A Study On Intercultural Communication Conflicts And Countermeasures In The Short-term Overseas Study Tour Programs

With the accelerated pace of global economic integration,the demand for international talents is increasing.In recent years,the short-term overseas study tour programs present a strong market demand,which have grown into a hot research focus.However,few studies have explored the intercultural communication conflicts(hereinafter as ICCs)in this kind of program.Research shows that ICCs are important factors which lead to the failure of international programs.Therefore,more attention should be paid to the ICCs encountered by the international program staff.The C company,as a well-known enterprise organizing the short-term overseas study tour programs in the UK,has been actively expanding in recent years.In this thesis,the program staff of the C company and its program partners were studied.The present study aims to answer three research questions:(1)What intercultural communication conflicts did the program staff encounter in the short-term overseas study tour programs?(2)What factors could account for the intercultural communication conflicts among the program staff,if any?(3)What countermeasures have been undertaken to deal with the ICCs in this program and what suggestions could be given to the C company?In order to answer the above research questions,using qualitative and quantitative methods,semi-structured interviews and questionnaire are adopted to collect data.With Hofstede’s cultural dimensions,Edward T.Hall’s time orientations and Gesteland’s classification of business cultures,this intercultural program was analyzed comprehensively.The results are as follows:(1)The ICCs encountered by the program staff are conflicts in cultural values and beliefs,conflicts in communication styles,conflicts in language and conflicts in personality.(2)The ICCs among the program staff mainly result from the differences in cultural values and beliefs,differences in communication styles,differences in language,differences in personality and lack of cross-cultural training.(3)The countermeasures undertaken to ease the influence of the ICCs are: promotion of effective communication,development of trust and teamwork,improvement of intercultural awareness and cultivation of good personal qualities.Suggestions given to the C company are:establishing an effective feedback mechanism,strengthening cross-cultural training,encouraging the use of simple and familiar English expressions,enhancing interpersonal relationships among the program staff and selecting right personnel for the program.Through the case of the C company’s short-term overseas study tour programs,the present study enriches the empirical study of the ICC.The research findings also provide feasible inspiration and reference for the C company as well as other Chinese enterprises to carry out related programs in the UK or other countries.