ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION AND ASSESSMENT

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BMCC5103
CROSS CULTURAL MANAGEMENT AND DIVERSITY
MAY 2017
ASSIGNMENT 2
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INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS

1. This assignment contains question that is set in English.

2. Answer in English.

3. Learners are to submit assignment only in MsWord (.docx) format unless

specified otherwise. Please refrain from converting text / phrases into
picture format such as .gif / .jpeg / print screen / etc.

4. Download the language version of the assignment template concerned

from the myINSPIRE for preparation and submission of your assignment.
Your assignment should be typed using 12 point Times New Roman font
and 1.5 line spacing.

5. Your assignment should be between 3,000 to 5,000 words excluding

references. The number of words should be shown at the end of your
assignment. Do not copy the assignment question and instructions to
your answer.

6. Submission of assignment:

Face-to-face Class Student:

You MUST submit a softcopy of your assignment online through
myINSPIRE and a hardcopy to your facilitator.

Online student:
You MUST submit a softcopy of your assignment via myINSPIRE and
another softcopy to the facilitator via e-mail.

7. You can submit your assignment ONCE only in a SINGLE file.

8. Your assignment must be submitted between 28th July 2017 until 30th
July 2017.

9. Your assignment should be prepared individually. You should not copy

another persons assignment. You should also not plagiarise another
persons work as your own.
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10.Please ensure that you keep the RECEIPT issued upon submisson of your
assignment as proof of submission. Your assignment is considered as NOT
submitted if you fail to produce the submission receipt in any dispute
arises concerning assignment submission.

EVALUATION
This assignment accounts for 70% of the total marks for the course.
You would be given feedback on the assignment before the Final Semester
Examination commences.

PLAGIARISM: MARKS DEDUCTION

Warning: The submitted assignment will automatically undergo a similarity

check. If plagiarism is detected, marks would be deducted as follows:

% of Mark
No. % Similarity Group
Deduction
1 0 30 0
2 30.01 50 5
3 50.01 70 10
4 70.01 100 100

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ASSIGNMENT 2

PART 2 :
PURPOSE

The purpose of the assignment is to develop learners ability to analyse and

evaluate issues in negotiation across cultures.

REQUIREMENT

Read the article below and answer the questions at the end of it:

How to Resolve Cultural Conflict: Overcoming Cultural Barriers at the

Negotiation Table Avoid cultural conflict by avoiding stereotypes when
negotiating across cultures
By Katie Shonk on January 26th, 2017
https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/conflict-resolution/a-cross-cultural-negotiation-example-how-to-
overcome-cultural-barriers/

After recently losing an important deal in India, a business negotiator learned

that her counterpart felt as if she had been rushing through the talks. The
business negotiator thought she was being efficient with their time. In this useful
cross-cultural conflict negotiation example, how should this negotiator improve
her negotiation skills?

Research shows that deal making across cultures tends to lead to worse
outcomes as compared with negotiations conducted within the same culture.
This is primarily because cultures are characterised by different behaviors,
communication styles, and norms. As a result, when negotiating across cultures,
we bring different perspectives to the bargaining table, which in turn may result
in potential misunderstandings and a lower likelihood of exploring and
discovering integrative, or value-creating, solutions.

Cultural conflicts in negotiations tend to occur for two main reasons. First, when
confronting cultural differences, we tend to rely on stereotypes. Stereotypes are
often pejorative (for example: Italians always run late), and they can lead to
distorted expectations about your counterparts behavior as well as potentially
costly misinterpretations.

Instead of relying on stereotypes, try to focus on prototypescultural averages

on dimensions of behaviour or values.

For example, it is commonly understood that Japanese negotiators tend to have

more silent periods during their talks than, say, Brazilians. That said, there is still
a great deal of variability within each culturemeaning that some Brazilians
speak less than some Japanese do.

Thus, it would be a mistake to expect a Japanese negotiator you have never met
to be reserved. But if it turns out that a negotiator is especially quiet, you might
better understand her behaviour in light of the prototype. In addition, awareness

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of your own cultural prototypes can help you anticipate how your counterpart
might interpret your bargaining behavior.

A second common reason for cross-cultural misunderstandings is that we tend to

interpret others behaviours, values, and beliefs through the lens of our own
culture. To overcome this tendency, we need to learn about the other partys
culture. This means not only researching the customs and behaviors of different
cultures but also understanding why people follow these customs and exhibit
these behaviors in the first place.

Just as important, not only do countries have unique cultures, but teams and
organisations do, too. Before any negotiation, take time to study the context and
the person on the other side of the bargaining table, including the various
cultures to which he belongswhether the culture of France, the culture of
engineering, or his particular companys corporate culture.

In this cross cultural conflict negotiation example, the negotiator learned after
the fact that her Indian counterpart would have appreciated a slower pace with
more opportunities for relationship building. She seems to have run into the
second issue: Using time efficiently in the course of negotiations is generally
valued in the United States, but in India, there is often a greater focus on
building relationships early in the process. As this business negotiator has
observed, cultural differences can represent barriers to reaching an agreement in
negotiation. But remember that differences also can be opportunities to create
valuable agreements. This suggests that cross-cultural conflict negotiations may
be particularly rife with opportunities for counterparts to capitalize on different
preferences, priorities, beliefs, and values.

Questions:
a. What was the main issue highlighted in the article? Why is it important?
(5)
b. How would you prepare for an international/cross-cultural negotiation? What
are the issues you would need to consider?

(10)
c. Assume you are a representative for Open University Malaysia in a
negotiation with a multinational corporations from the USA, Saudi Arabia and
Japan. What cross-cultural issues should you be aware about? Discuss the
issues for each MNC separately.
(15)
(Total : 30)
PART 3 :
PURPOSE

The objective of the assignment is to develop learners ability to evaluate the

competencies needed by an international manager based on Hofstedes Cultural
Dimensions.

REQUIREMENT

Assume that you have been appointed to work overseas as an international

manager in any one of the following countries:
a. Holland
b. United Kingdom
c. Australia

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d. United Arab Emirates

e. Korea
f. China

Write a report on the competencies that you would need as an international

manager. Include in your report the special cross-cultural attributes that you
would need to be familiar with based on Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions. You
should use at least 8 refereed journal articles to write your report.
(Total : 40)
(GRAND TOTAL: 70 MARKS)