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2018/2019  BA-BEBUO1006U  Intercultural Communication and Management

English Title
Intercultural Communication and Management

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 in European Business
Course coordinator
  • Daniel Barratt - Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)
Main academic disciplines
  • Intercultural studies
  • Communication
  • Management
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 17-12-2018

Relevant links
Learning objectives
  • Demonstrate a critical understanding of some of the key definitions and dimensions of culture.
  • Analyse cultural influences on cognition, communication, and behaviour from both a personal and an interpersonal perspective.
  • Evaluate practical situations related to intercultural communication and management.
  • Use key theories, models, and the meta-language introduced in the course (i.e., syllabus) to present critical and coherent discussion, analysis, and evaluation.
  • Observe academic conventions with respect to references, style, argumentation, etc.
Course prerequisites
Basic knowledge of cultural theories, cultural value dimensions, and the work of intercultural researchers such as Hofstede.
Examination
Intercultural Communication and Management:
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 Written assignment
Duration 48 hours to prepare
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
Course content and structure

The goal of the course is to develop students' awareness and understanding of the cultural factors that influence and constrain communication and management in an increasingly globalised business world. Self-awareness is also promoted as students are encouraged to critically examine how their own patterns of thought and behaviour may be affected by culture.

 

The course provides students with key theories, models, and a meta-language to enable them to analyse and discuss the relationship between culture, communication, and management. Students also learn to evaluate and suggest ways to approach realistic intercultural communication and management situations, thereby developing their intercultural competence.

 

The course is structured around three modules. The goal of the first module is to give students a critical understanding of some of the key definitions and dimensions of culture established in previous courses on the EB programme (e.g., Hofstede’s functionalist approach to culture), while introducing students to new ways of thinking about culture (e.g., Trompenaars’ work on reconciling dilemmas in intercultural business encounters and the GLOBE project’s work on cultural clusters). The goal of the second module is to explore more new ground by investigating cultural influences on cognition, communication, and behaviour from both a personal and an interpersonal perspective, and by drawing on relevant research from both cognitive and social psychology. The third module is the most applied and practice-based part of the course: here the goal is to apply the above theories and models to cases of effective and responsible communication and management across cultures, focusing on business-related issues such as negotiation and conflict.
Description of the teaching methods
The course is a combination of dialogue lectures, student-facilitated sessions, class discussion based on course curriculum and case assignments, written and oral assignments. The format of most classes (teaching hours) is seminar/exercise. Student participation in seminar/exercise classes is key, as it reflects student preparation at home. In addition, the course introduces students to ongoing research and practice in the field through a small number of invited plenary lectures.
Feedback during the teaching period
Feedback is an important component of learning in this course. To prepare for the exam, students have the opportunity to deliver one or two practice assignments. Feedback on the assignments will be given in class (highlighting common strengths and weaknesses) as well as individually during feedback and supervision meetings with instructors. Furthermore, instructors have regular office hours, which provide an excellent opportunity for feedback and supervision.
Student workload
Lectures and exercises 34 hours
Preparation 124 hours
Exam 48 hours
Expected literature

Textbook (subject to change):

  • Browaeys, M.-J. & Price, R. (2015). Understanding cross-cultural management (3rd ed.). Harlow, UK: Pearson Education Limited.

 

Readings:

  • A selection of required and optional readings (e.g., research papers, book chapters, and articles from popular press) will be made available on LEARN.

 

Cases:

Last updated on 17-12-2018