This study identifies the need for intercultural business communication competence and contends that a course in this field is of particular relevance to South African organisations. The aim of this study is to identify, through needs analysis, the specific intercultural business communication requirements of lscor managers with regard to Japan. The requirements are identified in such a way that they may be used as the criteria for an intercultural business communication course. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in the study. The results of the research indicate that managers generally lack knowledge of various communication aspects relating to Japan. Participants also indicated a high degree of culture shock in terms of specific intercultural factors. The findings of the study form the content topics around which a course in intercultural business communication may be developed. The relative value of the topics to specific managers is also identified. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication)

I Sverige ökar antalet nyanlända människor som ska etablera sig i det svenska samhället. Sysselsättning och deltagande på den svenska arbetsmarknaden har visat sig vara grundläggande för att integrering av nyanlända ska ske så snabbt som möjligt. Samtidigt är Arbetsförmedlingen en av de allra första myndigheterna som en nyanländ möter i Sverige. Studien har därmed avsett att undersöka Arbetsförmedlingens interkulturella kommunikationsarbete med syfte att bringa klarhet kring hur en svensk myndighet arbetar gentemot dess multikulturella befolkning. Myndighetens kommunikationsarbete har studerats utifrån begreppet interkulturell kommunikation inom organisationer och studien bygger på fem stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer och en gruppintervju med anställda vid Arbetsförmedlingen.     Resultatet av studien visar att myndigheten i högsta grad arbetar med interkulturell kommunikation gentemot deras nyanlända medborgare, samtidigt som många hinder försvårar myndighetens kommunikationsarbete. Språket är den främsta svårigheten, där tolkens roll blir oerhört viktig och antingen hjälper eller stjälper kommunikationen. Samtidigt bidrar många andra orsaker, så som svagt förtroende för myndigheter, traumatiserade människor eller bristande resurser till att myndigheten inte kan utföra sitt kommunikativa arbete på bästa sätt. / In Sweden, the numbers of immigrants are constantly increasing. Participation at the Swedish labour market is crucial when it comes to a successful establishment for the newcomers. Arbetsförmedlingen (the Swedish labour authority), is also one of the first authorities a newcomer encounters once in Sweden. With this in consideration, this study was designed to investigate the intercultural communication work at Arbetsförmedlingen with the aim to bring clarity around how a Swedish authority works toward its growing multicultural population. We have studied Arbetsförmedlingens communicational work based on the concept of intercultural communication within organizations. The study is based on four semi-structured interviews and one group interview with employees at Arbetsförmedlingen.   The result of the study shows that the government authority works with intercultural communication towards their newcomers on a high level but obstacles in the intercultural communication hamper the communicational efforts. Language barriers are seen as the main difficulty, and the interpreter’s role becomes extremely important and can either help or hinder the communication. At the same time, many other difficulties are contributing to communicational problems for the authority. Lack of trust in authorities, traumatized people and lack of resources hinders the authority to achieve a truly good intercultural communication.

