РОССИЙСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ГУМАНИТАРНЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ



Дистанционный курс на английском языке РГГУ - Университет Бакнел (Пенсильвания, США) “RSS 350 Global Manager in Russia”
25.01.2011

Дистанционный курс на английском языке РГГУ - Университет Бакнел (Пенсильвания, США) “RSS 350 Global Manager in Russia”

Кафедра английского языка РГГУ поддерживает многочисленные связи с университетами США и Великобритании, практикуя разнообразные формы осуществления академических и научных контактов.


25.01.2011

Дистанционный курс на английском языке РГГУ - Университет Бакнел (Пенсильвания, США) “RSS 350 Global Manager in Russia”

Кафедра английского языка РГГУ поддерживает  многочисленные связи с университетами США и Великобритании, практикуя разнообразные формы осуществления академических и научных контактов. Запуск и разработка проекта РГГУ – Университет Бакнелл впервые позволила выйти на уровень совместной дистанционной академической программы между университетами-партнерами.

Академический проект РГГУ-Бакнелл “RUSS 350 Global Manager in Russia”, открыл практику регулярного проведения телеконференций с университетом-партнером в режиме реального времени.

В 2-м семестре 2010/11 учебного года концепция проекта со стороны РГГУ была представлена научным руководителем проекта -  директором Института экономики, управления и права, профессором Н.А. Архиповой, руководителем - заведующей кафедрой английского языка, профессором И.В. Петровой и координатором проекта – зам. зав. кафедрой английского языка по международной работе, доцентом И.И. Воронцовой.

Среди главных целей проекта - активизацию культурного диалога между американскими и российскими студентами, выявление и обсуждение проблематики ведения бизнеса в РФ и США, рассмотрение широкого круга социально-экономических вопросов; практическое применение полученных навыков и знаний делового английского, экономики и маркетинга студентами университетов, а также получение навыков ведения дебатов.

В рамках проекта студенты еженедельно слушают лекции американских и российских преподавателей, посвященные проблемам экономического развития стран, ведения предпринимательской деятельности, создания бизнеса. Участие в проекте также предполагает индивидуальное вовлечение студентов в работу: выполнение пред- и постлекционных  заданий преподавателей, выкладываемых в WIMBA classroom, и ведение дискуссий на сайте Bucknell; интерактивное общение с американскими студентами; участие в форумах по экономической ситуации и предпринимательской деятельности в России в формате Discussion Board.

Курс заканчивается презентациями и проведением переговоров на  заключительной конференции, а также вручением сертификатов Бизнес-Школы ИЭУП РГГУ.

 

Описание программы на английском языке и расписание занятий:

MGMT 315/ RUSS 350 Global Manager in Russia (in English)

5 credit course will be taught for 7 weeks:1 week in January, 4 weeks in February, 1 week in March, and 1 week in April.

TR 9:30 - 11 am

Instructors: Slava Yastremski and Michael Johnson-Cramer

 

Course Objectives

The course is designed to prepare students in practical ways for their work in the global business environment and Russia in particular. The course’s objectives include:

1. Understand the Russian business environment and the macro-social (economic, political, and cultural) that shape how business is done in Russia.
2. Discuss business practices in Russia including working practices, structure and hierarchy of the Russian companies, and etiquette, and compare them to those of foreign companies and joint-ventures working in Russia.
3. Examine the behaviors and skills that allow global managers to manage effectively in a new environment: cross-cultural awareness, negotiation, scenario planning, etc.

4. Cultivate the development of personal traits: maturity, empathy, self-awareness that come through encounters with the foreign.
5. Prepare students for their externship in Russia: survival Russian, cultural background, and direct contact with Russian students, professors, and businessmen.

Description of the Subject Matter

The course focuses on the business and economic environment in Russia today at a very opportune moment in development of that country and Russian-American relations. Russia once again becomes (or some may argue has become already) a major player on the economic and political arenas. In July 22, 2008 article, The Wall Street Journal reported that “So far in 2008, Russian firms have purchased more than $4.2 billion in U.S. companies and assets, and an additional $17.4 billion of companies around the world. While small by U.S. standards, these are already new annual records. And by all accounts, the Russians are just getting started.” In another article WSJ discussed recent real estate purchases in the USA by Russian oligarchs. Russian oil company Lukoil is firmly entrenched on the East coast and more companies are coming. The recent military conflict in Georgia demonstrated that Russia has quietly restored its military potential and presents a definite threat. By examining the current trends in Russian international business and the specifics of doing business in Russia, the course will better prepare students for their own future managing in the “globalized” environment.

