Global Short-Term Project: MSU Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures & MSU Asia Studies Center (Virtual)

Are you ready to put your business knowledge into practice and gain valuable real-world experience? The MSU Broad College of Business and the Russell Palmer Career Center are excited to announce this Summer 2026 Global Short-Term Project with the MSU Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures and MSU Asia Studies Center. Summer global short-term projects are designed for eligible Broad students who have not secured full-time internships over the summer. These unique opportunities allows students to collaborate with companies to tackle challenges and develop innovative solutions. 

Project Description and Scope: 

In today’s global business environment, professionals frequently collaborate with colleagues, clients, and partners across cultures. Even when everyone speaks English, differences in communication styles, expectations, and decision-making approaches can lead to misunderstandings.

This project explores how intercultural communication influences business interactions between professionals in the United States and South Asia. Students will investigate common communication challenges and develop practical recommendations to help organizations collaborate more effectively across cultures.

Learning outcomes:  

By the end of the project, students will:  

1. Demonstrate an integrated understanding of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) and its relevance to global business strategy, leadership, and negotiation.  

2. Recognize common intercultural communication challenges and identify practical strategies to build trust and avoid misunderstandings.

 3. Apply intercultural insights to real business situations, including negotiations, teamwork, and client interactions. 

4. Expand professional network and increase confidence in communicating and collaborating across cultures in professional environments. 

Project Methodology: 

• Conceptual grounding: Review key intercultural communication frameworks (Byram, Hall, Hofstede, Ting-Toomey, Cultural Intelligence) and select one or two concepts to guide the project.
• Interview design and data collection: Develop focused interview questions and conduct interviews with professionals in the U.S. and South Asia who regularly work across these regions.
• Analysis and synthesis: Identify key themes and translate insights into practical recommendations for improving U.S.–South Asia business communication.

Project Deliverables: 

Based on the review of the research and interviews, students will reflect on the theoretical aspects and recommend more practical strategies for successful business communication. 

• A professional slide presentation (10–15 slides) highlighting key findings and designed for use in a classroom or training setting;
• Or an Intercultural Insight Brief (5–7 pages) summarizing major cultural communication themes, practical recommendations, and a concise “quick tips” section.  

Required Qualifications: 

• Strong interest in global business and intercultural communication 
• Clear, professional communication skills and comfort engaging with working professionals
• Ability to synthesize information into practical insights
• Reliable and self-directed in managing a short-term project

Preferred Qualifications:

Preferred but not required: The scope of this short-term project is to focus on communication between American (English speakers) and South Asian (Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Nepali, Tamil, Telugu, Sinhala, etc.) business professionals. It is desirable (not necessary though) to have students with South Asian background, language skills, or prior coursework in international business or communication.

Project Start Date: May 11, 2026

Project End Date: June 19, 2026

Project Stipend: $750 (upon successful completion of the project)

Number of Participants: 1-2

Weekly Time Commitment: 10 hours

Modality: Virtual