Outline

Overview

Critical to effective management in international and multicultural business environments is an understanding of cultural differences and how to manage those differences. This unit provides conceptual frameworks and evidence from practice that develops an understanding of the ways in which cultures differ, how these differences can impact management, and how cultural issues can limit organisational effectiveness. Strategies for managing and harnessing cultural differences are also evaluated. The subject matter is explored from an internal perspective as well as from an external perspective, looking at issues within the company as well as issues between the multinational company and its host environment. Major topics include the significance of culture in international management; the meaning and dimensions of culture; comparative international management styles; managing communication across cultures; global business ethics; cross-cultural negotiations; cross-cultural leadership and motivation; culture and consumer behaviour; and managing cross-cultural conflict.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	International Business
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	IBUS2102
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Connie Chan, chui.chan@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam	Final exam Short answer questions	40%	Formal exam period	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test	Mid-semester exam Written exam	20%	Mid-semester exam period	1300 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Tutorial attendance and participation Participation	10%	Ongoing	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Quizzes Extended response and MCQ	10%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Research project Presentation, written task	20%	Week 04	10 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Tutorial attendance and participation: Students are expected to come to class well-prepared to discuss assigned readings, lecture contents, and related concepts, and participate in exercises and case studies. Students will receive a final participation mark generated from the weighted average of ratings across all tutorials.
Research project: The project consists of an in-class presentation followed by questions from the tutor and peers and the submission of written work. Students will work in small groups to find examples of cultural dimensions as they appear in the real world, and will deliver a group presentation of examples to a group of peers in class.
Quizzes: Two online quizzes will be assigned at short notice and must be completed in approximately 2 days in one attempt per quiz within seven minutes.
Mid-semester exam: This is a take-home exam, comprising reading materials and essay questions, and to be submitted via Turnitin. Students will be required to analyse the pertinent issues and apply cultural frameworks to the situations. Students will have approximately a week to complete the exam.
Final exam: The final exam is comprehensive and will cover all lectures, tutorial discussions, exercises/activities/cases, readings, and all the course material. This exam comprises short questions that require the candidate to draw on subject knowledge, critical thinking skills, overall understanding of culture and how it impacts business.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction: the global context and management	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Measures and dimensions of culture	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Diversity and complexities: beyond national culture	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Cross-cultural communications	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Cross-cultural negotiations	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Motivation and leadership	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Multicultural teams and conflict management	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Decision-making and risk management	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Organisational environment, global organisations and change	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Global human resources management and expatriates	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Building cross-cultural competence	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Managing ethical conflicts across cultures	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Review and concluding insights	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture recordings: All lectures and seminars are recorded and will be available on Canvas for student use. Please note the Business School does not own the system and cannot guarantee that the system will operate or that every class will be recorded. Students are expected to attend and participate in all the classes.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas. Students may get a personal copy of the textbook:

Steers, RM; Nardon, L.; Sanchez-Runde C.J. (2019) Adapted by Ramanie Samaratunge, Subramaniam Ananthram, Di Fan, Ying Lu, Management Across Cultures: Australasian Edition. Cambridge University Press.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. evaluate the impact of cultural differences on global business
LO2. understand how negotiations differ across cultures
LO3. communicate more effectively in different cultures
LO4. participate more effectively in multicultural team environments
LO5. anticipate ethical and institutional issues related to culture in the management of assets and people across borders
LO6. identify different cultural constraints that impact managerial decision making and conflict management across borders.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Minor adjustments have been made to delivery of contents and class activities.

Additional information

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

IBUS1102: Cross-Cultural Management

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect