Beijing Foreign Studies University

COURSE SYLLABUS

Contents

Course Title..........................................................................................................................

Contact Details.....................................................................................................................

Course Description..............................................................................................................

Course Aims and Learning Objectives.............................................................................2

Learning Resources............................................................................................................2

Academic Integrity.............................................................................................................3

Miscellaneous issues...........................................................................................................4

Weekly Arrangements.......................................................................................................4

Individual Work.................................................................................................................5

Group Work.......................................................................................................................5

Meetings.............................................................................................................................5

Teaching Approach...........................................................................................................6

Assessment.........................................................................................................................6

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COURSE TITLE: Problem Solving and Devcision Making in Multiclutural Teams

SEMESTER: Fall EMAIL: [email protected]
LEVEL: OFFICE: IBS
PRE-REQUISITES: OFFICE HOURS:
CREDIT HOURS: 1 13:00 – 18:00, Thursday
INSTRUCTOR: Hou Shengtian

Class Type Days Time Room

Lecture and Thursday 17:20 am to 19:10 pm 322
workshops

COURSE DESCRIPTION

We come across problems and need to make decisions every in work as well as in daily life. As
a matter of fact, the judgement of your capability and leadership is often based on your
effectiveness in problem solving and decision making. This course provides students with
insights into how to make effective decisions with application of appropriate PSDM methods
in organization, personal development as well as daily life.
The course consists of lectures, online and offline videos, workshops, case discussions,
and a Team Project. Students are expected attend the lectures, work in teams and participate
class discussions.

1. Course Aims & Learning Objectives

² Course aims:
The course will addresses 6 important questions:
² Choose and apply appropriate problem solving and decision making processes and
methods
² Identify common obstacles to effective problem solving and decision making
² Recognize the human variable in problem solving and decision making
² Assess major conceptual blocks and significant situational challenges
² Apply concepts to enhancing personal development and organizational performance
² Explain the key elements of problem solving and decision making and the barriers
associated with them

² Learning objectives:
By the end of this curse, participants will practice and learn useful tools, which they will be
using through their career, such as:
Understand the consulting process
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² Develop a good understanding of various tools and techniques in solving problems

² Develop solution hypothesis
² Minimize any waste of time in the analysis process
² Manage the time of your teams efficiently
² Prioritize effectively
² Frame the problem though sharp questions
² Decompose the issue with logic trees and develop solution hypothesis
² Prioritize the analysis to be performed
² Use the Pareto principle through the whole process
² Adapt your message to the audience
² Synthetize key messages
² Use your audience attention span for key messages
² Choose the most effective persuasion logic and organize messages accordingly
² Develop “ story lines” for all communication media
² Translate “story lines” into effective written communication

2. Contribution to Mission & Contribution to learning goals

√Holistic Education √ Learning by doing £Human-centric values
Contribution to Mission
√Resource integration £Innovative knowledge √International view

£Goal 1 ： Students have professional knowledge and competency in applying

theoretical knowledge. (Professional Knowledge and Competency in Research)
Objective 1: Have a theoretical and practical understanding of international business
through the application of knowledge in various functional business situations.
Objective 2: Students will have the academic skills to conduct research.

£Goal 2: Students have business expertise with local knowledge and global vision.
(Global Vision)
Objective 1: Be able to identify globalization and industrial trend.
Contribution to learning Objective 2: Be able to position themselves under the international context with local
goals： Bachelor of knowledge..
Management(Major in
Business £Goal 3: Students will have an awareness of ethic behaviors and social responsibility.
Administration(International (Social Responsibility)
Business)) Objective 1: Recognize ethical business issues in business context and be able to take
business ethics as principle for judgments.
Objective 2: Make decisions in alignment with business ethics and social
responsibility.

£Goal 4: Students have the ability to communicate and conduct business in a cross-
cultural context. (Cross-cultural Communication Skill)
Objective 1: Students will be effective communicators and leaders who can prepare
and deliver oral and written presentations in at least two languages.
Objective 2: Diagnose cross-cultural communication issues in a case setting and
propose appropriate solutions.
Name: Office:
Director of Department
E-mail: Phone:
Name: Office:
Department Secretary
E-mail: Phone:

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3. Learning Resources
· Required Resources

Required Text for Learning Teams (Each team chooses at least one of the following:
² Ethan M. Rasiel: "The McKinsey Mind"
² Barbara Minto: “The Pyramid Principle"
² Richard Kock: “The 80/20 Principle”

· .Recommended Resources

Recommended Journals and Publications’:

² Harvard Business Review
² MIT Slam Management Review
² The Financial Times
² China Daily

4. Academic integrity
A student has an obligation to exhibit honesty and to respect the ethical standards of the
academy in carrying out his or her academic assignments. Without limiting the application of
this principle, a student may be found to have violated this obligation if he or she:

