This course deals with the multicultural dimensions of international business operations. The objective is to develop Canadian managerial skills for effective performance in an international setting. Topics to be covered include international negotiations, management of multicultural personnel, cross-cultural consumer behavior profile, cross-cultural communication, and other cultural aspects of marketing strategy. Prerequisite: MARK 462 or IBO’S 462. Course Objectives Cultural differences are hard to understand because, although their consequences are obvious, it is not easy to analyze, describe or categorize them.
The cultural recesses by which behavior is shaped are frequently overlooked in business contexts, causing miscommunication and misunderstandings. The objective of this course is to increase your understanding of the role culture plays in creating differences in values, worldviews, behavior, verbal and non-verbal communication conventions and preferences. At a more practical level, you will also learn how these differences are reflected in day-today interactions, business practices, and interpersonal communications.
Rather than providing an inventory of momentary facts on cultural differences, my goal is to familiarize you with the theories that explain how culture operates in creating these differences. With the help of these theories, you will be ready to overcome the challenges of a changing global and multicultural marketplace. At the end of the course, I hope that all of you will be furnished with valuable intercultural competence that will make you not only better international managers, but also more empathetic individuals with enhanced cultural sensitivity.
Course Materials Required Reading Nellie, J. W. (2011). Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach (5th deed. ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Other Course Material Powering files of lectures, extra readings, assignment instructions and cases, and other materials will be available through model, which is accessible through myocardial portal. I will make important announcements through the message board section of model, so it is essential that you have a working e-mail address in your profile and/or check model frequently.
Please add my e-mail address to your safe list in your spam filter so that you do not miss any important announcements. Official description from the Academic Calendar Cross Cultural Communications and Management – Winter 2013- Last Revised 1/7/13 Teaching Method and Classroom Expectations In-class component of this course mainly consists of interactive lectures and mini case discussions. Throughout every lecture, we will have quick discussions on real world applications of the course concepts.
All students are expected to actively particulate In tense Locutions Dye slang Ana answering quietness Ana Dye snarling news story clippings, examples of advertising, and other relevant material with class members. It is also very important to read and think about the assigned material before coming to class so that we can have a productive and meaningful learning experience. Because of the interactive nature of this course, regular attendance is necessary for achieving our learning goals; however if you come to class but contribute nothing to the learning environment, or cause disturbances, I prefer you stay at home.
You are expected to act professionally in the classroom and be civil to your classmates. Chronic disruptive behavior to the learning environment (chatting with your classmates, hostile behavior toward others, web surfing) will not be tolerated and may result in deduction in participation points and/or disciplinary action. Please treat the classroom as a workplace and engage in behavior that is professionally appropriate.
Use of laptops, cell phones, ‘ Pads, pod touch/smart phones, recorders and other communication instruments are strictly prohibited in the classroom unless there is a valid Justification (special learning needs, injuries, etc. ). If you use them in class, you will be warned, asked to leave and/or lose participation points. This course outline is your “ contract” and thus you are responsible for knowing the rules governing course expectations as laid out in this document. For example, explanations that state that you didn’t know about Concordat’s Academic Code of Conduct and plagiarism rules will not be entertained.
Course Evaluation Point Breakdown Exam I Exam II Team Project Participation Total 35 percent 25 percent 5 percent 100 percent Exams The exams will be closed book and will consist of questions from the readings, lectures, videos, discussions and non-factual information (theories and generalizations) discussed in presentations. Exams are planned as a mixture of essay and multiple-choice questions and will be non-cumulative. I will use a floating curve o adjust your grades at the end of the semester when needed. You are responsible for all of the information in the assigned book chapters whether they are explicitly covered in class or not.
If you miss an exam for a valid reason, you have to take a makeup exam. Under no classmates, I will relatedness your graces Tort ten mêlées pilots Makeup exams will only be given in case of emergencies and medical conditions proven by official documentation. Please inform me during the first four weeks of classes if other courses’ requirements, or major unavoidable commitments (religious observations, scheduled surgeries, etc. ) conflict with the exam schedule. Explanations after missing a course requirement are unacceptable, except for emergent medical conditions with sufficient documentation.
Team Project (Paper and Presentation) The details of this project are provided in the Appendix. Assignment and Exam Re-Evaluation If you wish any exam or assignment to be re-evaluated, you must make a written request (by e-mail) within a week of your receipt of your mark. I will be more than happy to re-read your work and reconsider my evaluation; however, I reserve the right to give you a lower score. My lectures are designed to work as an interactive learning experience. Asking or answering questions and supplying examples of concepts relevant to the course are strongly encouraged.
