Academic Handbook Course Descriptors and Programme Specifications

LBUSI5111 Understanding and Managing Cultural Differences Course Descriptor subject to approval

Last modified on November 19th, 2024 at 11:31 am

Print/Save PDF
Discipline Business and Project Management
UK Credit 15
US Credit 4
FHEQ Level 5
Core Attributes Interpreting Culture (IC) (subject to approval)
Prerequisites None
Corequisites None

Course Overview

This course is designed to build cultural awareness and help students be successful in future cross-cultural, multicultural, and international endeavors. It has two primary goals.

Firstly, students will learn to better understand how socialised differences in values (i.e. cultural differences) can affect the perceptions and work behaviours that determine success as a global business professional. This includes studying and internalising the science of cross-cultural communication, and gaining the strategies to read and observe culture and understand how diverse approaches provide different lenses for the interpretation of practices and behaviours.

Secondly, students will have the opportunity to build cultural agility and competencies to accomplish the above.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

K1b Explain and critically analyse, and categorise cultural differences across a range of local and global contexts.
K2b Critique principles of cultural agility and critically reflect on the management of behaviour and relationships in professional contexts.

Subject Specific Skills

S1b Apply theoretical and empirical research and other materials to formulate strategies for problem-solving under different conditions.
S2b Formulate critical arguments for and against different theories and interpretations of cultural practices, texts, and/or artifacts.

Transferable and Professional Skills

T1b Communicate ideas effectively in a style and form appropriate to International Business, with coherently organised ideas and appropriate academic references.
T2b Demonstrate a sound technical proficiency in written English and skill in selecting vocabulary so as to communicate effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, discussion boards) to orientate and engage students in their studies.

Teaching and learning strategies for this course will include:

40 scheduled hours – typically including induction, consolidation or revision, and assessment activity hours.

Faculty hold regular ‘office hours’, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups.

Students are to attend and participate in all the scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and independent study.

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150.

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessment are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within interactive teaching sessions, office hours, and/or the VLE.

Summative

AE Assessment Activity Weighting (%) Duration Length
1 Portfolio 100% 2500 words or equivalent

Further information can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments, through email or the VLE) or oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours). 

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is used as part of the approval/modification process only.

Books

The core textbook is:

  • Caligiuri, P. (2021).  Build Your Cultural Agility:  The Nine Competencies of Successful Global Professionals. Kogan Page Ltd.

Journals

  • Furnham, A. and J. Marks (2013) “Tolerance of Ambiguity: A Review of the Recent Literature”. Psychology, Vol.4 No.9.
  • Moores, Lisa and Natalee Popadiuk. (2011) “Positive Aspects of International Student Transitions: A Qualitative Inquiry.” Journal of College Student Development, vol. 52 no. 3, p. 291-306.
  • Khakhar, P., Rammal, H., and Pereira, V. (2023), “Biculturals in international business negotiations: moving away from the single culture paradigm”, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 180-194.
  • Pearson, C. (2019) “Slighting Urgency: A Cross-Cultural Reexamination of the Crash of Avianca Flight 052.” Harvard Case Study.
  • Taras V, Kirkman BL, Steel P. (2010) “Examining the impact of Culture’s consequences: a three-decade, multilevel, meta-analytic review of Hofstede’s cultural value dimensions.” J Appl Psychol. 2010 May;95(3):405-39.
  • Yeganeh, K.H. (2021) “Organizing cultural dimensions within and across six frameworks: A human development perspective.” Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 51(4):587-613.

Electronic Resources

A range of TED talks will be used for supporting the course, such as:

  • This Is Your Brain on Curiosity
  • 10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation
  • Cultural Humility
  • How to Make Stress Your Friend

Indicative Topics

Students will study the following topics:

  • Cultural agility
  • Cultural values and cultural strength
  • Cultural curiosity and active inquiry
  • Understanding resilience and coping responses
  • Relationship-building and perspective-taking
  • Managing cultural diversity

Version History

Title: LBUSI5111 Understanding and Managing Cultural Differences Course Descriptor

Approved by: Academic Board

Location: academic-handbook/programme-specifications-and-handbooks/
Version Number Date Approved Date Published Owner Proposed Next Review Date Modification (As per AQF4) & Category Number
1.0 October 2024 November 2024 Dr Sanjay Bhowmick October 2029