Unit3

Course Syllabus

Course Description

Examines current patterns of international business and social, economic, political, and cultural systems impacting the conduct of business. Topics include international business transactions, financial institutions facilitating international transactions, and the interface between nation states and the firms conducting foreign business activities.

Course Textbook(s)

No physical textbook is required; resources are integrated within the course.

Additional Required Course Material(s)

See each Unit Study Guide for additional required course material(s).

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Differentiate international business from domestic business operations. 2. Analyze the effects of political, legal, economic, and cultural dimensions of international business on an organization. 3. Evaluate policies and factors affecting international trade patterns. 4. Distinguish between absolute advantage and comparative advantage trade theories. 5. Explore the influence of regional trading groups on an organization. 6. Examine economic concepts and indicators. 7. Calculate the implications of foreign exchange rates. 8. Examine the major marketing considerations applicable to international business. 9. Compare the accounting concepts of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial

Reporting Standards (IFRS). 10. Explore international human resource management and staffing approaches associated with multinational enterprises

(MNEs).

Prerequisite(s)

No prerequisite courses are required for enrollment in this course.

Credits

Upon completion of this course, the students will earn 3 hours of college credit.

CSU Online Library

The CSU Online Library is available to support your courses and programs. The online library includes databases, journals, e-books, and research guides. These resources are always accessible and can be reached through the library web page. To access the library, log into the myCSU Student Portal, and click on “CSU Online Library.” You can also access the CSU Online Library from the “My Library” button on the course menu for each course in Blackboard.

The CSU Online Library offers several reference services. E-mail ([email protected]) and telephone

MBA 6601, International Business

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(1.877.268.8046) assistance is available Monday – Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The library’s chat reference service, Ask a Librarian, is available 24/7; look for the chat box on the online library page.

Librarians can help you develop your research plan or assist you in finding relevant, appropriate, and timely information. Reference requests can include customized keyword search strategies, links to articles, database help, and other services.

LibGuides

Think of a LibGuide (a Library Guide) as a mini-website to help you with your assignments. It has relevant information such as databases, e-books, and websites specific to your courses. If you have any questions, please reach out to your friendly library staff.

Click here for the LibGuide for this course.

Unit Assignments

Unit I Assignment

For this assignment, you will use Hofstede’s characteristics to differentiate international and domestic business operations. This exercise will help identify the key characteristics that drive business decisions on an international and domestic level.

Part 1: Pick three individual countries, one in the Middle East, one in Asia, and one in Europe. Apply Hofstede’s characteristics to each one, and state if the characteristic is low, medium, or high in each country. Also, explain why each country deserves that description.

Part 2: Given your descriptions, explain which country is most like the United States and which country is most unlike the U.S.

Your response must be a minimum of three pages in length.

Click here to access the Unit I Assignment template.

Note: The template is just a tool to get you started. Feel free to use another layout.

Unit II PowerPoint Presentation

Your company wants to put a ball-bearing factory in Africa. Your company predicts this is where the most growth will be in the 21st century. Your assignment is to research a country on the African continent that you think would be the most advantageous to your company in cultural, economic, and political environments.

Your assignment is to point out and explain the facts or statistics that you think would make this country a good place to build and staff your factory. Remember to keep the cultural, economic, and political environments in mind. Your presentation must include at least two facts or statistics that relate to each environmental area (cultural, economic, and political).

Feel free to use the suggested readings as a starting point for your research on sources of data about different countries in the world. You must use at least three authoritative sources, and you are required to use the CSU Online Library for at least one of your sources. Pull a minimum of two facts or statistics from each source that you use.

Some good examples of authoritative sources are provided below:

The U.S. State Department http://www.state.gov/p/af/ci/index.htm The World Bank http://data.worldbank.org/country

The Academic Search Complete database features information on countries through the CIA World Factbook.

The Business Source Complete database has a “Country Report” that can be selected in the Publication Type area. These reports by country can be 200-plus pages and are very in depth.

Your PowerPoint presentation should be a minimum of 10 slides. Be sure to use APA guidelines to cite and reference the sources for your facts.

Unit III Essay

For this assignment, write an essay that addresses each of the following points:

1. Choose five U.S. government policies that affect trade with foreign nations. Identify three factors of production, and describe how their mobility is good or bad for U.S. trade

2. Distinguish between absolute advantage and comparative advantage trade theories and give examples 3. Choose either the TPP or the T-TIP free trade agreement and describe which other countries have signed on and why

the U.S. Senate should ratify or not ratify the agreement. Also, explain how regional trading groups influence organizations.

Your essay submission should be a minimum of three pages in length in APA style; however, a title page, a running head,

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and an abstract are not required. You are required to use at least two scholarly sources for this essay. Your responses to the three prompts must be in paragraph form. Be sure to cite and reference all quoted or paraphrased material appropriately in APA style.

