Author: Claudia Schwabe File Type: pdf Craving Supernatural Creatures German Fairy-Tale Figures in American Pop Culture analyzes supernatural creatures in order to demonstrate how German fairy tales treat difference, alterity, and Otherness with terror, distance, and negativity, whereas contemporary North American popular culture adaptations navigate diversity by humanizing and redeeming such figures. This trend of transformation reflects a greater tolerance of other marginalized groups (in regard to race, ethnicity, ability, age, gender, sexual orientation, social class, religion, etc.) and acceptance of diversity in society today. The fairy-tale adaptations examined here are more than just twists on old stories-they serve as the looking glasses of significant cultural trends, customs, and social challenges. Whereas the fairy-tale adaptations that Claudia Schwabe analyzes suggest that Otherness can and should be fully embraced, they also highlight the gap that still exists between the representation and the reality of embracing diversity wholeheartedly in twenty-first-century America.The books four chapters are structured around different supernatural creatures, beginning in chapter 1 with Schwabes examination of the automaton, the golem, and the doppelganger, which emerged as popular figures in Germany in the early nineteenth century, and how media, such as Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollo, dramatize, humanize, and infantilize these uncanny characters in multifaceted ways. Chapter 2 foregrounds the popular figures of the evil queen and witch in contemporary retellings of the Grimms fairy tale Snow White. Chapter 3 deconstructs the concept of the monstrous Other in fairy tales by scrutinizing the figure of the Big Bad Wolf in popular culture, including Once Upon a Time and the Fables comic book series. In chapter 4, Schwabe explores the fairy-tale dwarf, claiming that adaptations today emphasize the diversity of dwarves personalities and celebrate the potency of their physicality.Craving Supernatural Creatures is a unique contribution to the field of fairy-tale studies and is essential reading for students, scholars, and pop-culture aficionados alike.

Author: Tsedal Neeley File Type: pdf For nearly three decades, English has been the lingua franca of cross-border organizations, yet studies on corporate language strategies and their importance for globalization have been scarce. In The Language of Global Success, Tsedal Neeley provides an in-depth look at a single organizationthe high-tech giant Rakutenin the five years following its English lingua franca mandate. Neeleys behind-the-scenes account explores how language shapes the ways in which employees who work in global organizations communicate and negotiate linguistic and cultural differences. Drawing on 650 interviews conducted across Rakutens locations in Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States, Neeley argues that an organizations lingua franca is the catalyst by which all employees become some kind of expatsomeone detached from their mother tongue or home culture. Through her unfettered access to the inner workings of Rakuten, she reveals three distinct social groups linguistic expats, who live in their home country yet have to give up their native language in the workplace cultural expats, or native speakers of the lingua franca, who struggle with organizational values that are more easily transmitted after language barriers are removed and finally linguistic-cultural expats, who, while native to neither the lingua franca nor the organizations home culture, surprisingly have the easiest time adjusting to language changes. Neeley demonstrates that language can serve as the conduit for an unfamiliar culture, often in unexpected ways, and that there are lessons to be learned for all global companies as they confront language and culture challenges. Examining the strategic use of language by one international corporation, The Language of Global Success uncovers how all organizations might integrate language effectively to tap into the promise of globalization. **Review An interesting read. . . . One of her most intriguing findings has to do with the effect of the English mandate on Rakutens corporate culture.--*Wall Street Journal* Neeley . . . tackles her study of Englishnization with scholarly rigor and journalistic zeal. . . . [The Language of Global Success] skillfully demonstrates that major corporate initiatives must be championed by top leadership and provide meaningful support and training for employees. --*Publishers Weekly* From the Back Cover The Language of Global Success does a masterful job documenting the unfolding changes in work practices, impact on firm performance, and daily struggles and joys following an English-language mandate in a large Japan-based company. Neeleys careful analysis of globalizations intertwined elements makes this a landmark study. Her compelling writing will appeal to any reader interested in the nitty-gritty of leading and understanding large-scale organizational change--and what it feels like for affected employees.--Robert Sutton, Stanford University and coauthor of *Scaling Up Excellence* In The Language of Global Success, Tsedal Neeley courageously deconstructs the greatest challenge that global companies face language. Her breakthrough research and insights into ways people adapt to change demonstrate what is required to integrate multiple cultures and languages into a unified organization required for sustained success.--Bill George, former chair and CEO of Medtronic and author of *Discover Your True North* A very original book at the intersection of language and organizational and national culture that combines attention to a question of real interest with rigorous field research. It sets a high bar for further work in this domain--very high indeed.--Pankaj Ghemawat, New York University and IESE Business School, and author of *World 3.0* This is a fascinating examination of how an English-language mandate at a Japanese firm, Rakuten, unfolded over time and how employees reacted to it. I am not aware of any other book on the organizational aspects of such mandates, and the scope and length of this impressive study make it valuable and important.--JoAnne Yates, MIT Sloan School of Management With a wealth of material and rich insights, this accessible book develops a novel expatriate perspective on global work and provides concrete evidence for why language matters. It will be of great interest to scholars working in the fields of international business, human resource management, and organization psychology. A delightful read.--Rebecca Piekkari, Aalto University, School of Business