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2012/2013  KAN-CM_SU97  Cross-Cultural Management

English Title
Cross-Cultural Management

Course information
Language English
Exam ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration Summer
Course period NOTE: The course schedule is at the moment ONLY available at www.cbs.dk/summer
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Study board
Study Board for MSc in Economics and Business Administration
Course coordinator
  • Faculty - Andreas M. Hartmann, Tecnologico de Monterrey
    Patricia Plackett - Department of Operations Management
Main Category of the Course
  • Globalization, International Business, markets and studies
Last updated on 23-04-2012
Learning objectives
At the end of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following skills:
  • Identify the main traits that distinguish national cultures
  • Analyze the impact of national cultures on organizational practices
  • Design organizational practices that deal with both multicultural issues within the organization and with cross-cultural issues in interorganizational cooperation
Prerequisite
For fully benefiting from this course, students should fulfil the following requirements:
•Some experience working with people from different cultures
•Good communication skills in English
•Basic knowledge of organization and management theory, including strategic management
Examination
Cross-Cultural Management
Home project assignment:
Type of test Home Assignment
Marking scale 7-step scale
Second examiner No second examiner
Exam period Summer Term
Aids Please, see the detailed regulations below
Duration Please, see the detailed regulations below
Mandatory Feedback Assignment
In order to be allowed to present the final assignment/exam, each student must have given one short presentation on a specific topic of cross-cultural management or the business culture of a specific country, based on at least 10 academic sources.

The exam is a project/home assignment with an extension of 15 A4 pages. 

The task is to develop a rigorous application of the theory of cross-cultural management into a critical evaluation of the practices used by a specific firm/organization or specific firms/organizations in this millennium.

Course content
The main objective of this course is to show how cultural issues influence the way of doing business in different countries and how multinational organizations cope with this diversity. The content is divided into two groups: The first includes the theoretical bases and fields of application of cross-cultural management, while the second part deals with business cultures of different regions of the world.
 
Course topics:
  • The theory of cultural dimensions: From Hall to GLOBE
  • Global leadership
  • Cross-cultural communication
  • Human resource management in multinational organizations
  • International alliances
  • Headquarter-subsidiary relations in multinational firms
  • Business ethics across cultures
  • Business culture of selected countries in the Americas
  • Business cultures of selected European countries
  • Business cultures of selected Middle Eastern countries and India
  • Business cultures of selected East Asian countries
  • Business cultures of selected African countries
 
 
The course’s development of personal competences:
  • Enhanced sensibility to how cultural differences affect business
  • Tools for dealing with cultural differences in management
  • Basic knowledge about business cultures of different countries
  • Elaboration and delivery of professional-level presentations
Teaching methods
This course emphasizes student-centered learning. The teacher will only hold a few lectures, especially concerning the theoretical topics, and guide the case discussions. Students will contribute by researching how specific issues are managed by multinational firms from different origins. There will be intensive classroom discussion on all topics.
Expected literature
Textbooks:
  • Hickson, D. J., & Pugh, D. S. (2001). Management Worldwide: Distinctive Styles amid Globalization, 2nd ed. London: Penguin. ISBN: 978-0141006031
  • Thomas, D. C. (2008). Cross-Cultural Management: Essential Concepts, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 978-1-4129-3956-0
 
Selected chapters from the following books (to be found in the compendium):
  • Bartlett, C., Ghoshal, S., & Beamish, P. W. (2008). Transnational Management: Text, Cases & Readings in Cross-Border Management, 5th ed.New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
  • Beamish, P. W., Morrison, A. J., Inkpen, A. C., & Rosenzweig, P. M. (2003). International Management: Text and Cases, 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
  • Becker, T. H. (2004). Doing Business in the New Latin America: A Guide to Culture, Practices, and Opportunities. Westport, CN: Praeger.
  • Deresky, H. (2006). International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
  • Deresky, H. (2008). International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures, 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
  • D’Iribarne, P. with A. Henry. (2007). Successful Companies in the Developing World: Managing in Synergy with Cultures. Paris: Agence Française de Développement. Available online: http://www.afd.fr/jahia/Jahia/lang/en/home/publications/NotesDocuments/pid/2750
  • Gannon, M. J. (2004). Understanding Global Cultures: Metaphorical Journeys through 28 Nations, Clusters of Nations, and Continents, 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Gannon, M. J., & Newman, K. L. (2002). The Blackwell Handbook of Cross-Cultural Management. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Business.
  • Lewis, R. D. (2006). When Cultures Collide: Leading Across Cultures, 3rd ed. Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey.
  • Moran, R. T., Braaten, D. O., & Walsh, J. E. (Eds.). (1994). International Business Case Studies for the Multicultural Marketplace. Houston: Gulf Publishing
  • Phatak, A. V., Bhagat, R. S., & Kashlak, R. J. (2005). International Management: Managing in a Diverse and Dynamic Global Environment.New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
  • Schneider, S. C., & Barsoux, J.-L. (2003). Managing across Cultures, 2nd ed.Harlow, UK: Pearson - Financial Times.
  • Seligman, S. D. (1999). Chinese Business Etiquette: A Guide to Protocol, Manners, and Culture in the People’s Republic of China. New York: Warner Business Books.
 
Journal Articles:
  • Fryxell, G. E, Kimbro, M., & Mottershead, T. (2001). The Boston Trading and Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (HK): Hemp, fashion and the environment. Asian Case Research Journal, 5(2), 203-225.
  • Ghemawat, P. (2001). Distance still matters: The hard reality of global expansion. Harvard Business Review, 79(8), 137-147.
  • Harzing, A.-W., & Feely, A. J. (2008). The language barrier and its implications for HQ-subsidiary relationships. Cross Cultural Management, 15(1), 49-61.
  • Matveev, A. V. & Milter, R. G. (2004).The value of intercultural competence for performance of multicultural teams. Team Performance Management, 10(5/6), 104-111.
  • McGuire, S. J. J. (2008). Slastyona Confectionary (A). Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies, 14(1), 71-82.
  • Okpara, J. O., & Wynn, P. (2008). Human resource management practices in a transition economy: Challenges and prospects. Management Research News, 31(1), 57-76.
  • Tung, R. L., Worm, V., & Fang, T. (2007). Sino-Western business negotiations revisited: 30 years after China’s open door policy. Organizational Dynamics, 37(1), 60-74.
Last updated on 23-04-2012