Compilation of two papers, the first of which was accepted for publication in the South African Journal of Philosophy in the second half of 2001. / Why metaphors have no meaning : considering metaphoric meaning in Davidson. -- Bare idea of a conceptual scheme : relativism, intercultural communication and Davidson. / Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: WHY METAPHORS HAVE NO MEANING: CONSIDERING METAPHORIC MEANING IN DAVIDSON Since the publication of Donald Davidson's essay 'What Metaphors Mean' (1984c) - in which he famously asserts that metaphor has no meaning - the views expressed in it have mostly met with criticism: prominently from Mary Hesse and Max Black. This article attempts to explain Davidson's surprise-move regarding metaphor by relating it to elements in the rest of his work in semantics, such as the principle of compositionality, radical interpretation and the principle of charity. I conclude that Davidson's views on metaphor are not only consistent with his semantic theory generally, but that his semantics also depend on these insights. Eventually, the debate regarding Davidson's views on metaphor should be conducted on the level of his views on the nature of semantics, the relationship between language and the world and the possibility of there existing something like conceptual schemes. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: THE BARE IDEA OF A CONCEPTUAL SCHEME: RELATIVISM, INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND DAVIDSON Donald Davidson's paper 'On the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme' ('OVICS') has become famous for the refutation accomplished in it of conceptual relativism. Via an argument that, essentially, all languages are intertranslatable, Davidson rejects the notion that different conceptual schemes can inhere in the supposed 'un-translatable' languages said to exist by, for instance, Whorf and Kuhn. Critics of Davidson's position have mainly focussed on practical issues, with many holding that his arguments in 'OVICS' ignore the realities of the real intercultural communication situation. In the present paper, I address criticisms of this sort. Davidson's arguments are reconstructed, with attention being paid to their dependence on the idea of practical application in the real intercommunication situation. With the aid of practical examples, the implications of elements of Davidson's philsophy of interpretation for intercultural communication are evaluated. Finally, radical interpretation is presented as a better model for intercultural dialogue than linguistically relativist ones. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: WHY METAPHORS HAVE NO MEANING: CONSIDERING METAPHORIC MEANING IN DAVIDSON Sedert die publikasie van Donald Davidson se opstel 'What Metaphors Mean' (1984c) - waarin hy die berugte stelling maak dat metafoor geen betekenis het nie - is sy sieninge meestal begroet met kritiek, ook van prominente figure soos Mary Hesse en Max Black. Hierdie artikel poog om 'n verduideliking te vind vir Davidson se verassende skuif aangaande metafoor, deur sy sieninge hieroor te kontekstualiseer teen die agtergrond van elemente uit die res van sy werk in semantiek, soos die beginsel van komposisionaliteit, radikale interpretasie en die beginsel van rasionele akkomodasie ('charity'). Ek kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat Davidson se sieninge aangaande metafoor nie slegs naatloos aansluit by sy algemene sieninge aangaande semantiek nie, maar dat die res van sy semantiese teorie ook afhang van sy sieninge aangaande metafoor. Uiteindelik behoort die debat rakende Davidson se sieninge aangaande metafoor gevoer te word op die vlak van die aard van semantiek, die verhouding tussen taal en die werklikheid en die moontlike bestaan van konseptueie skemas. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: THE BARE IDEA OF A CONCEPTUAL SCHEME: RELATIVISM, INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND DAVIDSON Donald Davidson se artikel 'On the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme' het beroemdheid verwerf as teenargument vir die idee van konseptuele relativisme. By wyse van 'n argument dat alle tale in beginsel vertaalbaar is, verwerp Davidson die idee dat verskillende konseptueie skemas kan skuilgaan in die veronderstelde 'onvertaalbare' tale waarvan daar sprake is by byvoorbeeld Whorf en Kuhn. Kritici van Davidson se posisie beperk hul hoofsaaklik tot praktiese besware en 'n vername aanklag teen Davidson is dat hy die realiteite misken van werklike interkulturele gesprek. In hierdie artikel spreek ek sodanige kritiek aan. Ek herkonstrueer Davidson se argumente en voer aan dat dit deurgaans afhanklik is van die idee van toepassing in 'n praktiese situasie van interkulturele dialoog. By wyse van praktiese voorbeelde evalueer ek die implikasies van Davidson se filosofie van interpretasie vir interkulturele kommunikasie. Laastens bied ek radikale interpretasie aan as 'n beter model vir interkulturele dialoog as linguisties relativistiese modelle.

