Postgraduate - UnitMGS5640 - Cross-cultural management communication

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Postgraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Business and Economics
Organisational Unit	Department of Management
Offered	South Africa Second semester 2015 (Day) South Africa Second semester 2015 (Evening) South Africa Term 3 2015 (On-campus block of classes)
Coordinator(s)	Associate Professor Ilse Niemann-Struweg

Synopsis

The unit looks at the ways in which cultural values are expressed in social behaviour and the communication process including non-verbal cues, in different societies and contexts. The relevance of culture to management practices is analysed and illustrated in various national cultural settings in the Southern African region. The unit then considers contemporary issues that affect the cross-cultural communication process (eg: ethics) before considering the international negotiation process. Objectives, methods of negotiation and ways of negotiating cross-culturally are considered. The unit seeks to impart to students the ability and an awareness of how to communicate effectively in a cross-cultural setting.

Outcomes

The learning goals associated with this unit are to:

explain the concept of culture and its determinants
develop an understanding of the principles of effective cross-cultural communication
critically evaluate the role communication and negotiations play in international operations
explain the negotiation process and identify and analyse impediments to effective negotiations
assess the relevance of culture to management practises in different cultural settings
identify and evaluate the links between culture, economic processes and organisations.

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 50%
Examination: 50%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Chief examiner(s)

Associate Professor Ilse Niemann-Struweg

Prohibitions

MGX5640, MGZ5640, MGM5640