• Module coordinator: Gerrit De Vylder
• Language: English
• ECTS credits: 3

Course objectives

General Objectives:

Students should understand the primary cultural ingredients that come into play in business and other relationships with partners from different cultures, with a special focus on Asian cultures (India, China, Middle East). These ingredients can be mastered and adapted across many contexts to forge lucrative partnerships. They should also be able to put these ingredients into a broader perspective and realize the essential similarities of the significance of different symbols in different cultures.

Three Approaches Corresponding to Paper Assignments:

In a first approach the study area of cultural studies is introduced to the students. The emphasis is on the historical, philosophical and sociological roots (structuralism) of cultural studies. The existence of subcultures, classes, multiculturalism, national clichés, and orientalism are taken as examples of how culture should be considered from a broader and critical perspective. The shifting of paradigms also illustrates how a “national” culture can be very relative and illusionary.

In a second approach culture is considered from a business and practical point of view. The emphasis is on a comparison between European and Asian business cultures. Awareness of a country’s cultural norms can spell the difference between success and failure.

In a third approach business attitudes are linked to religious and cultural characteristics. Three case-studies illustrate both the similarities of norms and values on an international scale and the need to be aware of the different and sometimes confusing symbols. The case-studies take into account the reorientation of globalization to the East: India (Hinduism), China (Buddhism and Chinese traditions) and the Middle East (Islam).

Entry requirements

No specific knowledge is required with respect to content.

Teaching method

Lectures, commenting on papers, group discussions on the basis of papers, compulsory reading, and possibly guest lectures.

Assessment

Students’ assessment is based on three assignments (papers and consequently group discussions).

• to individually identify those cultural ingredients which in their view are specific for their culture and should be communicated to their foreign business partners in the context of negotiations. This exercise may on the one hand illustrate the importance of subcultures or the individual, as not all students belonging to this national culture may identify the same characteristics. On the other hand it may indicate the existence of clichés as other participants from other countries may have identified the same characteristic.
• to prepare a short comment to support or/and to criticize the existence of a national culture or character. Do subcultures dominate the scene or does the individual transcend all aspects of culture?   
• to identify a certain number of symbols in Asian cultures and investigate how these translate in a business or negotiating environment.

If the student did not pass he/she is expected to rewrite and resubmit the papers concerned based on the comments given.

Course material

Power Point Presentations, lists of articles and sources, and information on audio-visual media and/or guest lectures will be available on Toledo.

Compulsory Reading.