The term 'language management' has become a widely used expression in the sociolinguistic literature. Originally introduced by Jernudd and Neustupný in 1987, as a novel continuation of the language planning tradition stemming from the 1960/70s, language management along these lines has developed into the Language Management Theory (LMT). A second definition of language management, diverting from LMT, can be found in the work of Spolsky, who treats language management as a theoretical component of the wider concept of language policy. Furthermore, over the past 15 years a number of scholars, particularly from the international management discipline, appear to have taken an interest in language as a variable in business and corporate management. It is also common to refer to this research field as language management. This conceptual article offers a theoretically based comparison of the three definitions of language management, before discussing five main focus points, which may be used to highlight their analytical differences.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the consequences of globalisation in the area of corporate communication, and investigate how language may be managed as a strategic resource.
Design/methodology/approach
– A review of previous studies on the effects of globalisation on corporate communication and the implications of language management initiatives in international business.
Findings
– Efficient language management can turn language into a strategic resource. Language needs analyses, i.e. linguistic auditing/language check-ups, can be used to determine the language situation of a company. Language policies and/or strategies can be used to regulate a company’s internal modes of communication. Language management tools can be deployed to address existing and expected language needs. Continuous feedback from the front line ensures strategic learning and reduces the risk of suboptimal outcomes.
Originality/value
– Offers a review of the relevant literature and provides a simple four-step model to make language a more important priority on the corporate agenda.
This paper offers a review of literature dealing with language policies in general and corporate language policies in particular. Based on a discussion of various definitions of these concepts within two research traditions, i.e. sociolinguistics and international management, a three-level definition of corporate language policies is presented, emphasising that a corporate language policy is a context-specific policy about language use. The three-level definition is based on the argument that in order to acquire a complete understanding of what corporate language policies involve, one needs to consider three progressive questions; 1) what is a policy? 2) what is a language policy?, and ultimately, 3) what is a corporate language policy? Index Terms-Corporate language policies, communication management, organisational communication, international business. Guro Refsum Sanden is a PhD student in the Department of International Business Communication at Copenhagen Business School. Her PhD project investigates the role of corporate language strategies in Scandinavian multinational corporations, with a particular focus on the deployment of different language management tools and measures. Ms. Sanden has previously worked as a Nordic Management Trainee in the Danish insurance company Tryg (2010-2012), been employed in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2009), and held a position in the Department of Energy and Retail in the Norwegian oil company Statoil (2007-2008). Her academic career includes BSc in political science from University of Oslo (2007), MSc in political economy from BI Norwegian School of Business (2010), and she is currently enrolled at the master of law programme (LLM) at the University of Oslo, while pursuing her PhD at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.
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