MGMT212 - Global Comparative Management

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Incompatible

HRMG310 Global Human Resource Management and Sustainability ; MGMT307 Cross Cultural Management

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

Achieving sustainable organisational outcomes in the global context requires effective management of organisations operating in a highly competitive global marketplace. If students are able to do this, they will need knowledge and understanding of the complexities of managing global organisations and cultures. In this unit, students will develop their knowledge of management of a multi-cultural workforce including expatriates and operating a business in culturally distinct environments. Students will apply their knowledge in the management of global and virtual teams in order to achieve sustainable organisational outcomes.

The aim of this unit is to provide knowledge and understanding of management in a highly competitive global marketplace and to develop the understanding and skills necessary to analyse global management problems and generate responsible and practical solutions to achieve sustainable business outcomes 

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Evaluate and apply the main concepts, models and theories related to managing across borders, including cross-cultural communication, negotiation and conflict resolution, management of a multi-cultural workforce including expatriates, operating a business in culturally distinct environments, in the management of global and virtual teams (GA4, GA5)

LO2 - Discuss how global organisations identify and respond to governance failure and success in order to achieve competitive advantage (GA5, GA6)

LO3 - Explain the cross-cultural issues in dealing with a global workforce, taking into account issues of respect and human dignity (GA1, GA5)

LO4 - Independently and collaboratively research, analyse and propose practical and responsible business solutions to real-world business problems (GA5, GA7)

LO5 - Apply effective written and oral communication skills in the management context (GA5, GA9).

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity 

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

Content

Topics will include: 

• introduction to comparative management  
• comparative management models  
• global corporate governance 
• cross cultural management and teamwork 
• international HRM 
• global corporate strategy  
• risk management and responsible global practices
• comparative employment relations
• cross cultural communication in the comparative management context 
• respect for individuals and human diversity
• business analysis and decision making.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit takes an enquiry-based learning approach to guide students in the development of knowledge associated with comparative management across borders. Students are able to explore the knowledge base underpinning global management in a series of on campus workshops. These workshops are designed to support students to actively participate in the development of this knowledge both individually and in groups. By participating in these workshops, students will systematically develop their understanding of the critical aspects of global comparative management and how to design solutions to contentious cross border management issues. This unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing the skills required to effectively manage global organisations by sharing stories and insights and reflecting on experiences. This approach is designed to interest students who prefer to learn within a social environment and builds in expert support for skills development. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to pass this unit, students are required to complete and submit three graded assessment tasks and achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be in accordance with a rubric specifically developed to measure student levels of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will also be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the unit. The assessment strategy for this Unit allows students to sequentially develop their knowledge and skills of global comparative management to the point where students can present their solution to a real-world global management issue. To develop this level of capability, students will demonstrate their knowledge of global comparative management in a group research project, further develop their understanding by undertaking a case study by research and then apply their knowledge and understanding by presenting their findings and recommendations in the final assessment task. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Christopher, E. ed., 2016. International Management and Intercultural Communication: A Collection of Case Studies (Vol. 2). Springer.

Deresky, H., 20176, International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures, Text and Cases, Global Edition, 9th Edition Pearson Education USA

Hooper, M.J., 2016. The global business handbook: The eight dimensions of international management. CRC Press.

Isac, F., & Remes, E., 2018. The Relationship Between Culture and Strategy – A Managerial Perspective Approach. Studia Universitatis "Vasile Goldis" Arad. Seria Stiinte Economice, 28(3), pp.76-85.

Luthans, F & Doh, J 20198 International Management: Culture, Strategy, and Behavior, 23rd 10th Edition Mcgraw Hill Education

Mallin, CA (Editor) 2012, Handbook on International Corporate Governance: Country Analyses, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd

Meier, K Rutherford, M & Avellaneda, CN (Editors) 2017, Comparative Public Management Why National, Environmental, and Organizational Context Matters, Georgetown University Press, Washington DC

Sorge, A ,  Koen ,C &  Noorderhaven, NG 2015, Comparative International Management, 2nd edn., Taylor and Francis London

Usunier, J.C., van Herk, H. and Lee, J.A., 2017. International and Cross-Cultural Business Research. SAGE.