MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES

Select an organisation that you are familiar with—preferably the one for which you
currently work.  Select a challenge which has arisen which requires the organisation to
change its current way of operating or affects its competitive advantage.  Examples may
include but not be limited to:

1.      Competition from overseas or local enterprises
2.      Merger with or acquisition of another organisation
3.      Economic recession and/or recovery
4.      New government legislation
5.      New technology which makes your own obsolete
6.      Development and introduction of innovative practices, processes or systems
7.      Attraction and retention of staff (this will also require an understanding of Topic 10 –
Human Resource Management)
8.      Corporate social responsibility
9.      Ethical issues and compliance
10.    Any other challenge which is feasible and credible (e.g. change of government, a
series of product failures or a major lawsuit).

This assignment is designed to give you the opportunity to apply some of the issues raised
in Topics 1–5 of the Study Guide to your organisation.  If you are currently not working,
you can choose an organisation for which you have previously worked.

INSTRUCTION

Prepare a report on how, as the manager of this organisation, you would deal with this
challenge.  The report will include the following:

1.  A brief description of your organisation.  Concentrate on details that are relevant to
your subsequent discussion, but you must include areas such as its products, its
structure, its markets and its competitive advantage.
(5 marks)

2.  A description of the challenge which it is facing, including the source of the challenge
and the likely effect on your organisation as a whole.  In doing this you must analyse
the internal and external environments and the likely impact on key stakeholders.

(6 marks)

3.  An outline of how you intend to respond to this challenge.  Provide details on the
strategies you will use as well as examples of specific actions you would take.  This
should include descriptions of the following where relevant:

     Strategic considerations and planning
     Required changes to organisational structure
     How planning and implementation will be approached
   The change process you will follow, what resistance you might meet and how
you will address this
     Cultural considerations and impacts.

How you will employ the various roles of management (at least four) and the
functions of management (at least three) in this regard.
(10 marks)
4

4.  A description of the information you would gather to measure your progress in
managing and meeting the challenge identified (as outlined in Question 3 above).
You will need to identify the elements to be measured, why it is important that they
be measured, how to measure them and what you would use this information for.
(10 marks)

5.  An overview of the ethical issues which may arise in the course of responding to this
challenge and how you would deal with them.  Specific examples should be provided.
(4 marks)

6.  An executive summary for your management board.  While you complete this last, it
must appear at the beginning of your report

The key requirements of this assignment are:
(5 marks)

1.  That your approach is largely based on the techniques and theories which have been
presented in the course in Topics 1–5.  These techniques and theories do not need to
be described or explained:  you will need to refer to them and your application will
show your understanding.
2.      You are required to submit a report, rather than an essay.  Make sure it has a logical
flow, rather than a series of standalone answers.  Do not title each section, Section 1,
Section 2, etc.  It should include an Executive Summary, Introduction, Background,
Sub-headings, Conclusion, Recommendations.
3.  Your assignment answers need to be clearly written and any assumptions and
conclusions you draw must be supported by reference to the material in your Study
Guide, prescribed texts, readings or other sources.
4.  Present clearly structured arguments paying attention to grammar, spelling and
layout.
5.      Marks will be given for clarity, logic and brevity.  Do not exceed the word limit.  Give
concise descriptions and avoid irrelevant detail.  In marking the assignment,
attention will be paid to your ability to express your ideas clearly and concisely.
Assignments that excessively exceed the word limit may be penalised.
6.      Diagrams, lists, bullet points and any other form which aids understanding are useful.
They are not included in the word limit and are a simple way to convey a complex
message.
7.  If you have any sensitivity about criticising your own organisation, or any other
organisation, remove any specific reference to the identity of the organisation.

