MAR013-1 Intercultural Competence in Business

Unit title & code Intercultural Competence in Business MAR013-1 Assignment number and title Assignment 1: Case study Assignment type Case study Weighting of assignment 40% Size or length of assessment The word-limit for the assignment is 1,500 words (+/- 10%). This does not include the title page, executive summary, table of contents, reference list and appendices. Unit learning outcomes 1 Demonstrate the following knowledge and understanding • Identify and define the different value and belief systems present across cultures through cultural profiling and self-construal. 2 Demonstrate the following skills and abilities • Demonstrate your understanding of different cultural frameworks and strategies used in intercultural communication by applying theories to practice in variety of intercultural business interactions. There will be two examples of intercultural incidents (small case studies); these are examples of different behavioural and communication problems. You are asked to apply your understanding of relevant theories, frameworks and ideas and propose solutions to demonstrate the extent of your intercultural awareness in different business interactions. All theories and frameworks should be referenced correctly using the Harvard system. CHOOSE ONLY ONE (OUT OF 1, 2,) TO DISCUSS. Apply your understanding of relevant theories, frameworks and ideas and propose solutions to demonstrate the extent of your intercultural awareness in different business interactions. Case studies for S3: Case 1: John Smith, a retired military attaché with considerable experience in the Middle East, was hired by a large English computer software company to represent it in a number of Persian Gulf countries. Having received an introduction from a mutual acquaintance, John arranged to meet with Mr. Al-Amrani Khalid, a wealthy Omani industrialist, to discuss the prospects of a joint venture between their companies. Having spent many years in the Middle East, John knew that they would have to engage in considerable small talk before they would get down to business. They talked about the weather, John’s flight from New York, and their golf games. Then Khalid inquired about the health of John’s elderly father. Without missing a beat, John responded that his father was doing fine, but that the last time he saw his father at the nursing home several months ago he had lost a little weight. From that point on, Khalid’s demeanour changed abruptly from warm and gracious to cool and aloof. Though the rest of the meeting was cordial enough, the meeting only lasted another two hours, and john was never invited back for further discussions on the joint venture. • Where did John go wrong? • How could you help John better understand this cross-cultural problem? • Use intercultural theories to explain it and support your discussion. • What would be your advice to John? Case 2: Marcus, a German man, was sent to Namibia to run his bank’s main branch in Windhoek. All the other managers and staff were locals. During the first couple of months, Marcus noticed that the members of the back-office team seemed to be taking a lot of unofficial leave. In most cases, they were asking for an official holiday on a Friday, and then calling the bank the following Monday to say they wouldn’t be able to return to work until the Wednesday or Thursday. Marcus asked Busang – the bright, well-educated young back-office manager – what was going on. Busang went through the timesheets with him and offered a number of explanations: ‘This woman had to go to a family wedding; that man had to attend his nephew’s circumcision ceremony; these two people had to go back to their village and help with the ploughing’ and so on. ‘But why didn’t they return to work on the Monday?’ Marcus asked. Well because apparently, they had missed the bus, or the journey had taken longer than they had expected. When Marcus explained that these unofficial absences were damaging the bank’s efficiency, Busang looked puzzled. ‘But when someone’s away, we always share their work between us’, he said. Sensing that Busang was unwilling or unable to exercise his authority over the team, Marcus decided to have a word with the bank’s deputy manager. • How could you help Marcus better understand this cross-cultural problem? • Use intercultural theories to explain it and support your discussion. • What would be your advice to Marcus? What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF) In order to pass Assessment 1 you will need to: • Compare and contrast different cultural frameworks • Demonstrate how these frameworks can be applied to understand different interpersonal interactions in business situations • Apply intercultural communication theories to practice in various business situations The Report (of a case study) Format: You may find it helpful to follow this structure: Abstract – sometimes called the Executive Summary This is a very important part of any report. It provides a brief outline of the major themes or issues covered in the report – reader can gain an appreciation of the whole picture without having to read the full report. Introduction This gives a broad, general view of the report, indicating what will be covered and why it was necessary to write it. It provides sufficient background information to enable the reader to understand the context of the report and provide the motivation for them to continue to read. Findings (the main body of the report) (In this section you answer 4 questions that come with the chosen case study) This section presents the detailed facts and findings and indicates how they were arrived at and the inferences to be drawn from them – it is the foundation for your conclusions. This is your evidence. • Develop ideas logically and as fully as possible ( with one main topic or idea per paragraph) • Consider the different aspects of the problem but keep an appropriate balance – do not develop one section to the exclusion of others • Your reasoning should be clear to the reader • Explain and justify the points made, presenting supporting evidence where appropriate. You can use theories or data or both but always support your statements, otherwise they could be seen as ‘hearsay’. • Keep focused by constantly referring to the terms of reference Conclusions Materials in the main body of the report lead the reader logically to the conclusions. The conclusion is not just a summary of the information but summarises the main findings and offers some evaluation and or opinion of them. Recommendations They should indicate action needed in order to achieve the aid of the report – should follow naturally from and based on the material presented in the conclusions. Do not introduce any new issues or arguments at this point.