Developing Intercultural Competence

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“Individuals are not born interculturally competent, they become competent through education and life experiences.”  (UNESCO, 2013) 

At STC Higher Education we feel that it is our duty to prepare students to become well-equipped and active citizens in an ever-changing globalised and more digitised world. The module ‘Culture Studies’ helps students reflect upon their cultural background and how this affects the way they view the world. It also enables them to gain awareness and increased understanding of other cultures.

One of the roles of teachers is to instil a questioning attitude in students. Being critical of one’s own culture is not easy. It requires being able to ‘decentre’, in other words ‘stepping back’ to be able to reflect on what we take as natural and is very often unconscious to us. Giving our students the opportunity to listen, observe and look at situations from different perspectives is one way of helping them develop their intercultural competence.  

Throughout the module, students are presented with ample opportunities to develop their inquiry skills, including the skills of questioning the messages we are bombarded with through social media. Students are encouraged to ask pertinent questions such as: “Whose version is this?”, “What is the author’s agenda?”, “What is included and what is left out?”, “Are we listening to both sides of the story, or are we only hearing what appeals to us?”

Showing respect and accepting other worldviews does not mean that one has to agree with everyone. Likewise, adapting to cultural differences does not mean giving up one’s cultural identity. An organisation that manages to view differences as an asset and an opportunity to grow is a strong organisation. At STC we strive to lead by example!

 

Reference:

UNESCO (2013). Intercultural competencies – conceptual and operational framework. Paris: Author. 

 

6BE005 Strategic Business

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By Dr. Ing. Ronald Cuschieri

Strategic management is associated with the management of key resources of any organization since it gives the direction and values to pursue its objectives and challenges at both the corporate level and across all strategic business units with their functional strategies. The module exposes the student and guides him/her to understand through a structured approach, how in practice, with references to various sectors both within the manufacturing and service sectors, one deploys various strategic conceptual frameworks. The approach is based on the strategic management extant literature, with reference to both seminal and latest literature, so as to situate the organization, from both an internal and external perspective. Such a learning experience will enable a student to understand all the drivers behind the business strategy based on both an academic and practitioner perspective. The student will learn about various academic strategic management frameworks so that the workplace ongoing experience and strategic decisions, can be critically reviewed and evaluated through a sound knowledge of strategic management.  Dedicated attention is given to understanding the business mission, objectives, culture, and all the domestic and international processes being used, which incorporates various disciplines and concepts, such as human resources, marketing, financial, technology, quality and supply chain management among others fields, that establish the course/s of action/s. Furthermore, the candidate will learn how to apply his/her strategic management skills through a level of innovation and creativity in the running of a business within a triple bottom line perspective. The learning experience is based on weekly formative assessments, to gradually apply the academic theories to practice so as to build holistic strategic management within a business by the end of the course. The course achieves such a holistic objective with a summative assignment, derived from all formative assessments, so as to apply that what is learnt is applied to the case study selected according to your liking or applied to your workplace, which will also include a critical literature review with various citations to situate the learning experience both within the academic arena and the practitioner competitive environment.

Introduction to Finance

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By Therese Francalanza

In this module, students are introduced to the accounting world. Students are given all the basic accounting knowledge so they can understand and interpret financial statements. Both the financial aspect of accounting and the managerial aspect is explained so the students will be able to follow an accounting qualification or a managerial qualification if they would like to further their studies. However, if students decide to stop studying at the diploma level, the knowledge they gain from this module will enable them to work in an accounting environment. With the skills, acquired students can apply for jobs in banks or other financial institutions, investment companies, as accounts clerks or as assistants to accountants. The course starts from very basic accounting records and principles. This means that anyone can join this module, even students who have never studied accounts before. The course is delivered in a way that knowledge is built from one lecture to the other.  International accounting standards and accounting concepts are discussed so students will have extensive knowledge of topics relating to accounting. Students are encouraged to participate in the lectures so they can understand accounting better and can increase their knowledge of the subject. At the end of the module, the students will be set an assignment that is discussed during the lectures. This enables the students to learn how to read and interpret the financial statements of actual companies. This further increases the students’ familiarity with financial statements and gives them the skills they require for a managerial position in a business. The knowledge students gain from this module will also help them to make personal financial decisions.

The Role of Mathematics in a Business Degree

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By Marvic Francalanza

Why is ‘Mathematics’ given so much importance across the globe? A plausible answer is that mathematics is very important for many day-to-day functions and a requirement for many jobs and careers. As much as this is true, I feel that the answer to the question goes beyond this.

