Content Strategy and Intercultural Communication: Analysis of International Websites of Chinese Universities

This study examines the content strategies of 12 Chinese universities’ international websites. Going beyond the Hofstede–Hall model, we explore a novel mixed-method study using both content strategy analysis and user research to investigate intercultural web-based communication strategies. Our study...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of technical writing and communication 2023-10, Vol.53 (4), p.356-381
Main Authors: Tang, Yingying, Ding, Huiling
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
College Students
Colleges & universities
Communication Strategies
Content Analysis
Cultural Background
Design
Foreign Countries
Global Approach
Intercultural Communication
Mixed methods research
Student Attitudes
Technical communication
Universities
User Needs (Information)
Values
Web Sites
Websites
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study examines the content strategies of 12 Chinese universities’ international websites. Going beyond the Hofstede–Hall model, we explore a novel mixed-method study using both content strategy analysis and user research to investigate intercultural web-based communication strategies. Our study identifies the impacts of Chinese cultural and socio-political values on web content and the mismatch between such values and the information needs of globally distributed prospective students. We conclude that universities’ web content strategies should fully understand target audiences’ needs. Designers benefit from doing stakeholder interviews and competitor analysis to provide relevant, accurate, and accessible information to users from different cultures.
ISSN:0047-2816
1541-3780
DOI:10.1177/00472816231171982