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This conceptual paper aims to present a research paradigm for international business communication research, with special reference to the problems of Japanese corporations.

To develop a paradigm, international business communication first is defined, and the obstacles Japanese corporations face in international business are described, as are the methods used to deal with obstacles and foster better global management and intercultural communication. The key issue of developing training programs is emphasized. To systematize international business communication research with reference to Japanese companies, a research agenda is offered involving study of: correct usage of English, the meanings of international business terms, and the relationship of English as an international business language to its various users. The guiding theories in this research will come from semiology.

English will be the agent of globalization, and Japanese companies must accept this reality and deal with it. So far, they have not yet developed a satisfactory way of doing so. However, appropriate methodologies are available, as presented in the paper.

Japanese companies have lagged behind European and US companies in coping with the communication problems fostered by globalization. This paper sets out a methodology for developing the research needed to yield practical steps to solve the problem.

The paper offers a model of ways to systematize international business communication research so that Japanese companies can develop ways of coping with the communication problems of globalization.

The key purposes of the paper are: firstly, to identify what kind of new media tools are used by managers in communication with foreign business partners for professional purposes and which, in their opinion, are the most effective, secondly, to identify the relationships between the usage of new media tools and factors that can impact such communication.

The method used in the research was IDI (Individual Depth Interview). Interviews were conducted in 334 companies that operate on the Polish market and which are active internationally (e.g. Asia, Europe, Africa, North and South America), the managers responsible for international relations were the main respondents.

The most popular and most used new media tools are Skype and instant messengers, which were evaluated as good devices for international personal communication. Additionally the results of the research emphasize the significance of cultural and economic factors when taking into account the usage of new media tools in personal communication between business partners from different companies and countries.

The results of the research can be useful for managers doing business internationally and communicating with business partners from different markets and cultures.

The research presented in the paper covers the gap in the literature because it relates to the environmental factors that impact upon the use of new media tools in personal business communication between partners in the international marketplace.

Issues of language in international business have been the focus of a growing body of theoretical and empirical work. This paper aims to contribute to this literature, focusing specifically on issues of translation. The role of translator will vary depending on the language strategy adopted, with strategies linked to differing perspectives on language in international business – mechanical, cultural and political. The paper examines these perspectives through the lens of a specific problem for transnational communication – “untranslatable” words and concepts.

Interviews were conducted with professional linguists (translators and interpreters) to explore how they dealt with issues of untranslatable but cultural salient words in their day‐to‐day work with international businesses, using the problems of translating the Farsi word tarouf into English as a case in point.

The linguists agreed that tarouf was an untranslatable word, and described their strategies to deal with this problem. The commonest strategy was avoidance, stemming from linguists' concern to maintain their professional standing with clients, a finding which reflects an emerging emphasis on the importance of context and relationships for understanding inter‐cultural communication.

The study highlights the crucial role of the translator in international business, and draws attention to the potential for cross‐cultural communication problems arising from mutual lack of awareness of culturally‐salient but inherently untranslatable words or phrases.

Effective inter‐cultural communication is an issue of great importance to wider society, and business has historically been the commonest site of such communication. The study highlights an issue of considerable importance for improving inter‐cultural communications, contributing to a growing inter‐disciplinary literature in this area.

Much of the research on language in international business has focused on the emergence of English as a lingua franca, but the present study focuses on specific issues of translation and does so in an under‐researched location, Iran. It draws attention to a problem of translation not widely discussed, and shows how important this issue can be for international business.

Literature and textbooks about intercultural communication and management often feature cultural differences rather than similarities. Japanese culture is frequently distinguished in business and management contexts from Western culture. This process arguably leads to an overemphasis of the uniqueness of Japanese culture. A review of relevant literature, however, reveals that the tendency to overemphasise the uniqueness of Japanese culture is one shared by both Western and Japanese scholars. This paper discusses how the discourse has emerged in business and intercultural literature by tracing the influence of historical and economic factors. It also explores the implications of describing Japanese business culture in relation to practices in the West for both managers and students internationally. International students of business, who are grappling with intercultural communication literature as it pertains to Japan and the West, need to engage in critical ways with the discourse adopted in the literature. The intention therefore of the paper is to illuminate how a “differences‐focused” approach in texts could promote a stereotypical and potentially facile view of Japanese culture rather than one that encourages a more meaningful and informed understanding that appreciates the context in which the uniqueness of Japanese culture has hitherto been presented.

Advanced information technology (IT) changes the way companies manage cross‐border supply chains. This paper examines the role of IT in the context of international business to business (B2B) relationship and its contribution to supply chain performance.

This literature review paper develops a conceptual model of IT‐mediated relationships in international supply chain relationships. The framework integrates transaction cost economics and resource‐based theory perspectives and argues that IT capabilities facilitate supply chain performance, deter partner's opportunism and this process is mediated by B2B processes. Moreover, environmental, relational, cultural and country level moderators are examined.

