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This is a ‘seen paper’ in-class test. Students have access to the exam questions two days before the test.
There will be two examples of intercultural incidents (small case studies); these are examples of different behavioural and communication problems. You are asked to apply your understanding of relevant theories, frameworks and ideas and propose solutions to demonstrate the extent of your intercultural awareness in different business interactions. All theories and frameworks should be referenced correctly using the Harvard system.
CHOOSE ONLY ONE (OUT OF 1, 2,) TO DISCUSS. Apply your understanding of relevant theories, frameworks and ideas and propose solutions to demonstrate the extent of your intercultural awareness in different business interactions.
Case studies for S2:
Case 1:
Fred Gardner, a thirty-one-year-old sales manager for a small boat-building firm in Connecticut, decided to stop off in Lisbon to call on several potential clients after a skiing trip to Switzerland. Having set up three appointments in two days, he arrived for the first two scheduled meetings at the appointed times but was kept waiting for over a half-hour in each instance. Based on these two experiences, Fred assumed that the Portuguese, like other “Latin types, must be manana oriented and not particularly concerned with the precise reckoning of time. With this in mind, he was not particularly concerned about being on time for his third appointment. Instead, he extended his visit to the local museum and arrived at his third appointment more than forty minutes late. However, Fred sensed that the Portuguese businesspeople were quite displeased with his tardiness.
- Where did Fred go wrong?
- How could you help Fred better understand this cross-cultural problem?
- Use intercultural theories to explain it and support your discussion.
- What would be your advice to Fred?
Case 2:
Sam Lucas, a construction supervisor from an international engineering firm, had the reputation of being tough but fair minded. He was a very forceful, confrontive individual who always spoke his mind. He never hesitated to call on the carpet any worker whom he felt was performing poorly. Even though during his six years with the company Sam had never worked outside of the United States, he was chosen to supervise construction on a new hotel project, in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, primarily because of his outstanding work record. On this project, Sam supervised the work of about a dozen Americans and nearly twice as many Saudis as well as over 100 labourers from Indian sub-continent. It was not long before Sam realised that the Saudi workers, to his way of thinking, were nowhere as reliable as the workers he had supervised in the United States. He was becoming increasingly annoyed at the seeming lack of competence of the local workforce. Following the leadership style that held him in such good stead at home, he would reprimand any worker who was not doing his job properly, and he would make certain that he did it publicly so that it would serve as an object lesson to all the other workers. He was convinced that he was doing the right thing and was being fair, for after all, he reprimanded both Americans and Saudis alike. He was troubled, however, by the fact that the problems were seemed to be growing worse and more numerous.
- Where did Sam go wrong?
- How could you help Sam better understand this cross-cultural problem?
- Use intercultural theories to explain it and support your discussion.
- What would be your advice to Sam?
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This assessment provides a grounding in the intercultural frameworks relevant to international business environment. Mainly it will involve frameworks related to communication, homogeneity versus diversity, tradition and change, dimensions of culture and so on. The frameworks are discussed in scheduled classes.
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