I was recently reading a blog by Mike Lefkowitz who is a member of MIND Research Institute. He looked at the etymology of the word ‘mathematics’ and found out that in Ancient Greek its literal definition is ‘learning’ and in Hebrew, its root is ‘thinking’. I think that this makes so much sense since possibly the greatest power of mathematics is that it “gives us the critical ability to learn and think logically” (Lefkowitz, 2018). In the case of Business Mathematics, other than building on a range of mathematical concepts and techniques that are essential to use and present business data effectively, students also need to develop the analytical skills that help them make informed business decisions. Mathematics is thus a powerful tool to have at our disposal!

Unfortunately, as much as it is widely acknowledged that mathematics is important, it is also true that many students fear mathematics. This can have very negative consequences including hindering a person from furthering his or her studies. At STC Higher Education we acknowledge that mathematical anxiety is not something that students come up with to cover up their poor performance in mathematics. It is real! In view of this, we give priority to helping you understand concepts, communicate mathematics clearly and apply skills to alternative situations. We also appreciate that you might need more time or a change in teaching strategy to process mathematical ideas effectively.

Our aim is to give you a boost in confidence in mathematics and to help you encounter a success!

Reference:

Lefkowitz, M. (2018) Why is Math so important?  Available at: https://blog.mindresearch.org/blog/why-is-math-so-important [Accessed: 21 March 2022]

 

5CS019 – Object Oriented Design and Programming

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By Kassandra Calleja

Object-Oriented Programming is a programming ideology based on the concept of object classes, which contain data and code, related to real-life objects that a system is concerned with. This approach is well-suited for the development of programs that are large and complex; hence knowledge of Object-Oriented Design and Object-Oriented programming is essential for anyone seeking a career in Software Development and for those who require a deeper understanding of the creation of software programs.  This module provides a solid foundation for the main concepts of Object-Oriented Programming. Using Java as the programming language for the delivery of the module, we start from the most basic concepts of programming such as variables, conditional statements and loops, and evolve our knowledge to create more complex applications which utilize object classes and a graphical user interface.  We explore the use of Junit tests, to ensure that the developed code works as expected; this is very much in line with today’s industry practices of Test-Driven Development. Through UML Class Diagrams, the industry standard for class design notation, we also cover the principles governing the design of object classes in a manner that ensures a robust code structure that lends itself well to creating systems that are easy to scale up and extend.

eBusiness

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By Derek D’Amato

Most of the time the first thing that came to mind about electronic commerce or e-business is shopping online. However, this includes many other activities related to business trading. Some categories related to e-Business yes includes business to consumers (B2C) and others between businesses on the Web known as B2B. In simple words, any transaction between stakeholders executed on the World Wide Web includes private companies, governments, and the end customer. If you are interested to grow your business internationally or set up an online business from scratch as a young entrepreneur, e-business can comprise a range of functions and services. The growth of e-business in recent decades has given rise to new business requirements.  There are several types of e-business models. In the business-to-consumer (B2C) model, sellers offer products and services directly to consumers online, and the buyer purchases them via the internet. Under the business-to-business (B2B) model, companies use the internet to conduct transactions with one another. Unlike B2C transactions, B2B transactions usually involve multiple online transactions at each step of the supply chain. E-business has drastically changed how corporations as well as non-profit ones, government agencies and other such institutions operate, allowing them to increase productivity, lower costs and move more quickly. As a result of the time savings, businesses can either decrease their headcount or shift worker time to higher-value tasks. Additionally, such digital systems reduce the time between invoicing and payment, thereby improving cash flow for the business. E-business tactics offer advantages such as reaching a wider customer base and faster transactions, but they also come with associated risks. For example, e-business creates huge data security risks, because customers are often required to provide sensitive information, such as contact information and credit card numbers, during e-business transactions. Finally, we can say that E-business has an important strategic role for companies wanting a stronger performance on the web. It is part of a great moment of digital transformation that offers companies more growth opportunities. For the benefits to be fully enjoyed, it’s vital to shape your education with new emerging technologies and have the appropriate tools to become part of this new business era.

5CS027 – Techniques for Games Development

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By Dr. Ing. Clifford De Raffaele

The module of Techniques for Games Development aims to further students’ knowledge and capabilities in developing interactive and engaging game environments by providing an in-depth understanding of the underlying physics and algorithms regulating game logic. This provides learners with the ability to capitalize further on their understanding of navigation, modelling and logic prediction to develop realistic and challenging game scenarios in line with industry standards and state-of-the-art integrations. Furthermore, capitalizing on students’ development knowledge, this module comprehensively outlines the various Artificial Intelligence approaches that are nowadays engaged within games, providing learners with the ability to develop adaptive and predictive techniques which enhance the algorithms and complexity employed in developing gaming scenarios within games engines.

