Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
Ekaterina Todarello
Contact via ekaterina.todarello@mq.edu.au
E4A Room 253
Friday 4-5 pm
Meena Chavan
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
4cp at 800 level and ((BUS651 or MKTG696) or (admission to MIntRel or admission to MCom or MIntBus or MEc or MActPrac prior to 2011))
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
To succeed in a globalised business environment, it is imperative for managers to understand contemporary approaches to leading and managing in culturally diverse environments and explore strategies and tactics for managing international assignments and teams. Core objectives of this unit are to enhance multicultural competence skills and impart an understanding of how cultural diversity affects managerial behaviour and processes which is highly valued by future employers. The unit utilises a range of assessments such as simulations, experiential exercises, forums, reflective tasks, case studies, presentations and group activities in order to synthesise students' understanding of cross-cultural theories and their ability to apply their learning.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Due |
---|---|---|
1. CASE STUDY | 20% | Week 2 - Week 13 |
2. REPORT | 20% | 20th October 2014@ 5pm. |
3. CLASS PARTICIPATION | 20% | Week 2 - Week 13 |
4. FINAL EXAM | 40% | Week 14 |
Due: Week 2 - Week 13
Weighting: 20%
Weekly (Case Analysis) (group work ) & Presentation (individual work)
Time: 30 minutes
Submission : In class
Estimated student workload: 10 hours
Marking Criteria: Please see rubrics on iLearn
Length of case study analysis: Not specified as each case has differing requirements.
Extensions - Extensions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances and subject to prior negotiation, or if an application for special consideration is has been made and approved.
Penalties - Late submissions will result in a Fail grade for the unit, unless an extension has been granted or an application for special consideration has been made and approved.
Task Overview
The class will be divided into 10 groups and each group will pick a case in a draw in the first week. Each group will discuss and present the analysis for the week’s case study within a time period of 30 minutes in class.Please note that a common mark will be given out of 10 for the group work component of the case analysis and an individual mark will be given for the presentation skills out of 10 in this assignment . Students are supposed to read the week’s case study before coming to class and come ready to discuss, defend and question other students and answer a quizz on the case at the end of the presentation. Each group only presents once during the 13 weeks of the semester. The process of analysing a case study will be taught to you in the first lecture and a "How to analyse a case study" document can be found on iLearn.
Deliverables
The case analysis should address the following:
A. Introduction
A brief of the case environment, company, industry, country, culture and case problem
B. Body
Should include the following sections: Identification of major stakeholders and their problems, objectives and concerns, recommended solutions, managerial implications.
C. Conclusion
Briefly summarize the essential complexities posed in this case and the practical implications and lessons learned.
D. Case question
Every case study has case questions at the end of the case which will serve as a direction to analyse the case study.
Detailed marking rubrics for this assessment can be seen on ilearn.
Due: 20th October 2014@ 5pm.
Weighting: 20%
REPORT (Individual assignment)
Length: 2500 words
Due Date : Week 10 -20th October 2014 @5 pm
Submission: Online through Turnitin
Estimated student workload: 10 hours
Extensions - Extensions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances and subject to prior negotiation, or if an application for special consideration is has been made and approved.
Penalties - Late submissions will result in a Fail grade for the unit, unless an extension has been granted or an application for special consideration has been made and approved. "
Grading Criteria: Please see rubrics on iLearn
Brief description :
THE EU CULTURE
Britain may be in the front line of the Euro crisis, but it is not the only country affected. The Eurozone is a massive market for businesses from the United States, China, India, Japan, Russia and the other major world economic powers. China has considered lending money to Europe, they are that concerned that the Euro may collapse. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was set up to help countries in economic difficulty, set aside hundreds of billions of dollars for a bailout of some of the Eurozone countries. The wider world is so keen to see the Euro survive — even if that means it has fewer members — for the following reasons.
To preserve the Eurozone’s massive consumer market. A staggering 322 million Europeans use the Euro every day. It’s the currency of seventeen nations. Besides daily activities, these people use the Euro to buy goods and services from overseas — if there was a collapse in its value, then they would be less able to buy imports.
