International Business

Syllabus
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Course Code: DE1124

GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE

Help students to get a practical and multicultural view over the current trends in the international outlook: economy, policy, business, diplomacy; and how contemporary events have recently shaped that international outlook.
Our goal in International Business is to build our ability to identify the critical questions around the challenges managers in international organizations face.
We begin with the general context in which international business takes place.
Once we have a sense of context, we look at the uncontrollable forces in the international environment, and then the controllable forces.
Our approach is based on a guided, informed discussion that will help you develop
organizational membership skills.
These skills include discussion, learning from others, group work, self-monitoring, and identifying and seeking what you need to know regarding the practical tools to manage
trade and international investments companies.

EVALUATION

The final grade consists of three parts: a) Class Participation, b) Midterm Exam and c) Final Exam. Attendance is MANDATORY. Any absence will affect negatively students? final grade. Students need to do their homework and review the contents at home in order to enable active class participation.

35% attendance and active participation

25% Midterm Exam.

40% Final Exam
A final examination will be necessary to pass successfully the course with an average of
50%.

The final grade will be the weighted average among the class participation, midterm and final exam

IMPORTANT!

Class attendance is MANDATORY.
Any unjustified absences will NEGATIVELY affect the final grade.

Readings: The text for this course is Ball et al., International Business: the Challenge of Global Competition, 12th edition. You also are responsible for regular reading in the international business press. I recommend the Financial Times for its comprehensive and well-written coverage of global markets.

Course Objectives: Our objectives are to build understanding of international business to a point where you can identify the questions critical to the area and develop their possible answers. The basic foundational knowledge necessary suggests that you be able to:
describe the process of globalization and its potential impact on managers; suggest management approaches that reflect an understanding of how the external context influences international business;
explain how international involvement may influence management in the functional areas;
describe ethical challenges and issues of social responsibility that international managers may encounter;
develop a fundamental approach to the challenges of these ethical issues; assess international management challenges via case studies and develop alternative solutions;
develop writing and discussion skills via class writing and discussion leadership;
build intellectual curiosity.

Commitment to the Course: By signing up for this course, you agree to attend all the meetings, follow this syllabus and use your college email account regularly.
Class Preparation and Participation: The reading assignments are to prepare for

class discussion, so coming to class without having done the reading is taking advantage of your classmates and the instructor. Our assumption in INB 307 is that learning is a community activity (Parker Palmer, see attached summary). Your participation in discussion is important because it allows you to influence the learning of your colleagues and be influenced by them. This dynamic exchange is one of the main ways learning occurs in many organizations. Note that registration for the class does
not constitute class membership; participation does. Constructive contribution includes participation in experiential exercises and questions or comments about the course material, current events, and issues raised by class members.
Academic Standards and Academic Honesty: The Universidad Nebrija Student Academic Honesty Policy will be upheld. Remember that the use of anyone else?s work without giving credit, including work of another student or material from a website, constitutes plagiarism. At the same time, please do not assume that your ideas in this course have to be your own. The key to academic honesty is acknowledgment.

Assignments

Session Reading Assignment BEFORE Class Meeting

1: Introduction to Course, Review of Syllabus

2: Part I: Big Picture

Chapter 1: Rapid Change of Intl Bus

3: Chapter 2: International Trade

4: Chapter 3: Trade Theory

5: Chapter 4: International Institutions

6: Part II: Environmental Forces

Chapter 5: Sociocultural Forces

7: Chapter 6: Natural Resources

8: Chapter 7: Economic and Socioeconomic Forces

9: Chapter 8: Political Forces

10: Chapter 9: Legal Forces

11: Chapter 10: Financial Forces

12: Chapter 20: Accounting and Financial Management

13: MIDTERM EXAM

14: Part III: Internal Forces

Chapter 11: Labor Forces

15: Chapter 12: International Strategy

16: Chapter 15: Entry Modes

17: Chapter 16: Exp Imp Practices

18: Chapter 18: Supply Chain Mgmt

19: Chapter 19: Human Resources Mgmt

20: International Marketing

Chapter 14: Assess & Analyze Markets

21: Chapter 17: Marketing Internationally

22: Summary Day, Course Review, Career Development Discussion

23: FINAL EXAM