ELE 3769 Cross Cultural Management
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APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2016/2017 |
ELE 3769 Cross Cultural Management
Responsible for the course
Gillian Warner-Søderholm, Sut I Wong Humborstad
Department
Department of Communication and Culture
Term
According to study plan
ECTS Credits
7,5
Language of instruction
English
Introduction
This course develops students’ skills in intercultural communication, gained in our foundation course: SPÅ 2901 Intercultural Communication and Ethical Awareness. During this Cross Cultural Management course, students will further develop skills needed to manage and lead across cultures and borders in an international business setting,. Management tasks such as decoding cultural differences, cultural profiling and management framing within a business setting will be the focus of the course. Hence, developing skills in cultural due diligence for organizational strategies will be a key element of this course
Cross cultural management uses an interdisciplinary approach with perspectives from cultural studies combined with key international business and leadership issues. Classroom sessions will be based on international research discussions, group work simulations, video-taped exercises and case studies. Empirical cross cultural research and cases used in discussions will focus on issues related to international companies operating both in Norway and abroad. This course will help prepare students to meet the challenges of international assignments within multi-national business operations where different national contexts can impact the way we lead and co-operate in everyday business dealings. In this way, participants will develop skills needed to manage cross cultural teams in both face-to-face settings and in virtual teams.
Learning outcome
Acquired knowledge
After completed course students shall have:
- Learned main theories in cross-cultural management.
- Developed knowledge of existing research.
- Gained an understanding of multicultural work environment.
- Learned theories of cultural profiling and mapping.
- Gotten insight in cross cultural management theories in the emerging BRIC economies.
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Acquired skills
After completed course students will be able to: - Explain and reflect on main theories in cross-cultural management.
- Analyse existing research and argue the validity of the extant literature.
- Identify and manage problems in a multicultural work environment.
- Apply cultural profiling and mapping skills in an international management situation
- Carry out cultural due diligence projects
- Identify key elements of cross cultural management theories in the emerging BRIC economies
Reflection
Students will ideally develop cultural diplomacy and management skills within an international context, improve cross cultural communication skills and gain a better insight into communication, ethics and management approaches within a multi-cultural environment.
Prerequisites
SPÅ 2901 Intercultural communication and ethical awareness: undergraduate course or equivalent.
Compulsory reading
Books:
Schneider, Susan, Jean-Louis Barsoux, Günter K. Stahl. 2014. Managing across cultures. 3rd ed. Pearson
Book extract:
House, Robert J. ... [et al.]. 2004. Culture, leadership, and organizations : the GLOBE study of 62 societies. Sage. pages: 410, 365, 622, 539
Recommended reading
Other:
Classroom handouts, article collection and lecture notes published on It's Learning.
Course outline
- Understanding empirical studies of national and organizational cultures
- Managing cultural and ethical dilemmas in industry: case studies
- Norwegian and Scandinavian management in an international perspective
- Cross cultural management in the emerging BRIC economies: case studies
Computer-based tools
Students are expected to use Internet during the course.
Learning process and workload
The course comprises 38 hours of classroom teaching.
Through group work discussions and presentation practice, students will acquire and develop communication and cultural awareness skills. With the application of a case study approach, students will develop international business acumen by developing communication strategies used in the management of international business.
It is essential that students attend the seminar sessions, and individual teachers will set assignments for individual appraisal and feedback. As a part of the learning proses there will be given a mid term case report assignment.
Recommended use of hours:
| Activity | Hours |
| Classrom participation | 38 |
| Preparation for class & mid-term assignment | 46 |
| Writing assignment & checklist assessment | 10 |
| Task presentation (oral or written) | 10 |
| Online multiple choice tasks and discussion groups | 10 + 16 |
| Self-study and study groups (offline) | 30 |
| Contextualization of feedback | 10 |
| Examination preparation | 30 |
| Total | 200 |
Examination
A 72 hour home assignment concludes the course.
The assignment may be written individual or in groups of up to three students.
Examination code(s)
ELE 37691 72 hour home assignment - accounts for 100% of the final grade in the course ELE 3769, 7.5 credits.
Examination support materials
All support materials are allowed.
Re-sit examination
For electives re-sit is normally offered at the next scheduled course. If an elective is discontinued or is not initiated in the semester it is offered, re-sit will be offered in the electives ordinary semester.
Additional information