Author(s): Guo Xiaoxi
In intercultural business communication settings, instead of face-to-face communication, much work is done through computer-assisted communication with development of information technology. There are a variety of instruments to be applied in intercultural business communication, such as email, WhatsApp, skype, Google meeting, WebEx and so on. In China, businesspersons would also like to use communication applications such as WeChat. What are the preferences of Chinese business people to conduct intercultural business communication is a question troubling their counterparts. This research aims to examine the computer-assisted communication patterns, tools and effectiveness in intercultural business communication in Mainland China and answer the following questions: (1) what kinds of communication patterns are mostly used by Chinese businesspersons; (2) what are the advantages and disadvantages of each tool in intercultural business communication; & (3) what kind of communication tools are most efficient tools to viewed by Chinese businesspersons in intercultural business communication? The authors hope find the better way for intercultural business communication by interviewing thirty Chinese businesspersons who have business communication experience with people from other cultures. The findings show that Chinese businesspersons prefer to use instant messages together with emails and they think using these tools together can make the communication more effective.