5CS018 – Cybersecurity Architecture and Operations

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By Josef Pullicino

“Cybersecurity is a popular buzzword being used in today’s world of employment and beyond. Companies are getting momentum into getting their products and services online, as part of their digital transformation journey. This significant initiative brings along multiple added services as well as caveats especially from a security point of view and through the ever-increased use of social media.  It’s the norm of the day of receiving promotional emails from unknown or unidentified sources; others are to receive phone calls asking clients for sensitive data such as the bank account details; others would be part of a ransomware exercise where you would be asked to pay a hefty sum of money in order to unlock or recover specific data that might have been stolen before. These are all security realities and range in different shapes and forms, from trojans, phishing emails, to ransomware and dumpster diving with no end in sight for all the possible risks/threats that you might be engaged in the near future.  The cybersecurity Architecture and Operations module provides extensive knowledge and brings awareness to the cybersecurity landscape. It actually goes further beyond this, as it provides the necessary tools for threat modelling and risk management along with the different layers of the OSI model, including low-level networks and physical links. Security vulnerabilities can be exposed at any level so you are required to protect yourself and your company assets at all levels. The module provides different ways to secure the Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability triad through the various strategic, tactical and operational strategies. It sets the mindset for identifying the risk, mitigating and controlling it where it matters most as well as protecting yourself from the residual value left after any remediation plans.”

6MK014 – The Digital Marketing Consultant

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By Anthony Padovani

The importance of marketing in a dynamic business environment has evolved from the use of traditional channels of communication such as TV, Radio and Newspapers to the digital realm such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many others. Engaging with customers in order to build brand awareness and promote products and services requires that organizations reach out to such digital locations more commonly known as digital social platforms and social media. This module will enable students to understand how freelance digital marketing consultants make optimal use of social media, digital marketing tools and search engines in targeting and communicating with consumers. Organizations need to engage digital marketing consultants who are able to increase their website’s visibility based on reliable data extracted from digital marketing analytical tools.    The digital marketing knowledge, skills and competencies students gain in this unit will enable them to provide organizations with digital marketing consultancy services such as the use of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques, Keyword Research methods, Search Engine Marketing applications as well as Content Marketing. This unit provides a hands-on approach in furnishing students with the digital marketing capabilities that business owners look for in consultants entrusted with responsibilities relating to Strategic Digital Campaign Planning and Management, Social Media Marketing, Digital Analytics, Website Organic Growth, Definition of the Buyer Persona, Freelance Digital Marketing Skills among others.   Any student of business will find this unit of fundamental importance in forming an understanding of the wider picture of the present-day digital relationship and linkages that are found between organizations and their customers. This unit is the starting point for anyone considering becoming a successful digital marketing consultant within practically any field of the industry due to the flexibility and cross-industry applicability of digital marketing tools and techniques explored in this unit.

6MG001 – Organisation Behaviour

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By Corinne Fenech

Have you ever considered organisations as simply a group of people who come together to achieve particular goals? Think about it, they are. But the wonder is that people achieve together much more than the sum of what individuals can accomplish on their own. People come together and form organisations for all sorts of goals, from manufacturing toys to manufacturing weapons, from giving joy rides to tourists to offering meals to the homeless and the possibilities are endless. Ranging from global organisations to individual entrepreneurs they all form part of one gigantic network which makes the world go round.  Organisational Behaviour questions how people come together, what makes them work together and what makes them fall out of love with what they do. Think of it as one big funnel starting with the broader subjects and filtering down to what makes us unique individuals. Together we explore the interconnections from the broader environment, to organisational culture, to how teams operate and onto individual differences. We debate how organisations operate as part of the gigantic network, how they influence and are influenced by each other and their responsibilities towards the society which allows them to operate. We explore, question, and discuss subjects which really matter like; can we make people want to come to work? And should we? What forces of power are at play in organisations? How do individuals fit in organisations? And most importantly who do I want to be and what will be my impact? During our weeks together we discuss all this and much more.  If you would like to join in on this course, come prepared to share your opinions in an environment where no idea is too stupid to be discussed and to be open to forming new opinions based on academic teachings and real-life examples.
I find this subject fascinating. Don’t you?