This introduction to the Instructor's Resources explains the flipped classroom approach that Martin J. Gannon uses to teach the material. 

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INTRODUCTION

This manual, which describes various resources that Martin Gannon and Rajnandini Pillai have developed and used extensively for many years, was written by Martin J. Gannon and Rajnandini Pillai, both of whom have had extensive and intensive experience teaching cross-cultural courses at the senior undergraduate  and MBA levels.  They have also taught cross-cultural modules in several management training programs during the past 30 years. 

There are several distinctive and, in some cases, unique resources that they have created for this sixth edition.  For example, the authors suggest that a variant of the flipped classroom technique seems to be the best way to teach using the 6th edition; the instructor assigns one or two chapters per class day and, after taking roll, asks if the students have any questions about the assigned chapter or chapters.  The instructor can also ask a few questions provided in the Discussion Questions section of this Manual to generate discussion, especially if some students come to class without reading the assigned chapter or chapters.  After a short discussion, the instructor can use one or more of the suggested learning modules below.  Hence a large part of each class is devoted to active learning and learning modules involving a mix of lecturettes, case studies, cross-cultural learning videos, films, the internet, short critical incidents, student presentations, and guest speakers.

Using this type of a flipped classroom approach, the instructor gives more responsibility to the students in terms of completing examinations and individual and group assignments.  At the start of the course the instructor will indicate that each of the three exams will consist of 40 of 43 multiple choice questions, with each question worth 1.5 points, and with students leaving three questions unanswered.  We have asterisked the correct answers in the three exams provided in this manual.   Each exam will also have two of three essay questions, each worth 20% and with the student answering only two questions.  At the start of course the instructor will give each student access to the discussion questions by class provided in this Manual and indicate that the exam questions will be drawn directly from the discussion questions, the second or extended table of contents, and class discussions.  The instructor can also point out that the major points within each chapter are highlighted in blue in the body of the 6th edition itself, and that there is a glossary of terms that the student can use to prepare for the three exams.  The individual interview or assignment and the advertising/marketing  exercise by small groups of student each constitute 20% of the final weighted grade, as do each of the three exams.  See Gannon’s 2015 syllabus in this Manual.

Hence the instructor is free to use different learning modules that are given below in the actual classes themselves, which is a variant of the flipped classroom.  With the exception of the introductory modules and its PowerPoint slides, which parallel the discussion in chapter one, plus a few other opening exercises to be used in the first two or three classes, we advise the instructor to select the modules with which they are most comfortable.  The instructor does not have to follow a fixed pattern but can pick and choose learning modules depending on personal preferences.  However, we have arranged the modules in the approximate order in which we sequence them throughout the semester and have found this sequence to be both successful and easy to implement.  These are the modules that we found most useful in teaching undergraduate and Master students and management trainees.

We have also provided the actual syllabus for the Spring semester, 2015 that we have used in teaching “Managing in Different Cultures.”  The schedule in the syllabus indicates when each of the three exams should be given and the chapters included in each exam.  Please note that we have included questions from only 27 chapters of the book in the three exams.  However, we have also provided multiple choice questions and essay questions for the remaining nine chapters in a separate part of this Manual and indicated the correct selection for each multiple choice question provided.  Hence, depending on the instructor’s preferences, he or she can either use the three exams as they exist or add or subtract multiple choice and/or discussion questions from these nine chapters, which would necessitate changing the syllabus slightly to integrate one or more of these chapters as requirements for the course.

There are also instructions in the syllabus for one individual assignment and one group assignment.  The individual assignment involves interviewing someone from a national culture different from one’s own;   ideally this should be a businessperson but can also be a fellow student or a faculty member or a relevant other person such as a clergyman who now lives in the U.S.  In the interview the interviewer should first describe the cultural metaphor for the interviewer’s culture and its major features if it is available in the 6th edition.  Otherwise, the interviewer should probe as to what cultural metaphor – after explaining what a cultural metaphor is (see Preface and chapter 1 of the 6th edition) – that the interviewee would consider to be appropriate for his/her national culture.  Ideally, the interview should take one hour and include other questions that the interviewer would like to ask.  Also, small teams of students can construct their common core questions for the interview during the class period, which allows the instructor to be hands-on with suggestions. The group exercise is explained in the syllabus and involves an Advertising/Marketing Exercise.  As noted above, each of the three exams is worth 20%, as is the individual interview and the group project, the latter of which can be presented in class by team members.