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From Controlling to Caring : Language-Sensitive Research in International Business
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A3 Kirjan tai muun kokoomateoksen osa
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en
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13
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The field of language-sensitive research in international business explores language diversity in multinational and multilingual organizations. Over the years, this field has been dominated by functionalist approaches that consider language an instrumental tool of corporate strategy to be controlled. In this chapter, we argue that the view of language as a corporate control mechanism is giving way to alternative approaches that underscore a sense of caring and responsibility. We define responsible language use as instrinsically inclusive, multivocal, and multilingual that emphasizes linguistic (in)justice and is based on moral and ethical considerations. This shift to responsible language use is particularly visible in the four topics that we highlight as promising avenues for future research: (i) language and migrants; (ii) language and equality, diversity, and inclusion; (iii) language and technology; and (iv) language and research methodology. In discussing them, we distill key concepts and propose potential research questions that nudge the field from a focus on controlling to a focus on caring.
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Publisher Copyright: © 2026 selection and editorial matter, Natalie Victoria Wilmot and Claudine Gaibrois; individual chapters, the contributors. All rights reserved.
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Back, H, Piekkari, R & Ly, A 2026, From Controlling to Caring : Language-Sensitive Research in International Business. in The Routledge Companion to Cross-Cultural Management, Second Edition. 2 edn, Routledge, pp. 174-186. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003477723-20