1 Summary This essay based upon a qualitative data set originates from the success of the medieva... more 1 Summary This essay based upon a qualitative data set originates from the success of the medieval guilds of the European cities as predecessors of the present SMEs which has formed already long years 75% of the success of the Euroepan econmy. The first fact is nicely exemplified in a historical novel of a chronicle writer in the city of the famous painter Jheronimus Bosch who lived and worked in the Dutch city of s'-Hertogenbosch (Savelkouls, 2016) and the last is very well explained in the book by Dana (2006) about the symbiotic entrepreneurship in the Eurozone. The latter illustrates well how the culture of European SMEs leads in a natural way to this symbiosis of cooperation and networking of which MNCs are completely dependent. This paper is not dealing with empirically collected and analysed quantitative data concerning the micro entrepreneurial phenomenon of Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) in general and in Europe in particular. This paper is dealing with the cultural dimension of the macro European economic life, on the basis of a theoretical model that is constructed of the qualitative characteristics of SME. This qualitative model of an economic culture, originating from historical experience, can be considered a forecast of future European economy: its future structural form and position in the globalizing world. Derived from and founded in this forecast a backcasting analysis might be undertaken, a problem-solving-oriented analysis of the current crisis where the European Union finds itself in. This is an extremely complex, stratified crisis situation. The financial – economic crisis is only the superficial layer of it. The cultural identity and the success of the economy European style lays in the human factor, that is the incalculable risk factor of the human involvement, creativity and fallibility as well, that in the (neo)liberal shareholders value oriented economy is systematically factored out. 2 Theoretical-conceptual framework
This is an updated list of 120 publications of Jan Ulijn (19 June 2016, when he had his birthday... more This is an updated list of 120 publications of Jan Ulijn (19 June 2016, when he had his birthday of 72 years) which can be downloaded from Academia.edu and the scientific repository of Eindhoven University of Technology. Research Gate has 40 items more. Please, enjoy and good luck in your own work, dear fellow researchers.
Chapter 2 clearly demonstrated that business managers and engineers who work internationally ofte... more Chapter 2 clearly demonstrated that business managers and engineers who work internationally often have to read and write in languages other than their own in business or research and development settings. This is particularly true for those whose mother tongue is not English although it is also a strong consideration for native speakers of English who face large non-English speaking markets. In any kind of international communication, oral and written discourse might be affected not only by linguistic factors, but also by cultural elements. A misuse of either element may be erroneously perceived by a foreign reader or listener even if you use your native language. You might experience similar problems in reading or listening to your partner's message even if he uses your language. However, even if you never read, write, or speak in a foreign language for your work, your communication with a foreign-born partner might be more successful if you gain some insight into the most effective ways of communicating in another language and culture. This might also be useful if you have to use the services of a translator or an interpreter to negotiate international business deals.
What happens psycholinguistically if you have to read and write in another language or translate into it? Almost all international business managers or engineers--either directly or indirectly--have to deal with translation and other cross-linguistic and cross-cultural aspects of communication. This chapter, based on the tested practical theories presented in Chapters 3, 4, and 5, and a considerable number of experiments on cross-linguistic and cross-cultural aspects of communication, tries to foster an awareness of these linguistic and nonlinguistic elements. This chapter focuses primarily on the written aspects of communication while the oral ones are dealt with in Chapter 7.
Chapter Contents
6.0Introduction 6.1Implications of the Cognitive Language Comprehension and Production Model 6.1.1Lexicon and Bilingualism 6.1.2Second Language Acquisition and Translation 6.2Languages Processed and Produced as Native and Foreign Languages 6.2.1Are Different Languages Processed and Produced in Different Ways? 6.2.2Commonalities and Differences between a Specific Language Used as a Native Language and as a Foreign Language? 6.2.3Simplifying Business and Technical English for Nonnative Speakers 6.3Transfer from One language to Another in the Language User 6.3.1Reading and Writing 6.3.1.1Syntax 6.3.1.2Lexis 6.3.1.3Text 6.3.1.4Reading 6.3.1.5Reading and Writing 6.3.2Translation: a Special Case of Interlingual Transfer 6.4Interactive Partial Parallel Strategy : Interlingual Transfer in Foreign Language Comprehension and Production 6.4.1Reading and Syntax 6.4.2Translation and Syntax 6.4.3Discourse and Culture in Foreign Language Use and Translation 6.5Implications for Technical and Business Communication 6.5.1Dealing with Lexicon and Culture in Foreign Language Communication 6.5.2Writing Readable Texts for an International Audience 6.5.3The Effectiveness of Human vs Machine Translation. 6.5.4Efficient Foreign Language Learning Summary Study Questions
Every business manager and engineer is involved in reading and writing technical documentation wi... more Every business manager and engineer is involved in reading and writing technical documentation within the organization of a manufacturing company or a research and development laboratory. The technical buyer has to read sales brochures, technical papers, feasibility studies, and engineering reports. The product and sales managers often have to provide these documents to the clients in other languages than English as is discussed in Chapter 2. Therefore, they are frequently responsible for the technical writing and translation process for their products. The research and development engineer probably has to read and write the most: project and progress reports, memos, and lab field notebooks.
This chapter tries to foster an awareness for the reading and writing aspect of the communication processes in business and technology and to increase insight into the most effective methods of written communication based upon tested practical theory. This is a first step toward developing or improving skills in this area which will be of benefit not only to you but also to your suppliers, clients, managers and colleagues.
This chapter combines the information presented in Chapters 4 and 5 for the written mode (reading and writing). While there are many forms of and audiences for written communication, this chapter starts with one of the basic needs of every company working in a national or a global market: taking care of the clients by providing efficient technical documentation as a part of the product or service to be sold. To get a deeper insight into the effectiveness of such documentation, we suggest you take a reader-oriented approach. This would imply that you
oAnalyze your own writing situation. oFocus on your reader(s) and the methods used to communicate with them. oConsider yourself as a reader of other people's and your own text(s) to increase the quality of your own writing.
In addition to presenting information on producing high quality readable documents, this chapter provides psycholinguistic foundations for some of the writing guidelines on how to communicate better through all of your professional documents including the external ones you are going to write for your clients and the internal ones you are responsible for as a manager. This chapter also discusses specific writing styles and structures are most effective.
Chapter Contents
8.1What is your Writing Situation? 8.2How Do You Communicate with your Readers? 8.3How Can You Increase the Quality of your Writing? 8.4The Total Document 8.5Psycholinguistic Issues Summary Study questions Assignment
Speaking and writing are generally considered to be the active or productive skills of language u... more Speaking and writing are generally considered to be the active or productive skills of language usage, although there is also some debate about the definition of the term "productive" in this application. As discussed in Chapters 1 and 4, listening and reading are also very active processes, even though they are labelled as passive or receptive. With this disclaimer, this chapter is designed to give an overview of the global language production models and to discuss their applications to the specific fields of business and technology.