Active participation will help not only your short term course goals such as exam performance and participation credit, but will also prepare you for your longer term career by building your communication skills. I do not take attendance in my lectures. Being present in the classroom does NOT necessarily imply class participation and you won’t be getting participation credit by Just being present. You are expected to participate at least once in every lecture to get full credit. This could be in the form of asking or answering a question, contributing to a discussion, or bringing an example relevant to the course.
If you miss a class or two, you can compensate for your absence by participating more heavily in subsequent lectures. If you are too shy to speak up in class, or are worried about your language skills preventing your participation, please let me know, so we can work on this issue and find ways to overcome it. Failure to complete assigned responsibilities (e. G. : implementing student information sheet, filling out peer evaluations, uploading photos) will also cause in deduction of points from your participation credit.
Instructor Accessibility Unless there is a last minute emergency, I should be in my office during my scheduled office hours, so you don’t need to make an appointment to see me during those times. If, for any reason, you cannot come in during my scheduled office hours, please make an appointment for another time. I tend to be flexible and will try to accommodate your schedule. I have an open door policy during the times I work in my office, so you can always try catching” me IT you nave an Impromptu quietest or concern. Don’t insolate to roof by if you see my door open; worst case (if I am really busy) I will tell you to come back later.
E-mail is usually the most efficient way to communicate with me. I am prompt with answering e-mails, so if you have a specific question, you can e-mail me and expect a response within 24 hours (except during weekends, when I check my e-mail more sporadically). There is one exception to the 24 hour rule: If you email me with a question that is already answered in this document (e. G: “ Which chapters are included in the exam? ), I will not reply to it. If you do not get response to your email within 24 hours, please do not be offended and check your course outline to see the issue is already answered.
If not, email me again in case your message got stuck at some spam filter. Academic Integrity The Academic Code of Conduct at Concordia University states that the “ integrity of University academic life and of the degrees, diplomas and certificates the University confers is dependent upon the honesty and soundness of the instructor-student learning relationship and, in particular, that of the evaluation process. As such, all students are expected to be honest in all of their academic endeavourers and relationships with the University. ” (Undergraduate Calendar, section 17. 0. 3 or Graduate Calendar, Academic Code of Conduct). All students enrolled at Concordia are expected to familiarize themselves with the contents of this Code. Before submitting any written work for this course, you should visit http://www. Concordia. Ca/programming-courses/academic-integrity/, which provides useful information about proper academic conduct. Make sure to take the Academic Integrity Test if you have not done it already. You are expected to sign the inline pledge (in model), indicating that you are aware of the academic integrity rules of the University.
By taking this course, you agree to read the Concordia Academic Code of Conduct. If you are caught with any type of misconduct as a result of your work in this cause, please do not claim lack of knowledge. Plagiarism The most common offense under the Academic Code of Conduct is plagiarism, which the Code defines as “ the presentation of the work of another person as one’s own or without proper acknowledgement. ” This could be material copied word for word from books, Journals, internet sites, reformer’s course notes, etc. It could be material that is paraphrased but closely resembles the original source.
It could be the work of a fellow student, for example, an answer on a quiz, data for a lab report, a paper or assignment completed by another student. It might be a paper purchased through one of the many available sources. Plagiarism does not refer to words alone – it can also refer to copying images, graphs, tables, and ideas. “ Presentation” is not limited to written work. It also includes oral presentations, computer assignments and artistic works. Finally, if you reinstate the work of another person into French or English and do not cite the source, tons Is also plagiarism.
In simple words: DO NOT COPY, PARAPHRASE OR TRANSLATE ANYTHING FROM ANYWHERE WITHOUT INDICATING WHERE YOU OBTAINED IT FROM! (Source: The Academic Integrity Website: http://provost. Concordia. Ca/ gastroenteritis/plagiarism/) I am very strict about plagiarism, and will report it without discrimination. Course Schedule MODULE 1 : CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT Dates Topic Readings Notes/ Assignments Jan 8 Introduction and Course Overview Jan 15 The Necessity of Intercultural Communication Sign the Pledge of Academic Integrity
Jan 22 The Cultural Context Chi 2-3 Skim Chapter 3 after peg 99 Fill out the Student Information Sheet and email it to Handle your teams Jan 29 The Environmental Context Presentation (only 1 team for this week) Microcircuits in Canada Feb. 5 The Perceptual Context Presentation(s) Domestic and Commercial Spaces Feb. 12 The Correlation’s Context Feb. 19 No Class (Winter Break Feb. 26 Exam 1 In class/during class time MODULE 2: CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS AND MANAGEMENT Date March 5 Verbal Code March 12 Non-verbal Code Notes Language Analysis March 19 Intercultural Relationships Advertising Analysis March 26
April 2 Intercultural Conflict and Negotiations Acculturation and Culture Shock Chi 12 Cultural Analysis off non-Canadian Film Negotiation Etiquette and Protocol Analysis April 9 Course Wrap Up: Intercultural Competence Makeup class DB Exam 2 (non-cumulative) Date to be determined by the exams office Appendix – Team Project Instead of a single deliverable at the end of the semester, this course requires you to pick among 6 different group projects that are spread throughout the teaching weeks.
