Reference no: EM132154217

EU Funds Language Learning: Key Concepts: management training and development, management development and competitive advantage, the European Union, global mind-set, language training, globalization

Notes: The classrooms are busy at the University of Bedfordshire in Britain. However, instead of being filled with traditional university students, business people fill the rooms. The University of Bedfordshire is offering a program funded by the European Union to help business people learn foreign languages. The basic idea behind the program is to use the facilities at the university not only for the benefit of traditional students, but also for the benefit of the local community. The European Union hopes the program will help local business people gain a competitive edge over their rivals.

Currently about 80 people are enrolled in the program. One man taking advantage of the opportunity is Martin Brady who runs a company that helps firms find manufacturers in China. Brady is studying Mandarin. He wants to gain basic conversational skills that he hopes will help him when he is working in China. Already, Brady has noticed a difference in how Chinese people respond to him when he uses his newly acquired language skills. Brady notes that in China the relationship is as important as the business deal, and feels that his language skills will go a long way towards building relationships with Chinese business people.

Martin Brady, it appears, has figured out what many Britons have not. Foreign language skills are important in business. Research shows that Britain lags at the bottom when it comes to learning foreign language skills, and this deficiency may be causing British firms to miss opportunities to do business in other countries. Currently, most British firms have a tendency to do business in foreign countries where English is spoken, and avoid countries that speak a foreign language. As a result, firms tend to take a reactive approach to their business strategy going only where they think they can do business instead of looking at the entire world to see where the best opportunities lie. In the hopes of getting other people to realize the competitive advantages languages can give companies, the European Union will be funding the programs again. This time the program will be offered at ten universities across the country making the program more available to everyone.

Discussion Questions: be detailled in your answers

1- How might a lack of knowledge of foreign languages influence the strategic direction of a firm? What does your response suggest about the ability of the firm to compete in the global market place?

2- In China, the relationship between business people is an important part of a business deal. How can knowledge of the local language help build that trust? What can be learned from the experiences of Martin Brady, a British businessman enrolled in the European Union’s language program?

3- When an American business person in a foreign country insists on speaking only in English, what message is it sending to clients? How can knowledge of the local language help managers avoid an ethnocentric approach to business?

4- How does culture affect the different business functions? How can knowledge of different languages help managers in the different functional areas?