The reading and writing chapters have an important overlap since reading processes depend on a written text. While Chapter 4 deals more with psycholinguistic evidence about the reader in his relationship with the text, this chapter deals more with the writer and her relationship with the text; however, all three factors--reader, writer, and text--contribute to the operationalization of the concept of readability.
The chapter first addresses the psycholinguistic aspects of language production processes and the evidence for the operation of the language generator, a crucial element in that process. Writing and speaking have some aspects in common in the planning or conceptualization of the message; however, the formulation or execution of the message is different for the writing and speaking processes. In this chapter, the writing process is discussed before the speaking process, even though those processes are acquired in the opposite order in an individual's personal development because it is more difficult to become skillful at written communication than at oral communication.
You, as business managers and engineers need to be sure that what you write and what you say is clearly understood. Therefore, the issue of readability and its parallel for listening are reviewed. In addition, this chapter briefly examines how the use of computers can be used to support effective writing and communication practices.
Chapter Contents
5.1Psycholinguistics and the Language Production Processes 5.2Writing and Speaking Processes 5.2.1Writing 5.2.2Speaking 5.2.3Reviewing and Revision 5.3Similarities Between Writing and Speaking 5.4Differences Between Writing and Speaking 5.4.1Generalizations 5.4.2Linguistic Aspects 5.5Readability: Implication for the Writer 5.6Use of Computers in Writing and Communication 5.7Conclusion and Implications for the Business Manager and Engineer
In Chapter 3 we have seen how language can be described to fulfill a practical function in both ... more In Chapter 3 we have seen how language can be described to fulfill a practical function in both domestic and international communication in business and technology. To measure what the effect of language is in such situations, we need to know how language is used in listening and reading and which skills which are the most needed in both native and foreign languages. Listening and reading are generally considered to be the "passive" skills of language usage, although there is some debate about the definition of the term passive in this application. Neither listening nor reading are passive skills; they are receptive skills which require a lot of active attention. For example, a listener has to be very active in paying attention to the message being communicated while also figuring out how to formulate a response. In business settings, listening is a vital activity in which top managers spend up to 70 percent of their time. However, with this specialized use of the term "passive" noted, this chapter is designed to give an overview of the language comprehension models and to discuss their applications to the specific fields of business and technology. Thus, the information being listened to and the texts being read are within the context of business and technology. This chapter aims at giving you, as business managers and engineers, insight about how language operates in the listening and reading processes so that you can more efficiently analyze your own behavior and the behavior of clients and others you deal with. By achieving a better understanding of listening and reading skills, you will be able to use those skills more effectively. How do people listen and read in any language? To answer this question, a 0 0 1 E
Purpose Statement When we discuss the concept of a linguistic register, what do we mean? What is ... more Purpose Statement When we discuss the concept of a linguistic register, what do we mean? What is business language (BL) or technical language (TL) or language for science and technology (LST)? A very general definition of a linguistic register is a variety of a language used for a specific purpose (LSP), and that specific purpose may include areas as diverse as medicine and library science in addition to business and technology. Register analysis is a tool to allow more careful study of the facets of any language which are specifically applicable to international business and science and technology. Such an analysis can help you, as managers and engineers understand more about the communication processes within your fields and about how to communicate more effectively with a variety of audiences. Within that general definition of a register, there are a number of issues and question:
The communication, language, and culture data presented in this chapter should give you enough in... more The communication, language, and culture data presented in this chapter should give you enough insight into your communication needs to help you to identify the necessary communication skills for your situation. If you are a personnel or human resources manager, a communication or training executive, or an executive director, this chapter should make available enough information to help you develop a policy to promote and improve the communication skills of your company's personnel. In addition, you may identify other resources to strengthen the company's overall communication and negotiation skills in order to facilitate the exchange of both products and information internationally as well as nationally. This needs analysis chapter adopts an overall macrosociolinguistic approach (Hartig, 1981) which touches upon aspects such as language planning, normalization, and language contact, but the focus is definitely on a microsociolinguistic level: that is, the language needs of a specialized group, business managers and engineers. The communicative and intercultural aspects of language are also included.
Chapter Contents
2.1Introduction 2.2The Flow of a Technical Concept in Industry and Its Consequences for Communication 2.3General Communication Needs in Business and Technology 2.3.1Language and Communication vs. Other Needs 2.3.2Communication Activities 2.3.3Technical Writing as a Special Communication Activity 2.4Potential and Real Foreign Language (FL) Needs in Business and Technology 2.4.1Potential Needs 2.4.2Frequency and Importance of Real Contacts and Occurrence of Problems 2.4.3Summary of Potential Needs and Frequency and Occurrence of Problems 2.5Strategies to Fulfill the Language and Communication Needs of Business Managers and Engineers Summary Study questions Assignments
This is a well-written book which, because of its historical-sociological perspective, invites de... more This is a well-written book which, because of its historical-sociological perspective, invites debate rather than evaluation. The nice thing about (organizational) culture (OC) is that everybody uses the word frequently and the concept behind it is not the monopoly of any academic discipline. The author is correct in quoting Raymond Williams' statement that 'Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language' (p.1). One can be sure that the same is true of any other language. After a short description of the contents of the book, I will discuss some of its strengths and weaknesses, based upon my own research experience and background. I will end with some questions to facilitate further generalization of one spatial dimension of culture that is almost ignored by the author (see Figure 8.1: 188) -- that of national culture. To what extent are the perceptions, interpretations and conclusions about the organizational culture and identity of three British organizations transferable to other cases within or outside the United Kingdom? Even had this not been the intention of the author: How could a business manager apply such knowledge for the common benefit of the organization, its employees and its clients?
IPCC '88 Conference Record 'On the Edge: A Pacific Rim Conference on Professional Technical Communication'., 1988
The Eindhoven Psycholinguistic Communication Curriculum (EPCC), which has been designed to incorp... more The Eindhoven Psycholinguistic Communication Curriculum (EPCC), which has been designed to incorporate cooperation between industry and academia, is described. EPCC is a teaching program for `Technology & Communication' (8 sem., M.S.) and `Technology & Linguistics' (4 sem., Ph.D.) at the Eindhoven University of Technology. The Ph.D. stage involves specialization in terminology and business negotiations (high-technology, multiculture, multilanguage). The M.S. stage offers engineering and advanced communication (native and non-native technical writing and languages, high-technology negotiations, psycholinguistics). Industrial internships for communication research are provided
A Call for Papers for a special issue of Technological Forecasting and Social Change: Crossing bo... more A Call for Papers for a special issue of Technological Forecasting and Social Change: Crossing borders: Can cultural differences predict the success of socio-technical change
This article describes the process of organizational change due to technological evolutions, sugg... more This article describes the process of organizational change due to technological evolutions, suggesting that community-specific differences in discourse may have a considerable influence on its success. The questions for this study focus on: 1) how do we define a technically oriented employee who has to cope with organizational change? 2) Which factors determine the reaction to organizational change projects in which these technically oriented employees are involved? And 3) what are the consequences of these specific characters of technically oriented employees for implementing change programs in the most effective manner? First, while the present studies on professional communication do not pay any attention to change management, the current models of change management also barely pay attention to (professional) discourse. Second, we examine culture, which can be divided into national culture (NC), organizational culture (OC), and professional culture (PC). In this case study, we focus on the professional cultures of specific (change) managers and technicians and their discourse in the utilities sector. After this, we describe the case study, which exemplifies how change results can be influenced. It seems that in a technical environment, the change process and interventions need to be specific, concrete, and to the point. However, there also seems to be a dilemma between universal (e.g. mechanistic and formal) and contingency (e.g. organic, informal and emergent) approaches to the change process. The results of this study show the need to analyze cultures through discourse and through PC as a way to differentiate discourse between technical and non-technical employees. We suggest further research on three aspects that interfere and influence the change effort: context, discourse, and professional cultures of (change) managers and technicians.
