Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2001. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 188-200).

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2001. / Vita. This is an electronic reproduction of TREN, #033-0590. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-108).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2001. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 188-200).

Dissertation thesis Eva Obrátilová Expressions of the traditional world-view of Mongolians, as reflected in the spoken language (with an emphasis on crisis-situation Topics) Abstract The aim of this work is to describe some of the traditional world-view of the speakers of Mongolian. Based on my research, I have placed research emphasis on the connection between culturally specific phenomena and language, the influence between the world-view and linguistic expressions connected with the nomadic way of life of the Mongolians. The material is classified and explicated from an ethnolinguistic and sociolinguistic point of view, with a strong emphasis on the ethnography of communication and intercultural communication. Based on the analysis of communication situations, this dissertation describes some of the manifestations of world-view, taboo, values as well as the traditional world-view of the Mongolian speakers. Keywords: ethnolinguistics, sociolinguistics, ethnography of communication, intercultural communication, Mongolian studies

The Master´s Thesis deals with intercultural communication between the Czechs and Koreans. The aim of the thesis is to explore the intercultural clash between the Czechs and Koreans and to identify the main cultural attributes and differences. The thesis is divided into two sections - a theoretical part and a practical part. The theoretical part compares different authors of intercultural dimensions and the significance of intercultural communication. The practical part is dedicated to a survey research and interview of intercultural communication between the Czechs and Koreans.

The subject of this thesis is to analyze the current state of internal communication in an international company, identify weaknesses in communication channels with respect to intercultural differences and propose remedial actions to ensure the effective flow of information within the whole organization. For this purpose, the thesis is divided into two systematic parts. The theoretical part is devoted to the introduction of basic terms like communication, communication flow, intercultural communication and internal communication. The empirical part is focused on the analysis of internal communication in the selected international company, and on the implementation of the two proposed changes related to digital communication channels. The second part is focused on the questionnaire research which was used as a basis to identify intercultural differences and also uncover weaknesses for further recommendations.

In an increasingly globalized workplace, the ability to communicate effectively across cultures is critical. We propose that the quality of communication experienced by individuals plays a significant role in the outcomes of intercultural interactions, such as cross-border negotiations. In four studies, we developed and validated a multidimensional conceptualization of Quality of Communication Experience (QCE) and examined its consequences in intracultural versus intercultural business negotiation. We proposed and found three dimensions of QCE, namely Clarity, Responsiveness, and Comfort. Findings from intercultural and same-cultural negotiations supported the hypotheses that QCE is lower in intercultural than intracultural negotiation; and that a higher degree of QCE leads to better negotiation outcomes. Moreover, we found evidence that the beneficial effects of higher QCE on negotiation outcomes are more pronounced in intercultural than intracultural negotiation. We propose an agenda for future research and identify implications for practice.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how a group of Chinese business students understood the nature and the purpose of the instruction techniques they were exposed to in Britain, and the attitudes the students, Chinese lecturers in China and British lecturers in Britain held towards seminar discussions. The study also investigated how and to what extent students’ prior learning experiences predisposed them to certain attitudes towards seminar discussions. The student participants in this study undertook Part I of their degree programme at a Chinese university for two years before transferring to Britain to study for one year, graduating with a British Bachelors Degree in International Business. Data was gathered from classroom observations, follow-up and exploratory interviews, and a questionnaire survey to discover more about the students’ learning experiences in Part I in China, and from classroom observations, audio-recordings, and follow-up and exploratory interviews to investigate the same group of students’ learning experiences in Part II in Britain. A ranking task and interviews were used to identify the preferences of Chinese students, British lecturers, and Chinese lecturers from China in terms of specific group discussion methods. The study identified three discussion methods used by students in British seminars: these have been termed ‘spiral’, ‘exploratory’ and ‘individual’ methods. The Chinese students tended to use the ‘spiral’ method, repeatedly bringing the discussion back to the question provided by the seminar tutor, whereas the non-Chinese students tended to use the ‘exploratory’ method, reformulating each other’s opinions and building on them by bringing in new information. When discussing within Chinese-only groups, the Chinese students used the ‘individual’ method whereby a group leader took responsibility for the outcomes of the discussion and the other members did not build upon each other’s contributions. Chinese and non-Chinese students sometimes misunderstood each others’ intentions, but were not likely to notice that miscommunication had occurred. The ranking task and the follow-up interviews revealed that the British lecturers preferred the ‘exploratory’ discussion method, whereas Chinese lecturers from China and Chinese students preferred the ‘spiral’ method. The British lecturers were found to adopt a constructivist approach to group discussion tasks, seeing them as a means by which students could obtain professional experience. They treated Business and Management knowledge as divergent and ‘soft’. Chinese lecturers and students, on the other hand, were found to perceive group discussion as a kind of assessment and were keen to find ‘correct’ answers to case study problems, treating Business and Management as convergent and hard disciplines which offered judgements on good practice. The Chinese lecturers in Part I of the programme organised group discussion so that students could exchange answers and check their accuracy, and, perhaps because of this, in Part I the students learnt in an exam-oriented way, strategically dividing up their tasks and working individually on their own task portions in order to find an acceptable answer as quickly as possible. These students were found to continue to employ these strategies during group work after they had transferred to the British component of their degree programme. The study has made a theoretical contribution to knowledge concerning the cultural influences on students’ classroom interactional practices. The findings from the study have implications for the teaching of intercultural business communication, and the enhancement of students’ learning experiences in international business programmes, in business English programmes in China, and whilst learning within groups.

Texte remanié de : thèse de doctorat : Anglistik : Justus-Liebig Universität, Giessen : 2004. / Bibliogr. p. 301-323.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.