modulation, 2- Body language, 3- Facial expressions, and 4- Overall emotional state.
The human ear is design to detect different characteristics in the sounds produced with our vocal chords to produce
words and sentences that form the communication process. The meaning assigned to such words and sentences
takes into account not just correct grammar and syntax but the tone of voice and modulation. The filter of a
microphone and speaker can hinder the ability to detect moods or certain emotions by distorting the voice itself.
Body language is either completely lost while using just voice technology or seriously thwarted when using video
technology as a skill to interpret correctly what a body posture is communicating. Powerful visual cues like holding
your head high or having your shoulders thrown back or forward are not detected and incorporated into the
communication process for a more effective exchange of ideas and opinions.
Facial expressions is a key aspect if not the most important one when trying to deduce the underlying meaning in a
communication process. A person’s natural aptitude to detect a communication incongruity is like body language
either completely lost while using just voice tech or negatively affected using video. Factor like the quality of the
connection or if the stream is in HD can leave some essential meanings out of the conversation. Researchers such as
Dr. Paul Ekman have shown that most people are natural adepts at reading emotion and intention in human faces
and when deprived of that component that the certainty of exact meaning in a conversation is negatively affected.
Therefore detecting the overall emotional state of a person is derived from a combination of the aforementioned
factors. An inability to detect such indicators due to the current technological restrictions is an obstacle that
decreases the effectiveness of a business meeting or conversation.
Do You Speak “Client”?
Sonja Marie Dohse Newton, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Franziska Lotz, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
EFFECTIVE NEGOTIATIONS
Doing successful business - which is probably associated by a great majority of business actors with making a
reasonable turnover for whatever type of company you have - nowadays necessarily means interacting with people
- clients, that is - from other countries and cultures. No matter if your company or the one that you work for
provides services in Public relations, legal advice or creates advertisement, time frames become more and more
short - and since time is money, you may want to conduct all proceedings and the included communication with all
parties as effectively as possible.
This affirmation sounds simpler than it can be in reality, since communication largely depends on the cultural
context that the communicating groups and people come from. Client or customer relationships can be seriously
damaged or even lost forever if communication is carried out incorrectly or is marked by constant
misunderstanding.
Thus, effective communication is vital in the service industry where acquisition of clients is the basis for business.
This implies that the exchange of information must be carried out in a way that both parties understand and are
satisfied with the end result. Given that it is first the responsibility of the industry to bring in potential clients, they
must also be aware of the different styles of communication in order to avoid any potential obstacles that impede
doing business. This is especially true when dealing with clients from different countries and cultural backgrounds.
In this article, several aspects of effective cross-cultural communication will be analyzed. First of all, it is important
to define the type of relationship there is when the goal is to generate a workload (money) by acquiring clients.
Secondly, difficulties that can arise due to the culture-clash will be described. Finally, the article will define
strategies that can help in avoiding this issues in both the short term and the long term.
DEFINING THE RELATIONSHIP
Numerous examples support that cross-cultural communication in business contexts as such is difficult enough
when it means working in or directing a group of employees within one (globally operating) company. But this is
taken to yet another level when the cross-cultural relationship does not exist with colleagues, but a client which
needs to be acquired or workload needs to be generated with. One of the main characteristics of a customer/client
relationship is a certain kind of dependence on the satisfaction of the client. This is what clearly differs it from an
employment relationship or context where the outcome does not depend as much on personal behavior because
work is contributed to a more general scheme.
In order to define the relationship further and see how communication affects the relationships, the article will
focus on the areas of Public Relations, Advertising, Legal Advice and (real estate/consultants): in the
aforementioned areas, numbers - which have an international meaning - are not up to interpretation to the extent
that words are. In other words, the product defines the communication needed.
DESCRIBING DIFFICULTIES THAT CAN ARISE
Countless frustrations can arise when trying to reach a common goal. This is made even more difficult when the
channel of communication obscures meaning, as is the case with e-mail and phone calls. Since much meaning is
derived from body-language and tone, messages like these can easily be misinterpreted which can lead to a
breakdown in negotiations and the loss of a potential client; even more so when the lack of a common language is
an added barrier.
AVOIDING ISSUES / SOLVING PROBLEM
Considering that it is the company’s main goal to obtain and keep clients, it is also their responsibility to make as
much of an effort as possible to adapt to the client and not the other way around. That being said, there are certain
approaches that you need to know in order to be able to this. Primarily, it is important to understand the business
that the client does. Afterwards, the cultural background is another key factor and needs to be recognized as such.
Ultimately these two aspects form a major part in the communication and therefore the outcome of the business
relationship. This article will explore ways of learning how to “speak client”, that is adapting your communication
to the circumstances.
From Grassroots to Corporate: Challenging Discrimination and Communicating for Women Empowerment
Shoma Mukherji, Management Development Institute, India
Neera Jain, Management Development Institute, India
The publication of Becker’s (1957) seminal work, The Economics of Discrimination provided a formal focus on
labour market discrimination. Racial discrimination came to be viewed as a subject meriting comment by
economists. He framed race discrimination within a market context and demonstrated that discrimination had
consequences for people being discriminated against, as well as for the people engaged in it
While India emerges as a global power to be reckoned with in the 21st century, the struggle of its women across the
spectrum of boardroom and grassroots level, to live with dignity without any kind of discrimination remains. The
discrimination here is not of race alone but extends to property rights, access to education and healthcare, right of
political participation, and a host of other issues. Effective empowerment of women remains somewhat elusive
though more and more women are able to overcome the insurmountable challenges and find their place in the sun.
Goals enunciated in the constitution, legislation initiatives, government policies and related programmes are not in
sync with the situational reality.
The “push” factor of technology which has made work more adaptable and flexible, and the “pull” factor of
individuals wanting to maintain more of a balance between their work and family lives has led to a paradigm shift
in how careers are developed, created, and shaped. The perception of most scholars writing about India is that
society seems more gender centric as compared to the west. It is interesting to note however that present day Indian
society has moved on (Chakrapani & Vijaya Kumar, 1994; Jung, 2000). Globalisation, fast paced technological
change and the internet boom are leaving their imprint on Indian society. Women are juggling the traditional roles
as homemakers and caregivers with the demands of meaningful careers. It is an exciting time for Indian women
who are making conscious choices for the ideal work life balance, not necessarily out of compulsion.
The challenges which rural Indian women face however are substantially different as the position of women has
always been paradoxical. While there has been growth in literacy and increase in women’s entry in professional
fields, malpractices like female infanticide, poor health conditions and discrimination are burning issues. If one side
of the coin looks promising, there is also a side which is bleak.
