Dealing with Cultural Differences in the e-business Environment: Blending Fictional Literature and Business e-Mail Writing

The present study proposes a model of an intercultural communicative competence-based approach within the context of an e-business curriculum in a Korean university. Considering that a growing number of e-business markets have raised many issues on cultural differences including morality and ethicality, it is high time to explore how these problems can be resolved in the course of blending fictional literature and business e-mail writing in English. This study is considered to demonstrate whether and how students understand the cultural differences derived from a variety of different contexts in the assigned fictional literature. By using fictional literature in the business e-mail writing class, students are expected to synthesize information to think, discuss and/ or argue with probable e-business situations and are able to reinforce interpersonal skills and creative thinking skills. This eventually leads students to become competent communicators in the e-business world.