Chinese Business Communication

In comparison to the longer tradition of business communication studies in the US and Europe, its study in Chinese contexts is less developed. In part this can be attributed to a state planned economy with little need for business communication in the western sense up to the introduction of economic reforms in 1978. However, as China’s economy has risen in a few decades from obscurity to being the second largest in the world, interest has increased dramatically. Three important strands of research within the study of Chinese business communication include: (1) L1 Chinese business communication; (2) intercultural studies of business communication; and (3) cross-cultural studies of business communication. In L1 Chinese business communication research a key theme which emerges is its use to build relationships. In written and spoken discourse, researchers highlight different language strategies used to construct interpersonal relationships. Given the status of English as the business lingua franca, intercultural communication research exhibits a bias in the examination of L2 English business communication of Chinese professionals. Chinese business communication has frequently been referred to as indirect or implicit in style. Studies examining East-West intercultural communication have often concluded that diverging styles of communication associated with the two cultural models have impacted the communication process and outcome. Within intercultural studies the ‘large-culture’ approach of examining national cultures has been criticised for promoting generalisations and stereotypes. To mitigate potential problems of this approach many scholars have adopted a ‘small-culture’ paradigm which abandons national or ethnic comparisons and instead explore smaller social groupings which exhibit cohesive behaviour. Lastly, cross-cultural studies which is distinct from intercultural studies in that instead of examining the interaction of cultures, it is the comparison of cultures when not in contact. Here, Chinese business communication has often been contrasted with the U.S. and like intercultural studies, scholars have often found distinct variations in the discourse of the two cultural models.