90014 - Management of Cultural Diversities in the Internationalization Processes

Learning outcomes

The course aims to explain how cultural and religious diversities affect internationalization processes and the consequent supply of services, proposing to students the management practices able to manage these processes in their globality. Starting from the analysis of the phenomenon of globalization and its relationship with the internationalization processes, through the teaching of the Hofstede's theories, the man in his key dual role as employee and consumer is analyzed and explained. The main purpose of the teaching is to provide students with the tools to apply management theories in different cultural contexts: at this purpose, a special focus is put to the discipline of human resources and strategic marketing. The study of the collectivist and individualist cultural dimensions will also contribute to provide the students with the necessary knowledge to customize any type of internationalization activity on the basis of the different perceptions of social interactions. A whole scenario of the international activities will be also provided.

Course contents

The entire course is focused on how different religions and cultures differently influence the choices, the needs and the expectations of the consumers/clients. The analysis of these dynamics will naturally lead to the subsequent analysis of how the different departments of the organization/enterprise should adapt and structure their activities according to different markets and different customers' attitudes. At this regard it will be widely illustrated the impact of Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianism and some tribal religions on the main activities of an organization. It will be explained the connection between the definition of culture and the one of religion, together with the core theory of the course: "the software of the mind" of the professor Geert Hofstede.

Readings/Bibliography

Slides of the lectures, extracts of books and scientific articles will be indicated and distributed throughout the course.

Additional bibliography:

Ferdinandi M., 2009, Internazionalizzazione: le sue forme analisi delle diversità e gli investimenti diretti esteri, McGraw Hill.
Hofstede G., Hofstede G.J., Minkov M., 2010, Cultures and Organizations - Software of the mind, McGraw-Hill.

Teaching methods

Frontal teaching and group exercises.

Assessment methods

Oral test. The student, basing on the theories introduced during the Course, have to be able to understand and interpret the main strategies, technicalities and choices affecting internationalization processes. The test covers both the theoretical part and the cases analyzed during the classes. Registration (through AlmaEsami) for the exam is compulsory.

Teaching tools

Scientific articles will be made available to students.

Office hours

See the website of Massimo Ferdinandi