Intercultural Business Communication

Institut für Management und Technik

Version 8.0 vom 03.03.2021

75B0183

Intercultural Business Communication

• Betriebswirtschaft und Management - IMT (B.A.)
• Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen (Bachelor) (B.Sc.)

1

In this module, students will gain insight into some of the most acknowledged cultural models (Edward T. Hall, Geert Hofstede, Fons Trompenaars) and their concepts, and will be able to recognize their impact on their own cultural perspectives. Students will discover their own cultural biases, learn to conceptualize similarities and differences between cultures and act accordingly.

Participants in this course are going to compare various concepts of leadership, project team processes and decision making. They will be able to handle basic intercultural situations and communicate adequately in an English speaking business environment.

Cultural Concepts and their impact on our perspective, thinking and decision making.

How to deal with different cultures.

How to communicate efficiently in an intercultural Business context.

Helpful strategies for working in intercultural project teams.

Wissensverbreiterung
Upon completion of this course, students ...

- will know various Cultural Concepts and gain insight into their own cultural biases and their impact on our perspective, thinking and decision making.

- have an overview of the most current intercultural discourses and have studied some of the most acknowledged cultural models (Edward T. Hall, Geert Hofstede, Fons Trompenaars, John Mole and others).

- will be able to differenciate various discourses regarding cultural differences.

- will be able to communicate efficiently in an intercultural Business context.

- will be able to develop strategies for working in intercultural project teams.

- analyze case studies of international ventures and suggest appropriate action.

- analyze critical/intercultural incidents and explain how intercultural misunderstandings and conflicts arise.

- make small talk/socialize in a business context.

- parttake efficiently in international meetings.

- be able to give a business presentation in a professional business manner.

Wissensvertiefung

Können - instrumentale Kompetenz

Können - kommunikative Kompetenz

Können - systemische Kompetenz

input, video clips, audio clips, readings, case studies, discussions, presentations, working in groups, reflection

This course is to gauged to a B2-language level. Please use this test enclosed to confirm your B2-level:

www.myapps.ch/space/modula/einstufungstest/

If you can verify your B2-level, you should be able to partake in this course without problems. If not, your course results will be not as positive as you might wish.

Wierschke, Annette

Wierschke, Annette

5

Chaney, Lillian / Jeannette S. Martin: Intercultural Business Communication, 2010

Costas, Jana: “’We are all friends here’: Reinforcing Paradoxes of Normative Control in a Culture of Friendship” in: Journal of Management Inquiry 21 (4): 377-395

Hall, Edward T.: The Silent Language. (1956 first ed.) New York, NY, 1990

Hall, Edward T.: The Hidden Dimension. New York, NY, 1990

Hall, Edward T. and Mildred R. Hall: Understanding Cultural Differences. Germans, French and Americans. Maine, 1990

Hofstede, Geert / Gert Jan Hofstede: Cultures and Organizations. Software of the Mind. Intercultural Cooperation and its Importance for Survival, 2010 (3rd ed.)

Hofstede, Geert: Culture´s Consequences. Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations across Nations. London, 2003 (2nd ed.)

Jandt, Fred E.: An Introduction to Intercultural Communication. Identities in a Global Community, 2017 (9th edition)

Kirkman, Bradley, Vas Taras, Piers Steel: “The biggest Culture Gaps are Within Countries, not between them” in: Harvard Business Review. March 18, 2018

Lewis, Richard D.: When Cultures Collide. Managing Successfully across Cultures. London, 2018 (4th edition)

Marshall, Tim: Prisoners of Geography. Ten Maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics. London, 2015

Marx, Elisabeth: Breaking through Culture Shock. What you need to succeed in International Business. London, 1999

Mole, John: Mind your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in the New Global Europe. London 2003 (3rd ed.)Nakata, Cheryl (ed.): Beyond Hofstede. Culture Frameworks for Global Marketing and Management. New York: Palgrave Macmillan 2009.

Scollen, Ron/Suzanne Wong Scollen/Rodney H. Jones: Intercultural Communication. A Discourse Approach, 2010

Storti, Craig: Cross-Cultural Dialogues. 74 Brief Encounters with Cultural Difference, 1990

Trompenaars, Fons/Charles Hampden-Turner: Riding the Waves of Culture. Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business. London, 2012 (3rd ed.)

Trompenaars, Fons/Charles Hampden-Turner: Building Cross-Cultural Competence. How to create Wealth from Conflicting Values. New Haven, 2000

Portfolio Prüfung

Requirements:Portfolio/Dossier-type (100 points max.) Country Culture Presentation (40 pts max.)Oral Participation (5 pts max.)K1-Exam (55 points max.)

1 Semester

Nur Wintersemester

Englisch