Intercultural Communication Practices in Chinese Firms in Lusaka, Zambia: Perspectives of Zambian Employees
Keywords:
Intercultural Communication, Communication Barriers, Multinational Companies
Abstract
This article highlights the Intercultural Communication Practices in Chinese Multinational Companies (MNCs) in Zambia with a particular focus on Zambian employees’ perspectives. It explores communication practices in Chinese firms in Lusaka, understanding Zambian workers’ perceptions of communication with Chinese counterparts, and identifying barriers to effective communication. Employing a Phenomenological approach, two (02) Chinese MNCs in Zambia were studied: China Jiangsu International and Avic International (Zambia) Limited. Ten employees were interviewed. The findings indicate the use of interpreters, oral communication, and gestures for daily activities exchange. While some found these practices effective, others faced challenges due to intercultural differences. Barriers include lack of respect for elders, disregard for pleasantries, and impatience among Chinese employees. The study concludes that Chinese MNCs lack adequate attention to intercultural communication strategies, thus recommending the implementation of deliberate improvement measures.References
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2. Beamer, L. (1992). Learning Intercultural Communication Competence ICC. The Journal of Business Communication, 29(3), 285–303.
3. Berns, M. (2005). Expanding on the expanding circle: Where do WE go from here? World Englishes, 24(1), 85–93.
4. Chen, G. (Ed.). (2009). Intercultural communication research. Beijing: Higher Education Press.
5. Etikan, I., & Bala, K. (2017). Sampling and sampling methods. Biometrics & Biostatistics International Journal, 5(6).
6. Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond culture. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press.
7. Hamusokwe, B. (2023). Navigating China’s influence: A delicate balancing act for Zambia. Makanday Centre for Investigative Journalism.
8. He, R., & Liu, J. (2010). Halmstad School of Business and Engineering.
9. Hofstede, G. (1998). Identifying organizational subcultures: An empirical approach. Journal of Management Studies, 35(1), 1–12.
10. Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
11. Human Rights Report on Zambia. (2011).
12. Jarvenpaa, S. L., & Leidner, D. E. (1999). Communication and trust in global virtual teams. Organization Science, 10, 791–815.
13. Klyukanov, I. E. (2020). Principles of intercultural communication (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429353475
14. Lee, J., & Zhou, M. (Eds.). (2004). Asian American youth: Culture, identity and ethnicity (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203490549
15. Li, Y. (2011). Cross-cultural communication within American and Chinese colleagues in multinational organizations. Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association, 2010(7). Retrieved from http://docs.rwu.edu/nyscaproceedings/vol2010/iss1/7
16. Liu, J. (2005). Chinese and English discourse in business communication: A case study of U.S. executive of a multinational corporation in China. Eastern Illinois University.
17. Liu, J. (2000). The intellectual turn: The emergence of liberalism in contemporary China. In T. G. Carpenter & J. A. Dom. (Eds.), China’s future. Washington, D.C.: Cato Institute.
18. Louhiala-Salminen, L. (2002). The fly’s perspective: Discourse in the daily routine of a business manager. English for Specific Purposes, 21(3), 211–231.
19. Lubinda, M. C., & Jian, C. (2018). China–Zambia economic relations: Current developments, challenges and future prospects for regional integrations. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management, 6(1), 207–209.
20. Mambwe, E. (2023). Changing tides in Zambian television broadcasting: Digital migration and Chinese engagement. Global Media and Communication, 19(3), 357–371.
21. Mattingly, B. A., Oswald, D. L., & Clark, E. M. (2011). An examination of relational interdependent self-construal, communal strength, and pro-relationship behaviors in friendships. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(8), 1243–1248.
22. Mbigi, L. (1994). The spirit of African management. In P. Christie, R. Lessem, & L. Mbigi (Eds.), African management: Philosophies, concepts and applications (pp. 77–92).
23. McCoy, F. (1995). Doing business in South Africa. Black Enterprise, May, 58–68.
24. Merkin, R., Taras, V., & Steel, P. (2014). State of the art themes in cross-cultural communication research: A systematic and meta-analytic review. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 38, 1–23.
