2 Probation and Punishment 1. As explained in the text, Islam was founded by the prophet Mohammed. After his death in 632, a split occurred in Islam creating two groups who became known as Shi’ites and Sunnis. Assess the importance of the split in Islam to both the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq. Provide a rationale for your response. 2. Analyze the fundamental differences between Shi’ites and Sunnis in relation to the war on terrorism. Hypothesize one (1) way in which the analysis of such differences and the information that it yields is useful relative to the current situation in Iraq. Provide a rationale for your response. 3. Per the text, the militant version of Islam first began in the 11th century and has continued to develop in modern times. Determine whether or not you believe that the three (3) individuals most recognized as founding this militant philosophy influenced Osama Bin Laden’s decisions and / or his role in terrorism. Provide support for your rationale. 4. Examine the seminal contributions that each of the three (3) individuals from the first part of this discussion have afforded to the militant Islamic philosophy. Choose the one (1) contributor that you believe has had the most influence on current Islamic Jihadists. Defend your choice, and explain the key reasons why the person you chose was the most influential. 5. Describe the precautionary measures taken by airlines to prepare for probable issues before they arise. Course name: Cross Cultural Management Assignment 1 Module 1 - The Importance of Cross Cultural Management Objectives The aim of this assignment is to provide learners with an opportunity to reflect, in their own words, on the insight of three ongoing extensive initiatives seeking to help us improve our understanding of managing across cultures. Instructor Comments A little bit of travel opens up the mind to new possibilities as well as the importance of understanding foreign cultures. In North America, our business system accentuates the formal contractual nature of relationships. We often shop for price and/or quality with little thought given as to who produces an item or who provides particular services. Practices in other national cultures can be different. In many instances, a purchase is made or a relationship developed because of a friendship or family relationship. Deals are sealed by a handshake, not the ink of a pen. Understanding the cultural subtleties surrounding practices can make or break a business deal unbeknownst to the deal-makers. Geert Hofstede is probably the best known researcher of national cultures as they relate to business practices. His insights obtained from a 1970's study of 100,000 IBM employees around the world serve as the benchmark for this important area of understanding. Fons Trom ...

1. 2
Probation and Punishment
1. As explained in the text, Islam was founded by the prophet
Mohammed. After his death in 632, a split occurred in Islam
creating two groups who became known as Shi’ites and Sunnis.
Assess the importance of the split in Islam to both the war on
terrorism and the war in Iraq. Provide a rationale for your
response.
2. Analyze the fundamental differences between Shi’ites and
Sunnis in relation to the war on terrorism. Hypothesize one (1)
way in which the analysis of such differences and the
information that it yields is useful relative to the current
situation in Iraq. Provide a rationale for your response.
3. Per the text, the militant version of Islam first began in the
11th century and has continued to develop in modern times.
Determine whether or not you believe that the three (3)
individuals most recognized as founding this militant
philosophy influenced Osama Bin Laden’s decisions and / or his
role in terrorism. Provide support for your rationale.
4. Examine the seminal contributions that each of the three (3)
individuals from the first part of this discussion have afforded
to the militant Islamic philosophy. Choose the one (1)
contributor that you believe has had the most influence on
current Islamic Jihadists. Defend your choice, and explain the
key reasons why the person you chose was the most influential.
5. Describe the precautionary measures taken by airlines to
prepare for probable issues before they arise.
Course name: Cross Cultural Management
Assignment 1