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This mini thesis is being submitted within a few weeks of two important events focusing on racism. One is the World Conference on Racism (WCAR), which was held in South Africa from 31 August to 7 September 2001; and the other is the release on 30 August 2001 of Race relations and racism in everyday life, a summary report on the results of a national survey commissioned by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR survey). The WCAR, as President Thabo Mbeki said in his opening address to it, had "to indicate what is to be done practically" to bring about "a changed and changing world in which all human beings actually enjoy the inalienable right to human dignity". Instead, months of careful planning and fastidiously drafted declarations were undermined by undignified squabbling over whether or not the United States should send a delegation to the Conference. Right at the end, when it seemed as if the conference was going to close on an inconclusive note, a United Nations declaration and programme of action was drafted that set out the 10 most important commitments for continuing to combat racism. What the WCAR didn't do, however, was leave people with an understanding of subtly conveyed racism and how individuals can change their behaviour so that a culture of nonracism is developed. The SAIRR survey was conducted in response to a plethora of media reports of racial friction or conflict. Its overall objective was to establish the extent to which 'the attitudes and inter-action of people in the new South Africa (are) still structured by racial definitions'. Although the results (see paragraph 1.4.4) show that only 5% of South Africans regard race as the cause of problems they have with other people, 59% regard racism as a serious problem. Moreover, the section of the population most concerned with race issues is the white Afrikaans-speaking group, the group most blamed for previous racial discrimination. By contrast, black African people, who are generally considered to have been the main victims of discrimination, are much less concerned with race issues than the media have made them out to be. The outcomes of the WCAR and the SAIRR survey may be telling us that the attention given to racism by the media is excessive in relation to the time the South African public spends thinking about it. On the other hand, the outcomes also reveal that most people's understanding of racism is limited to their awareness of inhumane acts or blatant racism. People may indeed be experiencing most of the examples discussed in Chapter 4, but they may not be identifying them as racism. The main objectives of this mini thesis, therefore, are to: • provide a short theoretical overview of communication and of racism; • discuss the ways in which racist tendencies are communicated and explain how that causes communication barriers; and to • discuss and recommend strategies for developing a culture of non-racism. One of the main tenets of the thesis is that, despite the democratisation of South Africa, racism continues to be communicated in various ways in the South African workplace. Fourteen of these ways are discussed in Chapter 4. They include: devaluation of previous suffering; stereotyping; perceptions of self-superiority and negative expectancies of other races; and the creation of in-groups and out-groups. In each case the racism puts up communication barriers between the sender and receiver of messages. These barriers include: unwillingness or inability to understand communications because of resentment or a lack of trust; distortion or misinterpretation of messages; poor performance because of negative expectancies; and conflict that breaks down team spirit. In other words, apart from its dehumanising effects, racism also has a detrimental effect on communication between people. The combined effect is to undermine people's performance in the workplace. Accordingly, in Chapter 6, a package of strategies is presented for developing a culture of non-racism. The strategies operate on different levels, beginning with a focus on nonracism in a universal context. The focus then shifts to the national legislative framework before moving on to organizational policies and culture, such as diversity and inclusiveness. Finally, the focus falls on the individual, and ways are discussed of developing the individual's awareness of racism and also his/her ability to control hislher own communication. The concluding argument put forward IS that awareness and understanding of racist tendencies, together with control over what and how they communicate, will enable individuals to make non-racism the norm in their inter-action with other people in the workplace. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie mini-verhandeling word voorgelê binne 'n paar weke van twee belangrike gebeurtenisse wat op rassime gemik is. Een van hierdie gebeurtenisse is die World Conference on Racism (WCAR), wat vanaf 31 Augustus tot 7 September 2001 in Suid- Afrika gehou is; die ander gebeurtenis is die bekendstelling op 30 Augustus 2001 van Race relations and racism in everyday life, die opsomming-verslag van 'n nasionale opname wat deur die South African Institute of Race Relations opgedra is (die SAIRRopname). Soos President Thabo Mbeki dit in sy openingsrede by die WCAR gestel het, moes die WCAR aandui wat prakties gedoen moet word om 'n veranderde en veranderende wêreld daar te stel waarin alle mense onvervreembare regte op menswaardigheid geniet. In stede daarvan is maande van deeglike beplanning en puntenerige opstelling van deklarasies deur onwaardige gekibbel ondermyn - en dit het alles gegaan oor of die Verenigde State 'n delegasie na die konferensie moes stuur al dan nie. Toe dit geblyk het dat die konferensie op 'n onbeslisde einde afstuur, is 'n United Nations Declaration and programme of action haastig opgestel. Hierdie dokument sit uiteen die 10 belangrikste stappe vorentoe om aksie teen rassime te neem. Nieteenstaande hierdie dokument, het die WCAR nie vir mense 'n begrip van subtiele rassime gegee nie. Dit het ook nie aangedui hoe mense hul gedrag kan aanpas sodat 'n kultuur van nie-rassisme teweeggebring kan word nie. Die SAIRR -opname is opgedra in reaksie op mediaberigte oor rassekonflik. Die oorhoofse doel daarvan was om vas te stel in watter mate Suid-Afrikaners se begrip van ras hul houding teenoor, en inter-aksie, met ander mense beïnvloed. Die resultate (kyk paragraaf 1.4.4) dui aan dat slegs 5% van Suid-Afrikaners van mening is dat ras die oorsaak is van hulle probleme met ander mense is. Aan die ander kant beskou 59% van Suid-Afrikaners ras as 'n ernstige probleem. Wat interressant is, is dat blanke Afrikaans-sprekende mense die mees besorgd oor rassisme is - en hulle is die groep wat hoofsaaklik blameer word vir historiese rasse-diskriminasie. In teenstelling daaroor, is swart Afrika-mense, wat die meeste onder rasse-diskriminasie gely het, heelwat minder besorgd oor rasseaangeleenthede as wat die media voorgee. Die uitvloeisels van die WCAR en die SAIRR-opname wys miskien dat die media heelwat meer aandag aan rasse-aangeleenthede gee as die Suid-Afrikaanse publiek. Hierdie uivloeisels wys egter ook dat die meeste mense se begrip van rassisme beperk is tot bewustheid van onmenslike dade of blatante rassisme. Miskien beleef mense wel die soort gedrag wat in Hoofstuk 4 beskryf word, maar hulle besef nie dat dit op rassisme neerkom nie. Na aanleiding daarvan, het hierdie mini-studieprojek drie hoof doelwitte: • om 'n kort teoretiese oorsig te gee oor kommunikasie en rassisme; • om 'n bespreking te hou oor die kommunikasie van rassistiese neigings en dan te verduidelik hoe dit kommunikasie-versperrings veroorsaak; en om 'n bespreking te hou en aanbevelings te doen oor hoe 'n kultuur van nie-rassisme ontwikkel kan word. 'n Kernagtige leerstelling in die verslag is dat rassisme op verskeie maniere in die Suid- Afrikaanse werkplek voorkom, nieteenstaande die demokratisering van die land. Hierdie voorbeelde sluit in: die ontwaarding van voormalige lyding; stereotipering; persepsies van eie meerderwaardigheid asook negatiewe verwagtinge ten opsigte van anderkleuriges; en die skepping van sogenaamde ingroepe and uitgroepe. In elkeen van dié gevalle veroorsaak rassisme versperrings tussen die sender van boodskappe (bv. spreker) en die ontvanger van boodskappe (bv. luisteraar). Sodanige versperrings sluit die volgende in: • onbereidheid of onvermoë om boodskappe te verstaan vanweë gegriefdheid of afwesigheid van vertroue; • verdraaiing of wanvertolking van boodskappe; • slegte prestasie as gevolg van negatiewe verwagtinge; en • konflik wat spangees afbreek. Rassisme het dus 'n ontmenslikingde uitwerking én dit veroorsaak kommunikasieversperrings. Die algemene uitwerking daarvan is om mense se prestasie in die werkplek te ondermyn. In die lig hiervan, stel Hoofstuk 6 strategieë voor vir die ontwikkeling van 'n kultuur van nie-rassime. Dié strategieë werk op verskillende vlakke. Om mee te begin, is die fokus op nie-rassisme in 'n universele konteks. Daarna word gefokus op die nasionale wetgewende raamwerk wat diskriminasie betref. Dit word gevolg deur 'n bespreking oor organisasiebeleid en -kultuur, soos 'diversity and inclusiveness'. Uiteindelik val die fokus op die individu, spesifiek op hoe om die individu se bewustheid van rassisme te verbeter en hoe om die individu te leer om beheer uit te oefen oor sy/haar eie kommunikasie. Die slot-argument wat na vore gebring word, is dat bewustheid en begrip van rassistiese neigings, tesame met beheer oor hul eie kommunikasie, individue in staat stel om nierassisme die norm te maak in hulle inter-aksie met ander mense in die werkplek.

Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Interculturation theology as a way of communication in religious cultural arenas is the most recent and remarkable methodology that can be used to open space for mutual witness and dialogue with regard to ideas about and the praxes of ancestral rituals between South Korean and South African Christians. The purpose of this research is to overcome some dichotomised problems that are inherent in exclusive, inclusive, and religious pluralistic approaches in dialogue with other religious cultures. In this regard, we examined some problems of the colonial way of mission and the functional translation of the exclusivistic approach and noted that the inclusive approach also has its weakness, in that it weakens the historicity of the subject. We attempted to show that theocentric and religious pluralistic approaches do not solve the problem of mutual identity simply by searching for commonalities between religious traditions. Our rationale is that although these approaches have their weak points, we should not overlook their benefits. Therefore, in appraising these approaches, attention is drawn to how these benefits may be used to complement one another. Consequently, we proposed a meaningcentred and praxis-centred communication methodology using a holistic approach. To appropriate a meaning-centred and praxis-centred methodology of communication, we began by adopting the theological principle of perichoresis, which is the inner relationship among the Persons of the Divine Trinity. Perichoresis is the foundation of missio Dei, which is God’s initiative love to the world in praxis. Through incarnational self-giving, missio Dei is revealed in the world. Secondly, we re-interpreted perichoresis as an intercultural term and ideology, based on its components, mutual indwelling, mutual space, and mutual identity. The intercultural meaning of mutual indwelling is continual mutual penetrating, while cultural meaning of mutual space is interpreted as the others, that is, from the viewpoint of emptying themselves in mutual communication instead of that of dominion and replacement. Further, we re-interpreted mutual identity through the ‘praxis of with’. Based on this cultural reinterpretation of perichoresis, we established a praxis-centred and meaning-centred model of interculturation theology. More importantly, the perichoretic model of interculturation enabled us to construct a theological and cultural identity of Christianity in encountering with others, which is the ‘praxis of with’. In particular, the study attempted to apply intercultural communication method to the encounter between Xhosa churches and Korean missionaries in Khayelitsha in terms of ancestor related matters. Through this intercultural and comparative evaluation of shifting identities, we suggested how Korean missionary and Xhosa churches could mutually construct theological cultural identities. For this purpose, we first carried out a literature study of Korean and South African indigenous theologies concerning ancestor worship.1 Subsequently, we conducted an empirical survey in Khayelitsha to determine the missiological views of Korean missionaries in the light of their traditional religious background and Korean theologians’ indigenised interpretations of ancestral matters. We also considered the theological positions of some Western missionaries in Khayelitsha on the same issue. Finally, we investigated the identities of Xhosa churches in Khayelitsha on literature and empirical levels and how intercultural theology can be reconstructed to evaluate the missiological identities of Korean missionaries and Xhosa churches in terms of ancestor worship. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Interkulturasie teologie as 'n kommunikasiewyse in godsdienstige kultuurgebiede is die mees onlangse en merkwaardigste metodologie wat aangewend kan word om ruimte te skep vir wedersydse getuienis en dialoog rakende idees aangaande en die praktyke voorouerlike rituele onder Suid-Koreaanse en Suid-Afrikaanse Christene. Die doel van hierdie navorsing is om sekere gedigotomiseerde probleme te oorkom wat inherent is in eksklusiewe, inklusiewe en religieus pluralistiese benaderings wat in dialoog is met ander religieuse kulture. In hierdie verband het ons ondersoek ingestel na sekere probleme van die koloniale wyse van sendingwerk en die funksionele oorskakeling van die eksklusivistiese benadering en gemerk dat die inklusiewe benadering ook sy swakheid het deurdat dit die historisiteit van die onderwerp verswak. Ons het gepoog om aan te dui dat teosentriese en religieus pluralistiese benaderings nie die probleem van onderlinge identiteit oplos nie deur eenvoudig te soek na gemeenskaplikhede tussen religieuse tradisies. Ons rasionaal is dat alhoewel hierdie benaderings hul swakpunte het, behoort ons nie verby hul voordele te kyk nie. By die inskatting van hierdie benaderings word die aandag dus gevestig op hoe hierdie voordele gebruik kan word om die ander aan te vul. Gevolglik het ons 'n betekenisgesentreerde en praktykgerigte kommunikasiemetodologie voorgestel wat 'n holistiese benadering aanwend. Om 'n betekenisgesentreerde en praktykgerigte kommunikasiemetodogie