Multinational Business Operations

SYLLABUS
MAN 3600 MULTINATIONAL BUSINESS OPERATIONS 3credits)
Florida State University, Valencia, Spain

Course Description:
This course involves an examination of: (1) the environment, markets, institutions, challenges, strategies, and operations of International and Cross-cultural business; (2) the globalization of business and the associated challenges posed for the competitiveness of the modern enterprise; and (3) an overview of orientations, strategies, and tactics appropriate for International Businesssuccess; (4) the managerial perspective.

Required Course Materials:
Book: Fundamentals of International Business by Czincota, Ronkainen and Moffett.
Recommended additional resources: The Economist, Wall Street Journal, Business Week.

Course Objectives:
1. Understand the role that international business plays in the local and national economy.
2. Understand the basic elements of international trade, including theory, foreign direct investment, foreign exchange, economic integration, and trade and investment policies.
3. Understand the complex set of environments within which firms conduct international business (including the legal, political, economic and cultural environments) and to be able to apply this knowledge to a real company.
4. Recognize and appreciate the role that different cultures have on international business.
5. Understand how each of the functional areas of business fit into the global operations of the multinational firm.
6. Build analytical skills for successful managerial decision-making in the multinational firm.

Attendance:
In order for you to meet these objectives it will be necessary for you to attend class and other class activities when they meet. Class meets two days per week with the instructor. You will be allowed up to one (1) unexcused absences with no questions asked. Excused absences are the following: participation in a scheduled event as a member of a university-sponsored athletic/scholastic team (official absence form required); religious holidays; accident or illness (accident report or FSU health/doctor's note required); or a death in the immediate family.
***Students are responsible for making up all work missed during absences. Students may not make up graded work for unexcused absences. Students must be sure to arrive on class on time! Two ?lates? equals one absence.
*Each unexcused absence after the first two will reduce the final grade number by one letter grade. (e.g., if you were to receive an A- ??. your final grade would be B+ instead)
*Excuses for absences must be submitted within one (1) week of the time of return.
Disabled Students:
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodations should register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) and bring a letter to the instructor from the SDRC indicating a need for academic accommodations (or do similar appropriate actions as required at FSU?s Valencia Study Center). This should be done the first week of classes. This syllabus and other course materials could be available in alternative format upon request.

Course Instruction:
The class sessions will consist of lectures, debates, discussions of readings and cases, films, out-of-class visits, guest lecturers, in-class exercises and out-of-class exercises. Class participation is essential for your and others? understanding of these concepts. Classes will not cover all the material in the text; we may only discuss a few concepts in depth and/or the application of these concepts. However, all information in the text is important. You?re expected to read the assigned material before class and be prepared to participate in the discussion.

Course Evaluation:
Except in the case of excused absences or extreme extenuating circumstances the following will be the policy of this class: 1) late assignments will not be accepted, 2) there will be no "make-up's" of quizzes or examinations, 3) no quizzes or exams will be given early.
1. Class performance (10%) :Your attendance, interest, enthusiasm and contribution in every class meeting will be observed. You MUST have the material read before class, and people will be called at random to discuss the readings, homework assignments and writing assignments. Students should turn in homework assignments in the format and date discussed in class. It may includes, sometimes, to present a chapter o part of it during the class by teams.
2. Group case analysis and presentations, homework (50%):
Students will be divided into small teams and will be assigned two cases/topics to lead, write up and do presentation.
Student teams will submit a detailed outline or presentation and use visual aids (Power Point, handout or others). The instructor will establish the format and presentation dates.
The best papers and presentations are those that comprehensively address the major issues using concise and appropriate language, combining good topic information and good presentation skills. You are expected to utilize outside materials, such as the Internet to supplement your analysis. When utilizing outside materials, always cite the original author and provide appropriate references!
3. Examinations (40%): Examinations will consist of objective questions covering in-class lectures and discussions, assigned readings, in-class and out-of-class exercises. The exams will be a combination of multiple choice, true/false, short questions and essay questions. The dates for the exams will be listed on the Course Outline. There are mid-term and final exams. Success on the exam requires close reading of the text and other course materials.
4. Trips: We?ll take various trips to observe or use different businesses and how they work. Please expect to be flexible and travel from Campus from time to time and find your way downtown.