By Jos Pieterse, Fontys University of Applied Sciences (NL), (j.pieterse@fontys.nl, Managing Gue... more By Jos Pieterse, Fontys University of Applied Sciences (NL), (j.pieterse@fontys.nl, Managing Guest Editor) and Jan Ulijn, Open University of The Netherlands and emeritus Eindhoven University of Technology.
Cultural differences can trigger social change especially when cross border interactions between people take place. Technological innovations can start new worldwide interactions and as a consequence bring about social change. Probably these “socio-technical” developments are two sides of the same coin. Nowadays it becomes more crucial to hold the same pace in both technological and social changes. We are looking for both country and cross border studies based on empirical data within the fields of organization and professional culture related to technological and social change. Authors are invited to focus on macro, meso and micro levels of cultural cross border social and technological changes. We welcome both conceptual and empirical studies (both quantitative and/or qualitative). With respect to culture we prioritize mutual perception and Delphi studies over self-reports, but the latter are welcome as well. Change might be studied not only structurally, but also in an organic and evolutionary way.
1 Summary This essay based upon a qualitative data set originates from the success of the medieva... more 1 Summary This essay based upon a qualitative data set originates from the success of the medieval guilds of the European cities as predecessors of the present SMEs which has formed already long years 75% of the success of the Euroepan econmy. The first fact is nicely exemplified in a historical novel of a chronicle writer in the city of the famous painter Jheronimus Bosch who lived and worked in the Dutch city of s'-Hertogenbosch (Savelkouls, 2016) and the last is very well explained in the book by Dana (2006) about the symbiotic entrepreneurship in the Eurozone. The latter illustrates well how the culture of European SMEs leads in a natural way to this symbiosis of cooperation and networking of which MNCs are completely dependent. This paper is not dealing with empirically collected and analysed quantitative data concerning the micro entrepreneurial phenomenon of Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) in general and in Europe in particular. This paper is dealing with the cultural dimension of the macro European economic life, on the basis of a theoretical model that is constructed of the qualitative characteristics of SME. This qualitative model of an economic culture, originating from historical experience, can be considered a forecast of future European economy: its future structural form and position in the globalizing world. Derived from and founded in this forecast a backcasting analysis might be undertaken, a problem-solving-oriented analysis of the current crisis where the European Union finds itself in. This is an extremely complex, stratified crisis situation. The financial – economic crisis is only the superficial layer of it. The cultural identity and the success of the economy European style lays in the human factor, that is the incalculable risk factor of the human involvement, creativity and fallibility as well, that in the (neo)liberal shareholders value oriented economy is systematically factored out. 2 Theoretical-conceptual framework
This is an updated list of 120 publications of Jan Ulijn (19 June 2016, when he had his birthday... more This is an updated list of 120 publications of Jan Ulijn (19 June 2016, when he had his birthday of 72 years) which can be downloaded from Academia.edu and the scientific repository of Eindhoven University of Technology. Research Gate has 40 items more. Please, enjoy and good luck in your own work, dear fellow researchers.
Chapter 2 clearly demonstrated that business managers and engineers who work internationally ofte... more Chapter 2 clearly demonstrated that business managers and engineers who work internationally often have to read and write in languages other than their own in business or research and development settings. This is particularly true for those whose mother tongue is not English although it is also a strong consideration for native speakers of English who face large non-English speaking markets. In any kind of international communication, oral and written discourse might be affected not only by linguistic factors, but also by cultural elements. A misuse of either element may be erroneously perceived by a foreign reader or listener even if you use your native language. You might experience similar problems in reading or listening to your partner's message even if he uses your language. However, even if you never read, write, or speak in a foreign language for your work, your communication with a foreign-born partner might be more successful if you gain some insight into the most effective ways of communicating in another language and culture. This might also be useful if you have to use the services of a translator or an interpreter to negotiate international business deals.
What happens psycholinguistically if you have to read and write in another language or translate into it? Almost all international business managers or engineers--either directly or indirectly--have to deal with translation and other cross-linguistic and cross-cultural aspects of communication. This chapter, based on the tested practical theories presented in Chapters 3, 4, and 5, and a considerable number of experiments on cross-linguistic and cross-cultural aspects of communication, tries to foster an awareness of these linguistic and nonlinguistic elements. This chapter focuses primarily on the written aspects of communication while the oral ones are dealt with in Chapter 7.
Chapter Contents
6.0Introduction 6.1Implications of the Cognitive Language Comprehension and Production Model 6.1.1Lexicon and Bilingualism 6.1.2Second Language Acquisition and Translation 6.2Languages Processed and Produced as Native and Foreign Languages 6.2.1Are Different Languages Processed and Produced in Different Ways? 6.2.2Commonalities and Differences between a Specific Language Used as a Native Language and as a Foreign Language? 6.2.3Simplifying Business and Technical English for Nonnative Speakers 6.3Transfer from One language to Another in the Language User 6.3.1Reading and Writing 6.3.1.1Syntax 6.3.1.2Lexis 6.3.1.3Text 6.3.1.4Reading 6.3.1.5Reading and Writing 6.3.2Translation: a Special Case of Interlingual Transfer 6.4Interactive Partial Parallel Strategy : Interlingual Transfer in Foreign Language Comprehension and Production 6.4.1Reading and Syntax 6.4.2Translation and Syntax 6.4.3Discourse and Culture in Foreign Language Use and Translation 6.5Implications for Technical and Business Communication 6.5.1Dealing with Lexicon and Culture in Foreign Language Communication 6.5.2Writing Readable Texts for an International Audience 6.5.3The Effectiveness of Human vs Machine Translation. 6.5.4Efficient Foreign Language Learning Summary Study Questions
Every business manager and engineer is involved in reading and writing technical documentation wi... more Every business manager and engineer is involved in reading and writing technical documentation within the organization of a manufacturing company or a research and development laboratory. The technical buyer has to read sales brochures, technical papers, feasibility studies, and engineering reports. The product and sales managers often have to provide these documents to the clients in other languages than English as is discussed in Chapter 2. Therefore, they are frequently responsible for the technical writing and translation process for their products. The research and development engineer probably has to read and write the most: project and progress reports, memos, and lab field notebooks.
