Student guide International Program A.Y. 2006/07

Skills for International Management 1
Lesson timetable, Notice board, Additional material
Lecturers
BOLDT BARBARA
Lecturers
Barbara Boldt
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 10 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 behaviour and the behaviour of others in order to facilitate effective intercultural interaction. The modules build on each other, so students must participate in all three modules 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
-           Research and present a framework of cultural difference with the goal of knowing yourself and others and being able to interpret behaviour in intercultural interactions.
-           Explore the concept of empathy and practice seeing situations from more than one cultural perspective.
 
Module III: The Impact of Culture on International Management
-           Explore how culture influences specific business activities, including international negotiating and team-work.
-           Explore the concept of trust as a culturally relative construct: understand why it is more difficult to establish trust across cultures and how this impacts international business interactions.
-           Learn how to write a critical incident based on your personal experience and analyse it using the frameworks we have studied in class.
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 internet assignment
-           A final critical incident paper
Reading list
N.J. Adler, International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, 3rd Ed., South-Western College Publishing, 1997.
-                      M.J. Bennett, “Overcoming the golden rule: Sympathy and empathy.” Communication Yearbook, vol. 3. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers,1996.
-           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.