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2016/2017  KAN-CCDCO1005U  Managing in Global Workplaces

English Title
Managing in Global Workplaces

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course First Quarter
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BSc og MSc in Business, Language and Culture, MSc
Course coordinator
  • Mette Zølner - Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)
Main academic disciplines
  • Globalization and international business
  • Management
  • Organization
Last updated on 14-08-2016
Learning objectives
To achieve the grade 12, students should meet the following learning objectives with no or only minor mistakes or errors:
  • Analyze and discuss major empirical expressions of culture in global workplaces.
  • Distinguish empirical expressions of culture from expressions of language, identity and power in global workplaces and discuss challenges for doing so.
  • Distinguish between various theoretical perspectives on culture (i.e. aggregate cultural dimensions, interpretive and negotiated culture perspectives) and discuss their strengths and weaknesses when applied to the global workplace.
  • Describe and discuss theoretical perspectives on culture in relation to philosophy of science (positivist view, interpretive view, postmodern view, critical view).
  • Describe, apply and assess the relevance of various analytical concepts and methods for understanding culture when managing the global workplace.
Course prerequisites
Relevant Bachelor degree – in business and management or equivalent.
Prerequisites for registering for the exam
Number of mandatory activities: 1
Compulsory assignments (assessed approved/not approved)
A student presentation during the course is a prerequisite for taking the exam.
Examination
Managing in Global workplaces:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 10 pages
Assignment type Case based assignment
Duration 72 hours to prepare
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Autumn
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

The exam will consist of a 72 hours case-based written exam paper. At the beginning of the exam, students will be given a case and a set of questions which relate the case to the exam curriculum. The exam paper will have a maximum length of 10 standard pages (not including cover page and references).

 

To do the exam, students must have participated actively in class. Active participation will be evaluated in three ways: 1) one compulsory presentation that students will be assigned to do in groups or individually 2) a written group assignment 3) upon the constructive feedback they give to their fellow students in class.
Course content and structure

This course explores the cultural challenges that characterize the global workplace, that is, organizations spanning geographical, linguistic, and cultural borders. While focus will be on cultural challenges of global business, the course will relate these to identity and language issues.

Readings and lectures will present various perspectives on culture  and discuss strengths and weaknesses of these when applied to the global organization. However, emphasis will be on the cognitive approach to culture as meaning categories that individuals draw upon and make sense of in and through social interaction in and across particular institutional and organizational contexts. Analytical concepts, such as culture as negotiated meaning, culture as systems of meaning, recontextualization, professional identities, managers as boundary spanners and global mindset will be introduced and their applicability will be discussed on the basis of examples from empirical research of global workplaces and business collaboration across regional contexts (i.e. Europe, Asia, North-Africa and the Americas). Recurrent cultural challenges when managing in global workplaces will be illustrated and analysed on the basis of cases illustrating issues such as corporate values and codes of conduct, corporate languages, global teams, outsourcing, and global talent managemen
Teaching methods
The course is designed to integrate analytical and practical aspects of the global workplace. The course will mix lectures by faculty and practitioners respectively and include active participation of students through case analysis, group and plenary discussions. The course readings amount to approximately 1000 pages.
Student workload
Lectures 30 hours
Exam 40 hours
Preparation 136 hours
Total 206 hours
Expected literature

To be announced on Learn
 
Last updated on 14-08-2016