This chapter tries to foster an awareness for the reading and writing aspect of the communication processes in business and technology and to increase insight into the most effective methods of written communication based upon tested practical theory. This is a first step toward developing or improving skills in this area which will be of benefit not only to you but also to your suppliers, clients, managers and colleagues.
This chapter combines the information presented in Chapters 4 and 5 for the written mode (reading and writing). While there are many forms of and audiences for written communication, this chapter starts with one of the basic needs of every company working in a national or a global market: taking care of the clients by providing efficient technical documentation as a part of the product or service to be sold. To get a deeper insight into the effectiveness of such documentation, we suggest you take a reader-oriented approach. This would imply that you
oAnalyze your own writing situation. oFocus on your reader(s) and the methods used to communicate with them. oConsider yourself as a reader of other people's and your own text(s) to increase the quality of your own writing.
In addition to presenting information on producing high quality readable documents, this chapter provides psycholinguistic foundations for some of the writing guidelines on how to communicate better through all of your professional documents including the external ones you are going to write for your clients and the internal ones you are responsible for as a manager. This chapter also discusses specific writing styles and structures are most effective.
Chapter Contents
8.1What is your Writing Situation? 8.2How Do You Communicate with your Readers? 8.3How Can You Increase the Quality of your Writing? 8.4The Total Document 8.5Psycholinguistic Issues Summary Study questions Assignment
Speaking and writing are generally considered to be the active or productive skills of language u... more Speaking and writing are generally considered to be the active or productive skills of language usage, although there is also some debate about the definition of the term "productive" in this application. As discussed in Chapters 1 and 4, listening and reading are also very active processes, even though they are labelled as passive or receptive. With this disclaimer, this chapter is designed to give an overview of the global language production models and to discuss their applications to the specific fields of business and technology.
The reading and writing chapters have an important overlap since reading processes depend on a written text. While Chapter 4 deals more with psycholinguistic evidence about the reader in his relationship with the text, this chapter deals more with the writer and her relationship with the text; however, all three factors--reader, writer, and text--contribute to the operationalization of the concept of readability.
The chapter first addresses the psycholinguistic aspects of language production processes and the evidence for the operation of the language generator, a crucial element in that process. Writing and speaking have some aspects in common in the planning or conceptualization of the message; however, the formulation or execution of the message is different for the writing and speaking processes. In this chapter, the writing process is discussed before the speaking process, even though those processes are acquired in the opposite order in an individual's personal development because it is more difficult to become skillful at written communication than at oral communication.
You, as business managers and engineers need to be sure that what you write and what you say is clearly understood. Therefore, the issue of readability and its parallel for listening are reviewed. In addition, this chapter briefly examines how the use of computers can be used to support effective writing and communication practices.
Chapter Contents
5.1Psycholinguistics and the Language Production Processes 5.2Writing and Speaking Processes 5.2.1Writing 5.2.2Speaking 5.2.3Reviewing and Revision 5.3Similarities Between Writing and Speaking 5.4Differences Between Writing and Speaking 5.4.1Generalizations 5.4.2Linguistic Aspects 5.5Readability: Implication for the Writer 5.6Use of Computers in Writing and Communication 5.7Conclusion and Implications for the Business Manager and Engineer
In Chapter 3 we have seen how language can be described to fulfill a practical function in both ... more In Chapter 3 we have seen how language can be described to fulfill a practical function in both domestic and international communication in business and technology. To measure what the effect of language is in such situations, we need to know how language is used in listening and reading and which skills which are the most needed in both native and foreign languages. Listening and reading are generally considered to be the "passive" skills of language usage, although there is some debate about the definition of the term passive in this application. Neither listening nor reading are passive skills; they are receptive skills which require a lot of active attention. For example, a listener has to be very active in paying attention to the message being communicated while also figuring out how to formulate a response. In business settings, listening is a vital activity in which top managers spend up to 70 percent of their time. However, with this specialized use of the term "passive" noted, this chapter is designed to give an overview of the language comprehension models and to discuss their applications to the specific fields of business and technology. Thus, the information being listened to and the texts being read are within the context of business and technology. This chapter aims at giving you, as business managers and engineers, insight about how language operates in the listening and reading processes so that you can more efficiently analyze your own behavior and the behavior of clients and others you deal with. By achieving a better understanding of listening and reading skills, you will be able to use those skills more effectively. How do people listen and read in any language? To answer this question, a 0 0 1 E
Purpose Statement When we discuss the concept of a linguistic register, what do we mean? What is ... more Purpose Statement When we discuss the concept of a linguistic register, what do we mean? What is business language (BL) or technical language (TL) or language for science and technology (LST)? A very general definition of a linguistic register is a variety of a language used for a specific purpose (LSP), and that specific purpose may include areas as diverse as medicine and library science in addition to business and technology. Register analysis is a tool to allow more careful study of the facets of any language which are specifically applicable to international business and science and technology. Such an analysis can help you, as managers and engineers understand more about the communication processes within your fields and about how to communicate more effectively with a variety of audiences. Within that general definition of a register, there are a number of issues and question:
The communication, language, and culture data presented in this chapter should give you enough in... more The communication, language, and culture data presented in this chapter should give you enough insight into your communication needs to help you to identify the necessary communication skills for your situation. If you are a personnel or human resources manager, a communication or training executive, or an executive director, this chapter should make available enough information to help you develop a policy to promote and improve the communication skills of your company's personnel. In addition, you may identify other resources to strengthen the company's overall communication and negotiation skills in order to facilitate the exchange of both products and information internationally as well as nationally. This needs analysis chapter adopts an overall macrosociolinguistic approach (Hartig, 1981) which touches upon aspects such as language planning, normalization, and language contact, but the focus is definitely on a microsociolinguistic level: that is, the language needs of a specialized group, business managers and engineers. The communicative and intercultural aspects of language are also included.
Chapter Contents
2.1Introduction 2.2The Flow of a Technical Concept in Industry and Its Consequences for Communication 2.3General Communication Needs in Business and Technology 2.3.1Language and Communication vs. Other Needs 2.3.2Communication Activities 2.3.3Technical Writing as a Special Communication Activity 2.4Potential and Real Foreign Language (FL) Needs in Business and Technology 2.4.1Potential Needs 2.4.2Frequency and Importance of Real Contacts and Occurrence of Problems 2.4.3Summary of Potential Needs and Frequency and Occurrence of Problems 2.5Strategies to Fulfill the Language and Communication Needs of Business Managers and Engineers Summary Study questions Assignments
This is a well-written book which, because of its historical-sociological perspective, invites de... more This is a well-written book which, because of its historical-sociological perspective, invites debate rather than evaluation. The nice thing about (organizational) culture (OC) is that everybody uses the word frequently and the concept behind it is not the monopoly of any academic discipline. The author is correct in quoting Raymond Williams' statement that 'Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language' (p.1). One can be sure that the same is true of any other language. After a short description of the contents of the book, I will discuss some of its strengths and weaknesses, based upon my own research experience and background. I will end with some questions to facilitate further generalization of one spatial dimension of culture that is almost ignored by the author (see Figure 8.1: 188) -- that of national culture. To what extent are the perceptions, interpretations and conclusions about the organizational culture and identity of three British organizations transferable to other cases within or outside the United Kingdom? Even had this not been the intention of the author: How could a business manager apply such knowledge for the common benefit of the organization, its employees and its clients?
