Course Catalogue

In a globalised world, the ability to work effectively across cultures is crucial for businesses to succeed. From an individual perspective, cultural intelligence (Thomas, 2008), involves knowledge and awareness of cultural differences and developing communication skills to build trust between people from different backgrounds. The course will cover the origins and history of intercultural communication', including intercultural business communication and the taxonomies developed by scholars such as Hofstede, Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, Hall and Meyer. The course theories are illustrated by case studies, which the students will work through in class. Critical perspectives on the classic taxonomies and the concept of culture are also discussed. The students will learn to distinguish between etic and emic perspectives on culture as well as between static and dynamic perspectives. Furthermore, social constructivist and critical cross cultural management perspectives are covered, specifically related to diversity management and language management. Diversity management and inclusive leadership will also be linked to social sustainability. There is also an emphasis on reflection, critical incidents, cultural adaptation and working in global teams. Learning outcomes include knowledge, skills and general competencies. Students will develop knowledge of fundamental theories from the field of intercultural business communication, knowledge about cross cultural management and how it links to diversity management and inclusion. Students will become skilled in critically assessing the theories on intercultural business communication in light of practical cases, develop personal reflection skills and how to work effectively in multicultural groups. General competencies include demonstrating sensitivity towards and respect for diversity in the workplace and understanding the importance of diversity management and inclusive leadership. Teaching methods include readings, videos, websites, interactive lectures, case studies and group discussions. The course requires active participation, with an emphasis on written and oral reflection on learning. This course is taught by Agnes Bamford from the Norwegian School of Economics (Bergen, Norway) and is offered with the generous support of Engage.EU.