Diversity refers to all of the ways in which people are different. It includes individual, group, and cultural
differences. The cultural, religious, linguistic, and culinary diversity of India is widely recognized. One is however
overwhelmed by the diversity in the status of women in India which results in differences in communication
behaviour. On the one hand we have successful corporate women heading global corporations who ooze
confidence. On the other hand, there are women still hiding behind a veil, facing a multitude of discriminatory
behaviour and hesitant to demand their rights.
This paper seeks to study the role of communication in enabling women overcome the challenges of discrimination
they face on a daily basis. We look at women holding leadership positions in five different sectors, namely
a) Corporate Women
b) Entrepreneurial Women
c) Women in Politics
d) Women in Panchayti Raj ( Local Self Government)
e) Women from the Potter’s community at Khurja
Data on corporate women and entrepreneurial women was obtained from secondary sources and content analyzed.
One on one interviews were conducted with four leading women politicians. Interviews were also conducted with
women leading local self-help government at village and district level. Finally, empirical data was obtained from
women at the potter’s community at Khurja.
The questions were directed at finding out the nature of challenges faced by women and the role of communication
in helping them to overcome the challenges.
An interesting finding was that women no longer fit the stereotype of being more relationship oriented rather than
task oriented. Most scholarly research show women scoring higher at the interpersonal level in comparison to men.
Our research showed that women are now more aggressive and goal oriented. Having faced discrimination for a
long long time, they seem to have realized that to get to the top, one needs goal orientation and consideration of
personal relationship and empathy may be impediments in their path.
Word of mouth as complementary to online buying: A Mexican case
Adriana Riveroll Arellano, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Traditional purchasing habits including consumer search efforts that included dealer visits, hard copy catalogues
and specialist magazines, as well as Word of Mouth (WOM). However, in this technologically advanced consumer
society, the Internet has superseded the more traditional sources of consumer search. Online sources of information
not previously available are now easily accessible, enabling pricing comparisons and consumer convenience. Yet in
some markets, WOM remains a strong hold as evident both online and offline. More specifically, purchase of a
vehicle is particularly pertinent in this regard given the portrayal of self-understood in the automobile brand
consumers may choose. This paper will confirm the above hypothesis that WOM complements the Internet and that
reduces the decision time more than other traditional sources. Mexico was used to prove the idea since it is a
country were all the major car manufacturers (by production and sales)1 are present and have a complete and well
established network of car dealers. Furthermore, Mexico is the world’s eighth car, truck, part and component
producer. Although, its main export market is still the United States with 68% of its production, many Latin
American countries have increased their share in Mexican exports. (Meza N. 2014).
The Mexican consumer is no exception and is rapidly following suit in using internet to research, select and buy
new cars, using less and less the dealer and other traditional sources as a source of information for the decision and
purchase. According to World Internet Project (WIP) in 2013, the number of internet users in Mexico has increased
rapidly (59.2 M, 2013 – eleventh country in the world) coupled with internet use expressed in hours (41.3 h per
week, surpassing Radio, TV and Print 29.6) is a clear evidence that Mexico is changing old habits, were a family
trip to a car dealer to see, smell, sit into a new car, and talk to a sales person, is no longer considered a good use of
family or personal time, while WOM is still strong and very present in their decision process.
Furthermore, the paper will demonstrate that among all declining options for information gathering, the one that
declined the least was WOM compared to the traditional research methods. This trend should ultimately lead the
dealers to revise their sales strategy and focus more on the after sales opportunities (services, accessories, etc.) then
on the purchase of the car itself.
Networked Governance Legitimacy, the Case of Monterrey's Metropolitan Area Water Fund
Francisco Gabriel Rodríguez González, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Roger Nion Conaway, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Partnership networks have been branded as a new form of global governance with the potential to bridge
multilateral norms and local action by drawing on a diverse number of actors in civil society, government and
business (Bäckstrand, 2006). In the field of sustainable development, the emergence of governance structures based
on private authority, private regimes and a mix of public and private actors is particularly pronounced. (Bäckstrand,
2006).
Partnerships have been framed as innovative forms of governance that can effectively address the three ‘deficits’ of
global environmental politics: the governance deficit, implementation deficit and participation deficit (Haas, 2004).
Proponents argue that voluntary multi-sectorial networks, spanning the public–private domain, capture the essence
of ‘governance from below’, counter the participation gap and effectively address the implementation gap in global
environmental politics (Bäckstrand, 2006).
Critics point to problems of representation and accountability of partnerships as they consolidate the privatization
of governance and reinforce dominant neoliberal modes of globalization (Bäckstrand, 2006).
The sustainable development partnerships are squarely placed at the nexus between multilateral and private
governance. They thereby capture ‘hybrid’ governance, which are in focus rather than ‘pure’ forms of private
governance such as civil society fora, rules of conduct, self-regulation and voluntary standards (Stripple, 2005).
The legitimacy of networked governance is a nascent research agenda, partly because networks escape traditional
models of hierarchical accountability.
The reduction of risks due to natural disasters such as floods require the participation of all members of society:
government, private sector and civil society. Monterrey has a history of flooding due to hurricanes (Beulah (1967),
Gilbert (1988), Alex (2010)).
Monterrey’s Metropolitan Area was stricken by hurricane Alex in 2010, leaving 12 mortal victims and damages
estimated in the billions of pesos. It affected the economy for weeks and destroyed the two main roads parallel to
Santa Catarina river.
The Fondo de Agua Metropolitano de Monterrey (Monterrey’s Metropolitan Area Water Fund) or FAMM is the
result of a joint effort between public, private and academic sectors and civil society. It shares the same vision for
the future, that is, to protect both surface and underground water sources in benefit of the people that live in
Monterrey and its metropolitan area, contributing to the development and sustainable wellbeing of the City.
Its mission is to maximize the environmental services that the Río San Juan watershed provides, in particular to
increase the infiltration and to diminish the spillovers, as well as its resiliency and adaptation to climate change. Its
vision is to be an efficient and effective institution, enabler of investments in the higher areas of the Río San Juan
watershed, so as it can be kept in optimal conditions.
According to Bäckstrand (2006), legitimacy issues, such as public scrutiny, transparency and clear guidelines for
monitoring effectiveness, are critical to the future success of the public–private partnerships. There are grounds for
cautioned optimism as the multi-stakeholder partnerships, if properly designed with mechanisms to enhance
accountability and monitoring performance, can potentially shape a more pluralistic governance order.
The objectives of this paper are to analyze the networked governance legitimacy of the members of FAMM in
terms of public scrutiny, transparency, accountability and performance monitoring.
The outcome will be a better understanding of how networked governance legitimacy is obtained, if at all, in the
FAMM.
The methodology will include the elaboration of an instrument that measures variables such as public scrutiny,
transparency, accountability and monitoring effectiveness from the FAMM. The construct analyzed will be
networked governance legitimacy. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling will be employed for the
validation of the instrument.
