Analyzing harsh words in a sensitive setting: American expatriates in communist China
研究通过计算机辅助文本分析，考察美国外派经理在中美合资企业中描述冲突时使用的敌对言辞，并比较不同文本分析方法在敏感环境下的适用性。
This paper demonstrates the use of computer-aided text analysis to investigate a sensitive issue in organizations: hostile conflict. The context is American expatriate managers in the People's Republic of China. The text analyzed is from interviews of American expatriate managers describing conflicts with other Americans in the Sino–American joint venture and with their Chinese counterparts in the joint venture. We use interpretive categorization techniques and multidimensional scaling analysis, frequency counts and context ratings of the conflict descriptions to develop and investigate research questions regarding the use of hostile words in a sensitive setting (communist China). We discuss the disparities among the text analysis methods and why some may not be appropriate for examining organizational conflicts in foreign countries. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.