Language Choices of CEOs of Chinese Family Business in Sarawak, Malaysia

Autor/in	Ting, Su-Hie
Titel	Language Choices of CEOs of Chinese Family Business in Sarawak, Malaysia
Quelle	In: Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 38 (2017) 4, S.360-371 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0143-4632
DOI	10.1080/01434632.2016.1207181
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Family (Sociological Unit); Age Differences; Business Communication; Language Usage; Multilingualism; Administrator Attitudes; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Chinese; Dialects; Ethnicity; Efficiency; Language Attitudes; Qualitative Research; Language Proficiency; Malaysia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Familie; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Unternehmenskommunikation; Sprachgebrauch; Mehrsprachigkeit; Multilingualismus; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; China; Chinesen; Dialect; Dialekt; Ethnizität; Effectiveness; Effektivität; Wirkungsgrad; Sprachverhalten; Qualitative Forschung; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz
Abstract	The study investigated the language choices of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Chinese family business and the factors guiding their choices. Interviews were conducted with 17 CEOs of family businesses located in Sarawak, some of whom are the sons and grandsons of the founder of the business. The results showed that all the CEOs can speak their Chinese dialect, Mandarin and some other Chinese dialects. Their proficiency in English and Malay depends on their age. All of them can speak English, with the exception of two older CEOs in their 80s. Only one CEO in his 40s can speak Malay fluently but the Malay proficiency of the older CEOs is inadequate for transactional functions. The factors guiding the CEOs' language choices for business are: own language repertoire, accommodation to client's choice for communicative efficiency, language choice as a business strategy, relationship building, and absence of business terms in the language. The CEOs use their interlocutor's ethnicity as a proxy to determine the right language to use for communicative efficiency. The study showed that while the CEOs are accommodative in their language choices, they are aware that making the right or wrong choices can provide or restrict access to business opportunities. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01