The Persistent Impact of Language on Global Operations

In studies of firms' internationalisation, language has tended to be bundled into 'cultural and psychic distance boxes'. In this article, an attempt is made to unbundle the impact of language through (a) an examination of the way in which language influences the pattern of foreign market expansion; and (b) an analysis of how a firm may try to cope with language diversity by adopting a common corporate language. We conclude that attempts to impose a common corporate language may hinder or alter information flows, knowledge transfer, and communication.