It is suggested that IT capabilities contribute directly to improved organizational process such as coordination, transaction specific investment, absorptive capacity and monitoring. These in turn contribute to strategic and operational performance outcomes. Against a resource‐based as well as a transaction‐cost theory background it is suggested that partner interdependence and environmental, country and cultural factors moderate the process of IT contribution on performance.

The paper provides a number of propositions which can be tested empirically in future studies.

Managers should focus on the complementarities of IT capabilities. Electronic integration in combination with, for example, human IT resources may enhance supply chain performance and mitigate the moderating effects of environmental, relational, cultural and country factors.

The paper develops an integrated conceptual model and propositions which contribute to a clarification of the ambiguous nature of the IT‐business value in international B2B relationship.

To provide information regarding international/intercultural communication problems, along with management tactics for coping and handling such problems occurring in the international business work setting in foreign companies operating in Thailand.

Exclusive 14 in‐depth interviews with expatriate executives and Thai senior employees were conducted in four Japanese, two German, and two multinational companies in Thailand. Both expatriates and Thai employees were asked to identify communication problems and describe how they managed such problems with international/intercultural partners, supervisors, or subordinates.

The sample was quite small. The subjects reacted to the interview protocol based upon their own personal experience working in eight foreign companies in Thailand, which might not represent the entire intercultural/international viewpoints.

This study provides guidelines for prospective expatriates who will be assigned to work in the Thai host country and for Thai newcomers who are interested in working in foreign companies and must prepare to cope with the problems they may have in working with foreign managers.

It is hoped to be beneficial for both expatriates and Thai employees to perceive and learn each other's understandings, needs, and expectations. Also, it is hoped that information presented in this paper can trigger more thoughts and generate further discussions in international/intercultural business communication classrooms. The study also provides a framework for further investigation of commonalities and differences in tactics for dealing with international/intercultural communication problems at work in other countries compared with those found in Thailand.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of relational competences, such as open-mindedness and the ability to adapt business style, in developing trustworthy relationships through communication in the export markets in different cultural contexts.

The analysis is performed on survey-based data from a sample consisting of 39.9 percent of the total population of Norwegian seafood companies involved in exporting, including 108 business relationships.

The findings reveal that adaptive business style and communication mediate the overall effect of open-mindedness on trust building between partners in the export markets. The adaptive business style fully explains the effect of open-mindedness on communication. Open-minded persons are better prepared to achieve communication on a high level because they are more likely to adapt to a new business style. Performing adaptive business style improves communication, particularly when the importer belongs to a dissimilar culture. For trust building, communication is equally important, irrespective of cultural differences.

Exporter should aim at recruiting open-minded people because they have the advantage that they are capable of performing a variety of negotiation styles and business approaches, depending on the situation.

This paper develops a model that integrates key constructs from the relational paradigm with constructs rooted in different research streams, extending our knowledge regarding salespeople competences that are important in order to develop business relationships in export markets.

This paper has a dual purpose. The first is to provide a thorough analysis of developments in international marketing in relation to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; the second is to capitalize on these developments to set an agenda for future research in the field of international marketing.

This paper zooms in on and reviews the 18 papers published in International Marketing Review’s (IMR) Special Issue on “Covid 19: advancing international marketing theory and guiding practice” (2023, volume 40, issue 5). It also integrates recent research at the intersection of international marketing and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The paper highlights five areas that embody significant contemporaneous changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and affect international marketing practice. These include (1) shifts in consumer behavior, (2) digitalization and artificial intelligence, (3) disruptions in supply chains, (4) communication and corporate social responsibility (CSR), and (5) international dynamic marketing capabilities. In order to advance international marketing theory in relation to pandemics and other external crises, the paper establishes research directions for each of these areas.

The paper provides a novel and comprehensive categorization of fundamental shifts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and lays out a research roadmap to advance research in the field of International Marketing (IM). Important implications for practice are also discussed.

As business becomes more international companies have to take account of linguistic and cultural boundaries, both within the organization and in the marketplace. Addresses the question of whether business schools are equipping managers to communicate in such environments. Presents the results of a survey of UK and continental European business schools’ approaches to language teaching. Also reports the results of a survey of young UK managers which illustrates the problems of coping in multilingual business situations. Describes how the attitudes of this group towards languages in a business context were closer to the philosophy of continental European business schools than most UK ones. Concludes by raising the question of non‐European languages which are addressed by neither group of business schools.

Literature on face‐to‐face intercultural business communication (IBC) suggests that language, culture, business culture, and interpersonal context variables lead to misunderstandings, but these predictors have not been studied with regard to e‐mail communication. This exploratory study identifies variables that cause e‐mail miscommunication, reduce work accomplishment, and harm business relationships. We conducted a survey to capture the effect of common predictors and asked respondents to share the most commonly employed strategies when communication problems arose. We offer a multi‐dimensional model for further research.