To prevent a global recession. A collapse of the Euro or a situation where some European governments would be unable to repay their debt would have a huge, negative impact on the world economy. It would resemble the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008 (in truth, it could be much worse than that). At the very least, businesses around the globe would think twice about investing and taking on new staff while others might start to trim their operations and cut jobs. A global economic recession would be highly likely.
To protect the world financial system. Banks around the globe have invested in the government debt of Eurozone countries. These banks also hold large amounts of Euros. If the current crisis gets much worse, then the government debt and currency that they hold will fall in value, which could undermine their own financial well being. It could be like the 2007 and 2008 financial crash all over again, with the global banking system under threat. This would be bad news for everyone.
It’s not just the 322 million people in the Eurozone which depend on their currency — there are 150 million people in African countries whose currencies are pegged to value the Euro. If the Eurozone fragments and the value of the Euro collapses, these African countries will see the value of currency collapse too.
Against a backdrop of this ongoing Euro zone volatility, companies are continuing to review their exposures in Europe, including the nature and extent of their Euro-related contracts, and are asking what measures they can put in place to protect their assets and limit cash flow threats. This uncertainty has affected business confidence in different ways in nations across the world.
Please read the following extracts and papers in the context of the task outlined below -
http://www.pwc.com/us/en/issues/eurozone-business-impact/index.jhtml
http://www.economist.com/node/2156423
http://www.internationalbusinessreport.com/2012/eurozone_impact.asp
http://ijbssnet.com/journals/Vol_3_No_9_May_2012/28.pdf
http://www.cis.org.au/images/stories/issue-analysis/ia132.pdf
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/obrien-browne/a-different-take-on-the-e_b_1212418.html
http://www.cresc.ac.uk/publications/deep-stall-the-euro-zone-crisis-banking-reform-and-politics
http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/audit-services/publications/eurozone-crisis-impact.jhtml
YOUR TASK: You are a consultant tasked with a submission, developing a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the Euro crisis on "THE WORLD" in general and "AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS" in particular to assist them with their strategy in the Euro zone.Whilst doing this your focus will be on the "CULTURE" of the European country you select and you will analyse the situation based on the cultural dimensions and cultural theories that you study in class.Your report should encompass all risks: Political, Cultural, Social, Legal,Economic and provide advice on their impact to Australia business operating in EU. Please note you can select any country of your choice in the EU. In particular you are required to critique, analyze and assess the following four issues with CULTURE as a basis:
i. Global impact of Euro crisis on businesses and industries in EU, Australia and the World.
ii. Country (EU country of your choice) specific economic, political,legal, cultural, social, cultural characteristics and history
iii. Possible implications and contingency planning for Australian business
GUIDELINES FOR WRITTEN ASSESSMENTS
All assignments submitted for assessment must adhere to the following standards.
1. Cover Page
For each of the assignment, you must use a cover (or title) page that provides the following information:
(a) your full name and student number;
(b) contact details: email address;
(c) unit code and name
(d) assignment number and assignment title;
2. Presentation of Assignments
Assignments should meet normal academic and professional standards of presentation, including:
a) all pages, excluding the cover page, should be numbered;
b) page margins should be at least 2.5 cm on all four edges and 1.5 line spaced;
c) Times New Roman font type and font size of 12 points should be used.
d) Harvard referencing system should be used.
3. Submission Procedure (Individual)
Students are required to submit an electronic copy of their assessment to Turnitin via the Internet as part of the submission process for assignments. Your assignment will then be automatically compared to work of your classmates, previous students from Macquarie and other universities, with material available on the Internet, both freely available and subscription-based electronic journals. Before submission, name your electronic file in a Word document with your surname and student number, e.g., Smith20101309.
4. Late Submissions (All assignments)
No extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted the task prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task, except for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved. All assessments are mandatory. Detailed marking rubrics can be seen on ilearn
Due: Week 2 - Week 13
Weighting: 20%
Every week students will participate in an experiential exercise relevant to the lecture topic for the week . Experiential exercises can be seen on iLearn and some are from the text book. These exercises will be an engagement and application task where you will work in groups to apply the theory learnt to a hands on activity. This is a group activity and every week the groups will discuss and debate the experiential activity in class and submit the solution to the experiential activity on a A4 page. There will be 10 experiential activities in total, one each week from week 2 to week 11. 10% of the mark is for individual class interaction and participation and 10% is for the group submission.