IPCC '88 Conference Record 'On the Edge: A Pacific Rim Conference on Professional Technical Communication'., 1988
The Eindhoven Psycholinguistic Communication Curriculum (EPCC), which has been designed to incorp... more The Eindhoven Psycholinguistic Communication Curriculum (EPCC), which has been designed to incorporate cooperation between industry and academia, is described. EPCC is a teaching program for `Technology & Communication' (8 sem., M.S.) and `Technology & Linguistics' (4 sem., Ph.D.) at the Eindhoven University of Technology. The Ph.D. stage involves specialization in terminology and business negotiations (high-technology, multiculture, multilanguage). The M.S. stage offers engineering and advanced communication (native and non-native technical writing and languages, high-technology negotiations, psycholinguistics). Industrial internships for communication research are provided
A Call for Papers for a special issue of Technological Forecasting and Social Change: Crossing bo... more A Call for Papers for a special issue of Technological Forecasting and Social Change: Crossing borders: Can cultural differences predict the success of socio-technical change
This article describes the process of organizational change due to technological evolutions, sugg... more This article describes the process of organizational change due to technological evolutions, suggesting that community-specific differences in discourse may have a considerable influence on its success. The questions for this study focus on: 1) how do we define a technically oriented employee who has to cope with organizational change? 2) Which factors determine the reaction to organizational change projects in which these technically oriented employees are involved? And 3) what are the consequences of these specific characters of technically oriented employees for implementing change programs in the most effective manner? First, while the present studies on professional communication do not pay any attention to change management, the current models of change management also barely pay attention to (professional) discourse. Second, we examine culture, which can be divided into national culture (NC), organizational culture (OC), and professional culture (PC). In this case study, we focus on the professional cultures of specific (change) managers and technicians and their discourse in the utilities sector. After this, we describe the case study, which exemplifies how change results can be influenced. It seems that in a technical environment, the change process and interventions need to be specific, concrete, and to the point. However, there also seems to be a dilemma between universal (e.g. mechanistic and formal) and contingency (e.g. organic, informal and emergent) approaches to the change process. The results of this study show the need to analyze cultures through discourse and through PC as a way to differentiate discourse between technical and non-technical employees. We suggest further research on three aspects that interfere and influence the change effort: context, discourse, and professional cultures of (change) managers and technicians.
By Jos Pieterse, Fontys University of Applied Sciences (NL), (j.pieterse@fontys.nl, Managing Gue... more By Jos Pieterse, Fontys University of Applied Sciences (NL), (j.pieterse@fontys.nl, Managing Guest Editor) and Jan Ulijn, Open University of The Netherlands and emeritus Eindhoven University of Technology.
Cultural differences can trigger social change especially when cross border interactions between people take place. Technological innovations can start new worldwide interactions and as a consequence bring about social change. Probably these “socio-technical” developments are two sides of the same coin. Nowadays it becomes more crucial to hold the same pace in both technological and social changes. We are looking for both country and cross border studies based on empirical data within the fields of organization and professional culture related to technological and social change. Authors are invited to focus on macro, meso and micro levels of cultural cross border social and technological changes. We welcome both conceptual and empirical studies (both quantitative and/or qualitative). With respect to culture we prioritize mutual perception and Delphi studies over self-reports, but the latter are welcome as well. Change might be studied not only structurally, but also in an organic and evolutionary way.
Additional key words: Technological Forecasting, Social Change
The Euregion Meuse-Rhine is one ... more Additional key words: Technological Forecasting, Social Change
The Euregion Meuse-Rhine is one of 65 border regions in the EU that were founded to create more opportunities to perform cross-border business. Actually, it appears that the entrepreneurs do not take advantage of these opportunities. As a starting point to improve the opportunities that the Euregion offers, we want to study the qualities of the entrepreneurs, who do take the opportunities and compare them with the qualities of those, who are not that successful or do not perform cross-border business in the first place. We conclude that most entrepreneurs find cross-border business very important, but that there are significant differences between the districts within the Euregion Meuse-Rhine regarding the satisfaction of entrepreneurs with the outcomes of cross-border business. One can identify common qualities of Belgian, Dutch, and German entrepreneurs in the Euregion regarding Business Communication Skills, but there are no real common qualities regarding Cultural Sensitivity. For entrepreneurs in Southern Limburg and in Belgian Limburg the knowledge of foreign culture and the ability to adjust to the foreign language have a significant influence on the level of success of cross-border business. For entrepreneurs it is also important to take the cultural, legal, and economic norms and values of the other districts into account. For entrepreneurs in the District of Aachen the level of success of cross-border business is influenced by the level of adjustment to how the process of decision-making is organized in the other districts.
Additional key words: religion, religious art studies, Dutch and French painting, expressionism
... more Additional key words: religion, religious art studies, Dutch and French painting, expressionism
English summary of dataset (in progress)
The relation between Vincent van Gogh and the (protestant) church appeared to be at least controversial both within his work and his personal life. As the son of a Dutch reformed pastor he tried to be a genuine Christian. Whereas he was very succesful as a painter, he failed in his attempts to educate himself as a protestant theologist in Amsterdam and one year later in Brussels to fulfill the function of an assistant preacher. This was simply a bridge too far.
His long life mantra became that of the famous parole of Victor Hugo: Les religions passent, Dieu reste. He did not believe in the institutions that drifted away from the real mercy of helping the poor peasants, weavers and miners. In the Borinage as an example he gave everything away to rescue and nurse miners after a mine disaster. He was even a nurse to his own mother together with his only true love in life Margot Begemann, his neighbor 12 years older than he himself, when Ms. Van Gogh broke her upper leg. He was simply practicing as Jesus Christ himself what he was unable to preach. This brought him to eructations of religiosity in inspiring his art to hisfaith, such as first the Holy Bible of his father after his death in April 1885 and later in 1889/1990 St Rémy and Auvers painting the Good Samaritan and the Pietà after one of his masters: Eugène Delacroix just before comitting suicide in July 1890.
