Tag: Association for Business Communication

CFP WCA/ABC: Global South and North (New Zealand)

ConferencesCall for Papers: World Communication Association (WCA) and Association for Business Communication (ABC) Conference: The Global South and North: Communication and Cultural Perspectives, July 8-12, 2019, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand. Deadline: January 15, 2019.

The global South-North divide has been conceptualized in political, cultural, economic, and developmental terms. The North has traditionally been seen as more economically, technologically, politically, and socially developed as well as more industrialized. But the South has been linked with poverty, disease, political tyranny, and overall lack of development. Meanwhile, thanks to the internet and development of smart phones, the gap between the South and the North seems to have narrowed. Limits of time and space seem to no longer exist. People can now share similar experiences and communicate, no matter where they are. Global citizens believe the global community is where they would like to live, despite the many issues we have to solve. To explore the global issues of today, the WCA opens the 2019 conference to you. The WCA is proudly co-hosting this conference with the Association for Business Communication (ABC), which will be hosting the 16th Asian Pacific regional conference along with the biennial WCA conference.

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ABC Asia-Pacific Conference (China)

The 14th Association for Business Communication (ABC) Asia-Pacific Conference
November 27–29, 2015
Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
Guangzhou, China

We are living in the 21st Century of increased level of globalisation and internationalisation in which people of different countries, cultures and communities interact more frequently than ever. Along with this trend, communication across cultures also poses great challenges for both academics and practitioners alike in business and management contexts. The conference therefore aims to focus on the diversity and complexities of business communication across countries and cultures.

Click here for the full call for papers (submission deadline: June 30, 2015).

Inga Milevica – Micro grant report

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In Spring 2014, Inga Milevica was awarded a micro grant funded by the Association for Business Communication. The following is her report.

The first and the main scientific-practical task of my project was to participate in an international forum and represent one of the private colleges of Latvia – Alberta College. The international forum “Socio-Cultural and Linguistic Aspects in Educational and Scientific Context” took place in Kyoto (Japan) at Kyoto Sangyo University from September 25-29, 2014. During the forum I presented my paper, “Naive Argumentation of Authority.” Colleagues recognized that they have similar problems (such as plagiarism, lack of knowledge of style, unwillingness to see the limits of text, ignorance of sources of information, glorification of online information sources). Also, I received an invitation from colleagues from the University of Ural publish my research the wider format (as part of a book). I gladly accepted this invitation. Thus, the first phase of the project has been very successful.

As a result of this trip, colleagues from many countries (including Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia) learned about my college. I received multiple invitations for cooperation between my college (Alberta College in Riga, Latvia) and national institutions from many countries on the following topics: foreign language teaching methodology, innovations of linguistic science, bilingual education opportunities and perspective, new paradigm of instructional theory, intercultural aspects of pedagogical activity, information technologies in education, and horizons of literature.

The second goal of my project was methodical planning. The partners in the forum included Kyoto Sangyo University (Kyoto, Japan), Middlebury College (Vermont, USA), University of Bologna (Bologna, Italy), Sangmyung University of South Korea (Cheonan, South Korea), Almaty Institute of Power and Communication (Alamty, Republic of Kazakhstan), International Centre of Scientific-Educational Platform of Interaction of Cultures (Yekaterinburg, Russia), and the Institute of Foreign Languages and Multimedia at University of Greifswald (Greifswald, Federal Republic of Germany). I was able to discuss important issues of cooperation (different forms of cooperation, the uniqueness of cooperation programs, the most successful and unsuccessful programs, etc.) with colleges from Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan, Russia, Germany and USA. The most successful are developing virtual forms of cooperation, many colleagues said.

My third goal in this project was educational enrichment. I teach students in Business in such courses as Communication and Ethics, and Corporate Culture. In these courses, themes of intercultural communication are greatly emphasized (with a focus on making contacts with foreign colleagues, partners, clients). I can say that I was lucky: I saw the careful attitude to the time, I saw the specifics of Japanese design space (at the university, in the hotel, as well as in the cities). Also, I watched the beginning of the Japanese builders‘ working day: they do some exercises and sing a song in a daily ritual that helps establish a working mood. Particularly interesting was listening to Japanese speech because their form of argument is different from that of Europeans.

In conclusion, I want to say thank you to both the Association for Business Communication and the Center for Intercultural Dialogue for this grant, which provided a unique opportunity in terms of work, as well as my personal and professional interests!

 

 

Rosanne Teniente-Micro grant report

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In Spring 2014, Rosanne Teniente was awarded a micro grant funded by the Association for Business Communication. The following is her report.

This past August I was privileged to have the opportunity to attend the Institute for Peace and Dialogue’s Summer Academy on Peacebuilding and Intercultural Dialogue hosted in Baar, Switzerland. IPD is an organization dedicated to conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and intercultural dialogue, and host conferences and trainings for those interested in peacebuilding and cross-cultural communication. I was there for ten days from August 17th through 27th and was partially funded through a microgrant from ABC, awarded through CID.

To say the least, it was a truly inspiring experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. The experts invited were all very knowledgeable about their speaking topics, ranging from the Middle East conflict, non-violent communication and civil disobedience, to learning how to influence and persuade others, especially in dealing with conflict. Experts included a former French diplomat, the founder of the Pancevo peace movement in Serbia who was also directly involved in the Otpor movement that brought down Milosevic, as well as a former British colonel who worked on the Transnistrian conflict. There were also several experts in communication topics, ranging from cross-cultural communication, persuasive communication for successful negotiation, and non-violent communication. Every day had enthralling lectures, with great exercises and activities to really involve the participants.

Perhaps what really made the conference as special as it was were the other attendees. There were about thirty other participants, attending from all over the world. Everyone’s unique cultural background and experiences lent to amazing discussion and insight. One gentleman hailed from the Democratic Republic of Congo and was able to share his experiences in such a high-conflict country. Another came from Iraq and was able to eloquently explain the issues of ISIS and how his country is faring in the post-Iraq war years. Other participants were active peace practitioners, working for the United Nations, the Carter Center, and Peace Brigades International. At the end of the conference, we all agreed that one of the most rewarding aspects was that we were all blessed to have met and gotten to know each other during the time there, and to have forged such great connections with people from unlikely places.

I feel so fortunate that I was able to participate in such an event. As a graduate student and military spouse, it would have been very difficult to afford to attend the conference without funding from CID. I was also lucky that my university program was also able assist with a supplementary travel grant. While I did have to cover about half of the cost by myself, the microgrant from CID made it possible to attend, and as I said before, this will be an experience that I carry with me for the rest of my life.

Business/Professional Comm Quarterly: Reviewers/Submissions call

The Business and Professional Communication Quarterly has had a change of name and scope. BPCQ is published by Association of Business Communication, and ABC is one of the organizations making up the Council of Communication Associations, the parent organization of the Center for Intercultural Dialogue. ABC has international members, including one serving on the CID Advisory Board, so they are definitely open to international responses.

 

 

 

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Inga Milevica – Micro grant award

MilevicaInga Milevica has been awarded a micro grant for international travel, funded by the Association for Business Communication through the Center for Intercultural Dialogue. The following is her description of herself and the project. You can also read the main article describing all award winners.

Dr. Inga Milevica is a researcher and teacher in Latvia, author of more than 90 scientific papers. Her main research interests are: gender communication, business communication, mass communication and translation problems, in particular, problems of translation in films. Milevica has been working at Alberta College since 2008 in all its fields of study: Legal foundation of the business, Entertainment management and production, Cultural tourism management, Marketing and marketing′s innovations, Staff work organization, Business accountancy and taxes, Information technology, Game development, Economics and organization of small companies and Public relations. She teaches the following courses: Rhetoric and Presentation Skills, Introduction into Communication Theory, Corporate Culture, Business Communication and professional Ethics, Stylistics and Culture of Latvian Language.