Liderazgo Efectivo y Responsabilidad Social Empresarial: ¿Moda versus Necesidad?
Jose Manuel Saiz-Alvarez, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Ser líder con responsabilidad social es, más que una moda, una obligación en el mundo actual definido por la
globalización y por la creciente competencia en bloques regionales situados en distintas regiones del planeta. En
esta ponencia se dará la visión europea sobre cómo la responsabilidad social empresarial forma parte de nuestras
vidas
Tema: Analizar cómo la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (RSE) influye de forma positiva en la obtención de un
liderazgo efectivo en la organización, de manera que ya no se convierte en una moda a ser implantada por parte de
la empresa, sino que se convierte en una necesidad demandada por los stakeholders.
Propósito: Concienciar a los empresarios sobre la obligatoriedad de utilizar políticas basadas en la RSE para así
aumentar su liderazgo efectivo en las instituciones en las que trabajan. Para el caso de América Latina y el Caribe,
la RSE es necesaria dadas las externalidades positivas que genera, lo que repercute de forma directa y palpable en
las poblaciones que se ven favorecidas con su implantación.
Objetivos: [1] Resaltar la importancia de la RSE en las organizaciones, sobre todo en la PYME familiar, para así
mejorar su entorno económico y social, y [2] Concienciar a los empresarios y directivos, así como a los estudiantes
para que piensen en aplicar políticas basadas en RSE y en proyectos solidarios para mejorar su entorno y el de su
empresa por las ventajas que conlleva su implantación.
Metodología: La comunicación tendrá dos partes. En la primera se definirá lo que en la Unión Europea entendemos
por RSE y las políticas que desde la iniciativa pública y privada se han llevado a cabo. Se hará un análisis basado
en crítica constructiva de la implantación de dicho tipo de política para que, una vez sentadas las bases sobre lo que
es y no la RSE, en una segunda parte se seguirá con un análisis FODA de la RSE, así como se valorará desde un
punto de vista práctico sobre las ventajas que tiene la implantación de dichas políticas en términos de mejor
comunicación, mayor reputación y marca corporativa, e impacto en la comunidad que, al final, revierte a la empresa
bajo la forma de atracción de clientes, con la consiguiente apertura de nuevos nichos de mercado, así como por una
mayor fidelidad de los stakeholders a la organización. Tras ello se finalizarán con unas conclusiones caracterizadas
por ser eminentemente prácticas en las que el empresario, como líder efectivo dentro de su entorno económico y
social, tiene una especial responsabilidad en apoyar para el logro de unos crecientes niveles de bienestar económico
y social realizado a través de estrategias basadas en la responsabilidad y en la conciencia social para el logro de un
planeta más justo, eficiente y solidario.
Resultados: Concienciar a los empresarios, directivos y estudiantes sobre la importancia de implantar políticas
basadas en RSE en aras a construir un México mucho más justo y solidario para todos. En este sentido, la empresa
familiar mexicana tiene un papel fundamental que jugar al formar parte en una gran mayoría en el tejido
productivo, comercial y de servicios mexicano. La combinación de políticas sociales creadoras de efectos
crowding-in, junto a estrategias activas realizadas por parte del empresariado dirigidas hacia la disminución de las
desigualdades sociales existentes en la nación, es una combinación de estrategias que apenas son impulsadas en los
países que forman América Latina y el Caribe, y que dados los excelentes resultados conseguidos en Europa, se han
ido implantando de manera creciente en el Viejo Continente.
Leading Cross-Culturally in Mexico – One American’s Experience as CEO
Gus Gordon, University of Texas Tyler, USA
This paper proposes a leadership model based on the author’s experience in founding and leading a manufacturing
company in Mexico that began with 4 employees, growing to approximately 700 employees in 15 years. The
purpose of this paper is to provide guidance on what leaders should consider in cross-cultural contexts.
This paper proposes a leadership model based on the author’s experience in founding and leading a manufacturing
company in Mexico. The company began operations with 4 employees and grew to approximately 700 employees
in 15 years. While the author sold his majority interest in the company in 2014, the company continues to thrive.
This story is unique, as is every leadership experience, but there are lessons to be learned that have universal
application. The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance on what leaders should consider in cross-cultural
contexts that will enhance the probability of success in any western culture.
The process of leadership is something of a mystery in the sense that not all leaders are effective despite their
formal position in the chain of command. Therefore, the literature is replete with research on leadership, yet what
constitutes the basis for effective leadership remains somewhat of a mystery.
Effective leaders come from all walks of life, socio-economic strata, have diverse personalities and surface in
different contexts which may contribute to the masking of universal leadership traits. In the age of globalization,
cultural factors can complicate the ability to lead effectively when followers are from a different culture, which
could further obscure leadership frameworks.
The model proposed in this study is a comprehensive framework integrating stakeholder theory, stewardship
theory, servant leadership and social capital. It proposes trust as the base of the model with multivariate reinforcing
interaction between the other model components. It is proposed that trust facilitates each of the other model
components and that, in turn, each model component reinforces trust.
The author’s leadership experience in Mexico found that many of the discriminating cultural characteristics
associated with Hofstede’s seminal study on cross-culture management are diminishing. In other words, as the
world becomes smaller, cultures are converging. Nevertheless, some vestiges of cultural differences remain and are
important considerations in development of management and leadership philosophy in cross-cultural environments.
Furthermore, a high level of cultural competence is an important mediating force in further melding cultural
differences between leader and followers.
In the author’s view the key to sustained, effective leadership in any context is a passionate and balanced belief in
people. At some point he realized that a strong emotional connection developed with his employees, his colleagues
who were the soul of the company. That connection caused profound thoughts about how the company and its
people will succeed. It also led the author to believe that leadership is a social process, as other research has
concluded.
A social process implies personal relationships and this is why trust is the foundation of the model, as any lasting
relationship, which is what leadership is about in the author’s view, is founded on trust. How stakeholder theory,
stewardship theory, social capital and servant leadership interact to both cause and re-inforce trust is discussed in
the paper.
Prior to forming the company, the author had conducted no academic research on leadership. However, after
developing an interest in leadership, he began to research leadership theory and realized that he had intuitively
employed many of the theoretical constructs that are woven throughout the leadership literature. Furthermore, with
respect to managing in a Latin culture, he found certain constructs more important than others.
However, academic theories and their application to real-world contexts, especially cross-cultural contexts, are
often not appropriate in their pure form. The paper will provide specific examples of how the proposed model
actually functions in practice.
