Contributes to scholarship on the effects of negative publicity. Notes that the Dutch equivalent of the District Attorney's Office actively spreads information about its suspicions of illegal behavior which are published by newspapers. Finds that corporate image was seriously damaged by negative publicity, and the more categorical the accusations…

Examines graphical presentations of quantitative data within corporate annual reports in Hong Kong. Finds that approximately 35% of companies included graphics in their annual report. Notes that half of all graphs violated sound principles of chart graphics and were therefore misleading; and misleading graphs occurred across all industrial…

Seeks to determine the kinds of communicative knowledge and skills that are most associated with communicatively competent members of Thai organizations. Suggests that Thais who are perceived to be communicatively competent know how to avoid conflicts with others; control their emotions; display respect, tactfulness, modesty, and politeness; and…

Tests in international environments models previously developed within United States high-technology organizations. Demonstrates that relationships among organizational culture themes, employee values, organizational communication activities, and perceptions of a variety of organizational outcomes are similar but not identical for United States…

Compares American and French business correspondence with regard to format, organization, tone, and style. Argues that many of the differences result from cultural and value differences, French letters tending to be more formal and formatted differently. (RAE)

Presents empirically derived models of expatriate-local staff oral communication patterns in Taiwan. Finds that communication dynamics differed in three identified communication zones, expatriates with the cooperation of the local Chinese developed efficient but different communication systems in all three zones, and cultural influences on both…

Investigates Total Quality Control (TQC) as a companywide, pivotal, and unifying philosophy for quality production and human interaction in Japanese organizations. Stresses the central role of communication processes. Challenges business communication scholars to incorporate TQC as a macro framework in dissections of the quality movement within…

Finds, among other things that a positive relationship exists between communication satisfaction and employees' organizational commitment and that school teachers were significantly more satisfied with communication practices and more committed to their organization than were employees of two other Guatemalan organizations (a hospital and a food…

Examines differences between Canadian and American cultures as manifested in direct marketing letters. Investigates aspects of Canadian culture, including tolerance for others, awareness of class distinctions, and concern for the collective over the individual. Compares direct mail letters sent to Canadians and to Americans, analyzing the use of…

Proposes a schemata model for how intercultural communicators structure meaning concerning another culture. Applies the model to a historical case study--the first official trade encounter between members of a trade mission from Great Britain and Emperor Qian Long's court in China. Proposes seven hypotheses for future research. (SR)

Investigates how organizational dimensions of companies in the United Kingdom relate to conditions in a company's internal and external environments. Finds that the organizational relationship between the two primary departments involved in a company's external communication programs were correlated with such internal environmental conditions as…

Analyzes faxes sent and received during one week by a Finnish company involved in international operations. Suggests that the business fax is a distinct, dynamic genre constituted by and constitutive of the social practices within which it is situated, with five specific subgenres: specific information, specific requests, "for your…

Analyzes an annual executive letter written by the director of a small New Zealand business which focuses on problems. Shows how these problems serve three functions: to distract attention from more serious issues, to undermine the credibility of potential challengers, and to provide a context in which the writer can present himself and company…

Finds that U.S. managers writing letters of complaint used a direct organizational pattern and tended to state the main idea or problem first before sharing explanatory details, whereas the standard Korean pattern (written by Korean managers for whom English is a second language) was indirect and tended to delay the reader's discovery of the main…

Examines the influence of culture on persuasive managerial communication in the People's Republic of China. Finds that the interrelated cultural values of group-centeredness, hierarchy, and "face concern" were reflected most often, followed by political ideology and changing managerial roles. (SR)