This guide to improving cross-cultural communication is the second part of a four-part series addressing the essential characteristics of effective instruction that have a positive impact on the academic achievement of Black and Hispanic students. Since schools tend to reflect the norms and values of the majority culture, cultural…

The magnet school program established during the 1988-89 school year by the New York City Board of Education in four high schools is evaluated in this summary report. Magnet schools were developed to achieve an integrated school system, with a focus on development of a curriculum that would attract various racial and ethnic groups. Increased…

Compiled for Japanese teachers of English who are interested in intercultural communication, this bibliography is broken down into 16 subcategories. Most items in the bibliography come from primary sources, and for each source available at the Michigan State University Library, the bibliography provides call numbers. The first section lists books…

Major cultural differences impeded the smooth transfer of a 14 day management education program, which had been very successfully used in Western settings, to an Asian situation. Thirteen Chinese and two Caucasians, all of whom worked in Southeast Asia and had management degrees, attended the program to improve their skills in influencing those…

A study assessed the effect of American/Western culture on English-speaking Japanese bilinguals as reflected in differences in the connotative meanings of certain kinds of words. Differences in culturally determined meanings were examined in translation-equivalent concrete concepts, abstract words, and personality attributes, as measured on a…

UNESCO's International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems recommends that a new world information and communication order be established. This order advocates that the news media serve the public directly, and that the public in turn hold the media accountable. Alfred Korzybski's General Semantics paradigm is one system that can…

An examination of the different cultural traits, values, and business strategies of Americans and Japanese through simulation and role-playing is presented. A Japanese player and an American player, when presented with scripts, have a business conversation about a hypothetical business venture, and then discuss the interaction in interviews. The…

Communication patterns and language use in four national and multinational companies operating in Taiwan illustrate the potential for communication problems when more than one language is in use. The companies include Texas Instruments, Kaohsiung Monomer Company, Ltd., Bank of America, and Cheng-Yia International Corporation. In the four…

This manual is a resource guide for teachers and administrators and was compiled to provide direction for planning an effective orientation program. An in-depth design is given which will enable participants to derive maximum benefit from an intercultural experience. Each of the sections includes detailed instructions for the preparation of the…

Non-governmental U.S. organizations involved in U.S.-USSR studies and exchange activities are described. A total of 187 groups identified as being engaged to some degree in Soviet-American work were sent questionnaires. The response rate was 70 percent. Descriptions of the 131 responding groups are provided in organizational profiles that comprise…

This paper discusses the use of bilingual workers who do not have formal mental health training as mediators and providers of mental health care for refugees. The introduction provides a background discussion of the need for refugee mental health services, the characteristics of bilingual mental health workers, and the work places and expectations…

Over 60 years of American anthropological and sociological research writings have erected a concept of culture that restricts its role in planned change models to one of active or tacit resistance to change. As an alternative, this paper suggests that the substitution of a contemporary, dynamic conceptualization of culture as developed by…

To show that the bottom line for successful operation of a multinational company is understanding the cultural background of its employees and adapting to cultural change, this paper cites studies indicating that attitudes, communication, interpersonal skills, and motivation may be more important than technical skills in ensuring success in…

Both North American and Latin American business professionals were investigated in a study that focused on the perceived communication problems between the two groups. A number of major areas of interest were considered, including the following: (1) source of credibility (what dimensions of personality were seen as most desirable in the…

Many foreign engineering undergraduates already have adequate English skills for the technical part of their academic and professional purposes, but still have problems with communication and interactive skills. Conventional ESP courses may not meet their needs, so an alternate program is proposed. (Author/LMO)