From theory to the real world: Surviving an entrepreneurial journey
Hadina Habil, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Rohayah Kahar, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Siti Aishah Abd Hamid, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Nabila Johari, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
The National Higher Education Strategic Plan 2007–2020 has put a greater emphasis on entrepreneurship education
to transform higher education in an effort to yield human capital with a first class mentality, entrepreneurship
education, and entrepreneurial skills ((Norasmah Othman, et. al., 2012). This is necessary to successfully transfer
the suitable valuable knowledge and skills required to produce Malaysian workforce of world class human capital
(Rahmah and Nor, 2007). Present literature lists some key skills of entrepreneurship which includes planning,
organisation, analysis, communication, negotiation, working individually and in teams, risk assessment, capacity to
identify opportunities for personal and professional/business activities. Those skills are skills most often nurtured in
entrepreneurial courses. According to Jones and English (2004), Entrepreneurial education is the process of
providing individuals with the ability to recognise commercial opportunities and the insight, self‐esteem,
knowledge and skills to act on them.
In a study on students’ hands-on experience participating in Entrepreneurship Day, Johari et al. (2016) reported that
students acquired a combination of skills conducting the activities during the day. The product selling and the
exhibition of the product which acts as product promotion on the day, enable them to acquire related skills such as
negotiation (communication), creative and critical thinking, problem solving, and information management skills.
This study looks at the skills required to operate a business entity from the perspectives of the entrepreneurs. Data
are collected from entrepreneurs who are now running their own businesses. They will be interviewed in order to
find out about the skills required to operate their businesses, and how they acquired those skills. The interview data
will be analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings from the interview will be crossed check against the literature review on the skills necessary for
entrepreneurship development, and also against the skills taught and emphasised in entrepreneurial courses offered
in an institution of a higher learning being studied. It is hoped that the experience shared by the entrepreneurs
would be able to provide a better outlook and feedback since those experiences are real and they represent the real
life.
Equipping Graduating Students with Essential Communication Skills to Enhance Employability
Noor Abidah Mohd Omar, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Wan Zarina, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Norzarina Sulong, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Zanariah Md Saleh, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
Johana Jobil, University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia
The current stiff and competitive employment scenario demands that new graduates be equipped with relevant
communication skills that will enable them to be more employable. These skills are also needed in order for them to
function effectively at the workplace. With this in view, English communication skills courses offered at tertiary
institutions should prepare and equip graduating students with the relevant and essential communication skills
needed. This paper therefore reports on an on-going small scale research conducted on one of the communication
skills courses offered at one public university in Malaysia. The aims of this research included assessing the
usefulness, relevance and suitability of the third level communication course in equipping students with relevant
and essential communication skills.
This course has only been offered for two semesters and is still undergoing certain adjustments in terms of the tasks
and activities based on feedback from students and instructors. Tasks in the course are aimed at providing optimal
exposure and practice in the limited amount of time available for such communication skills courses offered at
tertiary institutions. Tasks incorporated require students to give short oral presentations, participate in discussions,
and engage in negotiations based on workplace related situations and contexts. Data for the research was obtained
through various means which included video-recordings of students’ discussions and negotiations activities, preand end-of course questionnaire survey from students and engagement sessions with instructors who taught the
course. However, this paper focuses mainly on the data obtained from the questionnaires.
Preliminary analysis of the data suggests that in general students found the course relevant, tasks interesting and
activities useful in enhancing their overall communication skills. Many also gave positive feedback in terms of how
much the course has helped them to improve their communication skills and increased their confidence level. The
students also gave a few suggestions on the other activities that they would like to be included in the course. This
paper then concludes with some of the changes done to the course content, tasks and activities which are currently
being implemented in the current semester.
Nicaragua’s Grand Canal: A Business Language Case Study
Michael S. Doyle, University of North Carolina Charlotte, USA
The June 13, 2013 Sandinista government’s ratification of Nicaragua’s 173-mile mega-project designs for an
interoceanic Grand Canal, to stretch from Punta Gorda on the Caribbean coast to Brito on the Pacific, by way of
Lake Cocibolca, has been painted as both promised land and pipe dream (Agurcia Rivas, Alaniz E., Alaniz L.,
Anderson, Cardenal, Duarte Pérez, et al.). The proposed Nicaraguan Grand Canal—whether promised land or pipe
dream—provides an example of a business language case study in political and economic culture, with interested
regional and global stakeholders. The critical thinking and problem solving skills it seeks to develop (e.g., in
Spanish in a business Spanish course) are illustrative of the didactic genre.
Implementación de What´s app en Instituciones Educativas para Agilizar la Comunicación Organizacional.
Luis Fernando Rodriguez Rueda, TecMilenio University, Mexico
En la actualidad muchas universidades buscan tener catedráticos con un perfil orientado a la experiencia
profesional, dejando a un lado aquellos que se dedican al 100% a la docencia sin tener actividad en el campo de la
materia que enseñan. Esta situación ha presentado un dilema en el que los catedráticos no tienen el tiempo
suficiente para poder cumplir con los requerimientos que las plataformas universitarias les requieren. Aunado a esto
el uso del mail fue una solución para tener comunicación efectiva entre la institución y su colaboradores, pero en la
actualidad es poco efectiva, todos tienen un “mail institucional” que busca darle formalidad a la comunicación, pero
en la practica el mail se ve saturado de publicidad, información no relevante y ofertas no solicitadas, lo que resulta
en una comunicación lenta, poco practica y en algunos casos tardía.
El presente documento resume la investigación realizada en dos instituciones educativas en las que los
colaboradores no estaban entregando la información que pudiera maximizar la toma de decisiones administrativas,
dicha información era solicitada vía mail institucional, el resultado más común eran las entregas a destiempo en el
mejor de los casos, mientras que en el peor de ellos no se recibía ninguna contestación. Se plateo los posibles
motivos de esta falta de cumplimiento en lo solicitado y se encontró que los 3 principales argumentos que se tenían
fueron;
1.- Que el mail no había sido recibido o se había re direccionado a “no deseados”
2.- Que el mail no se había identificado a tiempo por una sobre carga de mails en la bandeja de entrada.
3.- Que no se había tenido el tiempo para revisar los mails.
Se ha integrado una estrategia de uso de “What´s app Institucional” para poder terminar con estas problemáticas y
poder agilizar la comunicación organizacional, para poder tomar mejores decisiones y obtener resultados más
precisos. La hipótesis de la investigación es que esta aplicación tiene múltiples ventajas que ataca cada uno de los
problemas. El grupo de la app está libre de propaganda externa, lo que dará la ventaja de que todo lo que se escriba
será relevante.
Cuando la institución (que es la administradora del grupo) requiera de alguna información, la app avisara a los
integrantes mediante una alerta, lo que evita que dicho requerimiento pase desapercibido, además la institución
podrá revisar quien ya recibió y reviso la información solicitada.