1. Refers during an academic evaluation to materials or sources, or employs devices, not

authorized by the instructor.
2. Provides assistance during an academic evaluation to another person in a manner not
authorized by the instructor.
3. Receives assistance during an academic evaluation from another person in a manner
not authorized by the instructor.
4. Engages in unauthorized possession, buying, selling, obtaining, or using of any
materials intended to be used as an instrument of academic evaluation in advance of
its administration.
5. Acts as a substitute for another person in any academic evaluation process.
6. Utilizes a substitute in any academic evaluation procedure.
7. Practices any form of deceit in an academic evaluation proceeding.
8. Depends on the aid of others in a manner expressly prohibited by the instructor, in the
research, preparation, creation, writing, performing, or publication of work to be
submitted for academic credit or evaluation.
9. Provides aid to another person, knowing such aid is expressly prohibited by the
instructor, in the research, preparation, creation, writing, performing, or publication of
work to be submitted for academic credit or evaluation.
10. Presents as one's own, for academic evaluation, the ideas, representations, or words of
another person or persons without customary and proper acknowledgment of sources.

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11. Submits the work of another person in a manner that represents the work to be one's
own.
12. Knowingly permits one's work to be submitted by another person without the
instructor's authorization.
13. Attempts to influence or change one's academic evaluation or record for reasons other
than achievement or merit.
14. Indulges, during a class, examination session, or any other academic setting, in
conduct that is so disruptive or disrespectful as to infringe upon the rights of the
instructor or fellow students.

Fails to cooperate, if called upon, in the investigation or disposition of any allegation of

dishonesty pertaining to another student, or any other breach of a student's obligation to exhibit
honesty.

5. Weekly Arrangements

Assignments or other
Week Date Content/Learning Activities
learning activities
Course Introduction Forming learning teams
1
Problems and Decisions Woodman’s Decision
Decision Process Read the assigned text
2
Brainstorm Watch the assigned video
PSDM Tools Read the assigned text
3
PSDM Methods Watch the assigned video
Implementing Decisions Read the assigned text
4
Individual learning sharing
Problem Solving with PDCA in Daily Read the assigned text
5 Office Work
Individual learning sharing
Seminar（1）:The McKinsey Mind Read the assigned text
6
Team presentation + class discussion
Seminar（2）:The 80/20 Principle Read the assigned text
7
Team presentation + class discussion
Seminar（3）:The Pyramid Principle Read the assigned text
8
Team presentation + class discussion

Individual work:
There will be Individual assignments for this course.
(1) Reading relevant chapters before each content discussion session.
(2) Draw 3 mind maps of your assigned team BOOK or individual learning sharing in
TED format.
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(3) Write-up to reflect on the course: what you have learned, how you are going to apply,
how to improve the course, etc.
(4) Ad hoc assignments

Team-work:
¨ Students will form Learning teams consisting of 5-6 students to work on this project.
(Depend on number of registrations, and no more than 6 teams will be formed.)
¨ Each team choose ONE from the 3 textbooks and start team learning of the book in the
next 3 weeks.
¨ Each book will offer 2 opportunities to be chosen , and books are assigned on a "first come,
first serve" basis.
¨ Each team will have 20 minutes to present, with 5 minutes of that time devoted to Q&A.
¨ TWO teams will be assigned to present each session, and team members are expected to
attend their entire assigned hour to listen and participate in the other presentations. Every
team member has to make the actual presentation.
¨ Reminder: Charts, tables quoted need to specify the resource.

6. Meetings
Online or offline meetings will be arranged upon appointment during the course.

7. Teaching Approach
√ Lecture √Study Group
√ Case Study £Seminar on Field Research
√ e-Learning £Internship
£Project Adventure £Service Learning
£Role Playing √Independent Study
£Business Simulation Game £Dialogue Teaching
£Theater Learning £ Others

8. Assessment
Table 1. Assessments and percentage
Assessment Task & Details & Due date Weighting
Graded Elements
Performance Attendance and class participation 20%
Individual learning Individual learning sharing in class (TED- 20%
PSDM) / Mindmaps of assigned chapters

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Write-up assignment Course Reflection 20%

due one week after the last lecture
Team Project Team learning sharing, the last 3 sessions 40%

This class also follows the rules and expectations regarding letter grades provided by BFSU and it also
follows the grading curve policies. See table 2.
Table 2. Number and letter grade correspondence
百分制分数 等级 绩点
90-100 A 4.0
85-89 B+ 3.7
82-84 B 3.3
78-81 B- 3.0
75-77 C+ 2.7
72-74 C 2.3
68-71 C- 2.0
64-67 D+ 1.5
60-63 D 1.0
0-59 F 0
Points Grades Grade points
85≤ A 4.0
78≤x<85 B 3.0
60≤x<78 C 2.0
55≤x<60 D 1.0
<55 F 0