1. BA 4216 Cross-cultural Studies in Organizations Introduction and Culture Course syllabus available at http://old.ba.metu.edu.tr/user/ctopal Instructor: Ça ğ rı Topal 1

2. Why take this course Culture as shaping managerial and organizational practices Cultural diversity based on differences in education, occupation, hometown, social class, and gender 2

3. Objective Developing a critical understanding of the implications of different national cultures for business and management practice in domestic and international markets Improving teamwork and presentation skills 3

4. Outcomes Understanding the global context of cross- cultural management, influence of different cultural and religious characteristics on management, role of cross-cultural communication in business, leadership, motivation, negotiation, conflict management, and human resource management across cultures, ethical issues in cross-cultural settings, and ethnocentric business practices Improving teamwork and presentation skills 4

5. Readings Mixed readings from relevant textbooks Textbooks on cross-cultural management available from the library Long cases from Martin J. Gannon, “Understanding Global Cultures”, 3 rd and 4 th editions Short cases to be distributed in class 5

6. Assessment-1 Midterm 120% Midterm 220% Case quizzes30% Case presentation and report15% Group participation10% Individual participation10% Total 105% 6

7. Assessment-2: IMPORTANT Grades and notes are final and not subject to change. No individual request for additional study for raising a grade will be accepted. No non-academic criteria such as that you are working outside, that this is your last semester, and that this is your only course will be considered in grading. 7

8. Lecture and participation Key points and examples by the instructor Discussion in the groups of two or three or four students General class discussion Students’ questions and critiques Do not write the name of an absent student on the group/case participation sheet and lose all participation points 8

9. Midterms Two conceptual exams (November 4 and 25) Closed-book and closed-notes Multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, true-false, short- and long-answer questions Make-up exam only if applied within one week after the exam with documentation No make-up for group or individual participation studies in the class No final exam and thus no resit exam 9

10. Case presentation Ten cases Quiz for each case Each presented by a group of three or four students 35-40 minutes for the presentation and 15-20 minutes for the discussion 10

11. Case report Report only on the case presented-3 pages Typed in appropriate format (see the syllabus) Not the analysis of the case Explanation of the group preparation process Group grade One point penalty for each day of late submission Form your groups and select a case 11

12. Civility Be in class on time Turn your cellular phones off Turn your laptops off Avoid engaging in side conversations Use an impersonal professional language See the instructor if you need special arrangements 12

13. Grading PercentageCourse GradeCoefficient 90-100AA4 85-89BA3.5 80-84BB3 75-79CB2.5 70-74CC2 65-69DC1.5 60-64DD1 50-59FD0.5 49 and belowFF0 13

14. Code of ethics and regulations Make yourself familiar with the university’s code of ethics and regulations 14

15. Questions Concerns 15

16. Culture Kluckhohn (1962): ‘culture consists of patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting, acquired and transmitted mainly by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artefacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e., historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values’ 16

17. Culture Triandis (1972): the subjective perception of the human-made part of the environment including the categorization of social stimuli, associations, beliefs, attitudes, roles, and values that individuals share 17

18. Culture Hofstede (1980): culture consists of shared mental programs that control individuals’ response to their environment Human nature: Universal characteristics Groups: Culture Individuals: Personality 18

19. Culture Group phenomenon Shared Learned Enduring Powerful influence on behaviour Systematic and organized Largely invisible Normal 19

20. Culture natural and correct vs. unnatural and incorrect universal validity in-group vs. out-group 20

21. Culture It’s like water surrounding the fish Culture does not necessarily result in the same behaviour in all individual members but signals the same meaning every time Similar values might exist in different cultures with different priorities 21