Managing Across Cultures

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MGF3681: International Management
Week 5:
Managing Across
Cultures

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Week 4 Lecture
• Explain the terms cultural convergence and cultural
divergence? Do you think cultures are becoming increasingly
similar? If so, why? If not, why not?
• Define the term national context. Provide examples of social
institutions to support your answer.
• Social institutions can influence organisations through
coercive, mimetic, and normative isomorphism. Define these
concepts, and provide examples to demonstrate how they
work.
• When managing globally, what are the four (4) key types of
managerial predispositions that international management
can utilise?

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Assignment 1
• International Negotiation
• Due week 7 on the Friday 5p
• Worth 30%
• 2,000 – 2,500 words
• 15 Journal Articles
(you can’t hand it in without 15 journal articles)
• APA Referencing

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Explain the following concepts
• National Context
• Social Institutions
• Convergence vs. Divergence

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Email-gate
1. Comment on the statement “speaking a language is not
the same as knowing a culture” and use another
example beside the case to illustrate your point of view.
2. Relate a personal experience in a given company and a
given country – or cite an example – of a
disproportionate development of a media message.
3. Comment on the relevance of the three traits mentioned
in the case to your country – or any country of your
choice.

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Week 5 Lecture
• Define each of the five (5) conflict management styles.
• Identify and briefly describe the six (6) steps in the
international negotiation process.
• Explain four (4) ways in which cultural differences can affect
the key negotiating processes.
• Define five (5) of the seven personal characteristics needed to
be a successful international negotiator.

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Next Week
• Print out Case Study: The Impatient American Sales Manager