Transformations  in
Business & Economics

EXPLANATORY VALUE OF THE CULTURE CONCEPT IN THE CONTEXTS OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Tomas Saulius, Dovile Valanciene, Albertas Skurvydas

ABSTRACT. Globalization connects different corners of the world in such a way that events happening thousands of miles away from our country make a significant impact on our life. What is culture? In the history of science, there were many cases when suspicions terms with a more or less strong "metaphysical flavour" were introduced and it only complicated explication of relevant issues. The article addresses the following problem question: Does the abstract concept of culture meet the standards of contemporary scientific language? The aim of the article: to explicate the explanatory value of culture concept in the contexts of international business communication. The objectives related to this aim are following: 1. to reveal essential features of the technical language of postmodern science; 2. to distinguish the main semantic aspects of the culture concept in theoretical contexts; 3. to discuss the heuristic value of the culture concept in practical situations. Research method: a conceptual analysis. The main conclusions are following: first, "culture" is a useful "binding metaphor" in contemporary interdisciplinary context. Once it is applied consciously and cautiously, it promotes holistic, non-reductionist approach toward complex human behaviour; second, using the culture concept in the scientific way one is able to avoid traps of stereotype ("fast") thinking and, consequently, to initiate and elaborate meaningful international dialogue.

KEYWORDS: culture, scientific language, international business communication.

JEL classification: A1, B5, F0.