Method of Instruction and Studies

The course is unique in that it is designed on the interaction between American and Russian students carried out via teleconferencing and virtual classroom discussions. The course will be a combination of lectures, discussions, and independent projects. Lectures will consist of presentations by Prof Yastremski on Russian business culture and Professor Johnson-Cramer’s discussions of four cases of international business in Russia from the late perestroika years to the time of Putin’s administration as well as three lectures by Russian specialists (both by professors of management and business practitioners) on the current state of Russian business, conducted via Internet and video-conferences with participation of Russian students. Students will be asked to discuss the issues raised in the guest-speakers: lectures in class and also with their Russian counterparts in the controlled blogging site on the Blackboard. Students will be asked to carry independent group and individual projects (ranging from researching the Internet recourses on assigned topics to conducting mock business negotiations with the “Russian” companies) and do class presentations on them. American students will also have weekly “Survival Russian” sessions which will include learning basics of Russian language, necessary for functioning in Russian everyday environment, and introduce them to both the high (arts and literature) and low (popular forms of entertainment, cuisine, behavior, etc.) Russian culture.

 

 

 

Schedule of Sessions

 

Week 1 – Introduction. Encounter with the “Other”

 

Jan 21        Course logistics.

         Technical set-up (blog site, useful links, etc.)

Encountering the “Other”

Historical background on Russia and the Soviet Union: economy and politics

Exploring the preconceptions about Russia

Expatriate anxiety and culture shock

 

Prof Slav Yastremski and Michael Johnson-Cramer

 

Week 2 – The Transition (I)

 

Jan 25        From the Soviet Union toward the New Russia (privatization, corruption,          organized crime, etc.)

Perestroyka

Now and then comparison.

Clips from films “Good Luck, Gentlemen” and “Boomer”

 

Prof Slav Yastremnski

 

Jan 27        Basic macro-economic picture.

Students prepare a presentation on the present day state of Russian economy based on their on-line research.

 

         Prof Slav Yastremski

 

Week 3 – The Transition (II)

 

Feb 8 Making cross-cultural comparisons and examining their implication for inter-         personal relationships – lecture by a Management professor (?)

Hofstede/Trompenaars/Hall – Dimensions of Culture

Grachev “Making the Most of Cultural Differences”

è             on-line discussion

 

         Prof Slav Yastremski

 

Feb 9 Basic industry analysis – how does an industry look different now?

A ground-level view of how managing is fundamentally different task now.

Case: Ice Fili

 

Professor: Michael Johnson-Cramer

 

 

Week 4 – Business and Politics (I) Putin’s Russia

 

Feb 15        Examination of consumer trends in Russia – Prof Michael Johnson-Cramer

Case: McDonald’s Russia

 

Feb 17 Doing business in Russia – a lecture by a Russian professor A. Nazaryuk

On-line discussion with Russian students.

 

Please go on line and participate in the discussion on the questions provided by Prof Nazaryuk

 

Week 5 – Business and Politics (II) The Global Manager as Politician

 

Feb 22        Development of actual scenarios on Russia 2020 – M. Johnson-Cramer

More advanced readings – Shell’s 2015 Scenarios Film: “The Oligarch”

 

Feb 24        Lecture by Troy MacGrath on relationship between business and government in      Russia.

Blogging session with Russian students/videoconference discussion on this topic.

 

Week 6 – Russia as Consumer

 

March 1      Case: Cimetrics Technologies

Generating trends/uncertainty data from Russian context

 

Prof - M. Johnson-Cramer

 

March 3      Russian consumer from the Russian perspective – Russian professor of          management--TBA.

 

Mock “business meeting” between the American and Russian representatives (via          Internet with Russian students).

 

Week 7 – Russia as a Business Partner

 

April 5 Development of actual scenarios on Russia 2020 – M. Johnson-Cramer

More advanced readings – Shell’s 2015 Scenarios

 

April 7 Revisiting the notion of cultural differences from the opposite direction –          American reaction to Russian culture – Prof M. Johnson-Cramer

Case: Russian Standard

 

Week 8 – Russia as a Business Partner

 

April 12 Final negotiations and agreement/contract signing with the “Russian Co.”