Trust, Trade, and Cultural Tensions

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Career Custer: Business, Management and Administration

  Program Name: International Business

  CIP Number: 0552110110

  Course Name: International Business Systems

  Course Number: 8216110

  Course Type: HS Career Prep

  CTE-BUS.912.8216110.11.1- Demonstrate knowledge of multicultural environments.

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with case study, “Trust, Trade, and Cultural Tensions.” See CPALMS Resource ID# 219918.

• Career Connection

  
  

  Students will analyze how entrepreneurs navigate multicultural and international markets. Adapting to emerging business trends to remain competitive, they will explore challenges related to market dynamics, operational complexities, and cultural aspects within the context of multicultural business environments. Additionally, students will evaluate leadership approaches that foster business growth and cultural awareness, ensuring that entrepreneurs can successfully lead and expand their businesses in diverse global settings.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Participate in a presentation that describes barriers to trade in multicultural environments.
  • Describe leadership strategies used by international business entrepreneurs in multicultural environments.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with:

  • The basics of international businesses and business expansion.
  • Entrepreneurship skills.
  • Ways business leaders can manage conflicts.
  • Ways business leaders can persuade stakeholders.
  • Creating a slide presentation.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • Why is it important to be able to work in a multicultural environment?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. Start by asking the class the following questions:
     
     • Why is cultural understanding important in international business?
     • What challenges do businesses face when expanding to a new country?
     • How can leadership styles impact business success?
  2. Introduce the case study, “Trust, Trade, and Cultural Tensions” (see CPALMS Resource ID #219918) and explain that students will explore how leadership, communication, and cultural awareness affect global business success.
  3. As students discuss the case study, ask the following questions:
     • Why is it important to be able to work in a multicultural environment?
     • What are William's strengths as an entrepreneur?
     • What cultural and business challenges is William facing?
     • How did William's leadership approach impact his ability to build trust with local farmers?
     • How could he have handled the free sample request differently?
     • What alternative strategies could he have used to launch his business successfully?
  4. The teacher arranges students into teams of 4. Each member assumes the role of a different person on William’s team, and will provide strategic advice to William from that person's point of view.
  5. Provide students with the following situation: William, now back in the U.S., still wants to launch his organic food export business but realizes he needs expert advice before making his next move. He decides to consult four people: a marketing director, a financial director, a cultural advisor, and an operational director.
  6. Have students role-play as William’s team members, each providing insights from their respective fields. The group will decide who will take the different positions that are offered.
  7. For 10 minutes, students work individually to brainstorm and write a strategy for William to take.
  8. Next, the group discusses their ideas and determines a collective strategy. They create a digital presentation on how the business should move forward.
  9. Before group presentations, the teacher should distribute an evaluation form (attached) to every student and tell them to record feedback for each presentation. Each student will need one sheet for each presentation.
  10. Each group presents a 7-minute presentation based on the attached guidelines.
  11. After each presentation, the students ask at least one question to the group, and the teacher will ask follow-up questions to empower a deeper discussion and connect back to the benchmark. Some possible questions could be:
      • How is your strategy relevant in Nepal’s context?
      • How is your strategy applicable to other countries?
      • How does your marketing strategy align with your cultural strategy?
  12. The teacher can ask the class to vote for one group as providing the best strategies and lead a discussion on why that group was chosen. The conversation can be guided toward how the idea was either highly applicable or not applicable to multicultural and international business, ensuring it connects back to the benchmark. Additionally, the teacher can ask which group had the best presentation style, helping students reflect on what makes a presentation more effective.
  13. To close the lesson, the teacher will ask students to reflect on their learning and how it applies to their future:
      • How can you use these skills in your future career?
      • What skills did you notice were the most important for success?
      • How can this information be applied to a local business?

• Teacher Notes

  
  

  This lesson can be divided into two lessons.