Challenging Students to Respond to Multicultural Issues: The Case-Study Approach

Abstract

Business communication and technical writing students face a new workplace challenge: responding to problems that reflect a multicultural dimension and involve business- people whose perspectives, values, and traditions are not Western. Case studies are a good teaching strategy to introduce multicultural issues in business communication. Case studies involve students in group settings and demand both problem-solving and human-relations skills. Adding discussion questions to case-study problems prompts student responses, and assigning a follow-up progress report or memorandum ties the case-study reviews to course goals. This article includes both a description of the assignment and two timely case-study samples.