PART III: THE SYLLABUS
(SPRING, 2015)
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
COURSE: MANAGEMENT IN DIFFERENT CULTURES
MGMT 461, SECTION 02, LEC 20071
INSTRUCTOR: PROFESSOR MARTIN J. GANNON
Spring, 2015. TuTh, Room 306 Markstein, 3-4:50 p.m.
OFFICE: ROOM 343 Markstein
E-MAIL: MGANNON@CSUSM.EDU
OFFICE PHONE: 760-750-4233
OFFICE HOURS: 2 p.m. – 2:50 p.m., Tu. and Th., OR BY APPOINTMENT
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
The principal objectives of this course are to help you to understand how culture impacts doing
business internationally and to help you prepare personally and professionally to succeed in an
international business context.
This course focuses on management and organizational behavior from three perspectives, namely
the values, attitudes, and behaviors that are: 1) common to a cluster of countries,
2) specific to one country, or 3) specific to a major cultural subgroup or subgroups within one
country. It also examines some major contemporary themes and issues, such as Huntington’s
thesis concerning the clash of civilizations. In addition, the course emphasizes critical thinking
and the use of cross-cultural paradoxes to understand the relationship between culture and our
globalizing world. The objectives of the course are to:
* Increase understanding of contrasting behaviors in different countries, clusters of
countries, and subgroups within one country
* Comprehend different generic approaches in depth helpful in increasing this
understanding
* Examine major themes and issues in the cross-cultural area
* Provide practical tips for managing the multicultural firm, both in the U.S.
and outside of it
*Experience directly cross-cultural issues and behavior
*Learn to think critically about culture and our globalizing world through the use of cross-
cultural dimensions, metaphors, and paradoxes.
ASSIGNED BOOK:
Martin J. Gannon and Rajnandini Pillai, Understanding Global Cultures: Metaphorical Journeys
Through 34 Nations, Clusters of Nations, Continents and Diversity, Sixth Edition (Thousand
Oaks, CA.: Sage Publications, 2013). ISBN 978-1-4833-4007-4 (paperback).
METHODS AND SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE COURSE
To accomplish the goals of this course, we will emphasize a variety of teaching methods,
including class discussion, short experiential exercises, cross-cultural training videos, one cross-
cultural questionnaire, and case studies. Special features of the course include:
* participating in at least three two-hour experiential experiences/exercises.
* completing a mandatory team project, paper, and class presentation focusing on cross–
cultural advertising/marketing. Teams will be formed in the fourth class. See details below.
* completing an individual paper involving the interview of a person from a nation other
than the U.S.A. See instructions below.
* use of a variety of short cross-cultural training techniques.
* a summary and evaluation of some major books in the cross-cultural area by Professor
Gannon. See also the bibliography at the end of the required book.
* Lectures/discussions of thinking and deciding cross-culturally in terms of dimensions,
metaphors, and paradoxes.
* Discussion of the pros and cons of globalization. What does globalization mean? How is
it playing out? These are some of the issues that will be addressed.
* At least one scheduled guest lecturer.
* Having class members from a non-U.S. nation give 10-15 minute presentations on their
respective nations and their perceptions of the U.S.
There will be a good amount of discussion in this class. Students are encouraged to participate
proactively. I strongly encourage those with some and ideally extensive cross-cultural
experiences to share their thoughts and insights in the class discussions.
GRADING
Given the emphasis on the team and individual projects and class involvement in the learning
process, class attendance is critical. The complex material and issues addressed in this class
require significant participation in each facet of the class.
Professor Gannon employs the Socratic Method in class, calling on students directly and
answering their questions within the time constraints of the class period. You are expected to be
actively involved in this class. This entails doing any assigned reading before the class meets so
that you can be intellectually stimulated and stimulating. Normally Professor Gannon begins
each class with a series of discussion questions drawn directly from the chapter or chapters
assigned for that day. He will post the discussion questions for each chapter on Cougar Courses.
