Given the consolidated position of English as the international language for communication in
business and management this book depicts a wide scenario in which to analyse and compare
interactions between eastern western European users of English as well as Asian European North
American speakers. From each chapter different sociolinguistic realities emerge. They affect
English as used largely by non-native speakers but also the relationship between local or
national cultures and the global professional discourse community. In this context not only the
specialized lexis is analysed but rather the ways in which different geo-political cultures
construe manifest and establish their identities. Although it is difficult to classify
pragmatic usages of language the six chapters in the first section deal with language and
culture following a genre-based approach whereas the six chapters of the second section
specifically consider corporate identity in intercultural interactions. This volume which aims
to avoid stereotypes and promote mutual understanding is the offspring of a two-day seminar as
part of the 10th ESSE (European Society for the Study of English) Conference held in Turin
August 2010.