Dinámica del Involucramiento del Trabajador Mexicano: Un enfoque Inductivo
Antonio Guillermo Castañeda Ríos, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
En la mayoría de los trabajos relacionados con la industria de manufactura el mejor trabajador produce 2 o 3 veces
más que el peor trabajador, en cambio en otros lugares y puestos de trabajo, existen diferencias, incluso de mayor
magnitude, (Zimmerman y Darnold, 2009); (Bayo-Moriones y De Cerio 2002); (Locke 1982); (Lawler, 1994). Por
eso es importante entender cuáles son las mayores razones por las cuales los trabajadores son más productivos en
las empresas.
Además hay que mencionar que los trabajadores pueden ser afectados en su motivación y en su desempeño por un
gran número de situaciones que suceden en el mismo ambiente empresarial, como pueden ser: la descompostura de
las máquinas, la baja calidad de los materiales, el inadecuado suministro de materia prima, la mala relación con el
jefe inmediato, etc.
Es generalmente aceptado que al examinar lo que dirige la conducta, uno debe considerar dos aspectos; el primero,
lo que energiza la conducta desde dentro, y en segundo lugar lo que conduce la conducta, hacia una meta que de
algún modo se considera como externa.
Actitudes de rechazo de los empleados en una organización pueden tener efectos considerables con impacto en los
principales indicadores, como son huelgas, tortuguismo, ausentismo y rotación de los empleados, bajo desempeño,
mala calidad de los productos y descuidado servicio al cliente, robo por parte de los empleados, entre muchos más.
Por el contrario están las actitudes favorables que tienden a relacionarse con los resultados de una manera positiva,
es decir, la alta productividad, mejor satisfacción de los empleados, mayor interés por el medio ambiente,
conciencia por la responsabilidad social, etc.
Queriendo contribuir en los aspectos que favorecen el buen desempeño organizacional me propongo realizar una
investigación en torno a la dinámica del comportamiento del trabajador mexicano y los factores que lo involucran
de manera positiva en su trabajo.
Objetivos de la investigación
Los objetivos que se persiguen en esta investigación son dos:
1.- Inducir los factores más importantes de involucramiento que inciden en la dinámica del comportamiento para
los trabajadores en organizaciones empresariales mexicanas.
2.- El proponer un modelo de dirección de recursos humanos que sirva especialmente en organizaciones mexicanas.
The Effect of Crime on Marketing Communication in Latin America
Mario Cortés Garay, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Every day, in different parts of Mexico, delinquency and organized crime charge victims. Robberies, kidnappings,
killings and extortion target citizens, as well as businesses. In many cases, the threat for the company is coming
from outside. However, lately we see the examples of criminal actions that originate inside companies, among
employees.
As a result, companies suffer from physical and financial losses, damaged reputation and image. This is why,
enterprises cannot afford to close their eyes on the problem and think it will never happen to them, says the
consulting agency Control Risks Mexico. The problem appears to be even more drastic, if we consider that the
average of homicides in Mexico per each 100,000 inhabitants is 21.5%, according to the Reporte Riesgos 2015
from the Control Risks Mexico. In January of this year, on average, every seven minutes and 42 seconds, a business
theft was reported, alerted the Observatorio Ciudadano in its latest report Delitos de Alto Impacto.
The most controversial and complicated states for businesses to operate calmly in Mexico today are Tamaulipas,
Guerrero, Michoacán, the coast of Veracruz and Tabasco and in Mexico City the delegations Gustavo A. Madero,
Cuauhtémoc, Iztapalapa and Benito Juárez.”
When a crime happens inside a business, in most of the cases, it leads to temporal closure of the enterprise, while
police conducts the investigation. Therefore, business loses its customers and revenue. However, the most
challenging period for the company comes afterwards, when it needs to recover its customers and clean up its
business image.
The unsafe environment and tough consequences force companies to change their business models and marketing
communication strategies. As a result, some firms had to modify their transportation routes, take away corporate
images and logos from their trucks, and even change the corporate uniform of the employees, in order to prevent
possible incidents and attacks.
The purpose of this study is to:
1. Identify how crime and delinquency may affect the image of the company and its operations.
2. Research if businesses have any established predictive, proactive and reactive measures in case of emergencies
related to criminal activities.
3. Formulate the best possible strategies for companies in case of criminal activities inside of companies or outside
attacks, in order to save corporate image and maintain their customers.
METHODOLOGY
We chose the Lavidge and Steiner Hierarchy of Effects Model as a base for our research. The benefits of this model
is that it explains the major steps for the company to communicate with their markets. With the help of this model
we will be able to understand, what types of communication should be adapted and changed due to the insecurity.
In the second part of our research, we will explore several strategies that were already implemented by companies
facing new conditions of the business in dangerous cities. In addition, we will evaluate, if these strategies can be
shared and adopted by other businesses in the country. The data is gathered with a help of a survey, as well as
structured interviews with business people from Central Mexican cities: Tampico, Tamaulipas, Ciudad Valles, and
San Luis Potosí.
The Use of Internet Memes as a Part of Integrated Marketing Communication Strategy
Valery Chistov, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
According to 2015 spring report of Microsoft Canada, the average human attention span dropped from twelve
seconds in the year 2000 to eight seconds in 2013. The sharp minds of authors noticed that, as human beings, we
are one second shorter in our attention span than the goldfish. Our digital lifestyles shift stimuli and rewire our
brains. As a result, in the last decade consumers’ ability for prolonged focus decreased by 33%
As consumers change, marketing science has to change as well. The same Microsoft report suggests several key
points for marketing professionals to catch up with their customers. To be successful, modern marketing campaigns
and tools have to: defy expectations, grab attention, leverage media, and be clear, personal, straight to the point,
interactive and relevant. One of the possible modern marketing tools that fits all the above-mentioned features is the
Internet Meme.
The term meme came to business from anthropological studies. It was first coined by the biologist Richard
Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene in 1976. The scientist referred to meme as ‘the unit of cultural
transmission”. Castaño (2013) indicates, that throughout history, definition and understanding of this concept was
evolving and changing. Today, the meme concept is a significant part of popular culture in digital media and
changes our communication styles and our daily interaction. We believe that it has a potential to reshape the viral
marketing campaigns of companies and become one of the standard tools for marketing professionals.
Thus, we formulated the following research objective:
• Explore the concept of meme and so called “Meme Marketing” in the modern academic literature
• Identify the major patterns of “Meme interaction” and categories of memes in Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Germany
and South Korea, U.S.A and Russia.
• Formulate major strategies to leverage the power of Internet Meme for Viral Marketing campaigns in each of the
researched countries
LITERATURE REVIEW
The topic of Internet meme draw a vast attention among the marketing professionals. The internet space is filled
with information on how to use this phenomenon in the viral marketing. Unfortunately, the academic community is
still lagging behind on this topic.
