Email in international business settings

Abstract

Making a good impression by email is an essential skill for future leaders to collaborate and get the job done in international settings. The present chapter describes two intercultural email activities and their implementation in the classroom. While many business students have only been exposed to the positivist approach to culture, these activities aim to help students practise, critically reflect on their communicative practices, and question their previous knowledge. In the first activity, students write a professional email and see how it is perceived in international settings. In the second activity, students’ email openings are discussed following two hypotheses. The first one examines if their openings are in line with cultural profiling theories. The second hypothesis tests whether informal greetings would be acceptable in international business settings. This chapter is framed in the context of business school teaching. It details the teaching method and the activities and discusses how these activities may contribute to students’ more critical understanding of culture.