ABSTRACT
A small but rapidly growing U.S.-based company is expanding into various Asian countries. They are seeking new employees who have three essential qualifications: solid academic training from a reputable business school, native proficiency in an Asian language, and very strong English skills—particularly in speaking and writing. Since “native proficiency” in an Asian language is required, a number of promising applicants are citizens of Asian countries who studied business abroad in the United States. To determine the quality of the applicants’ English skills, the committee has face-to-face interviews with applicants and asks them to respond in writing to a memo that outlines a proposed business plan. The search committee soon discovers that these applicants’ English skills, especially in writing, are not at all what they expected from people who have spent years in the United States studying at accredited universities. In some cases, the low level of English is disturbing.