aan te wend, het ons begin deur die teologiese beginsel van perichoresis te aanvaar, wat die innerlike verhouding tussen die lede van die heilige drie eenheid is. Perichoresis is die fondament van missio Dei, wat die inisiatief verteenwoordig wat God se liefde vir die wêreld in die praktyk is. By wyse van inkarnasionele gee-van-die-self, word missio Dei aan die wêreld openbaar. Tweedens het ons perichoresis herinterpreteer as 'n interkulturele term en ideologie wat op sy samestellende elemente gebaseer is, naamlik 'n gemeenskaplike woning, gemeenskaplike ruimte en gemeenskaplike identiteit. Die interkulturele betekenis van 'n gemeenskaplike woning is voortdurende gemeenskaplike deurdringing, terwyl die kulturele betekenis van gemeenskaplike ruimte geïnterpreteer word as die andere, met ander woorde vanuit die oogpunt van die lediging van hulself in gemeenskaplike kommunikasie, eerder as oorheersing en verplasing. Ons het verder gemeenskaplike identiteit herinterpreteer by wyse van die 'praktyk waarmee'. Gebaseer op hierdie kulturele herinterpretasie van perichoresis, het ons 'n praktykgerigte en betekenisgesentreerde model van interkulturele teologie daargestel. Belangriker nog het die perichoretiese model van interkulturasie ons in staat gestel om 'n teologiese en kulturele identiteit van die Christendom op te stel temidde van 'n ontmoeting met andere, wat die 'praktyk waarmee' verteenwoordig. In die besonder het die studie gepoog om die interkulturele kommunikasiemetode toe te pas op die ontmoeting tussen Xhosa-kerke en Koreaanse sendelinge in Khayelitsha in terme van voorouerverwante sake. Deur hierdie interkuturele en vergelykende evaluering van verskuiwende identiteite, het ons voorgestel hoe Koreaanse sendelinge en Xhosa-kerke wedersyds teologiese kulturele identiteite kan daarstel. Vir hierdie doel het ons aanvanklik 'n literatuurstudie onderneem van Koreaanse en Suid- Afrikaanse inheemse teologieë aangaande die aanbidding van voorouers. Daarna het ons 'n empiriese opname in Khayelitsha onderneem om die missiologiese sienings van Koreaanse sendelinge vas te stel in die lig van hul tradisionele godsdienstige agtergrond en die Koreaanse teoloë se verinheemste interpretasie van voorouerlike sake. Ons het ook aandag geskenk aan die teologiese posisies van sommige Westerse sendelinge in Khayelitsha oor dieselfde aangeleentheid. Laastens het ons die identiteite nagevors van die Xhosa-kerke in Khayelitsha op literêre en empiriese vlakke en hoe interkulturele teologie gerekonstrueer kan word om die missiologiese identiteite van Koreaanse sendelinge en Xhosa-kerke te evalueer ingevolge die aanbidding van voorouers.

<p>The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the implications and challenges of intercultural communication. An in-depth study was performed of the perspectives from people who work within an international organization. How they experience cultural differences and how they handle them, in particular when it comes to communication. Also, their perceptions of communicative competence were explored. The study was carried out at Svalorna India Bangladesh, at the Swedish office in Lund. Svalorna’s staff was interviewed on their experiences of intercultural communication. Both employees at the Swedish office and employees on location in India and Bangladesh were interviewed. The method used in the study was qualitative interviews where the interviewees could expand their answers fully as the interview developed. The main theory used was Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, presented in the thesis and considered in the study. It was concluded that being aware of cultural differences and having knowledge of other cultures but also your own is important for understanding the so-called non-verbal communication in an intercultural situation. There are also differences in to what extent a certain culture uses non-verbal communication. Both India and Bangladesh, according to the interviewees, are high context cultures whereas Sweden has a low context culture. All the interviewees had similar experiences when it comes to intercultural communication. A cultural difference in the perception of time is an example of when verbal communication can be inadequate, if one is not aware of cultural differences. Both India and Bangladesh use polychronic time whereas in Sweden monochromic time is used. This is indeed confirmed by all interviewees. Many of Hofstede’s cultural dimension theories are found to be coherent with the results of this study, for example the Individualism.</p>

