MGT4954\ MGT4014 Cross-Cultural Management and Ethics Module Handbook Spring 2025 | MUL

Table of Contents

• Welcome    
• The module teaching team    
• Communication with the teaching team    
• Module overview    
• Learning resources    
• Expectations of studying this module    
• Engagement    
• Professional behaviour and online conduct    
• Academic Integrity & Misconduct    
• Extenuating circumstances    
• Assessment    
• Formative assessment    
• Summative assessment    
• Assessments    
• Feedback on your assignments    
• How is your assignment mark agreed?    
• Learning Planner    

MGT4954 Module Overview 

MGT4954 Aims

One of the central features of modern management in complex globalised times is that theories and practices continue to evolve, and this creates new understandings of the management task. The module is a critical lens: does one size of management fit all? The answer is no, what works in the USA may not work in India. This is driven by cultural values and the conceptualisation of desired management practices. The module is designed to provide participants with the critical tools and mindset to analyse and identify responses to global challenges, regardless of their nature or of the imperatives and fashions and politics that drive them.

MGT4954 Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, the successful participant will be able to:

• Critically assess the challenges of managing diversity of thought within the organisation and in managing across diverse organisational and national cultures.
• Identify and critically analyse the points of view inherent to ethical and cross-cultural issues and provide actionable recommendations suitable for executives, taking into consideration ethical theory.
• Conduct professional quality ethical and/or cross-cultural analysis and evaluation exercises in organisations and at different levels in organisations

Syllabus

Cross-cultural perspectives: Working and managing across cultures, international strategies and knowledge transfer, cultural differences in key management behaviours such as decision making, negotiation and leading, how to manage using a culturally intelligent approach and the implications of this approach for leadership/ management styles and practice.

Ethics, corporate social responsibility and governance: defining business/organisational/professional ethics, the stakeholder model and CSR/Governance; ethical theories and their application to ethical issues in business, managing individual and organisational values.

Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategies

The emphasis of the teaching and learning strategy is to develop the capability of students to analyse a wide range of issues reflected in this module and apply the knowledge gained in other modules. Students are expected to engage in discussions, share experiences and do exercises in class.

See the Learning Planner on the last page about individual sessions of the module

All sessions are important as they are essential for your course. We want to create a 'safe space' for us all to discuss challenging issues in a globalised world. NOTHING in the class or the discussion forums can be shared externally to this module. If, however, students have any feedback or want to express their appreciation, they can contact the module leader.

Assessment Scheme

The assessment scheme intends to provide participants with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to use skills and understanding of key value-related issues and different contexts. The assessment elements are assessed on professional lines – therefore, it is expected that they will be brief in expression, pragmatic in focus, convincing in argument, and with a high level of general business quality. Good writing is a skill, it needs to be learned and certainly not outsourced when part of a degree (see for more details on policies, plagiarism and use of AI below). Use the guidance provided by the library.

There is one coursework element:

• Analysis of a case study ‘Built by Nature’, using key cross-cultural, international management and ethics/CSR theories and approaches to arrive at a culturally intelligent conclusion in a report (2,500 words) for the client

Assessment Scheme

Coursework (100%)

Assessment, internal moderation and External Examiner review prior to confirmation of grades via the University’s Assessment Boards process will be the responsibility of the University.

• The teaching, learning, assessment and research activities undertaken in this module have been considered and are not likely to require ethical approval.
• However, please seek advice if undertaking the module entails carrying out any research activities involving human participants, human data, animals/animal products, precious artefacts, materials or data systems. If you submit work that includes data gathered from or about people, this may be treated as academic misconduct and could lead to a failing grade being awarded. In other words, do not interview or survey people for this assessment.

Learning Resources

An extensive and detailed reading list for your module is provided via the Library. Use your designated librarian for specific queries regarding resources. Use the LET service for proofreading. DO NOT rely on AI – the tutors are very familiar with the content of the listed resources, and AI lies and fibs about facts.

You can also access the reading list directly through the module website on MyLearning. 