Exams are structured in terms of these discussion questions, required class readings, and lecture
material not covered in class. Please note that Professor Gannon will frequently begin class by
asking if there are any questions about the assigned chapter or chapters and, if not, he will use
class to cover additional material.
I will take class attendance at the beginning of each class. You can miss three classes without
influencing your final grade. Each unexcused absence beyond three decreases your final grade
average by one point, that is, you must provide a legitimate excuse (e.g., a doctor’s appointment)
for an absence. Please note the following example, which is for illustrative purposes only: If
your final average is 90 but you have eleven unexcused absences, your final grade in the
distribution is 79. Thus the student’s final grade is reduced from an A (90 or above) to a C plus
(75 to 79). This is assuming that a C is between 70 and 74, C plus between 75 and 79, B is
between 80 and 84, B is between 85 and 89, and A is 90 or above. Senior Experience does not
count as a legitimate excuse unless your professor indicates that your attendance at the final
presentation (and only the final presentation) is required and conflicts with the class time. Work
does not count as a legitimate excuse. Of course, a documented case of illness does count as an
excused absence. Please bring in a note from the Health Center or your doctor (on official
stationary); you must also provide an e-mail address so that Professor Gannon can call as a
control measure. Interviewing for a full-time position after graduation also counts as an excused
absence. Please ask the interviewer to provide a note on a business card or official stationary
plus an e-mail address.
If you are late for class and attendance has been taken, it is your responsibility to see Professor
Gannon so that you will not receive an absence. He cannot be responsible for remembering that
you arrived late, especially after a few days have elapsed. However, if you develop a pattern for
arriving late, Professor Gannon will not honor your request for being marked present. Since the
discussion questions are normally discussed at the beginning of class, arriving late disrupts the
class and also avoids being asked questions about the assigned reading.
The discussion questions that Professor Gannon will use to begin each class are drawn directly
from the assigned chapter or chapters for each class. Therefore it is necessary to read the
assignment prior to class. If these students are not prepared, there will be an automatic and short
quiz on the assigned reading. If you have read the material with any care, you should have no
problem with any quiz. Typically there will be two questions on a quiz and the student is asked
to select only one of them. The grade is pass or fail. A failure means that the student loses one
point from the final grade in the course. Again, however, the student is allowed three classes
without influencing his or her final grade. If a student receives one failure but has missed only
two classes in total without an excused absence, the one failure on the quiz is not counted in the
final grade. In short, the grade described in the previous paragraph and this paragraph can be
titled the “the attendance/preparation” grade, and it is important, as the discussion in the previous
paragraphs suggests. Please note that quizzes may be given throughout the semester, although
Professor Gannon would much prefer not to give any quizzes at all. However, if a quiz has been
given already in the class, the student arriving late cannot make it up. In other words, the student
loses one point from his or her final grade.
So be prepared for class, as would be expected in business settings! Please be on time for class,
as attendance is taken at the beginning of class. This enormously enhances the learning
experience and the level of the class discussion. Raising your hand and volunteering answers
and points of discussion, while definitely and strongly encouraged, does not influence the final
grade.
As an aside, the approach used in this class is closely related to what happens at management
sessions and presentations. Some managers have not read the material before coming to the
session and this becomes evident quickly, sometimes leading to embarrassment, a loss of face,
and negative perceptions of them by senior management. Responding in group situations is
essential when a person is performing managerial work. Hence this class will help to prepare
you for future situations in many ways.
The mandatory advertising group project is worth 20 points while the individual project
involving the interview of someone from a country other than your own native country is worth
20 points. In the class group presentation, all students must speak, but it is the responsibility of
the group to determine the manner in which each student will participate and the length of his or
her presentation. For the individual interview, questions can be drawn from the appropriate
chapter of the book dealing with the interviewee’s national culture.
