COMPARATIVE MANAGEMENT
MGMT 4503
Section 101
Dr. David Hopkins
BA 459
871-2210
Fall, 1998
7:30-9:20
Monday/Wednesday
I. Course Description:
The seminar will explore how management theory and practice both affect, and are affected by, the cultural environment in which they take place. Culture, in all of its aspects, will be treated as a major determinant of administrative practice and effectiveness. Particular emphasis will be accorded Japanese management practice to provide an in-depth comparison to American management approaches. Other management cultures will be added to the model as appropriate.
The seminar will analyze how and why management practices vary from one culture to another, as well as the possibilities for transferring certain practices between cultures. The seminar will also address the use of comparison in scientific inquiry by focusing on comparative methodology. Recent studies exemplary of such comparative research will be discussed.
II. Course Objectives:
A. To increase the student's knowledge of, and ability to do, systematic comparative research, so as to identify patterns and distinctions of management practices in various cultural settings;
B. To heighten the student's awareness of how management practices both affect, and are affected by, the cultural environment in which the manager operates;
C. To augment the student's understanding of certain specific cultural contexts, thereby allowing the student to become less ethnocentric and more tolerant of other cultures;
D. To expose the student to the concepts and jargon specific to this field of study.
III. Course Requirements:
Each participant in the seminar will be required to:
A. Do the required readings which are intended to provide the student with background information;
B. Do a substantial amount of independent reading related to the subject matter and be prepared to share the information with other members of the seminar;
C. Complete a group presentation and report (described below);
D. Complete two exams- an in-class exam primarily over the reading material and composed of objective, definition, and essay questions, and a take-home exam requiring you to design a methodology for measuring "cultural risk."; short quizzes over the reading assignments may also be given.
IV. Course Evaluation:
The students' grade in the seminar will be determined by their performance in each of the following areas. The percentage of the grade attributed to each component is also shown:
A. Participation and Conceptualization
(20%)
You are to assume the role of staff assistants to the Vice President of Human Resources of an American company which is considering the establishment of a production facility in the country on which you are focusing. Your report should be considered a briefing to the CEO (me) and other members of the Board of Directors (rest of class) concerning what the company should know to manage human resources and employee relations as effectively as possible in that country.
Be creative! You are encouraged to use any method/medium to get your message across. This may include (but is not limited to) videos, music, handouts, charts, maps, skits, refreshments, slides, simulations, role playing, and costumes. You will have approximately one and a half hours for the presentation. Please rehearse it in advance, and leave time for questions.
The written report should summarize the presentation, and should include any useful statistics, maps, or other graphics in an organized and comprehensible fashion. Generally, it should focus on important cultural distinctions and background which are important for the international business person to understand, the unique aspects of managerial style in the culture as contrasted with that which is more characteristically American, and an explanation of the linkage between the two (i.e., culture and management style). The report must not exceed 12 single-spaced or 25 double-spaced pages; in addition it should be properly footnoted and contain a list of references.
B. A packet of duplicated chapters and articles for sale in the bookstore.
Our learning community seeks to foster a healthy spirit of competition and cooperation and recognizes that one complements the other. [T]he just community work[s] in concert to develop humanity in the individuals and to preserve and nurture the culture of the community.
At the core of our community are certain bedrock principles. The Code is the written expression of those shared ethical norms, standards and principles. [A]ll assume the obligation to protect the community and to not tolerate conduct which is inimical to the goals of the community. Deeply shared virtues that serve as guideposts for right action are prudence, courage, trust, honesty, integrity, beneficence, civility, dependability and tolerate.
The Academic Integrity of the Daniels College of Business is violated when any member of the community appropriates the work of another as his/her own without attribution. Whether in testing, research, case studies, written reports or other academic assignments, using that which is the product of another's intellectual effort and representing it as one's own is a violation intolerable to the integrity of the community of the College. The academic integrity of the College is also violated when any member of the community takes unfair advantage of his/her colleagues or gives assistance to such conduct whether in testing or in the development of other academic assignments.
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