Referencing

In preparing your assignment you may draw upon material from a range of sources including
the Study Guide and textbook.  Wherever you draw upon the work of others in your assignment,
you must acknowledge this by referencing the source of the information (e.g. the Study Guide,
websites, textbooks, company reports, etc.).  This applies to more than just direct quotations—
you must also reference things like key definitions, ideas from authors consulted and any
statistical data that you use in your report.  If you find helpful statements in an existing
document that you wish to include in your report, you must either paraphrase them
significantly and reference the source or include them as direct quotations.  You must use an
accepted referencing system (e.g. the Harvard system) and at the end of your assignment
include a reference list.

management perspectives

Assignment Brief
2015/16
CROSS CULTURAL MANAGEMENT
Comparison exercise exploring theory and empirical evidence and relating this to a practical critical incidents in cross-cultural settings. This version is also for resit and deferred students.
This assignment is worth30%of the overall unit mark
THE BRIEF

Scenario“Clever Clogs International”
You work for an international company, which provides management advice to a number of multinational organisations, such as Al Jazeera, Google, Shell International and a new FINANCE company called Clever Clogs International.
Your company has been invited to tender for a contract to deliver cross-cultural training to this major new client Clever Clogs International. The client is expanding its international activities and needs to send a manager from Lebanon to Amsterdam, The Netherlands for a 2-year assignment. Clever Clogs aims to change the way the banking system works to avoid another economic crash.
The manager to be transferred is female, Muslim and in her mid-thirties. She joined the company four years ago and has performed exceptionally well, earning two promotions in that period. Company evaluations (which you have been permitted to read) indicate that she has the right skills-set and that she would be an ideal candidate for this assignment. However, no formal training has been carried out, and this would be her first international work assignment.
Your company has been invited by the client to deliver a cross-cultural briefingreport to this new manager from Clever Clogs International. You MUST make reference to the industry of Clever Clogs Internationalin each section.
As an MBA student, the relevance to management analysis and strategy for an executive must be made clear (guide the reader, answer the ‘So What?’ question).

The report should include the following sections but make sure you guide the reader and link (sub)sections through an organised structure.

Section A (25%)
1. a brief introductionof the aim of the report on behalf of Clever Clogs International and of the current state of globalization relevant to an executive in the finance industry. Give a practical example of the current challenges.
2. a brief overview of macro-level facts of The Netherlands (e.g., socio-political environment, economic environment, etc.) that are relevant for an executive to know. You should use reliable sources such as Financial Times, CIA handbook and government websites.
3. a brief value comparison of the country of The Netherlands based on Hofstede’s work in comparison to Lebanon. You should also include a graph as shown in class and ensure that you make the analysis relevant to the reader.
Section B (45%)
4. a critique of Hofstede’s work in terms of the relevancy of macro-level indices for daily management practice
5. an analysis of the business and management challenges that an international manager faces, using the reading from this module, integrating appropriate cross-cultural theory and evaluating the challenges the manager is likely to face. For example: “As an international manager, regardless of where one lives or works, it is useful to be aware that decision making is based on XXXX theory(Bloggs, 2013) and cultural variations exist in terms of A, B and C.”
As MBA students, you must use practical examples to illuminate your point and use advanced articles to make any point about business and management.
You CANNOT use Wikipedia and other non-academic sources, unless they are anecdotal or current affairs. You may also use your practical experience but keep it professional – i.e., frame these into practical anecdotes, not a diary.
Your subheadings must relate to seminar topics
• Value differences and Person-Organisation Fit
• Decision Making
• Negotiation & Communication
• Leadership & Cultural Intelligence
Section C (15%)
6. a conclusion (summary) evaluating information presented in section a and b and three key points of advice presented with bullet points.

Professional delivery Max word count 2000. Over or under 10% allowed. More than that, you are subject to the critique that you cannot focus (over) or read to little (under) and this will affect your grade.Ensure you do a grammar & spell check, use a professional lay out with subheadings, include an accurate reference list incl. at least 5 articles from the reading list.(15%)
Marking Criteria
Evidence that you have systematically researched the assignment and covered required areas to the expected standard. Comprehensiveness (breadth and depth) of information. Evidence that you have understood key issues and been able to effectively integrate theory and practice. Relevance and balance of contents. Integration and coherence of component parts. Evidence of effective use of a range of relevant resources. Coherence, synthesis and integration of contents. Creativity and innovation.Further information on the assignment and marking criteria are provided in the Module Handbook, will be given periodically in class

management perspectives

Assignment Brief
2015/16
CROSS CULTURAL MANAGEMENT
Comparison exercise exploring theory and empirical evidence and relating this to a practical critical incidents in cross-cultural settings. This version is also for resit and deferred students.
This assignment is worth30%of the overall unit mark
THE BRIEF