Taking a social constructionist perspective, this dissertation explores politeness-as-practice (Eelen, 2001) of L2 English speakers in intercultural communication encounters. The study is situated within the English as an International Language (EIL) paradigm which suggests that pragmatic norms in interaction between EIL speakers are dynamic and flexible, and therefore, instead of measuring EIL speakers' success in interaction against a "native-speaker" norm, the research should focus on how speakers themselves define and (co-)construct pragmatic norms and successful interaction (e.g., House, 2003a; McKay, 2009). The view of politeness taken in this study is based on postmodern approaches to politeness, which submit that politeness is dynamic and that the politeness meanings of particular strategies, utterances, and linguistic forms are assigned to them by participants within an interaction. Data were collected through background questionnaires, written questionnaires in the form of critical incidents, and semi-structured informal interviews. The data were analyzed qualitatively, relying primarily on discourse analysis complemented by the theories of "third place", facework, and politeness. The results of this study offer insights into the nature of pragmatic competence in EIL, the processes of the development of such competence, and challenges that L2 English speakers face in this process. Specifically, this study investigates how L2 speakers of English conceptualize politeness, the hybrid and dynamic nature of their pragmatic competence in general and politeness-in-practice in particular, and the interrelationship between politeness and other factors that determine the speakers' pragmatic choices in situations that have potential for misunderstanding, conflict, and face loss. This dissertation contributes to the theory and research in the fields of Second Language Acquisition (SLA), EIL, Intercultural Communication, Interlanguage Pragmatics and Politeness by providing insights into the pragmatic competence and politeness of L2 English speakers. This work deepens the body of scholarship in these fields in that it provides the speakers' own perspectives on the processes of their pragmatic competence development and their concepts of politeness. It is also hoped that insights provided by this study will benefit English language teachers who aim to develop intercultural communicative competence in their classrooms.

The research in this thesis will focus on China’s increasingly important role in the global film industry, including the dynamic between the Chinese government, the Chinese film industry, and Hollywood. The first chapter gives a comprehensive overview of the history of artistic trends in postsocialist Chinese film since 1979. The following chapter provides a history of the commercial and economic developments regarding the Chinese film industry after Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms and open door policy. In the third chapter, a detailed analysis of the different Chinese state entities and their functions provide insight into the history of the political and regulatory framework of the Chinese film industry. The fourth chapter examines Hollywood’s role and response to China’s burgeoning film industry and market including case studies of top western film companies that have been heavily involved with China. It also focuses on the challenges the domestic Chinese film industry faces in response to government censorship and competition from Hollywood. Finally, the conclusion offers predictions for the future state of the Chinese film industry, and discusses the implications surrounding the growing relationship between the China and Hollywood.

This thesis examined 228 college students' reported use of relational maintenance behaviors and strategies and their reported perception of the degree of relational satisfaction and solidarity with the relational partners they chose to identify. The study gathered extensive data with the intention of primarily investigating the validity and reliability of measurement of relational maintenance behaviors across cultures with some attention to correlations between relationship maintenance behaviors, relationship satisfaction, and interpersonal solidarity. The study focused on refining previous measures of relationship maintenance behaviors in order to develop a comprehensive global measure. The study found that a linear combination of factors or relationship maintenance behaviors are related to relational satisfaction and interpersonal solidarity.

Approved for public release; distribution in unlimited. / The level of violence has not only increased constantly over the last decades, but has also shifted in nature from conventional to unconventional. Given these circumstances, Romania's national interests call for the development of unconventional capabilities that are necessary in order to deal with current and future low intensity conflicts. This thesis analyzes the influence of language training and cultural understanding on the overall success of counterinsurgency campaigns. Examining some situations where the U.S. and British forces carried out counterinsurgency operations, this project reveals that ground troops with foreign language skills and cultural training were able to work more efficient with the local population. Cultural awareness facilitated communication and developed interpersonal trust. Additionally, language and cultural training enhanced military personnel's ability to understand the operational environment and to make a more selective use of force. The purpose of this thesis is not to promote a departure from conventional military training, but rather to propose the development of new Romanian military capabilities, the performance of which will increase through a better exploitation of language and cultural resources. / Captain, Romanian Army