East Meets West

The increasing globalization of business means that those responsible for educating tomorrow's managers must give priority to the development of “cross-cultural capability,” comprising an awareness of, and sensitivity towards, cultural differences; cross-cultural business skills; and international management competence. Using multi-cultural groupwork for this purpose on the MSc in International Business course at Sheffield Hallam University, UK, indicates that it can result in enhanced capability, but may also lead to the reinforcing of cultural stereotypes. Successful implementation depends upon tutors confronting the challenges involved. These relate to the discourse of groupwork; group formation; consciousness raising; the handling of cross-cultural disagreements; and the fostering of reflective practice.