MMM028-Comparative and Inter-Cultural Management

Module Provider: International Business and Strategy
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2018/9

Email: d.tsang@henley.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This course aims to provide an understanding of how management practices and business cultures have evolved in different countries, and explores the roots of such differences. Students will learn to appraise and appreciate business practices in unfamiliar contexts, and explain how they are influenced by the specific environment. On this basis, the course will explore management challenges arising in cross-cultural situations such as in multicultural teams, business negotiations and mergers and acquisitions.

Aims:

This course investigates the ways in which management practices and business cultures have evolved in different countries, and explores the institutional roots of such differences. Students learn to appraise and appreciate business practices in unfamiliar contexts, and they will explore management challenges with real cases.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the Module students should be able to:

• Describe the principal variations in international management;

• Identify and explain the principal relationships between different systems of management and different national cultures;

• Appraise and evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of different management systems;

• Identify and explain the principal relationships between different systems of management and different national cultures;

• Appraise and develop practical solutions concerning challenges arising for businesses interacting with different business cultures;

• Locate and assemble information on the subject through their own work;

• Appraise critically the principal interpretations of the development of international management;

• Organise their material and articulate their arguments effectively in writing, both under timed conditions and in assessed essays.

Additional outcomes:

Students will learn to work independently under pressure of time, and to organise diverse empirical material.

Outline content:

The lectures will introduce key dimensions along which countries and business contexts vary, such as national culture, business communication and negotiation and technology. Most lectures will compare two or three countries as examples to explore key variations of the issue. At advanced stages, the course will relate differences in management practices to the contextual variations in institutions and cultures, and address challenges for cross cultural management.

Topics may include: * Management in a national context * Institutional perspectives on business in economics and sociology * Communication across language boundaries * International labour issues  *Corporate governance systems * Technology transfers * Multinational decision making and ethics * Cross-cultural negotiations * Leading across cultures

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Detailed guidance on the main topics of the syllabus and key references are provided in lectures, seminar questions and discussions. Students are required to do a significant amount of reading of journal articles and chapters of books.

Summative assessment- Examinations:
One 2-hour unseen written paper.

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

1 essay of 2,500 words to be submitted in the last week of the Spring term.

1 essay test to be taken place the week before week 6 (Timetable week 10).

Upper limit of word count: A word count of 10% excess is allowed for the written assignment essay. Exceeding the word count will attract a penalty whereby written work beyond the 10% excess is discounted in the grading of the assignment.

Formative assessment methods:

Penalties for late submission:

Assessment requirements for a pass:

The pass mark is 50%+.

The merit mark is 60%+.

The distinction mark is 70%+.

Reassessment arrangements:

By examination only (one 2-hour unseen written paper) in August/September. Coursework will not be included in the re-assessment.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

Last updated: 20 April 2018