1. MBS0225 Academic Writing and Research Skills for Business Seminar: week 10

2. Seminar 10 aims 1. Theme 1 / Intercultural Communication in Business
2. Reading and discussion
Chapter 5 of: Needle, D. (2004) Business in Context: An introduction to business and its environment. Andover: Cengage Learning. pp
MBS0215

3. Assessment 2 Report Briefs
Intercultural/Cross-cultural Communication
Choose a case study that involves issues created by differences in communication or business practices between the companies involved.
Give an outline of what the differences might be, based on theory found in your reading, and make recommendations as to how the companies can improve their situation.
MBS0215

4. Reading academic texts
What reading strategies do you remember from this term? Have you used any? Which have you found useful? Choose the reading strategy or strategies that you will use for reading today.
Change pictures?
MBS0215

5. Theoretical Overview
Using the summarising skills studied last term, read the ‘Theoretical Overview’ section on p135 and give a summary of the terms ‘culture-free’ and ‘culture-specific’ in your own words. Check your answers with the person next to you.
MBS0215

6. Convergence
Working in groups of three, read the section on ‘Convergence’ (pp ). One person should read and summarise the section on the key arguments for it (p136), another person read and summarise the section on its implications for managers (p137) and the third person should read and summarise the section on its limits(p137-8). When you have completed reading and summarising your section, discuss these with each other and share what you have learned.
MBS0215

7. Definitions of Culture
Working in groups of four people, each person should read and summarise the key concepts presented by each of the theorists on pp Prepare to present and discuss the concepts to your group.
How do the concepts relate to the business environment?
Include the criticisms of the theories and concepts in your summary.
Edward Hall
Geert Hofstede
Fons Trompenaars
The GLOBE project
MBS0215

8. Institutional Frameworks
Again in groups of four repeat the above exercise for each of the four models of institutional frameworks detailed on pp Again, each person should read and summarise the key characteristics of a model, then present the summary to their group.
The business systems model of Whitley
The Anglo-Saxon model
The social market model
The Asian model
MBS0215

9. Case Study: Japan
Now read the case of ‘Japan: Convergence and Diversity’ on pp Make notes, summarising the key points, then discuss the ‘Reflection Point’ question at the bottom of p158: ‘Which explanation best accounts for the growth of the post- war Japanese economy and its comparative decline in the 1990s?’ Working in the same groups, write a brief report of the case study, using the section headings requested for the report assignment. Present your findings to the class.
MBS0215

10. Preparation for next week
Chapter 7 – King, D. and Lawley, S. (2013) Organizational Behaviour. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp
MBS0215

11. Article for the seminar presentation that will take place next class
Jin, Pang and Smith (2018) ‘Crisis communication and Ethics: the Role of Public Relations’
This article can be found using Summon (the online portal/ library search). If you experience difficulties in locating the article then your Lecturer who will be able to send it to you.
MBS0215

12. Break Independent study
Jin, Pang and Smith (2018) ‘Crisis communication and Ethics: the Role of Public Relations’
Prepare for Assignment 2
Get ahead on the reading
Find out what the Library opening hours are (see course handbook; ask the Library)
MBS0215