2. Module 1 - The Importance of Cross Cultural Management
Objectives
The aim of this assignment is to provide learners with an
opportunity to reflect, in their own words, on the insight of
three ongoing extensive initiatives seeking to help us improve
our understanding of managing across cultures.
Instructor Comments
A little bit of travel opens up the mind to new possibilities as
well as the importance of understanding foreign cultures. In
North America, our business system accentuates the formal
contractual nature of relationships. We often shop for price
and/or quality with little thought given as to who produces an
item or who provides particular services. Practices in other
national cultures can be different. In many instances, a purchase
is made or a relationship developed because of a friendship or
family relationship. Deals are sealed by a handshake, not the
ink of a pen. Understanding the cultural subtleties surrounding
practices can make or break a business deal unbeknownst to the
deal-makers.
Geert Hofstede is probably the best known researcher of
national cultures as they relate to business practices. His
insights obtained from a 1970's study of 100,000 IBM
employees around the world serve as the benchmark for this
important area of understanding. Fons Trompenaars undertook
his own research and built on Hofstede's ideas to create his own
framework of understanding national cultures. Along with these
two large research programs, a third is currently underway
seeking to understand the difference in leadership around the
world. Robert House and Mansour Javidan lead this group.
These three research programs inform this assignment and
hopefully serve to improve your knowledge of all important
differences and similarities across cultures.
Assignment
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, "Why does cross-cultural
management matter?"

3. You should base your responses to the following questions on
the insight found in the following four readings:
(Note: To access Library Articles and Journals from off-campus
use VPN)
· John Bing: Hofstede's consequences: The impact of his work
on consulting and business practices. Academy of Management
Executive. 2004
· Geert Hofstede: Cultural Constraints in Management Theories,
Academy of Management Executive. 1993 7(1) 81 - 94.
· Mansour Javidan, Peter Dorfman, Mary Sully de Luque and
Robert House:In the eye of the beholder: Cross Cultural Lessons
in Leadership from Project Globe, Academy of Management
Perspectives. 2006 67 -89
· Fons Trompenaars and Peter Wooliams: A new framework for
managing change across cultures, Journal of Change
Management 2003 3(4) 361 - 375
In order to complete this assignment, please write an essay that
offers your ideas about the definition of culture and the
importance of cross cultural management frameworks as evident
from the ideas found in the readings noted above. In the essay
you should answer the following three questions:
· How do each of these authors define culture (Hofstede,
Trompenaars & Javidan) noted in the readings?
· Why is cross-cultural management important?
· Why are each of these perspectives important? How do each
set of authors define the importance of their work?
Hint: This is an open ended essay. Please use your knowledge of
the work of Geert Hofstede, Fons Trompenaars, Mansour
Javidan and their colleagues along with the country insights and
national culture information found on the websites of the Centre
for Inter Cultural Learning and Telegraph.co.uk to formulate
your response.
1000 words. Please cite your sources in the text and please
reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end your
write-up with one paragraph that summarizes what you think is

4. the importance of this assignment.
Assignment 2
Module 2 - The Ideas of Geert Hofstede: Cultural
Module 2 - The Ideas of Geert Hofstede: Cultural Dimensions
Objectives
The aim of this assignment is to suggest the role played by
management scholars in developing new ideas useful to
individuals interested in cross cultural management.
Specifically this assignment addresses the ideas and frameworks
of Geert Hofstede.
Instructor Comments
Think about a country and its people. Now think about
describing the culture or worldview of these people using five
dimensions. This exercise explores the culture of a number of
countries doing just that. This idea and its framework created
through the years of research are controversial. While the ideas
are powerful, many would suggest that they oversimplify the
concept of culture. How can a culture, built up over hundreds or
thousands of years be clarified or understood through such
uncomplicated themes? The answer to this question is yours to
create.
Concepts such as Hofstede's five cultural dimensions serve an
important role and that is to help managers, observers, travelers
and others make sense of complex environments. Surprising and
annoying to some is that these dimensions are also empirically
derived. Statistical analysis of thousands of data points brought
these dimensions to the fore. They represent the interaction of
science with the abstract world of values. beliefs and
worldviews.
Assignment
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, "How do cultural dimensions differ
across countries?" You should base your responses to the