Scenario“Clever Clogs International”
You work for an international company, which provides management advice to a number of multinational organisations, such as Al Jazeera, Google, Shell International and a new FINANCE company called Clever Clogs International.
Your company has been invited to tender for a contract to deliver cross-cultural training to this major new client Clever Clogs International. The client is expanding its international activities and needs to send a manager from Lebanon to Amsterdam, The Netherlands for a 2-year assignment. Clever Clogs aims to change the way the banking system works to avoid another economic crash.
The manager to be transferred is female, Muslim and in her mid-thirties. She joined the company four years ago and has performed exceptionally well, earning two promotions in that period. Company evaluations (which you have been permitted to read) indicate that she has the right skills-set and that she would be an ideal candidate for this assignment. However, no formal training has been carried out, and this would be her first international work assignment.
Your company has been invited by the client to deliver a cross-cultural briefingreport to this new manager from Clever Clogs International. You MUST make reference to the industry of Clever Clogs Internationalin each section.
As an MBA student, the relevance to management analysis and strategy for an executive must be made clear (guide the reader, answer the ‘So What?’ question).

The report should include the following sections but make sure you guide the reader and link (sub)sections through an organised structure.

Section A (25%)
1. a brief introductionof the aim of the report on behalf of Clever Clogs International and of the current state of globalization relevant to an executive in the finance industry. Give a practical example of the current challenges.
2. a brief overview of macro-level facts of The Netherlands (e.g., socio-political environment, economic environment, etc.) that are relevant for an executive to know. You should use reliable sources such as Financial Times, CIA handbook and government websites.
3. a brief value comparison of the country of The Netherlands based on Hofstede’s work in comparison to Lebanon. You should also include a graph as shown in class and ensure that you make the analysis relevant to the reader.
Section B (45%)
4. a critique of Hofstede’s work in terms of the relevancy of macro-level indices for daily management practice
5. an analysis of the business and management challenges that an international manager faces, using the reading from this module, integrating appropriate cross-cultural theory and evaluating the challenges the manager is likely to face. For example: “As an international manager, regardless of where one lives or works, it is useful to be aware that decision making is based on XXXX theory(Bloggs, 2013) and cultural variations exist in terms of A, B and C.”
As MBA students, you must use practical examples to illuminate your point and use advanced articles to make any point about business and management.
You CANNOT use Wikipedia and other non-academic sources, unless they are anecdotal or current affairs. You may also use your practical experience but keep it professional – i.e., frame these into practical anecdotes, not a diary.
Your subheadings must relate to seminar topics
• Value differences and Person-Organisation Fit
• Decision Making
• Negotiation & Communication
• Leadership & Cultural Intelligence
Section C (15%)
6. a conclusion (summary) evaluating information presented in section a and b and three key points of advice presented with bullet points.

Professional delivery Max word count 2000. Over or under 10% allowed. More than that, you are subject to the critique that you cannot focus (over) or read to little (under) and this will affect your grade.Ensure you do a grammar & spell check, use a professional lay out with subheadings, include an accurate reference list incl. at least 5 articles from the reading list.(15%)
Marking Criteria
Evidence that you have systematically researched the assignment and covered required areas to the expected standard. Comprehensiveness (breadth and depth) of information. Evidence that you have understood key issues and been able to effectively integrate theory and practice. Relevance and balance of contents. Integration and coherence of component parts. Evidence of effective use of a range of relevant resources. Coherence, synthesis and integration of contents. Creativity and innovation.Further information on the assignment and marking criteria are provided in the Module Handbook, will be given periodically in class