Each presentation complements that weeks lecture topic and hence actively involves you in the pedagogical process. Constitution of teams: Each team should have 5-6 members. The earlier you pick your teams, the more convenient it will be for you and the rest of the class. If you don’t decide on your teams before Septet 24, I will randomly assign you into one. If you don’t know anyone in the class and prefer to be assigned to a random team, please send me a note at your earliest convenience. Country Selection: Countries are assigned by “ first come first served” rule.
There won’t be any duplication of countries throughout the semester, so I suggest you pick your country as soon as you determine your topic. Topics: A brief description and general guidelines for each project is given below. Note that each intercultural exercise also should incorporate a brief summary of basic characteristics of the chosen culture based on the cultural dimensions we cover in class. For this assignment, you are expected to use a range of sources and go beyond the course discussions.
This assignment is open ended and unstructured to better reflect the real life projects you’ll be working on in your future careers, however further details regarding the content of the individual presentations should be co- determined by you and the instructor in a meeting at least one week (but preferably earlier) before the due date. If you fail to arrange this meeting, you will be penalized by 1 point (out of the total 25) but, more importantly, lose the opportunity to get feedback from me. Requirements: Presentations: Each presentation should approximately take half an hour.
You will be graded both for the style and the content of the presentations, so prepare well and do not read your parts from your notes. You should use a professional tone in your performance, but also strive to be engaging and creative. Please email me a copy of your PPTP file at least an hour before your presentation. Report: A detailed written report is due on the day of presentation, as a PDF file, by email. Please cite all your resources in this report, and turn in a project that is professionally written and formatted.
You won’t be graded for your writing, but excessive typos and spelling mistakes will be penalized. In keeping with university initiatives on sustainability, please ah not prove a paper copy. Graces: Total 25 points 15 pilots Tort report, II points for presentation). All members of the team will receive the same raw grade. However you are required to submit an online peer evaluation (information on how to complete this task will be provided with your project feedback) once you complete the team project.
Individual marks for the term project will be adjusted as a result of this assessment. If you do not complete the online peer evaluations, you will lose class participation points. Summary of Project Topics 1. Microcircuits in Canada In this project, you are to provide an account of microcircuits of Canadian society. Provide basic historical trajectories of each, explain in what ways they differ from the mainstream” Canadian society, describe how they are depicted in popular culture, etc. Finally give your audience tips on communicating with members of each monoculture. 2.
Domestic and Commercial Spaces Across the World Choose a culture other than the Canadian culture, and write a report on the ways they use space in comparison to Canadians. What are the cultural foundations of these differences? What are the assumptions regarding privacy, nature, social structure, equality, etc.? 3. Language Analysis Select a language other than English or French. Carefully study the syntax, semantics, ND organizational characteristics of that language and describe the effects of these characteristics on the persuasive style and conversational structure of a person who speaks that language. . Advertising Analysis Find an ad (print, TV, multimedia, social web) that is targeted to a non-Canadian audience. Deconstruct the ad and analyze the components of the message using the concepts we have discussed the class. Which changes would you suggest implementing if the same ad was adapted to appeal to a Canadian audience? 5. Cultural Analysis off non-Canadian Film Select a feature-length film that is set in a culture other than your own.
Study the communication that occurs between the characters in the film and identify the effects of cultural patterns, perception, verbal codes, nonverbal codes, social episodes, and roles on interpersonal communication. Additionally, analyze how the film itself serves as a culturally constructed message. Contact me for a list of the suggested films. 6. Negotiation Etiquette and Protocol Analysis Choose a culture other than the Canadian culture, and write a report on their negotiation styles and communication protocols in comparison to Canadians. What are the cultural foundations of these differences?
