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Language Policies and Practices in Wholly Owned Foreign Subsidiaries: A Recontextualization Perspective

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Language in International Business

Part of the book series: JIBS Special Collections ((JIBSSC))

Abstract

As organizations expand internationally and their foreign operations become more dispersed, differences in “natural” languages start to influence communication within and beyond their boundaries. In order to cope with these challenges, multinational companies (MNCs) have implicit or explicitly formulated language policies for corporate communication, documentation, and interaction (Marschan-Piekkari, Welch, & Welch, 1999). Empirical research on MNCs has highlighted various communication, staffing, and training-related challenges that accompany language policies (Tietze, 2008). However, less is known about the implementation of language policies and practices in foreign subsidiaries (Kingsley, 2010; Sharp, 2010). In particular, there is a paucity of knowledge of the ways in which contextual factors affect this implementation and the associated dynamics.

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Authors
  1. Vesa Peltokorpi
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  2. Eero Vaara
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Victoria, Canada

    Mary Yoko Brannen

  2. Royal Roads University, Canada

    Terry Mughan

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Peltokorpi, V., Vaara, E. (2017). Language Policies and Practices in Wholly Owned Foreign Subsidiaries: A Recontextualization Perspective. In: Brannen, M.Y., Mughan, T. (eds) Language in International Business. JIBS Special Collections. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42745-4_5

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