In order to understand the possible application of meme concept in marketing, we have to understand the nature and
main characteristics of this phenomenon. According to Castaño (2013), there is no generally accepted definition of
Internet meme due to the complexity of the concept. Gomes (2015) refers to meme as a transfer of packaged
cultural concept among a large group of people. She brings examples of fashion styles, architectural trends, even
catch-phrases. As well as Castaño (2013), Gomes also notices the changing nature of meme and states that over
time memes may adapt to new users, changed users behaviors, and local environments. To formulate a general
definition of meme concept, Dawkins (1976) focused on its main characteristics. He called meme a unit of
transmission that can replicate itself by imitation; it is sensitive to environmental pressures including the ones
caused by its peers. Several researchers talk about the viral nature of memes. Harlow (2013) defines it as viral
spread of ideas and Beck-Fernandez (2014) as a “viral” transmission of basic information units in online social
networks. This part of literature on meme is related to anthropological explanation of the concept. However, it
gives us only the general idea about meme and its characteristic, and does not answer our question, if we can create
memes artificially and use them for marketing purposes.
The second group of authors focused on the use of memes and their influence on the target group. Harlow (2013)
argues that during the 2011 Egyptian uprising, Facebook memes helped to involve people in the protests. Engel R.
and Murphy P. (2014) focused on the use of meme for educational purposes. Unfortunately, the literature on the use
of meme in marketing and cross-cultural comparison of successful strategies is almost nonexistent.
METHODOLOGY
The first step of our research will be extracting Internet memes from private WhatsApp chats of people from
Mexico, Brazil, Germany, South Korea, U.S.A and Russia. It is possible to find internet memes through Google
Images and in Facebook. However, we chose the WhatsApp messenger as a main source, because we can ensure
that the extracted memes went viral, and were popular among representatives of certain cultures.
Secondly, we will have to separate the extracted memes according to their country of origin and broad categories
based on topics and transmitted ideas of the meme. So far, we identified the following categories: religion, social
differences, linguistic joke (with double sense), human physical characteristics (obesity, body structure, face traits),
relationships in couple and between friends, expression of feelings, expression of emotions, politics, daily life and
activities, being alone.
Categories Mexico Brazil Germany South Korea U.S.A. Russia
As a result. We will have the following matrix. We believe, that later it will be reasonable to extract the emotion
category into the third dimension of the matrix. To avoid the possible bias, we will use inter-rater reliability.
We expect that countries will differ in types of meme categories, and that memes themselves will differ from each
other based on the power of three major parameters: picture, text and cultural background.
NAFTA and the Automobile Industry in Mexico.
Abstract
The Mexican automobile industry has been one of the key beneficiaries of the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) since President Bill Clinton signed the agreement into law in 1993. The recent economic
recovery in the United Sates has made Mexico more attractive to produce automobile. This paper reviews the
economic and industry events in the United States and evaluates the future impact on the automobile industry in
Mexico.
Introduction
The history of Detroit automakers that have built cars and trucks in Mexico goes back to 1920s, long before the
NAFTA treaty. Buick was the first American auto manufacturer that arrived in Mexico in 1921. Ford Motor
Company established production facilities in 1925 the country and remains the longest running brand ever since.
There were many foreign auto manufacturers in Mexico in the early 1960s when the economy declined. To promote
employment, technological advances and establish a national car industry the government mandated that auto
manufacturers to assemble automobiles inside Mexico and use local supplies as much as possible. Some car
companies such as Mercedes Benz, FIAT, Citroën, Peugeot and Volvo did not comply with the government
mandate and left Mexico. Other companies, including the American Big Three (General Motors, Ford and
Chrysler), American Motors, Renault, Volkswagen, and Datsun continued manufacturing in Mexico.
Thanks to the NAFTA accord, the growth of the economy in Mexico in the late 90s stimulated demand for
automobiles and attracted new car makers such as Honda and Porsche as well the return of Mercedes Benz and
Peugeot. Annual passenger vehicle sales in Mexico surpassed the one-million benchmark in 2005. The sales
increase encouraged auto manufacturers to offer cars with alternative fuels like the Honda Civic Hybrid and the
Volkswagen Jetta diesel.
Mexico’s automotive sector accounts for 18% of the country’s manufacturing sector. Forty-two auto manufacturers
produce over 400 different models of automobiles in Mexico today, making the country one of the most fulfilled
automobile markets in the world, and the third largest in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States and
Brazil. The auto industry produces technologically advanced components and engages in research and
development.
Impact of NAFTA on Mexico’s Auto Industry
Although Mexico has had an auto industry since the 1920s, it was highly protected restricted. The production was
quite small and car prices were two, three time higher than the U.S. due to high tariffs and other trade restrictions. It
all changed with the NAFTA accord when trade barriers between the U.S., Canada and Mexico came down.
Perhaps, the transformation of the auto industry in Mexico is the most dramatic among all industries in the NAFTA
countries.
Before NAFTA, the North American Auto Industry was primarily the U.S. auto industry, separate from Mexico,
although the “Big Three” (GM, Ford, and Chrysler) have been making cars since the 1930s. Now the industry is
integrated across Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. NAFTA has also encouraged foreign auto manufacturers to set
factories in Mexico in order to reach the North American Auto Market, the largest in the world. There are now
nearly a dozen major European and Asian automakers and their suppliers operating in Mexico. The integration of
auto industry has created ripple effects in improving the auto industry infrastructure and quality in Mexico and
expanded trade between Mexico and other countries in Europe and South America.
The paper continues to depict how Mexico’s auto output is poised expand 53% to 5.2 million vehicles by the end of
this decade due to a surge in demand for automobiles in the North American Market. And to what extent such a
production expansion may cause the fall of production share in the U.S. and Canada.
Gratefully Thank The Following
GABC/ABC CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE
A huge “thank you” goes out to the 2015 GABC Conference Planning Committee (alphabetized):
Aida Andino-Pratts
Valery Chistov
Roger N Conaway
Sandra Sepúlveda
Isaias Ruiz Solano
Barry Thatcher
David Victor
CAMPUS SUPPORT
We give special recognition to our campus president, Héctor Morelos Borja and School of Business
Dean, Isaias Ruiz Solano. Without their help and support throughout the planning process, we would
not been able to host the conference on the San Luis Potosí campus.
We are grateful for the exceptional help of the following campus personnel:
Guillermina Rubio Rubio, Georgina Martínez Medina, Eddy Paulín Castillo, Ana María Castillo
Becerra and Silvia Elena García Avila.
CONTRIBUTIONS OF TEC de MONTERREY
We thank the personnel on campus San Luis Potosí who allowed conference attendees to use physical
facilities, utilities, computer equipment, IT network, and conference rooms for presenters. Activities ran
smoothly because of their efforts. Campus police helped participants with smooth entrance on campus and
directions to event activities. We greatly APPRECIATE these significant contributions, which helped us
reduce costs and oversee an excellent conference.