This article tries to retrace this religious itinary around the questions to what extent was he a church goer in the 9 churches with 8 being ones where his father preached as a priest? In passing 8 grave yards are also listed where family members of Van Gogh, himself, his older and younger brothers and Margot Begemann and her family found their last rest places. In sum he refused to go to church at crucial year events, such as Christmas, when his family disapproved his behavior towards women, such as Kee Vos with whom he fell desperately in love, just after she was bewidowed. She was the daughter of a colleague of his father: the Reverend father Stricker in Amsterdam. In the case of Sien Hoorninck in The Hague in 1882 just before Vincent he came to Nuenen, he simply tries to save this dress maker and abondoned prostitute with two kids who were not his own offspring. He offered her shelter, yes with money of Theo. He used her also as free of charge model and a sexual partner, in vain trying to develop his own family. Was he to blame in his situation with his character? He on his part disapproved the hypocretical attitude of many protestant and RC clergymen, in particular in his Dutch period, and purported to express real life mercy towards the underpriveledged in his time by calling attention in his art work in expressing the strong emotions of his society.
There was a personal drama in the clash with his own father who on his part tried despairingly to use the church institution to the service of the lower class in the second half of the century of the industrial revolution. In the Netherlands, then with a protestant upperclass, poor protestants were resettled to the poor South to become farmers, from being peat cutters in the northern province of Drenthe, very protestant indeed. We are talking of the time of the papal encyclique of Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII. This article draws a routing along 9 churches and 8 grave yards affiliated with them partly in which Vincent van Gogh attempted to search meaningfulness with endeavor in his own short life. Finally he could subtantiate this in his life as an artist between 1880-1890 with 2200 recognized mostly world famous pieces (500 in Nuenen). Also his religious art revealed to be an innovation of being the father of expressionism and modern art with complementary colors (see also Ulijn et al. 2016 elsewhere on this site).
1 Summary This essay based upon a qualitative data set originates from the success of the medieva... more 1 Summary This essay based upon a qualitative data set originates from the success of the medieval guilds of the European cities as perdeceossrs of the presnt SMEs which has formed already long years 75% of the success of the Euroepan econmy. The first fact is nicely exemplified in a historical novel of a chronicle writer in the city of the famous painter Jheronimus Bosch who lived and worked in the Dutch city of s'-Hertogenbosch (Savelkouls, 2016) and the last is very well explained in the book by Dana (2006) about the symbiotic entrepreneurship in the Eurozone. The latter illustrates well how the culture of European SMEs leads in a natural way to this symbiosis of cooperation and networking of which MNCs are completed dependent. This paper is not dealing with empirically collected and analysed quantitative data concerning the micro entrepreneurial phenomenon of Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) in general and in Europe in particular. This paper is dealing with the cultural dimension of the macro European economic life, on the basis of a theoretical model that is constructed of the qualitative characteristics of SME. This qualitative model of an economic culture, originating from historical experience, can be considered a forecast of future European economy: its future structural form and position in the globalizing world. Derived from and founded in this forecast a backcasting analysis might be undertaken, a problem-solving-oriented analysis of the current crisis where the European Union finds itself in. This is an extremely complex, stratified crisis situation. The financial – economic crisis is only the superficial layer of it. The cultural identity and the success of the economy European style lays in the human factor, that is the incalculable risk factor of the human involvement, creativity and fallibility as well, that in the (neo)liberal shareholders value oriented economy is systematically factored out. 2 Theoretical-conceptual framework
Any reader who would have a suggestion for a source to publish this article in would be kindly re... more Any reader who would have a suggestion for a source to publish this article in would be kindly requested to approach Jan Ulijn: jan.ulijn@ou.nl ABSTRACT (*** to be revised and adapted to current content) Since Geert Hofstede's path breaking studies in the eighties of the past centuries quantitative methods of intercultural research are very popular in their application to many professional fields, such as technical and business communication. This article presents a case of quantitative intercultural research in this domain which appeared to need badly to call upon the prolific qualitative anthropological studies of (Native) American and European cultures by Edward Hall to give sight to conclusive results. The latter method is case in point of flexibility, reflexivity, and humility. As businesses become more international in nature, this disclosure of corporate strategy must often be done across cultural groups. This has implications for the globalizing business rhetoric to be used by technical and business communicators who often help the development of a corporate strategy. They do this by effective annual report writing by both text and visuals. We summarize research on the influence of cultural factors in the disclosure of corporate strategies in annual reports by 100 European firms, equally distributed over 5 countries: Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (all Anglo-Germanic), France (Latin) and Poland (Slavic). A study by Santema et al. is (2005) reviewed for further cultural analysis. The findings lay a foundation for further studies into cross-cultural business discourse. The high-low context distinction by Hall (1981 and 1983 and Hall and Hall, 1993) appears to offer a better perspective for international technical and business communicators to help them globalize annual reports for a better corporate strategy to the benefit of all stakeholders.
In search of a Euregional identity of potential entrepreneurs 2 new Hofstede Minkov dimensions d... more In search of a Euregional identity of potential entrepreneurs 2 new Hofstede Minkov dimensions diverge from the 5 classical ones across Flemish, Dutch and German cultures
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Papers by Jan Ulijn
Jan Ulijn
What happens psycholinguistically if you have to read and write in another language or translate into it? Almost all international business managers or engineers--either directly or indirectly--have to deal with translation and other cross-linguistic and cross-cultural aspects of communication. This chapter, based on the tested practical theories presented in Chapters 3, 4, and 5, and a considerable number of experiments on cross-linguistic and cross-cultural aspects of communication, tries to foster an awareness of these linguistic and nonlinguistic elements. This chapter focuses primarily on the written aspects of communication while the oral ones are dealt with in Chapter 7.
Chapter Contents
6.0Introduction
6.1Implications of the Cognitive Language Comprehension and Production Model
6.1.1Lexicon and Bilingualism
6.1.2Second Language Acquisition and Translation
6.2Languages Processed and Produced as Native and Foreign Languages
6.2.1Are Different Languages Processed and Produced in Different Ways?
6.2.2Commonalities and Differences between a Specific Language Used as a Native Language and as a Foreign Language?
6.2.3Simplifying Business and Technical English for Nonnative Speakers
6.3Transfer from One language to Another in the Language User
6.3.1Reading and Writing
6.3.1.1Syntax
6.3.1.2Lexis
6.3.1.3Text
6.3.1.4Reading
6.3.1.5Reading and Writing
6.3.2Translation: a Special Case of Interlingual Transfer
6.4Interactive Partial Parallel Strategy : Interlingual Transfer in Foreign Language Comprehension and Production
6.4.1Reading and Syntax
6.4.2Translation and Syntax
6.4.3Discourse and Culture in Foreign Language Use and Translation
6.5Implications for Technical and Business Communication
6.5.1Dealing with Lexicon and Culture in Foreign Language Communication
6.5.2Writing Readable Texts for an International Audience
6.5.3The Effectiveness of Human vs Machine Translation.
6.5.4Efficient Foreign Language Learning
Summary
Study Questions
This chapter tries to foster an awareness for the reading and writing aspect of the communication processes in business and technology and to increase insight into the most effective methods of written communication based upon tested practical theory. This is a first step toward developing or improving skills in this area which will be of benefit not only to you but also to your suppliers, clients, managers and colleagues.
