1.1 Devotion: Biblical Perspective

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Getting Started

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2 (New International Version)

So often, we are quick to judge our neighbors and others around us. Today’s society has allowed us to forget what Christ has taught us: to love thy neighbor. Romans 12:2 is a blueprint that is set forth to show us how each one of us should transform our character and renew our mind. The biblical perspective recognizes the active opposition of a personal adversary. In the business world, we diversify ourselves with others from all walks of life, not knowing that God has placed each of us together for the common good. Thinking back on your workplace, how do you engage with others from other backgrounds? Do you place judgment on others? Do you reflect your views on social media and other blogging components? Is this right?

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

• Articulate the importance of integrating a Christian worldview with global business practice.

Resources

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. Take time to reflect on Romans 12:2. 
3. Consider the following question:
   1. How does this verse impact you in matters of faith in the workplace?
4. Post your answer in the discussion thread by the end of the workshop.

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1.2 Discussion: Power Distance (Part A)

Getting Started

This is a two-week discussion. Your initial post is due by the end Workshop One. You will then engage in dialogue with your classmates in at least three discussion threads (one of which is your initial post) and will post a summary of your new knowledge for each of the three discussion threads. While your interactions are not due until the end of Workshop Two, you should be prepared to engage in the discussion throughout both workshops.

For this discussion, you will watch a 10-minute video in which researcher Geert Hofstede explains “power distance,” which is one of six dimensions of national culture that were described in his formative research on culture. From the video and the accompanying PowerPoint presentation, you will discover:

• Definition of power distance
• How power distance transfers between generations within a society
• Differences between cultures characterized by large distance and small power distance
• The role of the perception of inequality and hierarchy in power distance
• Characteristics of power distance
• Components of the power distance index (PDI)
• Societal characteristics that can be correlated with the PDI 

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

• Examine theoretical concepts in the exploration of globalization and culture.
• Research cultural differences related to business decision making and strategic planning.

Resources

• Video: 10 Minutes with Geert Hofstede on Power Distance
• File: Power Distance PowerPoint

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to ensure your understanding of the criteria for earning your grade.
2. Watch the video “10 Minutes with Geert Hofstede on Power Distance.”
3. Review the Power Distance file.
4. Navigate to the discussion below and post a substantive response to the following questions:
   1. Compare and contrast attitudes toward authority between high power distance cultures and low power distance cultures.
   2. Think about an organization with which you are involved (work, church, civic organization, etc.). Identify the organization and describe how you would characterize the power distance dimension within the organization’s culture. Is it high, low, or somewhere in between? Explain how you came to this conclusion and provide an example to support your assertion.
   3. Describe how the principle of power distance is evident within the organization you identified.
5. Your initial response should:
   1. Be 200–300 words in length
   2. Include a minimum of two properly cited references. For questions on APA style, go to OCLS APA Writing Style Guides.
6. Your initial response is due by the end of Workshop One.
7. You will respond to your classmates in the 2.2 Discussion: Power Distance (Part B).

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1.3 Assignment: PowerPoint Presentation

Getting Started

In this assignment, you will read a Harvard Business Review article and view a five-minute video about a transcultural leader, former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, Inc, Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi. She is considered one of the most highly influential CEOs in the world and was for five consecutive years at the very top of the list of the 50 most powerful women prepared by Fortune magazine. Nooyi was born in Chennai, India. She was heavily influenced by her stay-at-home mother, Shantha Krishnamoorthy, whom she considered her first management teacher in her life. Though she had a conservative South Indian upbringing, there were many contrasting influences in Nooyi’s life. Observers noted that though she belonged to a Hindu home, she went to a Roman Catholic School. Her mother would often ask her, “How would you change the world?” (Taneja, 2017).

Reference

Taneja, R. (2017, January 12). Career story of Indra Nooyi. CareerGuide.com. https://www.careerguide.com/blog/career-story-indra-nooyi

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

• Develop a cultural profile.
• Understand the effects of power distance on a transcultural leader.
• Examine theoretical concepts of business globalization and culture.
• Defend multicultural competency as a necessary skill for managerial success.
• Analyze the impact of cultural differences on business decision making and strategic planning.

Resources

• Video: Nooyi: You Can ‘Have It All’ With Support, Sacrifices 
• Article: How Indra Nooyi Turned Design Thinking Into Strategy

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. Read the article “How Indra Nooyi Turned Design Thinking Into Strategy.”
3. Watch the video “Nooyi: You Can ‘Have It All’ With Support, Sacrifices.”
4. Develop an American-Indian cultural profile via a 10- to 12-slide presentation (utilizing the presentation tool of your choice). Include narrative giving generalized country profiles based on a synthesis of research, primarily from Hofstede as well as numerous other sources. This profile illustrates how to synthesize information and gain a sense of the character of a society from which implications may be drawn about how to manage more effectively in that society.
5. The 10- to 12-slide presentation should also include the answers to the following questions:
   1. What is the PDI (power distance index) for India compared to America? The difference between the two PDIs indicates what information for global managers?
   2. What were the factors that shaped Indra Nooyi as a leader?
   3. If PepsiCo were headquartered in India, how might Nooyi lead her employees in India based on the PDI of this country in comparison to America? 
   4. What leadership style is being used by Nooyi at PepsiCo? Highlight the mix of various leadership styles found in Nooyi, such as that of servant leadership, ethical leadership, socialized charismatic leadership, and authentic leadership.
6. Your presentation should include a minimum of three properly cited references. For questions on APA style, go to OCLS APA Writing Style Guides.
7. Your presentation is due by the end of the workshop.