The Business School BA (Hons) Business Studies (BABS) Welcome

1
Developing People InternationallyApproaches and
Materials
Mark Ridolfo Senior Lecturer in Cross-Cultural
Management The Business School Bournemouth
University, UK
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A little background . . .

• Degree in French and German (Aston)
• Licence in English with French and German
  (Orléans)
• Diploma in Management Studies (Bournemouth)
• Lived in France for 3 years (fluent French
  speaker)
• Lived in Germany for 6 months (rusty (!) German
  speaker)
• Lived in Italy for 1 month
• Have taught in China (Shanghai) for 8 years
• Some knowledge of Italian, Spanish, Japanese
  Chinese
• Have travelled extensively in Europe and
  Australasia
• Responsible for international affairs in
  Business School

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The Institutional Vision

• We are committed to fostering a global outlook.
  To facilitate this, we will encourage
  internationally significant research the
  recruitment of students and staff with experience
  of a wide range of countries and cultures the
  development of opportunities for international
  engagement for all students and staff the
  delivery of a curriculum which prepares for
  global employability the establishment of
  strategically significant international
  partnerships and active engagement.
• Bournemouth University Corporate Strategy (June
  2006)

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Agenda

• Globally employable graduates?
• Cross-Cultural Capability at BU
• Assessment YOU choose the case study!
• Q A / Discussion

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Employability in the 21st century

• "Final-year students should be aware that nearly
  half of graduate recruiters expect to face
  difficulties in fulfilling recruitment objectives
  - with the largest factor being a lack of
  applicants with the right skills.
• Employers are looking for graduates who can
  demonstrate softer skills, such as team working,
  cultural awareness, leadership and communication
  skills, as well as academic achievement.
• Chief executive of the AGR, Carl Gilleard
• (Ford, The Guardian - 07.02.07)

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Cross-Cultural Capability at BU

• 8 modules across 9 programmes
• Modules delivered from Level C to M
• Emphasis on cultural and linguistic sensitivity /
  fluency
• Culture-specific and culture-general approaches
  used
• Ethnocentrism and stereotyping highlighted
  throughout
• Focus on role and evolution of English as a
  lingua franca
• Embedding of interpersonal/transferable skills
• Relevance to personal development and lifelong
  learning.

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The International Jigsaw
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What makes an effective international manager
what we aim to develop and assess

• Adaptability and flexibility
• Cultural sensitivity
• Curiosity
• Excellent communication skills
• Language ability - English and foreign languages
• Empathy and respect for others
• Recognition of knowledge and educational gaps
• Ability to lead, yet delegate
• Tact and diplomacy
• Experience of having lived and worked abroad

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What makes an effective international manager
what we aim to develop and assess

• A daptability and flexibility
• C ultural sensitivity
• C uriosity
• E xcellent communication skills
• L anguage ability - English and foreign
  languages
• E mpathy and respect for others
• R ecognition of knowledge and educational gaps
• A bility to lead, yet delegate
• T act and diplomacy
• E xperience of having lived and worked abroad

Conceived by Ridolfo, M (2003)
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Cross-Cultural Capability at BU Indicative
Learning Outcomes

• Subject to level of study and number of credits,
  students will
• develop and practise intrapersonal and
  interpersonal behaviours, which are known to be
  pre-requisites for operating successfully
  internationally
• develop a critical appreciation of, and the
  ability to apply, argument and persuasion for
  advanced multicultural business interactions
• develop awareness of the advantages and
  limitations of the use of International English
• develop understanding of cross-cultural theory
  and its application to a range of international
  business scenarios
• acquire a critical understanding of the impact of
  cultural and national differences on business
  protocol, organisational behaviour and management
  culture.

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Cross-Cultural Capability at BU Indicative
Contents

• Functions of language
• Non-verbal communication
• Style, register and idiom
• Channels of communication
• Effective communication and plain English
• Techniques of persuasion
• The future of English

• The international business context
• The effective international manager
• Cultural norms and differences
• Cross-cultural theory
• National identity, perception and stereotyping
• National and international management cultures
  and styles
• Negotiation and managing conflict

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Cross-Cultural Capability at BU Learning
Philosophy

• Professional / real life focus - balancing
  theory and practice
• Range of delivery methods, including E-Learning /
  Assessment
• Active and interactive learning environment
  role play, simulations etc
• Emphasis on critical reflection, through, for
  example, self and peer assessment
• Some engineering of assignment groups / pairs

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Cross-Cultural Capability at BU Example
assignments

• Group presentation students play the role of
  business consultants / trainers, advising a UK
  audience on how to enter, and conduct everyday
  business interactions in, a specific foreign
  market
• Online group negotiation students negotiate
  virtually with representatives from an
  (initially undisclosed) Eastern culture, thus
  requiring them to adapt their persuasion skills
  and cultural expectations
• Face-to-face negotiation a pair of students must
  explore and seek to resolve a complex
  cross-cultural business conflict, by using
  appropriate communicative and suasive techniques.

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Managing International teams . . .

• . . . abroad . . . and at home
• "The manager who knows only his or her own
  country is doomed to become obsolete.  Most
  organizations can no longer afford to
  employ culturally myopic managers."
•  
• Harris, P., Moran, T. Moran, S., 2004.
• Managing Cultural Differences
• Global Leadership Strategies for the 21st
  Century. (6th Edition)
• Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann

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Developing People InternationallyApproaches and
Materials
Thank you for your interest Any Questions?
Mark Ridolfo Senior Lecturer in Cross-Cultural
Management The Business School, Bournemouth
University, UK 0044 (0)1202 965525 mridolfo_at_bourne
mouth.ac.uk