Class performance (10%)

Homework (short written assignments, presentations, etc. ) (50%)

Exams (40%):

Grading Scale:
94-100 A
90-93.9 A-
87-89.9 B+
83-86.9 B
80-82.9 B-
77-79.9 C+
73-76.9 C
70-72.9 C-
60-69.9 D
00-59.9 F

The final grade in this course will be determined from the following components:

Academic Honor Code
Honors Statement:
The Academic Honor system of Florida State University is based on the premise that each student has the responsibility (1) to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity in the student's own work, (2) to refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity in the University community, and (3) to foster a high sense of integrity and social responsibility on the part of the University community.
Students are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published in The Florida State University Bulletin and the Student Handbook.

- This class meets two (2) days per week in the classroom or outside the classroom. Some assignments will be completed outside of class.
- Please be aware of the fact that this is a "flexible" syllabus and, due to pedagogical considerations, it may be necessary to modify it during the course of the semester. Any changes, however, will be minimal.
- It is possible that students in this class may be recorded or video taped in the course of the semester for purposes of evaluation of either class assignments or of the teacher.
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MULTINATIONAL BUSINESS OPERATIONS---COURSE OUTLINE?
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY IN SPAIN, VALENCIA

1ST SESSION,
?Course Introduction.
Video SHIFT HAPPENS + Education today and tomorrow
-Case study: Globalization???; Readings: ?The end of cheap food? / ?Emergent Economies?
Chapter 1 Globalization

-WA1 Research: analyze data from the USA, China and Asia about imports, exports, etc., specially in traditional industries. Top ten imports and exports.

Sources: (a) United Nations, Department of Economic and Social A.ffairs, Statistics Division, Commodity Trade Statistics Database (COMTRADE), http://unstats.un.org/unsd/comtrade/
and (b) Republic of China, Bureau of Foreign Trade, http://www.trade.gov.tw/
Source: US Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/
Nb.: the US Standard Industrial Classification System (SIC)

-WA2 Prepare www.transparency.com, and make a 1-page summary report.

2nd SESSION,
-Chapter 2 Culture
Chapter 2: How culture impact on business. Video: On location!
Differences on the culture of commerce regarding Germany, Japan and the States.
Debate
-Short cases analysis: Wal-Mart in Germany and China; World Education
-Debate and some striking facts on Spanish culture: can Spain follow the Spanish timetable??

Groups of 2 people:
-Oral presentation and a report (3-4 pages, double spaced) about the role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); Human Development Index (HDI); World Competitiveness Yearbook (IMD); the World Bank (WB); UN United Nations; OECD; World Economic Forum
The work have to be publicly presented. (Presentation about 10-12 minutes)
In each body: Mision, purposes, main tasks, main bodies, sponsors, impact, events,?etc.

http://www02.imd.ch/wcc/
http://hdr.undp.org/
http://www.imf.org/
http://www.worldbank.org/

3th SESSION,
-Chapter 3 : Global trade environment. Introduction
Cases about barriers to commerce on countries
Then talk about trade barriers and remedies and make some cases to comment (China, quotas?etc)
-Videos: WTO

4th SESSION
Public presentations INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Chapter 4. Politics and laws
Cases about political conflicts: Bolivia and Venezuela. Iran sanctions.

Chapter 5. Economic integration and the formation of trading blocks
WA: European Union, choose a topic and NAFTA Reports, 3 pages

Video Syriana

5th SESSION,
Chapter 6. Trade and investment theory.

WA: chapters from the book for oral presentation
In teams of two people: chapters 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11.

6th SESSION,
- Revision for the Mid-term exam
- Choose partner for debate: global warming, emerging economies, future of the car industry; the future of the mobile phones; ?.
- Foreign direct investments

7th SESSION Mid term exam
7th SESSION
Chapt. 6 Clusters and the importance of multi-location
Case study: Rochester,
-Cambridge is a class reading to introduce them, before the thory
-Theory about clusters
-Ceramics worldwide (applying Spanish cases) Ceramic Tile in Spain
Summarize a real cluster (www.innovation-champions-network.org

8th SESSION,
- Publics debate
- Marketing chapter About culture
- Video: RISING SUN

9th SESSION,
Public presentation about chapters 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11

10th SESSION, Summary of the programme and exam revision

11th SESSION, Final Exam