1.1 Definition of Communication

This section defines communication from perspectives of both Chinese traditional culture and modern western studies.

1.1.1 Definition by Traditional Chinese Culture

Communication as a discipline can be traced back to Spring and Autumn Period of Warring States in East Zhou Dynasty. It is entitled as strategies for vertical and horizontal communication for political debates and argumentations to persuade states to set up political alliances for survival. It is called Zongheng Strategies. The masters of Zongheng Strategies are Su Qin and Zhang Yi. The former practices such effective vertical communication strategies that he persuades six state into setting up an alliance to protect against Qing State while latter exercises so effective horizontal communication strategies that he helps Qing State to break down the alliance of six states. Zongheng Strategies are usually exercised in combination with The Art of War by Sun Zi. The focus of Zongheng Strategies is on specific skills for persuading, while that of The Art of War is on the overall strategies （Wang, 2013）. The specific Zongheng strategies are as follows:

These systematic communication strategies go beyond any communication theories developed thereafter in terms of depth in thought and extension in practice. These strategies are extensively used in diplomatic and economic negotiation as well as in daily life of ordinary people. They help individuals develop effective verbal skill to develop harmonious personal relations which are beneficial to one's career development.

1.1.2 Definitions by Modern Western Scholars

The term communication has been used in many ways for varied and often inconsistent purposes. Western scholars point out that there are 126 kinds of definitions of communication in the literature （Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2009）. Sorting out these definitions is necessary for us to define well the communication in global business and culture context. Communication is the process in which information, ideas, and feelings are transmitted from person to another. That process involves not only the spoken and written words but also body language, personal mannerisms and styles, the surroundings that adds meaning to a message. The basis for communication is that an idea or message travels from sender through channel to receiver （Liu, 2007）. Lustig & Koester （2007） define that Communication is a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual process in which people create shared meaning. It has six characteristics, such as, symbolic, interpretive, transactional, context, process and shared meaning. The following are what is defined by Lustig and Koester （2007）, which fits in with the purposes of this study.

Symbols are central to the communication process because they represent the shared meanings that are communicated. A symbol is a word, action or object that stands for or represents a unit of meaning. Meaning, in turn, is a perception, thought, or feeling that a person experiences. A message refers to the package of symbols used to create shared meanings. Communication is always an interpretive process, because whenever people communicate they must interpret the symbolic behaviors of others and assign significance to some of those behaviors in order to create a meaningful account of others' actions. Yet, people's behaviors are frequently interpreted symbolically, as an external representation of feelings, emotions, and internal states （Lustig & Koester, 2007）. They are all defined by cultures, which work as communicative context. Therefore, communication is contextual. Communication takes place within a setting or situation called context, which is defined as a place and occasion where people meet, the social purpose for being together and the nature of the relationship. A context includes physical, social, and interpersonal settings within which messages are exchanged. Physical context includes the actual location of the integration, while social context refers to the widely shared expectations people have about the kinds of interaction that normally should occur given different kinds of social events （Lustig &Koester, 2007）

Communication is transactional. A transactional view holds that communicators are simultaneously sending and receiving messages at every instant that they are involved in conversations. Such view recognizes that the goal of communication is not merely to influence and persuade others but also to improve one's knowledge, to seek understanding, to develop agreements, and to negotiate shared meaning. It also recognizes that at any given instant, no one is just sending or just receiving messages, and therefore, there are no such entities as pure senders or pure receivers. Rather, all participants are simultaneously interpreting multiple messages at all moments （Lustig & Koester, 2007）.

Communication is a process. A process is a sequence of many distinct but interrelated steps in which people, relationships, activities, objects, and experiences can be described in a dynamic manner rather than in static terms. Viewing communication as a process implies that things are changing, moving, developing, and evolving. Therefore, identical experience can take on different meanings at different stages of the communicative process （Lustig & Koester, 2007）.

The outcomes of communication are shared meanings created. The first outcome is that the communicators understand what others try to communicate, and have similar or shared interpretations about what the messages actually mean. The second outcome is reaching agreement on particular issues. Agreement means that each communicator not only understands the other's interpretations but also holds a view that is similar. The interpretative and transactional nature of communication suggests that correct meanings are created and shared by groups of people as they participate in the ordinary and everyday activities that form the context for common interpretations （Lustig & Koester, 2007）.