5. following questions on your analysis of the ideas of Geert
Hofstede.
In order to complete this assignment, you will need to access
the country profiles based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions
using the following website: http://www.geert-hofstede.com
Please complete the following exercises.
Please define Power Distance in one sentence and summarize
the differences (if any) in Power Distance among Russia,
Venezuala, Japan and Bhutan.
Please define Individualism in one sentence and summarize the
differences (if any) in Individualism among Russia, Venezuala,
Japan and Bhutan.
Please define Masculinity/Femininity in one sentence and
summarize the differences (if any) in Masculinity/Femininity
among Russia, Venezuala, Japan and Bhutan.
Please define Uncertainty Avoidance in one sentence and
summarize the differences (if any) in Uncertainty Avoidance
among Russia, Venezuala, Japan and Bhutan.
Please define Temporal Orientation in one sentence and
summarize the differences (if any) in Temporal Orientation
among Russia, Venezuala, Japan and Bhutan.
Hint: The country profiles described in terms of Hofstede's
cultural dimensions http://www.geert-hofstede.com may be of
great value when completing this assignment.
1000 words. Please cite your sources in the text and please
reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end your
write-up with one paragraph that summarizes what you think is
the importance of this assignment.
Assignment 3
Module 3 - The Ideas of Geert Hofstede: Similar Countries
Objectives
The aim of this assignment is to suggest the role played by
management scholars in developing new ideas useful to
individuals interested in cross cultural management.
Specifically this assignment addresses the ideas and frameworks

6. of Geert Hofstede.
Instructor Comments
Hofstede's dimensions play fascinating roles in helping us
understand different societies. Take for instance countries or
cultures where both scores associated with Uncertainty
Avoidance and Power Distance are high. In these instances, the
result is the creation of "societies that are highly rule-oriented
with laws, rules, regulations, and controls in order to reduce the
amount of uncertainty, while inequalities of power and wealth
have been allowed to grow within the society. These cultures
are more likely to follow a caste system that does not allow
significant upward mobility of its citizens.
Further, "when these two dimensions are combined, it creates a
situation where leaders have virtually ultimate power and
authority, and the rules, laws and regulations developed by
those in power, reinforce their own leadership and control. It is
not unusual for new leadership to arise from armed insurrection
- the ultimate power, rather than from diplomatic or democratic
change. "Understanding the meanings associated with these
dimensions helps to explain why Pakistan is why it is. It also
helps to explain why Canada is not similar.
Assignment
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, "How are some national cultures
similar?" You should base your responses to the following
questions on your analysis of the ideas of Geert Hofstede.
In order to complete this assignment, you will need to access
the country profiles based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions
using the following website: http://www.geert-hofstede.com
Please complete the following exercises.
Please identify five countries that are similar in terms of Power
Distance. Please summarize in your own words why they are
similar.
Please identify five countries that are similar in terms of

7. Individualism. Please summarize in your own words why they
are similar.
Please identify five countries that are similar in terms of
Masculinity/Femininity. Please summarize in your own words
why they are similar.
Please identify five countries that are similar in terms of
Uncertainty Avoidance. Please summarize in your own words
why they are similar.
Please identify five countries that are similar in terms of
Temporal Orientation. Please summarize in your own words
why they are similar.
Hint: The country profiles described in terms of Hofstede's
cultural dimensions http://www.geert-hofstede.com may be of
great value when completing this assignment.
1000 words. Please cite your sources in the text and please
reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end your
write-up with one paragraph that summarizes what you think is
the importance of this assignment.
Assignment 4
Module 4 - The Ideas of Geert Hofstede: Canada and the World
Objectives
The aim of this assignment is to suggest the role played by
management scholars in developing new ideas useful to
individuals interested in cross cultural management.
Specifically this assignment addresses the ideas and frameworks
of Geert Hofstede.
Instructor Comments
To understand the influence of Geert Hofstede, consider the
comments of John Bing (2004: 2). "Hofstede is the most cited
Dutch author and the ninth most cited European in the 2001
Social Science Citation Index. Over time Hofstede's influence
has become so persuasive, and his work has developed so many
offshoots, that even those who don't agree with his theory or
conclusions must at least acknowledge his work. Debates within

