The Business and Languages in Emerging Markets Symposium will take place on Friday, April 29 in Room 405 Illini Union. This interdisciplinary symposium will bring people from diverse backgrounds (language instructors, business professionals, and students) together to explore the role that languages and language learning play in emerging markets. The symposium will help to inform business students and students of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) about the importance of learning languages of the countries where global/multi-national companies are located, in order to engage in successful business practices. This symposium will also provide instructors with guidance on designing successful business language curricula. Participants will gain a better understanding of the importance of languages for business and will make connections with the real-life implications of learning languages.
The symposium will consist of a workshop for instructors on creating business language curricula, a keynote lecture, a networking event with local businesses that have ties to international markets, and a student panel discussion. Our workshop facilitator and keynote speaker is David Victor, who is Professor of Management and Director of International Business at Eastern Michigan University. His keynote lecture is entitled "The LESCANT Approach As A Framework For Intercultural Business Communication". Professor Victor teaches a range of courses in international business and researches conflict management, international differences in organizational structure, cross-cultural business communication, and the relationship between headquarters and subsidiaries in the multinational corporation.
Schedule:
9:00-10:30 a.m. Pedagogical Workshop (for instructors)
11:00 a.m.-Noon Keynote Lecture
Noon-1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00-2:00 p.m. Networking with Business Professionals
2:00-3:00 p.m. Student Panel Discussion
The event is free, but registration is encouraged. Register here: http://go.illinois.edu/Bus_Lang_Symposium
The symposium is sponsored by the Center for Language Instruction and Coordination, the Center for Latin American and Carribean Studies, and the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center.