Ethics and intercultural communication are usually discussed in terms of cultural relativity, identity issues and communication and/ or value systems. In response to our ethical responsibility as communication scholars, a model developed by the author over the last 15 years is introduced. This model explains why and how different types of ethical dilemmas arise in today’s complex global information and communication system, which is increasingly dominated by the Internet and social media (Vaagan 2010, 2011, 2015).
The model, while reflecting a mainly Western vantage point, can have wider significance since it challenges and invites also non-Western perspectives, and thereby can contribute to theorizing and fruitful discussion regarding global intercultural communication and dialogue.

The choice and installation of a leader differs from one group to another. Whereas some groups adopt the Western way of choosing a leader, some stick to their traditional cultural practices. The West considers all members of the community for a leadership role, whereas many African cultures do not consider all members of the community. In many instances, a traditional leader is identified in the royal house among the Africans. South African indigenous communities abide by their cultural practices when it comes to the choice of a chief or king. They choose their leader among the children of the deceased leader. The role of members of the royal family plays a dominant role in this regard. Cultural conflict is created when the Western way of choosing a leader is imposed on indigenous communities. The article seeks to highlight the conflict that results from mixed cultural practices. A literary work will be analyzed to illustrate the arguments.

This study examines the relationship between stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination as they show up in the teaching of cross-cultural communication to Japanese college students. The study draws on a social psychology framework that relates affect, behavior and cognition to each other, and then applies this framework to teaching the more emotionally laden aspects of Yashiro’s (2001) culture iceberg. Specifically, it examines the relationship between stereotype and prejudice, based on the premise that intercultural miscommunication starts from stereotypes (in the cognitive level), which are translated into strong feelings of prejudice (in the affective level) and in turn manifested in various forms of discriminatory actions (in the behavioral level). This study finds a relationship between prejudice (affect) and discrimination (behavior) that Japanese students have toward countries in particular, in a sample of 155 college students in Japan. Through studying the relationship between discrimination (behavior), prejudice (affect) and stereotyping (cognition) among Japanese college students, this study extends and deepens the literature on cultural awareness and processing as it relates to teaching culture in Japan.

The range of studies that has been conducted on the role of gossip in organizations suggests that gossip in the workplace plays a variety of important roles in organisational processes. However, relatively few studies have explored its role in intercultural situations. This is surprising given how organisations are becoming increasingly diverse. This paper addresses this gap in the literature. It reports on an exploratory project that sought to determine how perceptions of organisational gossip vary between members of different cultural groups. Using a sensemaking, interpretative approach, we showed two gossip scenarios to 8 Chinese, 8 German and 8 Dutch first year students, and conducted semi structured interviews, asking them how they perceived the nature of the gossip, the gossiper and the object of gossip (i.e., the person being gossiped about). After analysing the data with ATLAS.ti, we observed certain patterns emerging. For example, while all students condemned a manager’s bad behaviour, the Chinese students seemed to expect it more than did their Dutch or German counterparts. Moreover, we found that the relationship and amount of trust that exists between the gossiper, listener and object of gossip greatly influenced how the gossiper and object of gossip were perceived. After reflecting on our research methodology, this study sets the stage for the next phase of our research on the role of gossip in intercultural situations.

The present study examines miscommunication between Chinese teachers and Mexican students, focusing on the sorts and types of misunderstandings in academic settings. Data for this study was collected through academic diaries, questionnaires, interviews and retrospective interviews. According to the nature of the examples provided, misunderstandings are classified into culture-related, non-culture-related, and the mixed-type. Results show that misunderstandings in academic settings between Chinese teachers and Mexican students are not always traceable to cultural differences. Some of the misunderstandings (the non-culture-related types of misunderstandings, for example) are caused by certain errors that the learners make when learning the target language (Chinese in this case), which is regarded as a necessary phase in second language acquisition. Others (like the mixed-type of misunderstandings) are caused by both cultural differences and the dynamics of learning a foreign language. The results seem to verify the author’s hypothesis that culture elements play an essential role in miscommunication, but are not the sole explanation for misunderstandings in intercultural interactions.

The assumption that a diverse environment or setting is inclusive is problematic. Organizations still practice a barrier to inclusion, tokenism, which involves an overemphasis on recruitment of an arbitrary number of underrepresented group members. Tokenism may contribute to the appearance of a diverse organization, but it undermines underrepresented group members’ abilities to contribute in an organization’s decision making, leadership, and community outreach. One way to mitigate tokenism in society is to address it with university students. This study examines ways to use the classroom as a safe space to effectively incorporate the similarities—differences dialectic and the Staircase Model of Intercultural Communication Flexibility in intercultural pedagogy. Thematic and statistical analysis of 32 students’ sensemaking activities revealed five themes regarding students’ experiences with diversity and inclusion. Analysis of student responses to a course assessment questionnaire indicates that the classroom provides accessible ways to communicate about the similarities—differences dialectic.

This study focuses on functionally equivalent, but semantically different sign expressions in Japanese and German, such as o-nori-no-sai-wa tesuri-ni o-tsukamari-kudasai [Literally, “when steping on, please grip handrail”], kiiroi-sen-no uchigawa-ni o-tachi-kudasai [please stand inside yellow line], oriru sai-wa o-oashimoto-ni go-chūi-kudasai [“when getting off, please pay attention to under foot”], and o-ko-sama tsure-no kata-wa o-ko-sama-no te-o totte o-nori-kudasai [“person with child is asked to ride on taking child’s hand”] in Japanese versus its German counterpart Benutzung auf eigene Gefahr [“using at your own risk”], which are posted near escalators. This example tells us that the Japanese sign consists of four concrete sentences whereas the German one presents a simple and abstract sentence. Such correspondents cannot be adequately explained from only construal and politeness perspectives. In this study, such corresponding expressions in Japanese and German will be contrasted to find out what information is relevant to each society. The results will reveal what communicative behaviors are expected in corresponding situations between Japan and Germany, which can contribute to efficient intercultural communication.

In response to scholars’ call to examine the impact of social media on intercultural communication, this study specifically explores the impact of social media use motives on psychological and sociocultural adjustment of international students in the United States. One hundred and three international students from 19 countries enrolling in a U.S. college participated in this study. Participants filled out a questionnaire containing 63 questions about Internet use motives, intercultural adjustment, and other related variables. The results from T-test, Pearson product-moment correlations, and multiple regressions show that social media use motives are negatively correlated with one’s overall intercultural adjustment level. Results further show the significant impact of gender, age, and satisfaction on Internet use motives and intercultural adjustment. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.