8. the field are an expected part of the process of theory building,
testing, and questioning which characterizes modern science.
What is clear is that Hofstede designed the architecture that has
characterized much of contemporary cross-cultural quantitative
research; and his is the standard to which others must make
reference. It would be easier for caravans to cross the desert
without touching sand than it would be for researchers and
practitioners in this field to avoid Hofstede's work."
Despite his influence, his research is often misused or
misunderstood. "A common error to which practitioners may be
prone involves predicting individual cultural preferences by
inference from Hofstede's country scores. Merely because, for
example, Chileans have a high uncertainty avoidance score does
not mean that individual Chileans share that quality. they may
or may not. Most populations are normal curves, and an
individual may be found at one extreme or in the center. That
individual's cultural preference cannot be predicted from the
country scores. However, as a whole population, the group
tendency is in a specific direction, and that is how Hofstede's
scores are derived." (Bing, 2004: 2). Consider these points as
you complete this assignment.
Assignment
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, "How similar or different is the
culture of Canada to other countries?" You should base your
responses to the following questions on your analysis of the
ideas of Geert Hofstede.
In order to complete this assignment, you will need to access
the country profiles based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions
using the following website: http://www.geert-hofstede.com
Please complete the following exercises.
· How is the national culture of English Canada similar or
different from that of Australia?
· How is the national culture of English Canada similar or
different from that of Burkina Faso?

9. · How is the national culture of English Canada similar or
different from that of South Korea?
· How is the national culture of English Canada similar or
different from that of the Brazil?
· How is the national culture of English Canada similar or
different from that of Malaysia?
Hint: The country profiles described in terms of Hofstede's
cultural dimensions http://www.geert-hofstede.com may be of
great value when completing this assignment.
1000 words. Please cite your sources in the text and please
reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end your
write-up with one paragraph that summarizes what you think is
the importance of this assignment.
Assignment 5
Module 5 - A Sample of Useful Online Information Sources for
Cross Cultural Management
Objectives
The aim of this assignment is to suggest sources of online
information useful for managing across cultures and why they
are valuable.
Instructor Comments
The websites of Kwintessential and the Centre for Inter-Cultural
Learning are gifts. Their scroll down features offer the curious a
quick and fascinating means to summarize a nation's culture.
The latter source is written for Canadian's from the perspective
of the host culture with a comparison to that of Canada. Of
interest is that this source is an important tool used to train
Canadian diplomats and government representatives prior to
heading off for extended stays overseas.
These descriptions are quite extensive but are also fairly new in
this form. Surprisingly, free, easily accessible and well
organized information of this nature is not that easy to find.
Presented in this form, both of these information sources serve
as excellent vehicles for making comparisons across cultures in

10. a fairly user friendly fashion.
Assignment
This assignment seeks to help you understand the answer to a
broader concern and that is, "How can some publicly available
online information sources help me understand different
national cultures?" You should base your responses to the
following questions on your analysis of a series of websites
noted below.
· Country Etiquette Guides found on the Kwintessential.com
website. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/country-
profiles.html and
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-
in.html
· Country Insights found on Centre for Inter-Cultural Learning
website. http://www.intercultures.ca
For each of the questions below, compare and summarize in
one-half page each, the responses for five countries.
Please answer the following questions.
· What is one important point associated with negotiations?
· What are some rules of thumb associated with meeting and
greeting?
· How might a foreigner make a good first impression?
· What are some of the stereotypes associated with the culture
of the country?
Hint: Please look closely at the questions and/or keywords used
on the Kwintessential's Country Etiquette Guides and the Centre
for Inter-Cultural Learning's Country Insights. You might find
similarities with those of this assignment.
1000 words. Please cite your sources in the text and please
reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end your
write-up with one paragraph that summarizes what you think is
the importance of this assignment.