MRK 3550 Cross Cultural Management

MRK 3550 Cross Cultural Management

Course code: 
MRK 3550
Department: 
Communication and Culture
Credits: 
7.5
Course coordinator: 
Benedicte Brøgger
Course name in Norwegian: 
Cross Cultural Management
Product category: 
Bachelor
Portfolio: 
Bachelor - Electives
Semester: 
2024 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Bachelor
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

In this course, students gain knowledge and skills useful for an international management career. Cross cultural management is a field of research close to international business and intercultural communication studies. The students will learn of key cultural dimensions, management issues that emerge as the result of cultural differences between two countries, and ways to deal the issues. This course is designed to give Bachelor of International Management students tools to prepare for their experiences for their third year abroad and for exchange students to reflect on practical uses of their international experiences.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

After completed course students shall have:

  • Knowledge of the main theories in the field of cross-cultural management.
  • Knowledge of how cultural differences affect multinational companies.
  • Understanding of ethical dilemmas generated by cultural differences. 
Learning outcomes - Skills

After completed course students will be able to:

  • Apply cultural dimensions for practical analysis of a cross-cultural management issue in a multinational company.
  • Ability to analyze opportunities and challenges of cultural diversity in international business settings. 
General Competence

After completing the course the student will have

Awareness of the need to balance ethical integrity with respect for cultural differences.

Awareness of the effects of discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping in international management.

Course content
  • Major streams in intercultural management research.
  • Concepts of culture.
  • Analysing multinationals from Europe, the Americas, Australasia, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. 
  • Intercultural management issues:
    • communication
    • negotiation
    • marketing
    • individuals, teams, organizations
  • Ethics and empathy - training in intercultural comptenece.

 

 

Teaching and learning activities

Classroom sessions include introductions to intercultural management theory and cases from multinational companies, group discussions and interactive presentation software.  Asynchronous material includes video-taped exercises, self-tests, and case studies.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Additional information

Students who are going to take the resit exam can take the exam in the same exam codes as ordinary students. The questions in the exam text will be differentiated and embrace both ordinary students and resit students. This applies to autumn 2024 and spring 2025. 

Qualifications

Higher Education Entrance Qualification

Disclaimer

Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.

Required prerequisite knowledge

Business communication, cross-cultural management and intercultural communication undergraduate courses or equivalent international experience.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
School Exam
Form of assessment: 
Structured Test
Exam/hand-in semester: 
First Semester
Weight: 
30
Grouping: 
Individual
Support materials: 
  • No support materials
Duration: 
1 Hour(s)
Comment: 
Mid-term MCQ (multiple-choice), which must be resolved in WISEflow. Automated, individual feedback and general feedback from professors. This exam element comes before the consultancy report. All exams must be passed to obtain a final grade in the course.
Exam code: 
MRK 35504
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination every semester
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Submission PDF
Exam/hand-in semester: 
First Semester
Weight: 
70
Grouping: 
Group (1 - 3)
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Consultancy report. All exams must be passed to obtain a final grade in the course.
Exam code: 
MRK 35505
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination every semester
Type of Assessment: 
Ordinary examination
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
Total weight: 
100
Student workload
ActivityDurationComment
Teaching
24 Hour(s)
Lectures
Webinar
2 Hour(s)
2 webinars available for all BI campuses.
Student's own work with learning resources
94 Hour(s)
Read/work with the textbooks and other sources, term paper writing
Digital resources
24 Hour(s)
Asynchronous tasks on It's Learning, pre- and post lectures.
Feedback activities and counselling
16 Hour(s)
Preparation and supervision of term paper draft, in groups
Individual problem solving
40 Semester(s)
Prepare for the MCQ
Sum workload: 
200

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 7,5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 200 hours.