The first and the main scientific-practical task of the project is to participate in the international forum and represent one of the private colleges of Latvia – Alberta College. The international forum “Socio-Cultural and Linguistic Aspects in Educational and Scientific Context” will take place in Kyoto (Japan) in Kyoto Sangyo University, September 25-29, 2014. The paper “Naive Argumentation of Authority” is being prepared for the section Intercultural Aspects in Pedagogical Activity. There will be basic peculiarities of the argumentation and especially of an argument authority discussed in the paper, based on the verbal and written discourse of the students.

The second task deals with methodical planning. The partners of the forum are such famous and respected educational institutions of the world as Kyoto Sangyo University (Kyoto, Japan), Middlebury College (Vermont, USA), University of Bologna (Bologna, Italy), Sangmyung University of South Korea (Cheonan, South Korea), Almaty Institute of Power and Communication (Alamty, Republic of Kazakhstan), International Centre of Scientific-Educational Platform of Interaction of Cultures (Yekaterinburg, Russia), Institute of Foreign Languages and Multimedia at University of Greifswald (Greifswald, Federal Republic of Germany). The author intends to discuss with the representatives of the universities possibilities of the programme Erasmus+, which starting from 2014 will expand both geography of the trips and scientific and educational profiles, both for the students and teaching staff.

In addition, this project will help to perfect practical knowledge about the distinctive culture of Japan. For example, such important categories for successful communication and overcoming potential barriers as time (monochrome or polychrome perception) and place (public or private – and to what extent) should be felt already on the airplane, in the hotel, on the streets, at the university, etc., and such a category as argumentation (linear or holistic) also can and must be experienced in real communication.

ABC Micro Grants Awarded

Three scholars have been awarded micro grants for international travel related to research, funded by the Association for Business Communication, in spring 2014. Brief descriptions of the award winners and their projects are below; click on the name of the grant winners for further details. After each project is completed, a link to a report will be posted to the CID website as well.

MilevicaInga Milevica, who teaches at Alberta College in Latvia, will travel to Kyoto, Japan, to connect with colleagues from the Ukraine as well as Japan, working on the topic of the naive argument of authority.

October 2014: Milevica’s report of her activities is now available.

Olena ZelikovskaOlena Zelikovska, who teaches at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, will travel to California State University of Los Angeles, working on the topic of intercultural competence.

TenienteRosanne Teniente, a graduate student at Northeastern University, will travel to participate in the Institute for Peace and Dialogue, in Switzerland.

September 2014: Teniente’s report of her activities is now available.

 

More ABC Micro Grants available!

UPDATE May 12, 2014: This round of micro grants has been completed – see the results. As further micro grants become available, they will be described on the website.

The Center for Intercultural Dialogue will distribute micro grants for intercultural dialogue from a pool of $5000 made available by the Association for Business Communication. These micro grants are intended to support either or both of the two types of activities described in the mission of the Center: study of intercultural dialogues by Communication scholars, and/or participation in intercultural dialogue through academic interactions between Communication scholars based in different countries, or different linguistic and cultural regions. Thus, you do not have to be studying intercultural dialogue as your topic – putting intercultural dialogue into practice through collaborative research is also eligible for funding. These grants are sufficient to provide seed funding only: no more than $1000 maximum can be awarded to any one individual. The goal is to encourage international, intercultural, interlingual collaborative research by giving enough funding to offset the cost of airfare only, while providing opportunity (and cause) for matching grants from universities. Past experience shows that even these small grants help researchers obtain matching funds from their departments, or administration.

