TDP: Doing Business Across Cultures (BBA80837)

General information

Type:	OP	Curs:	1,2,3	Period:	S semester
ECTS Credits:	4 ECTS

Teaching Staff:

Group	Teacher	Department	Language
Ed: 1	Daniela Noethen	Dirección de Personas y Organización	ENG

Group	Teacher	Department	Language
Ed: 2	Daniela Noethen	Dirección de Personas y Organización	ENG

none

none

30h in class
70h of independent study, teamwork, and exam preparation

Today's business world is global and cross-cultural competence is key to having a successful business career at a personal level as well as successful international relations at a business level. While the exchange program offers students an in-depths view of one specific culture, this course raises students' awareness with regard to the spectrum of cultural variation and cultural differences and helps them increase their cross-cultural competence, finding solutions to such cross-cultural challenges.

The objective of the course is to increase students' awareness of cultural differences in general and cultural issues in business in particular. In order to better understand these differences and behave accordingly, students will be offered a framework for understanding cultural concepts as well as opportunities to practice the application of these concepts to inter-cultural business dynamics.
By using a large number of cases, scenarios, videos and problem solving activities we apply value dimensions, specific local knowledge of cultures and the process of experiential learning to the reality of a multi-cultural business world. We will study values and the consequent variation in - verbal and non-verbal - communication conventions across cultures as well as their impact on inter-cultural understanding.
Thus, the course aims not only at increasing students' knowledge about cultural issues in business, but also their behavioral flexibility in dealing with and adapting to them.

1. The concept of culture; how we think about culture

2. Emics and etics; Different etic frameworks of culture

3. Communication and attitudes to time; proxemics, paralinguistics and non-verbal communication

4. Linguistic and politeness strategies

5. Cross-cultural conflict, reconciliation, and negotiated cross-cultural response strategies

6. Culture shock - growth and adaptation

7. Cross-cultural competence - its dimensions and training opportunities

This is a highly interactive course with a mix of exposition of content, case analysis, simulations, short video cases, guest speakers, student presentations and projects, and group as well as class discussions. Students are expected to prepare for the sessions with readings, case analysis, and occasional short assignments. In-class active participation is vital, where students are asked to critically reflect the content and frameworks presented, relate to their own experience, and draw connections to the business world. In culturally heterogeneous teams, students will get first-hand experience of potential cross-cultural challenges and their solution, working on different projects, cases, and a presentation to be held in class.
At the end of the course, students will be asked to demonstrate their learning in a final exam, consisting of multiple choice questions, open questions, and potentially a case.

You will receive more detailed guidelines during the course.

The program is subject to modification in light of the group composition or other factors, and the order of presentation of content may be changed. We may not be able to cover all the material described.

ASSESSMENT BREAKDOWN

A few background book references:
Farrero, G: (2012) The Cultural Dimension of Business 7th ed., London, Pearson.
Hofstede, G: (2001): Culture's Consequences 2nd ed Thousand Oaks CA, Sage.
Spencer-Oatey H & Franklin P (2009) Intercultural Interaction: a multidisciplinary approach to intercultural communication, London, Palgrave Macmillan.
Primecz H, Romani L & Sackmann S (2012). Cross-cultural management in practice: culture and negotiated meanings. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Further materials are provided at the beginning of the seminar and through the web page during the seminar.

Group	Teacher	Department
Ed: 1	Daniela Noethen	Dirección de Personas y Organización

Group	Teacher	Department
Ed: 2	Daniela Noethen	Dirección de Personas y Organización