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2020/2021  KAN-CCBLO2002U  Leading and Managing in Latin America

English Title
Leading and Managing in Latin America

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
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 and MSc in Business, Language and Culture, MSc
Course coordinator
  • Jacobo Ramirez - Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)
Main academic disciplines
  • CSR and sustainability
  • Globalisation and international business
  • Human resource management
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 05-02-2021

Relevant links

Learning objectives
  • Account for how business strategies influence the managing of human resources (HR).
  • Explain the strategic importance of understanding the external and organisational environments in managing HR in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
  • Critically assess relevant theories on managing (HR) and leadership strategies in LAC.
  • Discuss other non-capitalist/indigenous ways of living and livelihoods and the implications of this for leading and managing in Latin America.
  • Discuss human rights and leading and management in Latin America.
Course prerequisites
Students are required to have a basic knowledge and understanding of management principles and institutional theory, in order to participate effectively in this course.
Examination
Leading and Managing in Latin America:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 5 pages
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Summer
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

The students will be requested to analyse, discuss and provide solutions to a case, based on the course’s literature.

 

The exam is 4 hours,

 

The exam case will be posted on Digital Exam 24 hours before the exam begins.

Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

Many organisations today manage strategic human resources that are scarce, valuable, inimitable and non-tradable in countries plagued by uncertainties and ambiguities due to among others political instability, social unrest and cultural differences. Such situations are challenging for foreign managers to understand and navigate in. This course uses insights from the resource-based-view of the firm (RBV) and institutional theory to bridge strategic management theory and strategic human resource management (HRM) in order to discuss and analyse the above mentioned opportunities and challenges that local and international firms encounter in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). For example, we will analyse and discuss the management policies and practices emerging in firms operating in security risk contexts in LAC, which are characterised e.g. by narco-terrorism. The course adopts a general management perspective towards the field of HRM. In other words, rather than assuming that the student wants to become an HR professional, we will examine HRM and leading policies and practices from the perspective of a manager who wishes to effectively interact with, and utilise, the human resources at his/her disposal. The theoretical areas covered by the course are, therefore: RBV, Institutional theory, HR strategy, Comparative HR policies and practices, and Leadership.  

 

Description of the teaching methods
This course aims to develop the students’ skills through individual and collaborative activities, which are designed to promote students’ participation in sharing their opinions, experiences, views, thoughts and knowledge. The case study approach/method is the principal learning strategy for the teaching-learning process.

Through the case study method, the students will practice and apply theory and knowledge to real-world problems. The students, collaboratively (in teams), will identify and clarify the problems presented, analyse the information found on each case, formulate and evaluate options, present and defend their recommendations. The case study method involves the development of critical thinking, information analysis, and problem-solving skills. One of the principal objectives of this learning strategy is that the students assume a key role in the learning process.
Feedback during the teaching period
Student feedback will occur regularly throughout the course, e.g. via exercise classes, office hours and in-class case study solving. Students are encouraged to make use of those to enhance their learning experience, of course in addition to regular participation and two-way communication in lectures. The lecturer will also strive to be readily available for a one-to-one dialogue in both lecture breaks and following each lecture session.
Student workload
Lectures 30 hours
Exam 4 hours
Preparation 172 hours
Total 206 hours
Expected literature

Please note that the complete literature list  will be posted at Canvas

 

  1. Marquis, C., & Raynard, M. (2015). Institutional strategies in emerging markets. The Academy of Management Annals, 9(1), 291-335, doi:10.1080/​19416520.2015.1014661, http:/​/​www.tandfonline.com/​doi/​full/​10.1080/​19416520.2015.1014661

  2. Ramirez, J.; Madero, S. & Muñiz, C. (2016). The impact of narcoterrorism on HRM systems, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27:19, 2202-2232, DOI: 10.1080/​09585192.2015.1091371

  3. d'Iribarne, P. (2002). Motivating workers in emerging countries: Universal tools and local adaptations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(3), 243-256.

  4. Fleming, P., & Banerjee, S. B. (2015). When performativity fails: Implications for Critical Management Studies. Human Relations.

Last updated on 05-02-2021