management perspectives

management perspectives Assignment Brief 2015/16 CROSS CULTURAL MANAGEMENT Comparison exercise exploring theory and empirical evidence and relating this to a practical critical incidents in cross-cultural settings. This version is also for resit and deferred students. This assignment is worth30%of the overall unit mark THE BRIEF Scenario“Clever Clogs International” You work for an international company, which provides management advice to a number of multinational organisations, such as Al Jazeera, Google, Shell International and a new FINANCE company called Clever Clogs International. Your company has been invited to tender for a contract to deliver cross-cultural training to this major new client Clever Clogs International. The client is expanding its international activities and needs to send a manager from Lebanon to Amsterdam, The Netherlands for a 2-year assignment. Clever Clogs aims to change the way the banking system works to avoid another economic crash. The manager to be transferred is female, Muslim and in her mid-thirties. She joined the company four years ago and has performed exceptionally well, earning two promotions in that period. Company evaluations (which you have been permitted to read) indicate that she has the right skills-set and that she would be an ideal candidate for this assignment. However, no formal training has been carried out, and this would be her first international work assignment. Your company has been invited by the client to deliver a cross-cultural briefingreport to this new manager from Clever Clogs International. You MUST make reference to the industry of Clever Clogs Internationalin each section. As an MBA student, the relevance to management analysis and strategy for an executive must be made clear (guide the reader, answer the ‘So What?’ question). The report should include the following sections but make sure you guide the reader and link (sub)sections through an organised structure. Section A (25%) 1. a brief introductionof the aim of the report on behalf of Clever Clogs International and of the current state of globalization relevant to an executive in the finance industry. Give a practical example of the current challenges. 2. a brief overview of macro-level facts of The Netherlands (e.g., socio-political environment, economic environment, etc.) that are relevant for an executive to know. You should use reliable sources such as Financial Times, CIA handbook and government websites. 3. a brief value comparison of the country of The Netherlands based on Hofstede’s work in comparison to Lebanon. You should also include a graph as shown in class and ensure that you make the analysis relevant to the reader. Section B (45%) 4. a critique of Hofstede’s work in terms of the relevancy of macro-level indices for daily management practice 5. an analysis of the business and management challenges that an international manager faces, using the reading from this module, integrating appropriate cross-cultural theory and evaluating the challenges the manager is likely to face. For example: “As an international manager, regardless of where one lives or works, it is useful to be aware that decision making is based on XXXX theory(Bloggs, 2013) and cultural variations exist in terms of A, B and C.” As MBA students, you must use practical examples to illuminate your point and use advanced articles to make any point about business and management. You CANNOT use Wikipedia and other non-academic sources, unless they are anecdotal or current affairs. You may also use your practical experience but keep it professional – i.e., frame these into practical anecdotes, not a diary. Your subheadings must relate to seminar topics • Value differences and Person-Organisation Fit • Decision Making • Negotiation & Communication • Leadership & Cultural Intelligence Section C (15%) 6. a conclusion (summary) evaluating information presented in section a and b and three key points of advice presented with bullet points. Professional delivery Max word count 2000. Over or under 10% allowed. More than that, you are subject to the critique that you cannot focus (over) or read to little (under) and this will affect your grade.Ensure you do a grammar & spell check, use a professional lay out with subheadings, include an accurate reference list incl. at least 5 articles from the reading list.(15%) Marking Criteria Evidence that you have systematically researched the assignment and covered required areas to the expected standard. Comprehensiveness (breadth and depth) of information. Evidence that you have understood key issues and been able to effectively integrate theory and practice. Relevance and balance of contents. Integration and coherence of component parts. Evidence of effective use of a range of relevant resources. Coherence, synthesis and integration of contents. Creativity and innovation.Further information on the assignment and marking criteria are provided in the Module Handbook, will be given periodically in class