ABC logo
If you already have multiple international connections, this grant is not for you – obviously you don’t need it. But if you are at a small college, or if you are a new scholar, or have not yet established significant international connections related to research, or if your university has recently cut back its budget for travel, you are the intended audience for this competition. If you have been reading publications by an international scholar on a topic of potential relevance to your own research, consider a short trip to discuss ways to collaborate on a future project. If you do not know who has been doing relevant work, check the sources you’ve been reading lately, ask your colleagues, and/or think about who you know from graduate school or who you have met (or heard present an intriguing paper) at a conference. Find someone with similar interests but who takes a different theoretical or methodological stance by virtue of being based in a different cultural context.

The intention is to support the development of new intercultural, professional connections. Thus continuing collaborations are ineligible. Those based in the US are expected to propose travel outside the country. International scholars currently living outside their country of origin are asked to establish a new affiliation in a different region rather than proposing a return to their homeland. We recognize that much interesting work can be done within a country between cultural groups, however this grant program focuses on connecting researchers who are not yet connected, across cultural regions that are typically disconnected. This rationale of cross-cultural connection must be explicit in the project description.

The ABC Micro Grants Application requires applicants to describe their project, provide a brief resume, a short note from their department chair documenting their current status, and one from the host scholar expressing interest in holding conversations related to research. The deadline is April 15, 2014. Membership in ABC is required, but they have decided to consider this a recruitment opportunity, meaning that you may join and be eligible immediately.

The National Communication Association set aside similar funding for micro grants in 2012-13. Those projects have already been completed, and have been described in sufficient detail that they may serve as models for this year’s applications.

Contact the Center’s Director, Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, with questions.

C. R. Anderson Research Awards

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The Association for Business Communication is currently accepting applications to its C.R. Anderson Research Foundation (CRARF), which financially supports innovative research projects in the field of business communication. The support offered is in the form of micro-grants of US $1,000 to US $3,500 to be spent on equipment, hard- and software, travel and accommodation expenses, and/or research support-staff compensation within the course of a research project of up to 12 months.

To provide grants to support ABC members’ research activities in the interdisciplinary field of business communication. In particular, the CRARF aims to encourage and support innovative, academic research in such areas as business communication, management communication, business writing, consulting, marketing, English, speech communication, intercultural communication, linguistics, rhetoric, and information systems.

Eligibility criteria: Who can apply?
All graduate students and faculty who are members of ABC are welcome to apply.

What can be applied for?
Minimum $ 1,000 and maximum $ 3,500 to be spent on equipment, hard- and software, project-related travel and accommodation expenses, research support staff compensation (e.g. the costs of coding data, interview transcription, designing and running statistical analysis), etc. within the course of a research project of max. 1 year. The money should not be spent on dissemination (e.g. conferences) but on the execution of the project.

When are applications due?
Applications will be evaluated on a continuous basis. Selection Guidelines:
Eligibility of the applicant
Originality and innovative nature of the project
Feasibility of the project
Scholarly contribution to the field of business communication
Appropriateness of research methodology
Necessity of the budgeted resources

Selection Procedure:
The applications are presented to the ABC Research Foundation Committee, who assess the merits of the applications and  who report their recommendations to the CR Anderson Board. The allocation is made by the CR Anderson Board. Members of the ABC Research Foundation Committee and of the CR Anderson Board are not allowed to apply for a grant.

Selection Follow-up:
Grant recipients’ attendance (and presentation) is mandatory at an ABC convention (Annual Convention or regional conference) in one of the first two years following the allocation of the funds. Recipients should acknowledge the financial support of the ABC Research Foundation in all conference presentations and publications (both print and online) reporting research conducted with the Research Foundation’s money. Recipients  should submit a 1,000-word research report to the ABC Research Foundation Committee within 6 months after the close of the project.

How to apply:
Please send your application in pdf-format to the chair of the ABC Research Foundation Committee, Dr. Geert Jacobs, at geert.jacobs@ugent.be, including a description of the project (max. 1,000 words), a statement of its academic and practical relevance to the field of business communication (max. 500 words) , a list of expected output and deliverables (publications, conference presentations, etc.), and the applicants’ CVs, as well as a detailed budget.

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