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2017/2018  BA-BASPO1004U  Intercultural Organisation

English Title
Intercultural Organisation

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BSc International Business in Asia
Course coordinator
  • Lisbeth Clausen - Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)
Main academic disciplines
  • Communication
  • Organization
Last updated on 15-12-2017

Relevant links
Learning objectives
To achieve the grade 12, students should meet the following learning objectives with no or only minor mistakes or errors: In completing the course the students will be able to:
  • Explain the field of intercultural organization in relation to communication and competence at the global, national, departmental, professional and team contexts
  • Define the concept of intercultural organization in relation to communication
  • Define and solve a research question concerning organizational practices and intercultural communication and competence in relation to doing business in China and/or Japan
  • Explain and compare the organization and intercultural communication and competence models presented in the curriculum
  • Present and discuss the research question and findings in a clear and structured manner
  • Systematically and appropriately select and apply theories and models to practical cases. E.g. apply theories and models to describe the influence of intercultural organizational differences/similarities when doing business in China/Japan
Examination
Intercultural Organisation:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Oral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance.
Individual or group exam Individual oral exam based on written group product
Number of people in the group 3-5
Size of written product Max. 3 pages
Excluding references and bibliography. Appendixes may be included but are not part of the overall evaluation.
Assignment type Synopsis
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Summer
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
The re-exam/make-up exam shall be based on the same synopsis as the ordinary exam:
- if a student is absent from the oral exam due to documented illness but has been part of handing in the synopsis she/he does not have to submit a new version for the make-up exam but must upload the same synopsis again
- if an individual student fails the oral exam she/he does not have to submit a new version for the re-take exam but must upload the same synopsis again
- if a whole group fails they must hand in a revised synopsis for the re-take. The group will then get feedback on the report from the examiner
Description of the exam procedure

Paper max. 3 standard pages has to be submitted by each group.

 

The synopsis must be handed in through Digital Exam before the set deadline.

 

Throughout the semester students will work in larger case groups of students consisting of one or more exam groups to promote group discussion and the generation of ideas - however, the exam synopsis will be handed in in smaller exam groups as described above.

 
Course content and structure

The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge of organisational and intercultural communication and competence challenges for international managers in their business operations in Japan and China.

During the course students will become familiar with different theories and methods of analysing intercultural organisation and communication in companies doing business in Japan and China. Students will be challenged to apply additional research concerning their case companies. They will also be challenged to describe and apply the theoretical models of organisation, intercultural communication and competence in relation to practical case issues.

 

Workshops and guest speakers are planned to exchange information between teacher, students and practitioners in the field. The speakers represent Danish national and international corporations and entrepreneurs. They share their professional practices and strategies in organizing markets, stakeholders, employees, alliances and subsidiaries in China and Japan.
Teaching methods
The course is a combination of class room teaching and discussion of academic articles. Workshops, case studies, guest speakers are planned to engage and exchange information between teacher, students and practitioners in the field. The speakers represent Danish national and international corporations and entrepreneurs (and ASP alumni). During lectures students are expected to contribute creatively and actively and to answer immediate questions based on the readings - ‘cold calling’. This is to accelerate learning and to test the understanding of course material. Students are also responsible for presenting the company speakers and will in turn present mini-assignments related to the articles in the compendium for discussion in the class.

Group work
Students will be assigned to a working group to solve a number of problems using course theories and concepts on a corporate multinational case. They will work on this case (25 pages) for the entire course. The case should be read for the first lecture. The course is designed to enable students to collect a portfolio of model applications that they can use in the exam synopsis: Students will make ‘deliveries’ based on given themes/issue/model related to their case. A delivery is a A-4 paper hand-in, which will be scanned and up-loaded on LEARN following the class. Besides one-page deliveries, students will conduct class presentations analyzing a particular problem in their case related to theory. The groups will in turn provide feedback to each other to share knowledge across their case organizations.
During the course the working group will be expected do additional research on their case organization (organizational history, stock value, homepages, news stories, annual reports, etc.). Questions and a guide for the deliveries and presentations will be posted on LEARN before each class.
Note: The case is part of the exam and the synopsis is written in the assigned working group.
Feedback during the teaching period
During the course 8-10 group assignments ‘deliveries ‘ (oral and written) allow students to test their knowledge and get feedback on theories and their application on corporate CASEs. The in-class assignments (A-4 page(s) are uploaded on learn from the whole class to demonstrate findings and compare across cases. These are mandatory requirements. Feedback is given to the entire class, showing good examples and pointing to typical mistakes.
A Kahoot (softwarebased) quiz of 25 questions (designed by students) covering the entire course will be held at the end of class. Students will present their research question using Mindmaster (software) to mindmap course theories, analysis and case examples.

Feedback is further offered in response to your questions and work whenever feasible although please appreciate that there are often time constraints. Please feel free to take full advantage of the ‘office hours’ offered by full-time staff members, although these can never be a substitute for participation in lectures and classes. We also encourage you to ask questions or make comments in class and form self-study groups to secure peer feedback on your work.
Student workload
Preparation for class 12 x 3 x 4 164 hours
Group work 12x 1 12 hours
RECAPTURE 10 hours
SYNOPSIS 40 hours
EXAM 40 hours
Expected literature

Materials are available two weeks before class starts on LEARN and at CBS SP Academic bookstore:
 

COMPENDIUM of texts: Clausen, Lisbeth. (2015) Intercultural Organization - China and Japan. Deparment of Intercultural Communication and Management
 

CASE BOOK Clausen, Lisbeth (2015) Team dynamics and diversity: Japanese corporate experiences. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press.

 

 

Please note: these reading materials are only tentative and changes may occur. Final literature lists will be uploaded on LEARN before the course begins. 

Last updated on 15-12-2017