Student guide International Program A.Y. 2005/06

Skills for International Management 1
Lesson timetable, Notice board, Additional material
Lecturers
BOLDT BARBARA
Aim of the course
This course is designed for both Italian students nearing graduation and foreign students who wish to gain specific skills that they will be able to apply in the international workplace. It is composed of three modules of 12 hours each that address specific skills that are required to work successfully in a multi-national environment. These include self-cultural awareness, understanding cultural difference, understanding how cultural difference impacts specific business interactions such as negotiating and working in teams, and how to observe and reflect on one’s own behavior and the behavior of others in order to facilitate effective intercultural interaction. The modules build on each other, so students must participate in all three in order to earn the five credit hours.
Syllabus
Module I: The Basics of Intercultural Communication
- Define the concept of culture; learn basic definitions and terms.
- Keep a journal of your experience during the semester to develop the skills of observation, description, reflection and analysis.
- Participate in exercises designed to explore the concepts of perception, stereotyping and suspension of judgement.
Module II :Understanding cultural differences
- Study a framework of cultural difference with the goal of knowing yourself and others and being able to interpret behavior in intercultural interactions.
- Explore the concept of empathy and practice seeing situations from more than one cultural point of view.
Module III: The Impact of Culture on International Management
- Explore how culture influences specific business activities, including international negotiating and team-work; participate in a simulation of multicultural teambuilding.
- Explore the concept of trust as a culturally relative construct: understand why it is more difficult to establish across cultures and how this impacts international business interactions.
- Learn how to write a critical incident based on your personal experience and analyze it using the framework of cultural difference.
Examinations
Students will be evaluated on:
- Attendance and class participation.
- Preparation of a group presentation.
- Keeping a journal of their experience throughout the semester.
- A mid-term and a final paper.
Reading list
- N.J. Adler, International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, 3rd Ed., South-Western College Publishing, 1997.
- H. Deresky, International Management: Managing across cultures and borders, 4th Ed., Pearson Education, 2003.
- H.W. Lane, J.J. DiStefano & M.L. Masnevski, International Management Behavior, 4th Ed., Blackwell Business, 2000.
- M.W. Lustig & J. Koester, Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal communication across cultures, 4th Ed., Allyn & Bacon, 2003
- S.C. Schneider & J-L Barsoux, Managing Across Cultures, 2nd Ed., Prentice Hall/Financial Times, 2003
Additional readings may be assigned.