Comparative Management

School of Business and Economics

Comparative Management

Full course description

Comparative Management analyses the extent to which management principles are applicable from one business context (e.g., industry or country) to another. Comparative Management seeks to determine the applicability of mainstream management know-how to other contexts.
For example, the rise of many countries in Asia from being a developing country to global powerhouse status, the unprecedented transformation of societies through the adoption of market culture, and the economic integration in Europe have made it an imperative to explore alternative management approaches to standard theories.

Note: Moreover Presentation/Facilitation will be part of the Assessment methods.

Course objectives

The course is aimed at the study of management in different contexts and different international contexts more in particular. In the course we examine and compare management practices across countries, institutional environments and cultures. That also incorporates the different contexts that different industries and different professional and functional backgrounds provide. The purpose of teaching Comparative Management is to provide students with comprehensive knowledge of various management styles practiced by managers in different countries and different business contexts, with the aim of preparing them to manage different organisations successfully. The intention is to help them to develop an awareness of the concepts of culture and institutions and their pervasive and hidden influence on behaviour in organisations, particularly with respect to management and management practices. We want students to become familiar with the types of situations and issues that managers confront when working internationally or in otherwise diverging contexts (e.g., functional areas, professions and industries) and to appreciate the impact of working in a different context on one's personal behaviour.

Prerequisites

None, but some prior courses on organisation, management, leadership, organisational behaviour and the like greatly enhance the fruitfulness of this course.
An advanced level of English.

Comparative Management