A 2500-word report based on a topic, which will be provided to you in advance. You will be asked to work in a multi-cultural team with two or three other students from your seminar group. Each team should choose a question from the list below.

1. What are the principal causes of communication problems in global virtual teams? Outline the main elements of a strategy designed to address these
2. What cultural and ethical issues are involved in the giving and receiving of gifts, and how should multinational companies address them?
3. Explain the differences between monochronic and polychronic approaches towards time. Why might it be important to understand these differences when managing in culturally diverse environments?
4. According to Fang (2003, p. 356) yao mianzi (protecting your face) is a ‘self-regulating moral mechanism’ in Chinese society. What are the main features of yao mianzi, and why might it be important for Westerners to have an understanding of it when preparing to negotiate with the Chinese?
5. What issues or problems are corporate language policies designed to address? Identify the main elements of such policies, drawing on relevant examples.
6. What is the difference between paternalistic and authoritarian leadership? What connection can you find between cultural values and an apparent preference for paternalistic leadership within specific national cultural contexts?
7. How do cultural factors and cultural differences impact on the effectiveness of performance appraisal systems? What are the implications for designing and implementing appraisal systems in multicultural organisations?
8. To what extent do cultural factors influence recruitment and selection practices in different countries? What are the implications of these differences for international recruitment?
9. What evidence is there that employee preference for particular forms of reward – for example intrinsic or extrinsic – varies across cultural contexts?
10. What part do cultural factors play in the contrasting levels of participation by women in management found across different countries?

Group paper on topic

Your first task as a team is to research the topic and to produce a 2,500-word paper on your chosen question. You should apply relevant theory from the field of cross-cultural management and show the implications and relevance of the issues for management practice. You must include relevant material drawn from reliable sources that you have consulted in researching your topic.