# Intercultural Management (3 ECTS) - Savonia AMK

> A comprehensive course exploring cross-cultural management, communication, and the impact of cultural diversity on global business strategy.

## Course Goals
The “Intercultural Management” course encompasses ways of cross-cultural comparison of management and communications processes, emphasizing on possible (and practical) cultural geographic distinctions and individual, group, and organizational history that affect behavior. The overall objective of the module is to define in theory and practice the divergence of management across the world today. At the end students will be able to understand the way management is approached in different areas of the world.

## Course Content
The course examines case studies and readings that focus on general concepts of “culture” as well as on issues of intercultural competence, cultural identity and cultural diversity from a strategic, organizational, and marketing perspective. In parallel, the course considers the ethical issues highlighted by an intercultural perspective on business activities. The course encourages students to adopt a range of critical approaches drawn from history, anthropology, organizational sociology, narrative and symbolic/interpretive analysis, post-modern theory, and management practice.

## Schedule and Logistics
*   **Start Date:** Thursday, October 6, 2022
*   **Lecture Times:** Thursdays, 15:00 – 17:00 (CEST)
*   **Course Provider:** Francisco de Vitoria University (UFV) Madrid, Spain

## Volume and Credits
| Volume by ECTS credits | Synchronous activities (hours) | Asynchronous activities (hours) | Total (hours) |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 3 | 39 | 30 | 75 |

## Learning Outcomes
By successfully mastering the course, students will be able to:
*   Reach a practical understanding of cultural factors influencing business in a globalized world.
*   Understand cultural identity and cultural diversity from a strategic, organizational, and marketing perspective.
*   Understand how business is embedded in specific societal institutions, and these in turn in the cultural context.
*   Develop and enhance intercultural competence using real cases and scenarios.
*   Develop personal negotiation skills and conflict resolution skills.
*   Understand the relationship between National Culture and Organizational Culture.
*   Understand the practical principles of ethical behavior in the Global Marketplace.

## Course Plan
| No. | Titles of the main topics | Sync (hrs) | Async (hrs) | Total (hrs) |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1 | Introduction and overview – expectations, course goals, syllabus. The Fundamentals of Culture. Drivers and consequences of globalization. | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2 | Culture as an explanatory factor. Concept of “National Culture”. Typologies of Hofstede and Trompenaars. | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | What’s Cross-Cultural competence? Stages of Cross-Cultural competence. Cross-Cultural competence and Business. | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Principles of Negotiation. Different Negotiation Styles. Challenges of Cross-Cultural Negotiation. Conflict Resolution Profile Test | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | Organizational Culture Fundamentals. Relationship between National Culture and Organizational Culture. Ethical Behavior in the Global Marketplace. | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Principles of Management. Different Management Styles. Challenges of Managing across Cultures. The Cultural Intelligence Difference. | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 7 | Intercultural Management and Leadership. Multi-cultural work groups and teams. Creating Cultural Synergy. Motivating the Global Workforce. Personal profiling. | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 8 | Entrepreneurship and Innovation. International Marketing. Global and culture-specific advertising. | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 9 | Spanish Culture: Overview of Contemporary Spain: Politics and Economy. Business style in Spain. | 1 | 1 | 2 |

## Self-Study Assignments
*   Individual analysis / personal reflection about the Hofstede’s model with respect to the student’s cultural origin/s and experience.
*   MBTI Questionnaire. Additional tests: Communication Styles, Temperaments, Kilman.
*   Read CH 11 on Cultures and Organizations.
*   One specific reading for each Module.
*   Feedback from the students through the established student opinion polls.

## Assessment System
Students will be evaluated through a continuous evaluation system (CES):
*   **Attendance and Participation (20%):** Continuous evaluation of active participation in exercises, class debates, and online campus forums.
*   **Group Presentations (30%):** Research, development, and presentation of topics; evaluation of conceptual understanding and application.
*   **Final Exam (50%):** Cumulative assessment of course knowledge.

## Literature
*   Hofstede, G. (2010): *Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind*. 3rd edition. McGraw-Hill.
*   Moran, R. T.; Harris, P.R.; Moran, S.V. (2010): *Managing Cultural Differences: Global Leadership Strategies for Cross-Cultural Business Success*. 8th edition. Butterworth-Heinemann.
*   Hall, E. (1976): *Beyond Culture*. Anchor Books.
*   Hampden-Turner, C.; Trompenaars, F. (1997): *Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business*. 2nd edition. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
*   Lewis, R. D. (2005): *When Cultures Collide: Leading Across Cultures*. 3rd edition. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
*   Livermore, D. (2011): *The Cultural Intelligence Difference: Master the One Skill You Can’t Do Without in Today’s Global Economy*. AMACOM.