About Us

Mission:
The mission of the JALT Business Communication Special Interest Group (SIG) is to promote
advancements in business communication education, research, and practice.

 

About the SIG:
The SIG will focus on all aspects of business communication, such as business composition and
technical writing, information systems, international business communication, management
communication, organizational and corporate communication, and so on.
The SIG members are professors, scholars, and professionals focused on or interested in
language and communication issues in the world of business and organizations. The SIG brings
together academics from various fields, including linguistics, communications, and management
sciences, as well as consultants, trainers, and managers working in multilingual contexts as an
interdisciplinary endeavor. It aims to strengthen the connections between research, education,
and the professional world in a way that informs management education in today’s academic
institutions.

Membership:
The core membership consists of JALT members, but non-JALT members are welcome to join,
as well as non-JALT SIG members comprised of academic and professional practitioners and
student members who are undergraduate or graduate students. The annual membership fee for
the SIG member will be 2,000 yen for 2022-2023. There is currently no membership fee for
student members. 
Note: JALT membership includes the option to become a member of one SIG. If a JALT member joins

another SIG, she or he must pay an additional SIG membership fee of ¥2,000. The annual JALT

membership fee is ¥13,000.

Publications:
Working Papers
The SIG will publish a working paper bulletin annually or biannually. The first working paper
bulletin will be published in January 2023. Also, the members will be allowed to publish
advanced online versions before compiling the annual or biannual bulletin. There will be a
special manuscript upload website where members can upload their manuscripts to solicit
discussion and feedback from members and non-members. Uploaded manuscripts will be
checked for appropriateness for the SIG but not qualify as academic papers.
The copyright of the working papers will belong to the authors so that they will be allowed to
submit and publish improved and revised manuscripts to renowned academic journals.
The working papers will not be peer-reviewed; they will be published for further discussions and
feedback for improvements and revisions.
Newsletter
The sig will publish a quarterly newsletter to update members and non-members on past and
future SIG events, and so on.
Periodical Meetings:
Periodical Study Sessions: Members will be allowed to present their studies for discussion and
learning in periodic sessions. The purpose of the sessions is to learn from each other.

Seminars: There will be seminars and presentations by invited outside scholars and professional
practitioners. 

AGM:
The annual General Meeting will be held yearly at the JALT international conference. At the
AGM, members elect and approve the SIG officers.