Due: Week 14
Weighting: 40%
Date: Week 14
Length: 2.5 hours
Format:
A] 1 Case Study (marks 10)
B] Essay questions (marks 30)
Essay questions will include:
a) experiential application questions
b) questions based on all chapters of the text book
A sample exam can be found on iLearn
Summary of Assessments
Task |
Weight |
Due Date |
Linked Learning Outcomes |
Linked Graduate Capabilities |
Class Participation |
20% |
From Week 1 |
1,3,5 |
1,2,3 |
Case Study |
20% |
Week 1 to Week 10
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1,2,5 |
1,2 |
Report |
20% |
Week 10 - Deadline on Turnit in - 20.10.2014 @ 5pm
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2,3,4 |
1,2,3 |
Final Exam |
60% |
University Examination Period |
1,2,4 |
1,2,3 |
The consultation hours for this unit are on Fridays after the lecture from 4 pm to 5 pm.
Number and length of classes: 3 hours face-to-face teaching per week.
The timetable for classes can be found on the University web site at: htt://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/
You must attend all lectures. Medical certificates must be provided if you are not able to attend a class without incurring a penalty.
Please read the full policy located at: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/special_consideration/policy.html
The application for exemption form is available at:http://www.reg.mq.edu.au/Forms/APScons.pdf
Students are expected to arrive on time, and not to leave until the class ends. If you have a recurring problem that makes you late, or forces you to leave early, have the courtesy to discuss this with your lecturer/tutor, this will not be allowed as it interrupts the class. Students must be quiet during classes, unless of course when class participation is required. Mobile phone must be turned OFF and not simply set to ‘silent’. Students who disturb or disrupt in lectures will be asked to leave.
Required and Recommended Texts and/or Material
Required text: ‘International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures – Text and Cases’, Eight Edition (International Edition) by Helen Deresky, Pearson Education, 2014. This contains all the required chapter readings and case studies in addition to material posted on iLearn. A copy of the required text is also available in the Macquarie Library and obtainable from Macquarie University Coop Bookshop (macq_byr@coop-bookshop.com.au)
Required unit materials and/or recommended readings will be available through eReserve.
Students should have their own copy of this text. It is mandatory that you have the 8th edition, 2014 version as this text contains all the case studies and experiential exercises that will be done in class. There are some copies on the library shelves and in library reserve. Lectures support and add to the textbook but cannot replace it. It is a standard work of reference on cross cultural management. Classroom sessions are backed up online with lecture notes, case studies, articles and discussion
Technology Used and Required
Students are required to use information technology in this unit. Students will need to use: Library databases to source materials for the research reports, which are accessed electronically for conducting research for assignments;
Computer and Electronic (internet) access to ilearn to download unit learning resources and upload assignments or other materials required for class activities and assignments; Microsoft word and Power point (where applicable) for the research reports and presentations).You can check that your computer’s software and hardware are compatibility with Macquarie University standard requirements at:
https://learn.mq.edu.au/webct/RelativeResourceManager/25994001/Public%20Files/uw/softw
Unit Web Page
Course material is available on the learning management system (ilearn) .The web page for this unit can be found at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/
Learning and Teaching Activities
This unit will be taught via the participant-centered and experiential learning method of teaching. “Experiential learning takes place when a person is involved in an activity, then looks back and evaluates it, determines what was useful or important to remember and uses this information to perform another activity” (John Dewey, 1938). Face-to-face lectures would comprise of seminars of three hours' duration. Students will partake in lectures, discussions, cases, video cases and experiential exercises in class. Students are advised to attend all lectures and participate in case discussions, missing classes and not participating in case discussions will affect grades. Case studies will be the extensively used. Case analyses are intended to be analytical critiques on some central issues of the case being discussed. As this is a discussion-oriented class, students will read all of the case studies indicated on the course schedule and come prepared to discuss and defend themselves in the tutorials. Every student is expected to participate. In your case analyses, please refrain from writing a summary of the case or repackaging the information already provided in the case. Based on the information provided in the case, be analytically judgmental, propose alternative managerial views and action plans, and discuss the relevance and appropriateness of the frameworks proposed in the readings and lectures to the case. In short, write what you think of the situation in the case and not merely repeat what the author says. The course teaches several models for cultural analysis of case studies. Some examples are: Hofstede, Trompenaars, and Edward Hall. These models are to be used for group case study assignments and research paper. This unit is presented through the following learning media: Thirteen weekly classroom lectures combined with small group tutorial discussions, case studies, in lecture experiential exercise and videos. Students must attend at least 80% of the classes (lectures).Lectures are supported online on ilearn: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au
Lecture notes, assignment details, assessment methods, case studies, reading and reference materials and a sample exam paper are posted on iLearn. Recommended readings can be found on eReserve. Every week one student group will discuss, analyse and present a relevant case study in the tutorial. The weightage of this presentation is 10%. Each group only presents once. Case analysis submissions will be marked and returned in the following tutorials, and will carry a total weightage of 10%. All students will upload their research paper in week 10 via turnitin. This report carries a weightage of 20 marks. 20% is reserved for participation in experiential exercises in class of which 10% of the marks are reserved for participation in experiential exercises (group work in class).The total assessment weightage is 60% and the final exam is weighed 40%.