Textbooks for the module include:

Essential

Thomas, D. and Inkson, K. (2021) Cross-Cultural Management: An Introduction, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Crane, A.,Matten, D., Glozer, S. and Spence, L. (2019), Business Ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalisation, 5th Edition, Oxford University Press

Copies of these books are available online and in the library.

The reading list will include a range of other textbooks and journal articles (all of which are available from the library or electronic databases)

Expectations of Studying this Module 

Attendance policy

The module is constructed as a blend of independent study, online-driven knowledge transfer and discussion learning. Theory needs to be learnt in context, and thus the professional experiences and practices of participants form the starting point for much learning.

Further information on engaging with your programme will be available at your Induction and updates online at UniHub

Professional behaviour

The programme of study you are undertaking is underpinned by developing professional behaviour and attitude. You are expected to behave in a professional, supportive manner toward your peers and teachers. You must enter sessions prepared and ready to contribute where appropriate. Please conduct your email communication with fellow students, tutors and all relevant staff formally and courteously.

The use of laptops, however glamorised in films, is distracting, as is the use of your phone. Please be respectful and take calls/use your phone during breaks.

Academic Misconduct

You should be aware of the University’s academic integrity and misconduct policies and procedures. Taking unfair advantage in assessment is considered a serious offence by the University. Action will be taken against any student who contravenes the regulations through negligence, foolishness or deliberate intent. Academic misconduct takes several forms, in particular:

Plagiarism – using extensive unacknowledged quotations from, or direct copying of, another person’s work and presenting it for assessment as if it were your effort. This includes the use of third-party essay writing services and AI.

Collusion – working together with other students (without the tutor’s permission), and presenting similar or identical work for assessment.

Self-Plagiarism – including any material which is identical or substantially similar to material that has already been submitted by you for another assessment in the University or elsewhere.

Students who attempt to gain an unfair advantage over others through academic misconduct will be penalised by sanctions, according to the severity of the offence, which can include exclusion from the University. Links to the relevant University regulations and additional support resources can be found here:

Student Success Essentials Course, which includes Academic Integrity

Access to the course. -You will have to log in to MyUniHub and then MyMDX to access the course and regulations.

The Academic Integrity and Misconduct policy is available in our Public Policy Statements (under Academic Quality)

MGT4954 Assessment

MGT4954 Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is completed during your year of study and provides the opportunity to evaluate your progress with your learning. Formative assessments help show you and us that you are learning and understanding the material covered in this course, and allow us to

monitor your progress towards achieving the learning outcomes for the module. Although formative assessments do not directly contribute to the overall module mark, they do provide an important opportunity to receive feedback on your learning.

MGT4954 Summative Assessment:

Summative assessment is used to check the level of learning at the end of the course. It is summative because it is based on accumulated learning during the course. The point is to ensure that students have met the learning outcomes for the course and are at the appropriate level. It is the summative assessment that determines the grade that you are awarded for the module.

There is 1 assessment component in this module:

Cross-Cultural Management and Ethics coursework

 The table below specifies the associated deadlines:

A pass grade is 40% (MDX grade 16). Before you submit your work for final grading, please ensure that you have accurately referenced the work and checked the spelling and grammar. If you have submitted a formative or draft assessment, you will receive feedback but no grade, as per university policies. The comments should inform you about how well you have done or tell you about the areas for improvement. All assignments should be submitted online.

MGT4954 Assessment

The following tables provide an overview of the assessment requirements.

Assessment Marking Criteria Rubric (presentation)

