OR1000 International cross-cultural management

Contents and structure

Content and structure

With globalization becoming omnipresent across all industries and sectors, organisations face a growing presence of cultural diversity; in their work force, among external stakeholders and on the arena on which the organisations play. This is the point of departure for this course and the students will gain a good insight in the new roles and responsibilities of todays and future managers: On one hand, to manage traditional activities including handling cultural diversity within the organisation, on the other to optimize any challenges and opportunities that might arise from external stakeholders across national cultures.

The perspective in this course is the new roles of managers, regardless of industries and sectors, public or private. Moreover, the perspectives, tools and models presented and discussed are equally important for organizations operating entirely on the home market as for global organisations, as stakeholders, both internal and external, are increasingly multicultural in todays and tomorrows organizations.

Course content

• Stakeholder management, cultural diversity, sustainability.
• Interaction and communication across national cultures.
• Negotiation across national cultures.
• Decision-making and leadership in multicultural organizations.
• Managing multi-cultural teams.
• Major frameworks describing and comparing national cultures.
• Cultural intelligence and motivational theories.
• Sustainability: Cultural diversity and cross-cultural management as critical factors for achieving sustainability within and across national borders.
• Global management challenges in both local and global organisations.

Learning Outcome

Learning Outcome

Knowledge

After completing the course, students should be acquainted with

• the new roles and responsibilities of global managers in today`s and tomorrow`s organisations.
• theories, approaches and strategies required for successfully managing cultural diversity within and across national borders.
• national cultures` influence on organizational behaviour and management of the organisation`s stakeholder groups.
• topics within cross-cultural management alongside sustainability.

 

General competence

• Discuss topics and issues employing current theories and concepts related to management in general and cross-cultural management in particular
• Plan and apply approaches related to multicultural situations and interactions with stakeholders from different national cultures.
• Develop both cross-cultural management skills and a critical view of research done in this area.
• Discuss the concept of sustainability and the challenges related to this concept.
• Link cultural diversity and cross-cultural management to sustainability 
• Develop a global mindset and focus on benefits as well as challenges which might arise in multicultural environments.

 

Personal development

• NB! During this course it is stressed that students shall learn to respect cultures different from their own and learn how to identify differences and similarities across cultures, not judge!
• Stimulate reflections related to consequences of cultural differences both on personal and professional level.

Entry requirements

None

Recommended previous knowledge

None

Teaching methods

Teaching methods

Lectures in class, individual study, group work, exercises.

Compulsory learning activities

One multiple choice test, covering parts of the required readings.

Students must pass this test to be eligible to take the exam. Those who do not pass will be given a second chance.

Assessment

One written exam, 24 hours, counting 100% in the final grade.

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail.

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Examination support material

All 

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