Course Name Year Term Period Faculty / Graduate School All Instructors Credits
51562:[2025 Fall]Cross-Cultural Management Research (BA) 2025 Fall Thu5 College　Of　Business　Administration SCHLUNZE ROLF DIETER 2

Campus

OIC

Class Venue

Learning Infty Hall

Language

English

Course Outline and Method

This course is a Cross-cultural management course offered in English enabling domestic and international students doing research together.
This course focuses on the cultural aspect of international business. In a globalizing world students need to learn about Constructive Intercultural Management (CIM). CIM aims on cultural synergy creation that allows organizations to expand internationally and get embedded locally. International managers who are in charge of implementing projects locally must have a clear understanding of usefull concepts enabling success in intercultural encounters.
The objective of this course is to provide an contextual management appraisal as an analytical framework needed to evaluate the opportunities and risks of overseas expansion. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of fundamental options in constructive intercultural management observing on the micro, meso and macro level. This lecture introduces the three-level model to guide your investigation. You like to answer the question: To what extent is constructive interculturality sustaining the success in global firms? Constructive interculturality takes place in and between social systems, which can be presented as three interrelated levels. The three-level model explains the relationship between three levels of aggregation, namely micro, meso and macro levels: 1) The macro level refers to societies in which organizations are embedded; 2) The meso level concerns organizations; 3) The micro level focuses on actors and their intent and interactions.
The course discusses positive communication and cultural synergy creation that MNEs and SMEs need for a successful global expansion. The course has three parts: 1) Conceptual frameworks in Constructive Intercultural Management, 2) Selected case presented by the teacher and an international manager, 3) Case study research presented by the participating students.
The active learning system adopted by this course combines the preliminary study of textbooks for conceptual frameworks with a series of small group workshops and E-poster presentations.

Student Attainment Objectives

1. Students learn about a analytical approach in Constructive Intercultural Management.
2. Students learn to assess the complexity that arise in regional, national and local business environments. They learn about the importance balancing strategic intent and cultural adjustment and how to embed MNEs/SNEs in different cultural environments.
3. Students learn to implement a constructive intercultural manageement strategy based on theory and their empirical analysis.

Recommended Preparatory Course

This course targets students who have a minimum TOEIC® L&R score of 620, TOEFL®-ITP score of 520, or TOEFL®-iBT score of 68. Theoretical knowledge about management is required to follow this course.

Course Schedule

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors) Theme
Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1

Core concepts in Constructive Intercultural Management: Three Level Model; Synergy creation and positive communication

・How to create cultural synergy?
Positive communication and learning in intercultural encounters opening up options for future developments; Selection of typical cases
※The class will be conducted using multimedia tools (live-streamed)
[+R classes] For details, see manaba+R

2

“Sand in the Gears” - A complex teaching case study

DAIKIN Group Ltd. Europe; Green deal and heat pump manufacturing in Poland/EU

3-5

Workshop (1-3) for Constructive Intercultural Management

・Discussion interculturality 1) Macro-context: globalization, digitalization and migration; 2) Meso-context: Internationalization of organizations; 3) Micro-context: intercultural individuals by students based on their preliminary case study research.
Guest speakers will be invited to the workshop.

6-7

Interview with international manager of a leading Japanese and/or European MNE invited as a guest speaker by RU

・Q&A; Brainstorming meeting using JK Method: students discuss their preliminary findings
※The class will be conducted on the spot using multimedia tools (live-streamed)

8

Macro level: Japanese manufacturing companies in Europe vs. European manufacturing companies in Japan

・Feedback for Teamwork (Macro level: Regional policy; Industrie 4.0; Green deal, CSR; vs. Cluster policy; Society 5.0; SDGs)

9-10

Meso & Micro level: Japanese management in Europe vs. European management in Japan

Organizational strategy; cultural adjustments; strategic intent; cultural sensitivity and negotiation

11

Selected Cases on Constructive intercultural Management

・Submission of case study report by student team; Cases studies presented by students and rehearsal for E-Poster group presentations

12

E-poster presentations

・Presentation by each student team on case study results; Previous guest speaker/ professional manager will attend as an audience on the spot and/or by ZOOM
※The class will be conducted on the spot but audience is invited joining us by ZOOM (live-streamed)

13-14

Wrap-up for Constructive Intercultural Management

・Submission of individual feedback report; Comments on e-poster session; Feedback for the CCMR course; Outlook on future CCMResearch; reflection on CIM

Class Format

This course will be conducted in person for all sessions except the first session. We utilize multimedia tools (live-streamed) for the first session and eventually for later sessions with the following reasons. For the first session, the number of registered participants is not yet determined, and there is a possibility of overcrowding in the classroom. For later sessions that will be conducted by guest speakers from distant locations in Japan and Germany/Europe. However, the general class format is characterized by an interactive teamwork with co-students.

Recommendations for Private Study

Domestic students and international students are required to deal with assignments together in intercultural teams during this course. Student need to learn to be responsible for the progress of their their research team researching proactive and preparing content for each lecture individually.
• 2-6: Study of textbook chapters available as E-book is requested; reflections on each chapter will be presented by teams in the end of the class.
• 7-8: Students are requested to submit their reflections and findings on the chosen case study individually by manaba+.
• 9-11: Student teams are requested to write up and submit a group report (at least 2000 words in English).
• 12-13: Students transform the summary of their research report into an E-poster and present it within the class to an informed audience attending by ZOOM and/or on the spot.
Students should attend the 1st lecture, not only because the course contents and evaluation method will be explained, but enabling the grouping for active learning in intercultural research teams.

Grade Evaluation Method

Kind Percentage Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written)

Report Examination
(A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)

Exams and/or Reports other than those stated above, and Continuous Assessment　
(Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)		 100

Attendance attitudes (attendance, active preliminary study, case report, participation in discussion and presentation) (40%);
Team / Group assignment & presentation (30%);
Individual assignment report (30%)

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

This course imposes attendance requirements. If the number of absences exceeds one-third, your score will be automatically F (Failed with 6 or more than 6 absences). Because collaboration by all team members of each research group is crucial and students are requested to particiapte pro-actively in all classes. For the attendance by Zoom the video camera must be turned on. Students need to encourage each other as a Virtual Intercultural Team (VIT) in those lecture. Students who are showing that they are not reliable team members (lack of attendance and submissions) cannot expect to receive the full credit. Interactive learning demands pro-active learning by each team member. For some lectures given by international managers, a report summarizing and commenting the findings is to be submitted individually.

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

Textbooks

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

Reference Books

Title Author Publisher ISBN Code Comment
Constructive Intercultural Management - Integrating Cultural Differences Successfully Christoph Barmeyer et al. Edward Elgar 978-83910-453-4 E-Book available at the RU library

Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）

Web Pages for Reference

How to Communicate with the Instructor In and Out of Class(Including Instructor Contact Information)

Interactive Sheet,Learning Management System （manaba+R）,Talk with Students

Other Comments

About the experiences of the teacher: The teacher had been engaged in doing research about international management of Japanese, Chinese and European MNEs sponsered by European and Japanese government for more than 20 years. Utilizing his research experiences from fieldwork especially on the Case of DAIKIN Group Ltd he likes to open-up the eyes of students to the blind spots of practitioners in IB.
Teacher in charge of this course has the right to suggest selected cases and change the contents in the syllabus. Explanations will be given to the attending students who are invited to learn about 1) the dynamics of VUCA and the importance of glocal networks; 2) academic concepts promoting constructive intercultural management; 3) a long-term perspectives sustaining their professional future. Those who are interested to conduct qualitative case study research for their BA or master thesis, please do not hesitate to consult the professor.
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