Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject Economics - International Economic Relations, grade: 1,7, Stralsund University of Applied Sciences (Wirtschaftswissenschaften), course: Intercultural Management, language: English, abstract: The term globalization is very broad and therefore it is necessary to define it.[...] In order to be able to imagine how profound globalization is, it is by far not enough just to say that our whole planet is involved. It is essential to look at all the different aspects of affairs all around the world.[...]

Whatever their industry of origin, all companies are facing the same challenge to a greater or lesser degree: globalization. It is becoming more and more evident that companies need to plan ahead and anticipate coming developments if they are to be successful in the future. Today, it is crucial to establish a solid competitive position in the global arena. There is no doubt that a corporate culture that is open to innovation and shaped by global thinking, plays a key role in this context. A culture in which representatives of different countries und cultures can come together, anticipating and understanding the cultural challenges, creates the foundation of any international business. A global view on intercultural management will be the key to successfully doing business in diverse cultural environments.

This textbook explores the reasons for intercultural differences and their effects on the behavior of individuals and organizations within the context of management. The text embraces the presence of ambiguity and complexity and encourages critical thinking when it comes to intercultural relations in order to avoid ethnocentrism, stereotyping and prejudice, as well as overly simplistic solutions. Integrating findings from management, but also the humanities and social sciences, as well as politics and popular culture, intercultural management is understood as a phenomenon that transcends disciplinary boundaries and includes questions around identity constructions, power relations, and ethics. This makes intercultural management a fascinating and rewarding subject to study. Throughout, the author encourages an analytical approach to intercultural management built upon strong methodological foundations, and draws on examples from a wide range of different contexts and cultures to help reflectively translate research and concepts into practice in a way that is lively and engaging. This textbook is essential reading for students taking university courses related to intercultural management. Lecturers can visit the companion website to access a Teaching Guide and PowerPoint slides that can be adapted and edited to suit teaching needs. Dirk Holtbrügge is Professor of International Management at the School of Business, Economics and Society, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.

*Winner in the Management and Leadership Textbook Category at CMI Management Book of the Year Awards 2015* An ideal course text for Organizational Behaviour, Human Resource Management or Cross-Cultural Management courses. Chapters present the fundamental theoretical approaches in all key areas including leadership, ethics and change, and then explore them in the context of culture and cross-cultural management. Encourages self-reflection and critical appraisal through a series of questions and scenarios designed to get you thinking like a manager working with an international team. Provides practical guidance on tackling the most complex issues facing managers today. Contains insights into the experiences of real employees working in a multicultural environment. The companion website provides a wealth of additional material to support students and teachers alike.

Modern-day business leaders need to manage diverse global organisations and teams that work in international contexts. This text will assist organisations of all types to manage diversity and promote inclusion in their national and international operations and markets.

Any company operating across culturally different contexts has a need for intercultural management, whether the cultural differences are ""external"" (e.g. different regional cultures) or ""internal"" (e.g. differences in company culture). With the number of companies falling into this category, it is not surprising that intercultural management is an area of increasing importance to both academics and practitioners.

All cultures appear to share the belief that they do things ‘correctly’, while others, until proven otherwise, are assumed to be ignorant or barbaric. When people from different cultures work together and cannot take shared meanings for granted, managers face serious challenges. An individual’s parsing of an experience and its meaning may vary according to several cultural scales – national, professional, industrial and local. Awareness of cultural differences and the willingness to view them as a positive are therefore crucial assets. This edited textbook sets itself apart from existing cross-cultural management texts by highlighting to the reader the need to avoid both ethnocentrism and the belief in the universality of his or her own values and ways of thinking: the success of international negotiations and intercultural management depends on such openness and acceptance of real differences. It encourages the development of ‘nomadic intelligence’ and the creative use of a culture’s resources, according to a symbolic anthropology perspective. Through the essays and case studies in the chapters, readers will become aware of the intercultural dimension of business activities and better understand how they affect work. Cross-Cultural Management will help interested parties – students of business management, international relations and other disciplines, and business managers and other professionals – develop their ability to interact, take action and give direction in an intercultural context.