In addition, at the end of the semester each individual in a team will be asked to allocate 100
points to all team members, including himself or herself, in terms of perceived contributions to
the group case report. Open-ended comments can also be included. If a student is downgraded
by other students in the group, Professor Gannon will take this fact into consideration in the final
grading and will lower a student’s final grade. Sometimes a student will drop one letter grade
because of these student evaluations, and it is possible to drop more than one letter grade and
even fail the course if your team downgrades you significantly. In rare instances a team in my
courses has given a student a zero grade! Professor Gannon will provide an opportunity for a
student who has been downgraded by fellow team members to meet with him and the team
before the final grade in the course is assigned. But be advised that peer ratings are a major part
of the evaluation process, as they reflect the contributions of each team member as assessed by
other team members. To avoid problems, the team should meet and schedule meetings
throughout the semester, and assign tasks as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the last moment;
it may be too late!
To summarize the grading:
Three exams, each worth 20 points 60
Mandatory group project 20
Individual project (interview) 20
Unscheduled quizzes and unexcused
absences beyond three ?
Peer Evaluations ?
Again, a C is 70 to 74, a Cplus 75 to 79, a B 80 to 84, a Bplus 85 to 89, and an A 90 and above.
Please note that failure to hand in any paper on the due date automatically lowers the paper’s
grade by 20 points.
STRUCTURE OF EXAMINATIONS
As noted above, there will be 40 multiple choice questions in each examination, each worth one
and one-half points for a total of 60 points. However, you will be allowed to choose 40 of 43
questions asked; you cannot answer three questions. There will also be two essay questions,
each worth 20 points. Again, you will have choice: Selecting two of three to answer.
INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEW PROJECT: INSTRUCTIONS
Each student will develop a series of open-ended questions that each member will use when
interviewing. These questions must be approved by Professor Gannon. Please e-mail them to
Professor Gannon.
The interview is open-ended, although you can use some closed-ended questions if you want.
An example of an open-ended question is: What were some of the most interesting experiences
you had when you came to the U.S.A.? A closed-ended question involves categories, e.g.: On a
five-point scale, with one being very dissatisfied and five being highly satisfied, how would you
describe the work opportunities for you when you came to the U.S.A.? You can follow up with
an open-ended question: Would you please elaborate on your feelings? Again, use the material
in the textbook to construct questions, including the material in chapter 1.
If you interview someone from a nation whose cultural metaphor is included in the book, you
must do the following:
1) First, identify the cultural metaphor and then explain its major features;
2) Then ask: Do you agree with this cultural metaphor?
3) What about the major features that make up this cultural metaphor? Do you agree with all of
them or only some? Which ones you do agree with? Why? Which ones do you disagree with?
Why?
4) Do you think there is a more appropriate cultural metaphor? If so, what is it? What are its
major features?
The interview should take between 45 and 60 minutes, but there is no time limit. The final paper
should be no more than 10 pages in length (and five pages is sufficient in most cases), double
spaced, and 12 point type. In the paper itself, give a brief description of the person being
interviewed and the length of time in the U.S.A. Report the answers to the questions you asked,
and describe your own major conclusions about the interview you conducted.
However, a paper does not have to be as long as the assigned page limit (10 pages), and
sometimes a shorter paper will be more appropriate. The following features relative to your own
conclusions are critical:
*What are your thoughts and ideas on the subject? For example, for your interview, you
should write up an evaluation after describing what the interviewee said. Do you agree with him
or her? Why or why not? How does what is said correspond with the knowledge that you
possess about culture? These are some of the avenues that you can pursue.
The paper will also be graded based on spelling words incorrectly, not using correct grammar,
not integrating the paper so that its various parts flow smoothly from one to another, etc. Clearly
the substance of the paper is critical, as described above, but sloppiness is strongly associated
with lower grades. Think of a paper as a job interview: If you showed up slighted inebriated,
unbathed, and unwashed, no matter how good you are, you will not be offered the job and
perhaps not even the courtesy of being interviewed.