TRANSLATION SERVICES
Our GABC/ABC conference proved unique in two aspects. We were the first GABC conference to be
held in Mexico and we were the first bi-lingual GABC meeting. We offered simultaneous translation in
the plenary sessions with the help of María del Pilar Castellanos Rueda. She translated English into
Spanish during the keynote address on Thursday morning and the Panel Presentation on Friday morning.
Thank you, Maripili!
OUR VOLUNTEERS
We also received tremendous help with logistical issues from volunteers on our campus. We are grateful
for their assistance and behind-the-scenes efforts to ensure the conference ran smoothly:
Maleni Ávila
Sonja Marie Dohse Newton
Laura Idalia Figón Avila
Franziska Maria Stephanie Lotz
Andrés González Reynoso
Liliana González Rodríguez
Ricardo Fraga Rivas
SESSION MODERATORS
Carlos Agredano González
Mario Cortés Garay
María del Pilar Castellanos Rueda
Liliana González Rodríguez
Franziska Maria Stephanie Lotz
Sonja Marie Dohse Newton
Ana Magdalena Ávila Pérez
Mónica Guadalupe Sandoval Villalobos
José Gerardo Mendoza Blanco
Antonio Guillermo Castañeda Ríos
ASSOCIATION FOR BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
The GABC holds an associate status with the Association for Business Communication. We gratefully
acknowledge their allowing us to reach their membership and use their abstract submission server.
The Association for Business Communication is a great organization. To learn more about
them, please visit their website at: http://www.businesscommunication.org/
WEB COORDINATOR
The coordination of the abstracts through the Association for Business Communication Server was the
work of the ABC Web Editor Alfredo Deambrosi of Bob Jones University.
ON-LINE REGISTRATIONS
The hours of work involved in managing registrations, web site information, setting up and overseeing
ABC web mailings would not have happened without the work of Marilyn Buerkens, Office Manager,
Association for Business Communication. Thank you, Marilyn!
CONFERENCE PROGRAM AND POSTERS
We owe special gratitude to Beatriz Paredes Torres, Assistant to the School of Business, for designing
and developing the cover of our printed program and the design of the posters distributed on our campus.
NAME TAGS
The conference name tags were made through the volunteer efforts of Sonja Marie Dohse Newton and
Franziska Maria Stephanie Lotz. You are special people!
PROPOSAL REFEREES
All proposals for the GABC Conference were reviewed in a double-blind referee process. Valery Chistov
and Roger Conaway coordinated the referee process. David Victor gave us special assistance with reviews
and with contacting individuals about the conference.
We wish to thank the referees for the 2016 GABC/ABC conference:
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Aida Andino-Pratts, University of Puerto Rico
Peter Cardon, University of Southern California
Antonio Guillermo Castañeda Ríos, Tec de Monterrey, Mexico City
Valery Chistov, Tec de Monterrey, San Luis Potosí Campus
Michael Coates, Protostar-uk
Roger N Conaway, Tec de Monterrey, San Luis Potosí Campus
Christine Day, Eastern Michigan University
Hadina Habil, Technological University of Malaysia
Olivia del Roble Hernández Pozas, Tec de Monterrey, Monterrey
Kim Janssens, Hasselt University
Katja Pelsmaekers, University of Antwerp
Craig Rollo, University of Antwerp
Sandra Sepúlveda, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras
William Sharbrough, Citadel
Barry Thatcher, New Mexico State University
David Victor, Eastern Michigan University
Doug Young, Tec de Monterrey, San Luis Potosí Campus
PARTNER SCHOOL COORDINATORS
The GABC Conference is a jointly supported by Eastern Michigan University (EMU), the University
of Antwerp (UA), Technological University of Malaysia (UTM), and Tecnológical de Monterrey,
San Luis Potosí Campus (ITESM-SLP). We wish to thank the many supportive people at these schools
with particular thanks to this year's GABC coordinators:
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Valery Chistov (ITESM-SLP)
Roger Conaway (ITESM-SLP)
Hadina Habil (UTM)
Katja Pelsmaekers (UA)
Craig Rollo (UA)
David Victor (EMU)
The GABC Journal is a peer-reviewed journal jointly published by the University of Antwerp, the
Technological University of Malaysia, Tec de Monterrey – San Luís Potosí Campus and Eastern Michigan
University.
The GABC Journal publishes original research on interdisciplinary business practices which
shape and are shaped by the changing nature and level of global business communication. To
this end, the GABC Journal publishes articles that contribute to the knowledge, theory and
practice of the global aspects of business communication in one or more of the following areas:
 International and cross--‐ cultural business communication and negotiations
 Global integrated marketing communication (IMC) and public relations
 Global business ethics and communication (including international law,
government--‐ business relations)
 Languages for business and managerial communication
 E--‐ Semantics --‐ --‐ [cross--‐ cultural, language--‐ based international issues associated
with search terms, string searches, social media expression, web design, web site
user friendliness and electronic advertising keywords]
The GABC Journal welcomes articles in all rigorous research methods including both qualitative,
theoretical modeling and quantitative approaches.
The GABC Journal applies masked reviews in which an editor and at a minimum of two subject-
related experts examine submitted manuscripts.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
The GABC Journal welcomes original articles (not under consideration elsewhere) that are
 Traditional scholarly studies of 15--‐ 35 double--‐ spaced pages, excluding references, notes,
and appendices.
 Commentaries of 10--‐ 14 pages, excluding references, notes, and appendices.
Quantitative manuscripts must report estimates of reliability for all dependent measures,
variance accounted for in tests of significance, and power estimates when tests fail to achieve
significance. Content analysis employing quantitative measures should note intercoder reliability.
Survey research should describe the sampling frame (relevant population), sampling method,
sample unit, and response rate. Qualitative research must note standards used to insure the
quality and verification of the presented interpretation.