This chapter combines the information presented in Chapters 4 and 5 for the written mode (reading and writing). While there are many forms of and audiences for written communication, this chapter starts with one of the basic needs of every company working in a national or a global market: taking care of the clients by providing efficient technical documentation as a part of the product or service to be sold. To get a deeper insight into the effectiveness of such documentation, we suggest you take a reader-oriented approach. This would imply that you
oAnalyze your own writing situation.
oFocus on your reader(s) and the methods used to communicate with them.
oConsider yourself as a reader of other people's and your own text(s) to increase the quality of your own writing.
In addition to presenting information on producing high quality readable documents, this chapter provides psycholinguistic foundations for some of the writing guidelines on how to communicate better through all of your professional documents including the external ones you are going to write for your clients and the internal ones you are responsible for as a manager. This chapter also discusses specific writing styles and structures are most effective.
Chapter Contents
8.1What is your Writing Situation?
8.2How Do You Communicate with your Readers?
8.3How Can You Increase the Quality of your Writing?
8.4The Total Document
8.5Psycholinguistic Issues
Summary
Study questions
Assignment
The reading and writing chapters have an important overlap since reading processes depend on a written text. While Chapter 4 deals more with psycholinguistic evidence about the reader in his relationship with the text, this chapter deals more with the writer and her relationship with the text; however, all three factors--reader, writer, and text--contribute to the operationalization of the concept of readability.
The chapter first addresses the psycholinguistic aspects of language production processes and the evidence for the operation of the language generator, a crucial element in that process. Writing and speaking have some aspects in common in the planning or conceptualization of the message; however, the formulation or execution of the message is different for the writing and speaking processes. In this chapter, the writing process is discussed before the speaking process, even though those processes are acquired in the opposite order in an individual's personal development because it is more difficult to become skillful at written communication than at oral communication.
You, as business managers and engineers need to be sure that what you write and what you say is clearly understood. Therefore, the issue of readability and its parallel for listening are reviewed. In addition, this chapter briefly examines how the use of computers can be used to support effective writing and communication practices.
Chapter Contents
5.1Psycholinguistics and the Language Production Processes
5.2Writing and Speaking Processes
5.2.1Writing
5.2.2Speaking
5.2.3Reviewing and Revision
5.3Similarities Between Writing and Speaking
5.4Differences Between Writing and Speaking
5.4.1Generalizations
5.4.2Linguistic Aspects
5.5Readability: Implication for the Writer
5.6Use of Computers in Writing and Communication
5.7Conclusion and Implications for the Business Manager and Engineer
Chapter Contents
2.1Introduction
2.2The Flow of a Technical Concept in Industry and Its Consequences for Communication
2.3General Communication Needs in Business and Technology
2.3.1Language and Communication vs. Other Needs
2.3.2Communication Activities
2.3.3Technical Writing as a Special Communication Activity
2.4Potential and Real Foreign Language (FL) Needs in Business and Technology
2.4.1Potential Needs
2.4.2Frequency and Importance of Real Contacts and Occurrence of Problems
2.4.3Summary of Potential Needs and Frequency and Occurrence of Problems
2.5Strategies to Fulfill the Language and Communication Needs of Business Managers and Engineers
Summary
Study questions
Assignments
Cultural differences can trigger social change especially when cross border interactions between people take place. Technological innovations can start new worldwide interactions and as a consequence bring about social change. Probably these “socio-technical” developments are two sides of the same coin. Nowadays it becomes more crucial to hold the same pace in both technological and social changes.
We are looking for both country and cross border studies based on empirical data within the fields of organization and professional culture related to technological and social change. Authors are invited to focus on macro, meso and micro levels of cultural cross border social and technological changes. We welcome both conceptual and empirical studies (both quantitative and/or qualitative). With respect to culture we prioritize mutual perception and Delphi studies over self-reports, but the latter are welcome as well. Change might be studied not only structurally, but also in an organic and evolutionary way.
Jan Ulijn
What happens psycholinguistically if you have to read and write in another language or translate into it? Almost all international business managers or engineers--either directly or indirectly--have to deal with translation and other cross-linguistic and cross-cultural aspects of communication. This chapter, based on the tested practical theories presented in Chapters 3, 4, and 5, and a considerable number of experiments on cross-linguistic and cross-cultural aspects of communication, tries to foster an awareness of these linguistic and nonlinguistic elements. This chapter focuses primarily on the written aspects of communication while the oral ones are dealt with in Chapter 7.
Chapter Contents
6.0Introduction
6.1Implications of the Cognitive Language Comprehension and Production Model
6.1.1Lexicon and Bilingualism
6.1.2Second Language Acquisition and Translation
6.2Languages Processed and Produced as Native and Foreign Languages
6.2.1Are Different Languages Processed and Produced in Different Ways?
6.2.2Commonalities and Differences between a Specific Language Used as a Native Language and as a Foreign Language?
6.2.3Simplifying Business and Technical English for Nonnative Speakers
6.3Transfer from One language to Another in the Language User
6.3.1Reading and Writing
6.3.1.1Syntax
6.3.1.2Lexis
6.3.1.3Text
6.3.1.4Reading
6.3.1.5Reading and Writing
6.3.2Translation: a Special Case of Interlingual Transfer
6.4Interactive Partial Parallel Strategy : Interlingual Transfer in Foreign Language Comprehension and Production
6.4.1Reading and Syntax
6.4.2Translation and Syntax
6.4.3Discourse and Culture in Foreign Language Use and Translation
6.5Implications for Technical and Business Communication
6.5.1Dealing with Lexicon and Culture in Foreign Language Communication
6.5.2Writing Readable Texts for an International Audience
6.5.3The Effectiveness of Human vs Machine Translation.
6.5.4Efficient Foreign Language Learning
Summary
Study Questions
This chapter tries to foster an awareness for the reading and writing aspect of the communication processes in business and technology and to increase insight into the most effective methods of written communication based upon tested practical theory. This is a first step toward developing or improving skills in this area which will be of benefit not only to you but also to your suppliers, clients, managers and colleagues.
This chapter combines the information presented in Chapters 4 and 5 for the written mode (reading and writing). While there are many forms of and audiences for written communication, this chapter starts with one of the basic needs of every company working in a national or a global market: taking care of the clients by providing efficient technical documentation as a part of the product or service to be sold. To get a deeper insight into the effectiveness of such documentation, we suggest you take a reader-oriented approach. This would imply that you
oAnalyze your own writing situation.
oFocus on your reader(s) and the methods used to communicate with them.
oConsider yourself as a reader of other people's and your own text(s) to increase the quality of your own writing.
In addition to presenting information on producing high quality readable documents, this chapter provides psycholinguistic foundations for some of the writing guidelines on how to communicate better through all of your professional documents including the external ones you are going to write for your clients and the internal ones you are responsible for as a manager. This chapter also discusses specific writing styles and structures are most effective.
Chapter Contents
8.1What is your Writing Situation?
8.2How Do You Communicate with your Readers?
8.3How Can You Increase the Quality of your Writing?
