Search results for "Cultural communication."

The adjustment of Finnish expatriates in Britain with special reference to communicative comperence : a case study

2002

Who am i : reconstructing cultural identity upon reentry

2012

The topic of this thesis is reentry adaptation and its effects on an individual’s cultural identity. The purpose of the study is to find out what kinds of problems may arrive during reentry adaptation, how identity is changed as a result of intercultural experiences, as well as what kinds of communication strategies help the entire adaptation process. The aim of the study is to examine what kinds of factors should be taken into account during reentry in order to make it easier on the returnees. In addition the aim is to investigate how individuals are able to comprehend their new cultural identity and in which ways they are able to communicate the possible changes to friends and family at h…

A qualitative study of male and female perceptions in differences in the working and domestic sphere : a comparison of the French and Finnish cultures

2015

This thesis presents a comparison between two culturally different countries in terms of gender differences causing inequality in the working and domestic life. France, one of the pioneer countries in terms of fighting for women’s rights, but at the same time strongly paternalistic and chauvinist as a result of its Latin culture, is compared to Finland, considered as an example for gender equality. The research was conducted among private French and Finnish companies, where interviews were conducted of male and female employees holding different positions in the hierarchy. The thesis presents two articles. 1) The first one focuses on the reproduction of a social structure by the organizatio…

Cross-Cultural Factors in Experiencing Online Video Contents in Product Marketing

2017

Although online shops represent convenient tools to buy and sell products, they do not offer as rich multisensory experiences than physical retailing offers. Audio-visual contents could provide dynamic multisensory information and offer more engaging experiences. However, to be successful, audio-visual contents need to be adjusted to the cultural characteristics of the users. This manuscript presents a study in which Spanish and Finnish participants interacted with audiovisual products depicting videos of the brand design. Through content analysis of participants' verbalizations, the authors identified categories and subcategories that defined the representation of the video elements and th…

International artists-in-residence 1990-2010 : mobility, technology and identity in everyday art practices

2016

Considering the exponential growth of artistic residencies between 1990 and 2010 at an international level, artists working in associated mobility programmes have been challenged by unsettled transnational working practices and competition. This, in turn, provides them with the opportunity to develop their creative processes. It is shown that artists’-in-residence openness and willingness to travel internationally is, on the one hand, related to the development of information technology, and on the other, supported by travelling facilities, which have impact on lifelong learning and cultural maintenance. Whereas change of geographical environment is often associated to psychological and phy…

The Use of Multimodal Resources by Technical Managers and Their Peers in Meetings Using English as the Business Lingua Franca

2020

Background: Engineers increasingly work and advance their careers in international business settings. As technical managers, they need management and technical skills when working with different stakeholders with whom they may not share a common first language. Studies have revealed that informal oral communication skills are of prime importance for global engineers who face challenges in building shared meaning and formulating clear messages in meetings with non-native speakers of English. This article proposes that studying the use of multimodal resources (spoken language, gaze, gestures, and objects) in meetings can unpack how work tasks are accomplished in business through different com…

On Temporal Aspects in Cross-Cultural e-Collaboration Between Finland and Japan Research Teams

2018

Time is an essential dimension in cross-cultural e-collaboration among research project teams. Understanding temporal aspects and project dynamics in cross-cultural research e-collaboration and related processes can improve team members' skills in cross-cultural communication and increase their cultural competence. The present case cultures are Finnish and Japanese, and the case universities are the University of Jyväskylä (Finland) and Keio University (Japan). Three issues are addressed in this article. First, cultural dimensions and time models in the cross-cultural e-collaboration context are discussed. Second, temporal aspects related to e-collaboration activities are introduced. Third,…

The roles of linguistic confidence and integrative motivation on cross-cultural adaptation of Asian degree students Finland

2015

While cross-cultural adaptation of international students has become more and more popular topics in the field of intercultural communication, there are few studies related to students who come to non-native-English-speaking countries to study international programs. Specifically, the number of Asian students enrolling in international degree programs in Finland has been increasing recently. Besides other difficulties, language has become one of the most baffling issues in the process of both sociocultural adaptation and psychological adaptation of strangers in the host country (Maza, 1963). By narrowing the impacts of integrative motivation and linguistic confidence, they have drawn some r…

“Opportunities, but Nothing Very Concrete” : The Challenge Finns Face with Chinese Delegations’ General Level of Interest in Finland

2015

This paper explores the challenge of finding common ground between the Finns and the Chinese in the context of co-operation, trade and inward investment facilitation related to general lack of specific interest displayed by the Chinese. The article is ethnographic in nature and is mainly based on data obtained from interviewing individuals working for local governments in Finland and one of the state agencies responsible for attracting foreign investment. The study uses Speech Codes Theory (Philipsen, 1997) when analyzing the cultural aspects of expectations regarding communication between Chinese and Finns. According to interviewees, lack of serious interest, vague government guidelines, t…

Introduction: Localisation and the theoretical impasse?

2018

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