Description

In international business, notions of homogeneity
and standardisation are seen as synonymous with
globalisation. One world is equated with one
language and English, portrayed as the global lingua
franca, is promoted as the language of business.
Using Jean Baudrillard's theory of the cyclic
superposition of the singular, universal and global
as a framework and applying it to the case of New
Zealand-French business communications, this book
questions the beliefs underpinning Anglophone
reliance on English in the postmodern business
world. Examining historical shifts in attitudes to
language, it argues that the universal ideals of
unity and openness popularly associated with
globalisation are myths. It shows that foreign
languages receive little attention in the
international business literature and that much of
the cross-cultural advice for France is outdated and
misleading. This book also offers a diachronic and
synchronic view of the use of and attitudes to
foreign languages in New Zealand business and
provides, as a counterpoint, the views of French
customers. It will interest people in Communications,
Business, Foreign Languages and
Linguistics.