Undergraduate Course: Managing Across Borders and Cultures (BUST10113)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | It has been recognised that firms and managers both shape and are shaped by their cultures and institutional contexts. With globalisation and the increasing internationalisation of businesses, this course responds in particular to the increasing need of future managers, working in a globalised economy, to recognise the influences of national cultures and institutions on organizational and managerial performances and to acquire cross-cultural skills and competencies necessary for enhancing such performances. |
| Course description |
The course intends to stimulate a critical discussion of cross-cultural and national business issues that often seem to be neglected even by the management of multinational companies. It is believed that a better understanding of these issues will assist future managers in dealing with both cross-cultural and contextualised management challenges and opportunities.
Students will be expected to read the provided lecture materials and relevant literature, to actively participate in discussions and to analyse the readings and the information provided in the lectures and seminars. The objective is to develop a critical understanding of the key issues. Consequently, also the assessment is geared towards identifying, describing, evaluating and discussing those issues by writing and presenting a paper and writing an exam that covers both the lectures and the recommended literature.
Syllabus
Globalisation, Cultures and Institutions
National Cultures and Institutions
Cultures, Institutions and Corporate Social Responsibility
Cultures, Institutions and Corporate Governance
Cultures, Institutions and Human Resource Management
Cultures, Institutions and Innovation
Cultures, Institutions and International Strategy
Global Managers and Global Mindset
Student Learning Experience
Students will gain from the experience of
Learning from each other in the teamwork activities in the preparation of presentations on different ideas of management and on practical case studies.
Learning to find, read and appreciate the value of academic literature, how they are cited and referenced, and how to use them in developing a presentation of or summary of ideas.
Practising the skill of bringing together different and sometimes conflicting ideas in coherent arguments, and developing and representing ones views with colleagues.
Engaging in the dynamic process of argumentation with the academic literature.
Dissecting and interpreting managerial and organisational practices with the view of providing credible solutions by exploring their cultural and institutional embeddedness.
Presenting their ideas to their peers and teachers confidently, clearly and effectively
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Business Studies Honours entry |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students must have at least 4 Business courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Revision Session Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
1. Two Group Presentations 30%
(Including peer assessment which moderates 20% of this assessment)
2. Personal Reflections 10%
3. Individual Written Essay: 60%
The teaching of the course will be a mixture of lectures, group discussions, case studies, seminars, guest lectures, role plays and group presentations. Students will be divided into groups of 4-5. Each group will be expected to make 2 presentations (equally weighted at 15%) to the rest of the class at some point during the course. The lectures will start with group presentations and these are expected to make use of theory informed practical and relevant examples, and will be assessed on their ability to deliver on this expectation.
Each student will submit a 200 word limit personal reflection on each of the 8 sessions of the course (1600 word limit total). The personal reflections will constitute 10% of the overall course grade.
Students will write an Individual Essay at the end of the course, which will constitute 60% of the overall course grade.
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| Feedback |
Generic feedback on your coursework, together with individual marks, will be available on Learn 15 working days after your assessment deadline. You will also be able to review your individual feedback electronically via My Grades on Learn from the same date.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand and critically discuss the distinction amongst national culture, organisational culture and national institutions, and identify the different schools of thought behind each of them.
- Explain and critically discuss the interactive influences of national culture, organisational culture and national institutions on managerial and organisational practices.
- Critically evaluate theoretical frameworks on national culture and institutions to explain organisational and managerial practices in different cultures and institutional contexts.
- Discuss the role of multinational firms in the homogenisation of organisational and managerial practices.
- Critically appraise the role of national culture, organisational culture and institutions on organisational and managerial performance, respectively.
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Reading List
Recommended Text for this course is: Koen, C. I. (2005). Comparative International Management, McGraw-Hill
Further Readings
* Sitkin, A., and Bowen, N. (2010). International business: challenges and choices. Oxford University Press
* Luthans, F., and Doh, J. P. (2009). International Management: culture, strategy, and behaviour. McGraw-Hill Irwin Press
* Schneider, S. C., and Barsoux, J. (2003). Managing Across Cultures. Prentice Hall/FT Press
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Key skills
Understand key concepts in the area of managing across borders and cultures, to reflect upon them, to relate them to strategic and operational managerial problems, and to apply them in the future to real world business situations.
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| Keywords | MABC |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Kenneth Amaeshi
Tel: (0131 6)50 2146
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Helen Tweedale
Tel: (0131 6)50 3827
Email: |
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