8.4The Total Document
8.5Psycholinguistic Issues
Summary
Study questions
Assignment
The reading and writing chapters have an important overlap since reading processes depend on a written text. While Chapter 4 deals more with psycholinguistic evidence about the reader in his relationship with the text, this chapter deals more with the writer and her relationship with the text; however, all three factors--reader, writer, and text--contribute to the operationalization of the concept of readability.
The chapter first addresses the psycholinguistic aspects of language production processes and the evidence for the operation of the language generator, a crucial element in that process. Writing and speaking have some aspects in common in the planning or conceptualization of the message; however, the formulation or execution of the message is different for the writing and speaking processes. In this chapter, the writing process is discussed before the speaking process, even though those processes are acquired in the opposite order in an individual's personal development because it is more difficult to become skillful at written communication than at oral communication.
You, as business managers and engineers need to be sure that what you write and what you say is clearly understood. Therefore, the issue of readability and its parallel for listening are reviewed. In addition, this chapter briefly examines how the use of computers can be used to support effective writing and communication practices.
Chapter Contents
5.1Psycholinguistics and the Language Production Processes
5.2Writing and Speaking Processes
5.2.1Writing
5.2.2Speaking
5.2.3Reviewing and Revision
5.3Similarities Between Writing and Speaking
5.4Differences Between Writing and Speaking
5.4.1Generalizations
5.4.2Linguistic Aspects
5.5Readability: Implication for the Writer
5.6Use of Computers in Writing and Communication
5.7Conclusion and Implications for the Business Manager and Engineer
Chapter Contents
2.1Introduction
2.2The Flow of a Technical Concept in Industry and Its Consequences for Communication
2.3General Communication Needs in Business and Technology
2.3.1Language and Communication vs. Other Needs
2.3.2Communication Activities
2.3.3Technical Writing as a Special Communication Activity
2.4Potential and Real Foreign Language (FL) Needs in Business and Technology
2.4.1Potential Needs
2.4.2Frequency and Importance of Real Contacts and Occurrence of Problems
2.4.3Summary of Potential Needs and Frequency and Occurrence of Problems
2.5Strategies to Fulfill the Language and Communication Needs of Business Managers and Engineers
Summary
Study questions
Assignments
Cultural differences can trigger social change especially when cross border interactions between people take place. Technological innovations can start new worldwide interactions and as a consequence bring about social change. Probably these “socio-technical” developments are two sides of the same coin. Nowadays it becomes more crucial to hold the same pace in both technological and social changes.
We are looking for both country and cross border studies based on empirical data within the fields of organization and professional culture related to technological and social change. Authors are invited to focus on macro, meso and micro levels of cultural cross border social and technological changes. We welcome both conceptual and empirical studies (both quantitative and/or qualitative). With respect to culture we prioritize mutual perception and Delphi studies over self-reports, but the latter are welcome as well. Change might be studied not only structurally, but also in an organic and evolutionary way.
The Euregion Meuse-Rhine is one of 65 border regions in the EU that were founded to create more opportunities to perform cross-border business. Actually, it appears that the entrepreneurs do not take advantage of these opportunities. As a starting point to improve the opportunities that the Euregion offers, we want to study the qualities of the entrepreneurs, who do take the opportunities and compare them with the qualities of those, who are not that successful or do not perform cross-border business in the first place. We conclude that most entrepreneurs find cross-border business very important, but that there are significant differences between the districts within the Euregion Meuse-Rhine regarding the satisfaction of entrepreneurs with the outcomes of cross-border business. One can identify common qualities of Belgian, Dutch, and German entrepreneurs in the Euregion regarding Business Communication Skills, but there are no real common qualities regarding Cultural Sensitivity. For entrepreneurs in Southern Limburg and in Belgian Limburg the knowledge of foreign culture and the ability to adjust to the foreign language have a significant influence on the level of success of cross-border business. For entrepreneurs it is also important to take the cultural, legal, and economic norms and values of the other districts into account. For entrepreneurs in the District of Aachen the level of success of cross-border business is influenced by the level of adjustment to how the process of decision-making is organized in the other districts.
English summary of dataset (in progress)
The relation between Vincent van Gogh and the (protestant) church appeared to be at least controversial both within his work and his personal life. As the son of a Dutch reformed pastor he tried to be a genuine Christian. Whereas he was very succesful as a painter, he failed in his attempts to educate himself as a protestant theologist in Amsterdam and one year later in Brussels to fulfill the function of an assistant preacher. This was simply a bridge too far.
His long life mantra became that of the famous parole of Victor Hugo: Les religions passent, Dieu reste. He did not believe in the institutions that drifted away from the real mercy of helping the poor peasants, weavers and miners. In the Borinage as an example he gave everything away to rescue and nurse miners after a mine disaster. He was even a nurse to his own mother together with his only true love in life Margot Begemann, his neighbor 12 years older than he himself, when Ms. Van Gogh broke her upper leg. He was simply practicing as Jesus Christ himself what he was unable to preach. This brought him to eructations of religiosity in inspiring his art to hisfaith, such as first the Holy Bible of his father after his death in April 1885 and later in 1889/1990 St Rémy and Auvers painting the Good Samaritan and the Pietà after one of his masters: Eugène Delacroix just before comitting suicide in July 1890.
This article tries to retrace this religious itinary around the questions to what extent was he a church goer in the 9 churches with 8 being ones where his father preached as a priest? In passing 8 grave yards are also listed where family members of Van Gogh, himself, his older and younger brothers and Margot Begemann and her family found their last rest places. In sum he refused to go to church at crucial year events, such as Christmas, when his family disapproved his behavior towards women, such as Kee Vos with whom he fell desperately in love, just after she was bewidowed. She was the daughter of a colleague of his father: the Reverend father Stricker in Amsterdam. In the case of Sien Hoorninck in The Hague in 1882 just before Vincent he came to Nuenen, he simply tries to save this dress maker and abondoned prostitute with two kids who were not his own offspring. He offered her shelter, yes with money of Theo. He used her also as free of charge model and a sexual partner, in vain trying to develop his own family. Was he to blame in his situation with his character? He on his part disapproved the hypocretical attitude of many protestant and RC clergymen, in particular in his Dutch period, and purported to express real life mercy towards the underpriveledged in his time by calling attention in his art work in expressing the strong emotions of his society.
There was a personal drama in the clash with his own father who on his part tried despairingly to use the church institution to the service of the lower class in the second half of the century of the industrial revolution. In the Netherlands, then with a protestant upperclass, poor protestants were resettled to the poor South to become farmers, from being peat cutters in the northern province of Drenthe, very protestant indeed. We are talking of the time of the papal encyclique of Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII. This article draws a routing along 9 churches and 8 grave yards affiliated with them partly in which Vincent van Gogh attempted to search meaningfulness with endeavor in his own short life. Finally he could subtantiate this in his life as an artist between 1880-1890 with 2200 recognized mostly world famous pieces (500 in Nuenen). Also his religious art revealed to be an innovation of being the father of expressionism and modern art with complementary colors (see also Ulijn et al. 2016 elsewhere on this site).