25. Vandenhoeck, & Ruprecht, L. L. C. (2010). Handbook of intercultural communication and cooperation: Basics and areas of application (Vol. 1). Oakville, CT: U.S.A.
26. Miahouakana, M. J. P. (2008). L’ethnicité, un obstacle au développement économique des pays africains. Journal Le Chemin, (5), 5.
27. Mogea, T. (2023). Cross-cultural communication barriers in organizations. CENDEKIA: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial, Bahasa dan Pendidikan, 3(2), 20–33.
28. Mwanawina, I. (2008). An assessment of Chinese development assistance in Africa: The case of Zambia.
29. Oetzdel, G. J. (2005). Effective intercultural workgroup communication theory. In W. B. Gudykunst (Ed.), Theorizing about intercultural communication. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.
30. Panella, C. (1998). Meeting the needs of international business: A customer service-oriented business language course. The Journal of Language for International Business, 9(1), 65–75.
31. Panocová, R. (2020). Theories of intercultural communication. Košice: Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.
32. Policy Monitoring and Research Centre (PMRC). (2018). Zambia–China relations: Trade & investment. Retrieved from http://pmrczambia.com/legislationatyourfingertips
33. Prime, N. (1994). Culture, temps et négociation commerciale (Ph.D. thesis). Université Pierre Mendès France, Ecole Supérieure des Affaires, Grenoble.
34. Robert, Y. (2004). What is culture in organisations? Project Management Community Industry Article.
35. Rozkwitalska, M. (2013). Effective cross-cultural relationships in multinational corporations: Foreign subsidiaries’ viewpoint. Gdansk School of Banking.
36. Samovar, L. (1981). Understanding intercultural communication. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
37. Sharma, G. (2017). Pros and cons of different sampling techniques. International Journal of Applied Research, 3(7), 749–752.
38. Shuter, R., & Wiseman, R. (1994). Communication in multinational organizations: Conceptual, theoretical, and practical issues. In R. Wiseman & R. Shuter (Eds.), Communicating in multinational organizations (pp. 3–11). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
39. Sinkala, M., & Zhou, W. (2014). Chinese FDI and employment creation in Zambia. Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 5(23), 39–43.
40. Slate, E. (1993). Success depends on an understanding of cultural differences. Human Resources Focus, 70(10), 16–17.
41. Tran, B. (2016). Communication (intercultural and multicultural) at play for cross-cultural management within multinational corporations (MNCs). In Handbook of research on effective communication in culturally diverse workplaces (p. 1782). IGI Global.
42. Voevoda, E. (2020). Intercultural communication in multicultural education space. Training, Language and Culture, 4(2), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.22363/2521-442X-2020-4-2-11-20
43. Wilczewski, M., Gut, A., & Gorbaniuk, O. (2014). The impact of individualism–collectivism orientation and communal orientation on employees’ attitudes toward intercultural communication: The case of Chinese employees in an MNC. Journal of Intercultural Communication.
44. Xing, Y., Liu, Y., Tarba, S., & Cooper, C. L. (2016). Intercultural influences on managing African employees of Chinese firms in Africa: Chinese managers’ HRM practices. International Business Review, 25(1), 28–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2014.05.003
45. Yang, P. (2017). Intercultural nonverbal communication competence as intercultural responsiveness in the second language learning classroom. In J. Kathryn & R. M. Jason (Eds.), Intercultural responsiveness in the second language learning classroom (pp. 127–147). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
46. Yuan, W. (2009). Effectiveness of communication between American and Chinese employees in multinational organizations in China. Intercultural Communication Studies XVIII. Kean University.
47. Zhang, J., & Xu, M. (2007). Study of cross-cultural communication management in global competition. Economic and Managerial Study, (9), 77–81.
Published
2025-01-10
How to Cite
Katongo, T. and Hamusokwe, B. (2025) “Intercultural Communication Practices in Chinese Firms in Lusaka, Zambia: Perspectives of Zambian Employees”, Journal of Law and Social Sciences, 6(2), pp. 54-73. doi: https://doi.org/10.53974/unza.jlss.6.2.1301.
Section
Articles