Introduction
You will study the importance of culture in management and develop skills that will help you to analyse when national culture is, and is not, an influence on decision-making.
Aims & Objectives
When you have completed your study of this course you will be able to:
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identify some of the factors that influence how decisions are made in cross-cultural management contexts
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identify, describe and explain key models used for comparing cultures, critically assessing the practical value of these in the context of cross-cultural management decision-making
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critically assess some of the ethical issues inherent in cross-cultural and international management decision-making against a background of ‘globalisation’ and ‘culture shift’
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identify, describe and explain significant aspects of overlap between national and organisational cultures, critically assessing the impact of culture-specific expectations defining these on international HRM decision-making
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identify and analyse the role of effective communication in contexts for international and cross-cultural management generally, and specifically in the field of international marketing
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critically discuss the role that managers play in response to stakeholder perceptions of wants and needs and in the design and administration of systems for managing incentives and rewards
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identify and analyse how disputes and conflicts arise, and how they might be resolved in cross-cultural management contexts
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demonstrate skills relevant to analysing and managing staffing decisions in headquarters and subsidiaries of international organisations, taking into account issues of diversity, such as gender.
Resources
Students receive a looseleaf binder containing eight ‘course units’; these texts are carefully structured to provide the main teaching and are equivalent to traditional course lectures, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the further assigned readings. Two assignments (to be marked by your CeFiMS tutors), and a specimen examination paper are also included within the student pack, along with the following:
Textbook:
Mead, R (2005) International Management: Cross-Cultural Dimensions Oxford, Blackwell UK
Readings:
A compilation of further readings: recently published articles or seminal writings which augment and illustrate the main text.
Course Timetable:
This shows the linkage between the various components of the course and indicates the schedule for reading the texts, submitting assignments, etc.
Course Content
Unit 1: International Management and Culture
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1.1 The Significance of Culture for International Management
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1.2 Factors That Influence Management Decision-Making
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1.3 Strategic Decision-Making - the PESTEL Framework
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1.4 The Significance of Culture in Strategic Decision-Making
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1.5 Comparing Cross-Cultural and International Management
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1.6 Implications for International Management Practice
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1.7 Unit Summary and Review References
Unit 2: Comparing Cultures
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2.1 The Group as a Basic Unit for Comparative Cultural Analysis
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2.2 Identifying and Responding to Differences in Culture
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2.3 Identifying Differences in Culture-Specific Perception - the Kluckhohn- Strodtbeck Model
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2.4 Hall's Model of High and Low Context Cultures
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2.5 Comparing Attitudes towards Managers
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2.6 Comparing National Cultures: the Hofstede Model
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2.7 The Strengths and Weaknesses of Hofstede's Model
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2.8 Comparing Researcher and Practitioner Views
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2.10 Conclusion
Unit 3: Shifts in the Culture
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3.1 Culture as a Factor in People's Response to Change
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3.2 Recognising the Significance of Shifts in Culture
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3.3 How Economic Factors Influence Shifts in National Cultures
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3.4 How Foreign Intervention Causes Shifts in Local Cultures
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3.5 Summary Exercise
Unit 4: Organisational Culture
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4.1 Culture and Organisations
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4.2 Defining and Comparing Organisational Cultures
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4.3 Controlling Organisational Cultures
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4.4 The Influence of National Cultures on Organisational Cultures
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4.5 A Case Study from Singapore
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4.6 Summary Exercises
Unit 5: Culture and Management Communication
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5.1 Introduction
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5.2 Successful Communication across Cultures
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5.3 What is 'Appropriate' Communication Within & Across Cultures?
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5.4 Interpreting Contexts for Management Communications Within and Across Cultures
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5.5 The Cross-Cultural Significance of Non-Verbal Communication (NVC)
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5.6 Cross-Cultural Management Communications: Practical Implications
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5.7 Managing Culture-Specific Perceptions - Responding to Demographic Change
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5.8 Summary Exercises
Unit 6: Needs and Incentives - An International Management Perspective
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6.1 Comparing Perceptions of the Value of Work
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6.2 Understanding and Managing People's Motivation to Work
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6.3 Connecting with People's Changing Needs and Wants
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6.4 Designing and Managing Incentive Systems
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6.5 How Ethics Motivates - Corporate Social Responsibility
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6.6 Work as a Motivator - Case Studies from the NPO Sector
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6.7 Applying Theories of Motivation - Herzberg
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6.8 Motivation, Innovation and National Culture
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6.9 Summary Exercises
Unit 7: Dispute Resolution and Negotiation
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7.1 Examples of Disputes in Work-Related Contexts
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7.2 How and Why Disputes Arise
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7.3 Culture and Dispute
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7.4 Language - Cause and Resolution of Conflicts and Disputes
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7.5 Resolving Disputes and Conflicts - a German-American Case Study
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7.6 Disputes Arising in IJVs - Balancing Trust and Control
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7.7 Balancing Trust and Control - Sino-Foreign IJVs
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7.8 Summary Exercises
Unit 8: Global Staffing - Cross-Cultural Dimensions
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8.1 Staffing to Control - Exploring the Gaps between Theory and Practice
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8.2 Managing for Control - an International HRM Perspective
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8.3 Global Staffing Choices - Expatriates or Local Managers?
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8.4 Retaining the Loyalty of Local Managers - a Gender Perspective
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8.5 Staffing IJVs - Balancing Trust and Control
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8.6 Staffing Implications - a Case Scenario from the Gulf
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8.7 Summary Exercises
Tuition & Assessment
You
will complete two Assignments which will be marked
by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of
your total mark. You will be expected to submit your
first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 5, and the
second assignment at the end of the course, on the
Tuesday after Week 8. Assignments are submitted and
feedback given online. In addition, queries and
problems can be answered through the Online Study
Centre.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a
specified date in October, worth 70% of your total
mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is
published on the website in April each year.
Course Sample
Click on the link below to download the course sample document in PDF.
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