Students need to complete and submit all assignments and attempt the final exam to complete the unit satisfactorily.
LATE ASSESSMENT TASKS: Please note no extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted the task prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task, except for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved.
Week |
Lecture: Topic and Reading |
Case Study Presentation/Discussion |
1 |
Assessing the environment: Political, Economic,Legal,Technological Chapter 1 |
Sample case study analysis: Apple iphones (Text Book) Experiential activity: a)Forces at work |
2 |
Managing Interdependence: Social Responsibility, Ethics, Sustainab8ility Chapter 2 |
Case Study: Blackberry in International Markets Experiential activity: a) Predatory competition and international bribery |
3 |
Understanding the Role of Culture Chapter 3 |
Case Study: An Ethics Role Playing case Experiential activity: a) Balintore manufacturer of cabinet hardware (Text Book)
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4 |
Communicating Across Cultures Chapter 4 |
Case Study: Google's Arkut Experiential activity: a)Brazilian Auto Parts manufacturer (Text Book)
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5 |
Cross-cultural Negotiation and Decision Making Chapter 5 |
Case Study: MTV Networks Experiential activity: a) Franken foods
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6 |
Formulating Strategy Chapter 6 |
Case Study: Ali Baba Experiential activity: a)Renault |
7. |
Implementing Strategy Chapter 7 |
Case Study: Carrefour Experiential activity: a) Cross cultural mergers and acquisitions
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BREAK |
Mid session break: 22nd September to 3rd October
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8. |
Organisation Structure and Control systems Chapter 8 |
Case Study: Walmart Experiential activity: a) Entry strategy in Russia (Text Book) |
9. |
Staffing, Training and Compensation for Global Operations Chapter 9 |
Case Study: Chrysler & Fiat Experiential Exercise : a)Expats in Brazil (Text book)
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10. |
Developing a Global Management Cadre Chapter 10 |
Case Study : Foreign Investement in China Experiential Activity: a) Motivation in Mexico (Textbook)
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11. |
Motivating & Leading Chapter 11 |
Case study : Indra Nooyi Experiential Activity: Cross cultural leader
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12. |
Guest lecture |
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13. |
Review
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University Examination Period |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by:
The unit uses research from several external sources namely academic journals, books, media articles and government publications as listed below to support your learning of cross cultural concepts, theories and current happenings:
Journal of Cross Cultural Management
Diversity in organisations, communities and nations.
Journal of International Business studies
Management International review
OECD Publications
SUPPLEMENTARY RESEARCH RESOURCES
Official website of Geert Hofstede
http://www.geert-hofstede.com/
Global edge Global business resources
Country profiles
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/country-profiles.html
Virtual Library on International Development
http://www2.etown.edu/vl/intldev.html
The World Index of Chambers of Commerce & Industry
The United Nations
International Business Times http://www.ibtimes.com/
This unit gives you opportunities to conduct research and gives you practice in applying research findings in your assessments.
Date | Description |
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28/02/2014 | The Description was updated. |