MANDATORY TEAM PROJECT
The instructions for the team project are attached. There should be three or four on a team. All
teams will make a classroom PowerPoint presentation. The team report will answer the
following questions:
*What was the rationale for your ad?
*What were some of the rationales and approaches you rejected? Why?
*How did you avoid stereotyping?
*Please integrate the dimensional approaches (pp. 8-14, ch. 1) and the cultural metaphors
for the U.S. and your selected nation in your ad. Be sure to develop a rationale for doing so, as I
will ask you about it during the session.
*Develop an appropriate and short tagline that integrates your cultural metaphor or two
cultural metaphors – the U.S. and the appropriate nation – into your ad. Be prepared to explain
this tagline.
*For additional instructions, see below.
The team paper should be no more than 15 pages of text, 12-point, and double spaced,
exclusive of the figures to be shown in class and attached to the paper. You should have a slide
providing a brief history of the nation, some relevant statistics (e.g., gross national product per
person), etc. You must do this even though the students have read the assigned book. Doing this
helps to set the framework. You can also select a nation or cluster of nations not covered in the
assigned book for your project, but this probably requires additional work by your team.
PLEASE ASK THE BUSINESS LIBRARIAN, ANN KEEGEN, ABOUT DESCRIPTIONS OF
EACH NATION AND THE STATISTICAL PROFILE OF EACH NATION. SHE CAN HELP
TO POINT YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. PLEASE INCORPORATE THIS
INFORMATION INTO YOUR PAPER AND CITE IT COMPLETELY, WITH DATE OF
PUBLICATION, PAGE NUMBERS, ETC.
Finally, Professor Gannon must approve the selection of each nation before the team begins to
work on the project.
ADVERTISING EXERCISE
The largest U.S. Travel agency has hired you to attract people from other nations to the U.S. The
team must develop an advertisement to be presented to top management. The ad can include
several powerpoint slides and music. Include a tagline or theme (50 words or less). Shorter
and more focused taglines are preferred. For example, the most famous tagline in the last 50
years is: diamonds are forever.
Be creative, logical, and convincing.
Use your cultural knowledge
Based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, the globe study, Hall’s context and communication,
and the cultural metaphors and their characteristics both for the U.S. and your nation, which
places in the U.S. Would be attractive? (Please see Ch. 1). Which features of the places would
you highlight? Why? How? If possible, incorporate paradoxical reasoning in your ad.
Remember, there should only be some overlap between the cultural metaphors of the U.S. and
your nation. If there is too much overlap, there is no incentive for visiting the U.S. If there is not
sufficient overlap, the person would tend to be uncomfortable.
PROFESSOR MARTIN GANNON’S POLICIES ON ADMITTING STUDENTS
NOT REGISTERED FOR HIS CLASSES AT CSUSM
1. It is important to admit only up to the class size limit to maximize learning outcomes, as
my courses involve a good amount of discussion and teamwork. I ordinarily do not admit too
many additional students into my class beyond the official class size limit.
On the first day of class I take attendance and also develop a list of students not officially
enrolled in the course. I also develop a lottery whereby these students are ranked in terms of
probability of admission in the event that an opening occurs. Hence every student not officially
enrolled knows the probability of admission if an opening occurs. The Office of Undergraduate
Studies then verifies if each student on this list has completed the necessary requirements for
admission into the course.
3. On the second day I take attendance at the beginning of class. If an officially enrolled
student is absent and does not call me or does not send an e-mail before the second class with a
legitimate excuse, even if he or she has attended the first class, I drop the student from the class
and inform the Office of Undergraduate Studies. Students must e-mail or phone me between the
first and second class if they have a legitimate excuse for not attending the second class. E-mail:
mgannon@csusm.edu Phone: 750-4233.
If there are any vacancies at the beginning of the second class, I admit students based on the
rankings derived from the lottery. Please be on time for all classes, including the first two
classes. You must be present at the beginning of the class period for the first two classes to be
admitted into the class but do not need to be present for the entire class.