Basic Research to Improve Intercultural Communicative Competence and Development of Digital Teaching and Learning Materials in Business Communication

Declining birth rates in Japan are contributing to a workforce shortage. Recruitment of skilled international workers is therefore increasing. However, Japanese corporations report that a lack of Japanese communication skills presents challenges when employing international workers. Additional challenges are differences in culture, values, and ways of thinking. Associate Professor Meng Yun, from the Institute of Global Affairs at Niigata University in Japan, is developing more effective ways to improve intercultural communicative competence as well as digital teaching and learning materials to optimise business communication. Based on the results of a 2019 DISCO Corporation Survey on the Recruitment of International Students/Highly Skilled International Human Resources, Meng and the team interviewed international employees at major companies and found that one of the factors that inhibits success is the lack of communication skills between Japanese colleagues and international employees, which results in stress for both parties. However, there is a lack of clarity about the cause of these communication problems and how they can be overcome. In her current project, Meng is working to shed light on the cause of core communication problems in business settings and how they can be resolved through effective language education materials. She will verify the educational effectiveness of these materials through systematic evaluation. Preliminary results suggest that the materials she has developed will effectively meet the needs of international employees seeking to better understand the Japanese language and culture.