Preface 3

Like their Chinese contemporaries Americans are global citizens.The American experience is important, but it's far from the whole story because today we truly do live in a global village. Globalization is an ideological framework as well as a driving force to develop new theories that help to explain business activities. Consumers are far more knowledgeable now about what is going on in other countries and markets; we are digital natives who live in a virtual world where all cultures are exposed to each other inreal time.

Crosscultural communication, either in academic fields or in international business practice, needs to offer new solutions to maintain the crucial balance between global standardization and local customization of products and marketing communications. To achieve this goal we need to reconcile our own native cultural perspective and the diverse values of consumers in other cultures.Very often, we are tempted simply to apply our own mindset as we strive to understand the needs and demands of consumers whose cultural zeitgeist is in fact radically different. We force others to fit a mold of our own creation - sometimes with disastrous results.

When one reviews articles on cross cultural communication in business fields, it is a bit disappointing to find that so many academic papers focus on either cultural studies or merely offer a superficial discussion on the application of language to certain business activities. Dr. Yongqiang Liu's new book attempts to bridge this gap. Dr. Liu draws on his rich teaching and research as well as his practical experience in the import-export business to offer a new approach. His treatment of the complex relationship between language and culture provides a valuable perspective for those involved in such fields as cross-cultural marketing, advertising and negotiation. Global citizens will find it a useful guide to navigate this new world.

Michael Solomon, Ph.D.

Professor of Marketing and Director, Center for Consumer Research

Erivan K. Haub School of Business

Saint Joseph's University, U.S.A.