All manuscripts must be in English, following the format specified in the Publication Manual of
the American Psychological Association (5th edition). You may use either U.S. or British spelling,
but use U.S. punctuation. Authors must remove all personal and institutional identification from
the body of the submission. For further information and more detailed guidelines or to submit a
manuscript, please go to the main site for the journal at http://commons.emich.edu/gabc/
GABC EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD
Editors
David A. Victor, Editor--‐ in-‐ Chief
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan USA
E--‐ mail: [email protected]
S. Paul Verluyten, Associate
Editor
Universiteit Antwerpen
Antwerp, BELGIUM
Hadina Habil, Associate Editor
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Johor, MALAYSIA
Roger N. Conaway
Tec de Monterrey-SLP Campus
San Luís Potosí, MEXICO
Editorial Review Board Members
Claire Babanoury
Lauder Institute, Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
Richard Babcock
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California USA
James R. Barker
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia
CANADA
Peter Cardon
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California, USA
Bertha Du--‐Babcock
City University of Hong Kong
HONG KONG
Misa Fujio
Toyo University
Tokyo, JAPAN
Christine Grosse
American University of Sharjah
Sharjah, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Daphne A. Jameson
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY USA
Jane Johansen
University of Southern Indiana
Evansville, Indiana USA
Orlando R. Kelm
University of Texas
Austin, Texas USA
Leena Louhiala--‐Salminen
Aalto University
Helsinki, FINLAND
Katja Pelsmaekers
University of Antwerp
Antwerp, BELGIUM
Priscilla S. Rogers
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Craig Rollo
University of Antwerp
Antwerp, BELGIUM
Joo Seng Tan
Nanyang Business School
SINGAPORE
Barry Thatcher
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico USA
Ayseli Usluata
Yeditepe University
Istanbul, TURKEY
Iris I. Varner
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois USA
ISSUE ONE ARTICLES (2012)
Editor's Prefatory Comments
David A. Victor (Eastern Michigan University)
Global Advances i n Business Communication from Multiple Perspectives: A Panel
Discussion from Experts in the Field
A Postmodern International Business Communication Model in Three- Dimensions
Jane Thompson Johansen (Southern Indiana University)
Impact of English- language Proficiency on Chinese Expatriates’ Adjustment to Overseas
Assignments
Xiaofei Xu and Bertha Du-Babcock (City University of Hong Kong)
Effects o f Culture and Education on Ethical Responses on Our Global Society Deborah
Reed Scarfino, Kelli J. Schutte, Christina Pryor Comiskey, and Tanna White
Campbell (William Jewell College)
Foreign Language Careers for International Business and the Professions
Ronald C. Cere (Eastern Michigan University)
Integrating Methods and Strategies from Language Teaching and Business Studies in Languages for
Specific Business Purposes Courses
Judith A. Ainsworth (University of Montréal)
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ISSUE TWO ARTICLES (2013)
Addressing Global Advances in Business Communication from a Global Perspective
David Victor (Eastern Michigan University)
Communicating Luxury to an International Audience: The Case of Scottish Cashmere
Yvonne McLaren-Hankin (Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh)
Japanese Global Companies: The Shift from Multinationals to Multiculturals
Naoki Kameda (Doshisha University, Kyoto)
Understanding and Teaching Variations of Every- Day Business Language and
Behavior i n German- Speaking Countries
Margrit V. Zinggeler (Eastern Michigan University)
Does Culture Affect how People Receive and Resist Persuasive Messages? Research Proposals
about Resistance to Persuasion in Cultural Groups
Renata Kolodziej-Smith, Daniel Patrick Friesen, and Attila Yaprak (Wayne State University
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ISSUE THREE ARTICLES (2014)
Meeting at the Crossroads: Bringing Together Scholarship Across Disciplinary and Geographic Boundaries
David Victor (Eastern Michigan University)
Mobile Phone Use in Meetings among Chinese Professionals: Perspectives on Multicommunication
and Civility
Peter W. Cardon (University of Southern California) and Ying Dai (Shanghai Business School)
Japanese Global Companies: The Shift from Multinationals to Multiculturals
Naoki Kameda (Doshisha University, Kyoto)
The Relationship Between Culture and Legal Systems and the Impact on Intercultural
Business Communication
Iris I. Varner and Katrin Varner (Illinois State University)
The role o f Linguistic Ability and Business Expertise for Turn- Taking i n Intercultural Business
Communication
Misa Fuio (Toyo University, Tokyo)
Managerial Use of Text Messaging in International Organizations
José Guadalupe Torres and Roger Conaway, Tecnológico de Monterrey – Campus San Luís Potosí
ISSUE FOUR ARTICLES (2015)
Widening the Range of Research in Global Business Communication
Development of a Scale to Assess Communication Effectiveness of Managers Working in Multicultural
Environments
Shoma Mukherji (Management Development Institute) and Neera Jain (Management Development Institute)
Yappari, As I Thought: Listener Talk in Japanese Communication
Haru Yamada (L'Echo)
Discourse Analysis of Dr. Mahathir’s Business Speech
Aliakbar Imani (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia) and Hadina Habil (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia)
New Media and Challenges of Information Control: A Study among Commercial Banks ' Information
Managers in Nigeria
Pius A. Onobhayedo (School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University) and Ogechi
Kasie-Nwachukwu (School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University)
The GABC Journal is accepting submissions. Please consider submitting your paper from this conference for
consideration at http://commons.emich.edu/gabc/
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ABOUT SAN LUIS POTOSI
The city of San Luis Potosi owes its early importance to the discovery of a large silver and gold deposit in 1592. Though
its mines never rivaled those of Guanajuato or Zacatecas, the city became an important administrative and commercial
outpost. In the 17th century it assumed the role of Mexico’s most important northern city, whose domain once stretched
from Louisiana to New Mexico. It is a metropolis that combines its mining past with the magical touch of beautiful buildings
from Mexico's colonial past. In 2010, the historic center of the city was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site within El
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (the Royal Road of the Interior Land) National Historic Trail.
It is one of Mexico’s most picturesque towns, whose central historic center features tiered esplanades, several handsome
plazas, flower-filled parks, and an active cultural scene. Following independence, the city played important roles in various
political upheavals. General Santa Ana trained his troops here before confronting the invading Texans at the Alamo in 1846.
In the 1860s, ousted president Benito Juarez twice established the city as Mexico’s provisional capital. In the 20th century,
San Luis was instrumental in Mexico’s 1910 revolt against an aging dictatorship. One of its principal leaders, Francisco
Madero, was jailed here in 1910 before fleeing to San Antonio, Texas and issuing the Plan de San Luis Potosi. This
document declared invalid the election results, and called on Mexicans to revolt on November 20, the day Mexico’s bloody
civil war erupted.
Another valuable addition to a travel experience here is to visit the surrounding countryside. As it is a state which boasts a
variety of ecosystems, San Luis Potosi is the hub from which to go and visit its three touristic regions: the Central Area,
which has a forest climate and springs for diving; the desert of the Altiplano (high plateau) featuring Real de Catorce as its
star attraction; and the Huasteca Potosina (the Huastec region of San Luis Potosi), the area of thick jungle with waterfalls
and unsurpassed scenery. Also running north-south is the Sierra Gorda de Guanajuato range, creating a myriad of valleys
and plains. Much of the state’s pre-Hispanic and colonial influence can still be seen today in the towns and villages of this
region.
Source: http://www.visitmexico.com/en/san-luis-potosi
Additional Information: http://www.businesscommunication.org/page/2016-mexico-conference
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about san luis potosi - Association for Business Communication

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