• Evidence that the student has systematically researched the assignment and covered required areas to the expected standard. A clear introduction of the purpose of the report, written up as a professional consultant, not as a student (i.e., avoid ‘for my course work I had to… ‘) and includes a contextual description of the globalised world as it stands to give the reader a context: “In our globalised environment, it is important to be aware of cultural differences and ethical considerations because…” Inclusion of relevant macro-level information, such as statistics about your choice of field of work.
• Clear analysis of the articles addressing the following topics: Theory of Change, Stakeholder Analysis, Decision Making, Negotiation & Communication, Leadership & Cultural Intelligence, Ethical frameworks (theories), Ethics management. The student understands the practical implications for managers using class reading and he/she found examples to illustrate the key message. Practical examples, including own experience, are not written up as a diary but are formatted as examples that can be found in current affairs outlets.
• Evidence of comprehensiveness (breadth and depth) of information. Any evidence found of cultural differences and ethics management is relevant to the brief and is balanced. Not stereotypical. Students can synthesise materials from the course to provide sound cross-cultural and ethics management advice that is culturally intelligent and useful for the organisation in a variety of contexts.
• The conclusion could be used on its own by the reader if needed be as it summarises the entire report. The summary must reflect good business sense that is useful for a manager and reflect cultural intelligence and sensitivity to the complex, globalised environment. Included key recommendations that are presented using bullet points and reflect the introduction and analysis. No new information should be presented in this section.
• References at the end of the report are reliable, and resources that MUST be used are shared in the case study brief. Student included additional, academic or reliable resources (e.g., recommended news sources such as FT, broadsheets). Limited use of Wikipedia and other non-academic sources, unless they are reliable and for anecdotal purposes or current affairs. References in Harvard Style. You must cite academic and other sources correctly.
• Grammar and Spelling are correct. Overall structure is well presented: introduction, info, conclusion, using subheadings for clarity. Writing style: Student ensures to guide the reader by making one point per paragraph, linking sections and explaining how to interpret the information. Examples are creative and illuminate the points made.

The following table details the support you will be receiving for this assessment and the feedback opportunities you will have.

Feedback on your Assignments

You will be provided with feedback on all coursework that is helpful and informative, consistent with aiding the learning and development process. The nature of the feedback shall be determined at programme level but may take a variety of forms, including: written comments; individual and group tutorial feedback; peer feedback; or other forms of effective and efficient feedback.

Feedback will normally be provided within 15 WORKING DAYS of the published coursework component submission date as stated in the programme handbook.

Middlesex University is committed to being fair in its approach to assessing student learning following the UK Quality Code for Higher Education (Quality Code) (2018) and the UK Quality Code - Advice and Guidance: Assessment (2018) and External Expertise (2018).

The Assessment Fairness guidance, policies and procedures put in place by Middlesex University are in our commitment to ensure fairness for all in assessment. Policies | Middlesex University

If you have any queries or would like to know more about how this approach has been applied to modules you are studying, please contact your Programme Leader.

How is your Assignment Mark Agreed Upon?

The following diagram provides an overview of the marking process for your module assessment. Details of the programme's external examiner can be found in the programme handbook.

Anonymous Marking Assessment Policy

We have worked with the Middlesex University Students’ Union (MDXSU) to create an anonymous marking policy in response to student feedback. Anonymous marking ensures that your identity (your name, student number and other personal/identifiable information) is not made available to academics when they are marking your work. This means that you can have confidence that your assessments will be marked fairly and consistently. It also means, however, that the tutor cannot upload the assessment if you sent it late via email in a last-minute rush, as they cannot see the names. Ensure you plan your submission!

We believe that it is important to provide you with the support and guidance needed to help you develop and prepare for your final assessments (those which count towards your final grades, i.e. summative assessments). Therefore, anonymous marking will not apply to learning activities and assessments that do not contribute to your final grades (i.e. formative assessments). If you require further information and support to understand how anonymous marking works in your programme modules, please contact the Module
Leader for more information.

Learning Planner

This learning planner is also available online in the MyLearning space. Any changes will be communicated via email (e.g., in case of illness).

Reading at university is a skill – you need to read with a purpose: what is the goal of consulting a specific resource? Do you need a definition? Do you need research evidence for or against something? Textbooks often provide summaries of chapters, but be sure that this suffices for the point that you want to make. A client would not pay good money for a generic and descriptive report – be accurate.

NOTE: May 5th is a Bank Holiday in the United Kingdom and therefore session 1 for these cohorts (Mon-Wed am) will be asynchronous (not live) online. These recorded sessions can be found in a folder on the module space and are available to ALL students.