Unit IV Assignment

For this assignment, you will practice calculating exchange rates and examine some of the key factors that have an impact on foreign exchange.

Click here to access the Unit IV Assignment worksheet.

Click here to access some exchange-rate examples and practice questions.

Unit VI Article Critique

Your task is to offer a detailed critique of a peer-reviewed article, which you can locate in the CSU Online Library. The article must be related to international marketing.

In your critique, address the following questions:

What are the main points and arguments of the author(s)? What is your opinion of the article? How can the points and arguments of the author(s) be applied to the lesson in this unit? (Some examples include the marketing mix, marketing orientation, and organizational structure.)

The critique should be a minimum of two pages in length in APA style; however, a title page, a running head, and an abstract are not required. Be sure to cite and reference all quoted or paraphrased material appropriately in APA style.

Unit VII Case Study

To read the case study below, you must first log into the myCSU Student Portal and access the General OneFile database found in the CSU Online Library.

Read the case study indicated below, and answer the following questions:

James, M. L. (2010). Accounting for business combinations and the convergence of International Financial Reporting Standards with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles: A case study. Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies, 16(1), 95-108.

1. What key financial ratios will be affected by the adoption of FAS 141R and FAS 160? What will be the likely effect? 2. Could any of the recent and forthcoming changes affect the company’s acquisition strategies and potentially its

growth? 3. What were FASB’s primary reasons for issuing FAS 141R and FAS 160? 4. What are qualifying SPEs? Do they exist under IFRS? What is the effect of FAS 166 eliminating the concept of

qualifying SPEs on the convergence of accounting standards? 5. If the company adopts IFRS, what changes should management be aware of? 6. What are the principle differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP?

Your submission should be a minimum of three pages in length in APA style; however, a title page, a running head, and an abstract are not required. Be sure to cite and reference all quoted or paraphrased material appropriately in APA style.

Unit VIII Case Study

To read the case study below, please click the link and log into the CSU Online Library.

Bodolica, V., & Waxi, M. (2007). Chicago food and beverage company: The challenges of managing international assignments. Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies, 13(3), 31-42. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/apps/doc/A166823446/ITOF? u=oran95108&sid=ITOF&xid=598691f1

Please answer the following questions after reading the case study:

1. Which staffing framework do you recognize in this case study? Explain its characteristics and the advantages to using this type of framework?

2. Would this type of staffing framework affect Paul’s ability to get things done? Why, or why not? 3. Explain if any of the other staffing frameworks would be any better? What can you recommend to the company’s

headquarters in this sense? 4. Why does Paul want this job? Is Paul a good candidate for this expatriate position? 5. What comments can you make on expatriate management in general? And what comments can you make on the

expatriate recruitment policy in particular? 6. What are the different expatriate compensation methods you recognized in the text? What are the advantages and

disadvantages of these different expatriate compensation methods? 7. What do you suggest to the U.S. headquarters’ human resources manager in order to improve the expatriate

satisfaction/compensation?

Your submission should be a minimum of three pages in length in APA style; however, a title page, a running head, and an abstract are not required. Be sure to cite and reference all quoted or paraphrased material appropriately in APA style.

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APA Guidelines

The application of the APA writing style shall be practical, functional, and appropriate to each academic level, with the primary purpose being the documentation (citation) of sources. CSU requires that students use APA style for certain papers and projects. Students should always carefully read and follow assignment directions and review the associated grading rubric when available. Students can find The CSU Citation Guide by clicking here. This document includes examples and sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Writing Center.

Grading Rubrics

This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities.

Rubric categories include (1) Discussion Board, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment. However, it is possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have Assessments).

The Discussion Board rubric can be found within Unit I’s Discussion Board submission instructions.

The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment.

Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting “Tools” and then “My Grades.”

Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your Discussion Boards, Assessments, and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades.

Communication Forums

These are nongraded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students. Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in the Course Menu.

Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums.

Ask the Professor

This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions. Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration, additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students.

Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a non- public nature, please feel free to e-mail your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or e-mailed by the professor within 48 hours.

Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus, assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information.

Student Break Room

This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to share assessment answers.

Schedule/Grading

The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted.

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Unit I International Business Global Framework, Part 1 [ Weight: 16% ]

Read/View: Unit I Study Guide Reading Assignment (1 article): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit I Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit I Assessment Unit I Assignment

4% 10%

Unit II International Business Global Framework, Part 2 [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit II Study Guide Reading Assignments (2 articles): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit II Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit II PowerPoint Presentation 10%

Unit III Trade Theories and Trading Institutions [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit III Study Guide Reading Assignments (4 articles, 1 presentation): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit III Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit III Essay 10%

Unit IV Financial Markets [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit IV Study Guide Reading Assignments (2 articles): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit IV Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit IV Assignment 10%

Unit V Global Strategies [ Weight: 10% ]

Read/View: Unit V Study Guide Reading Assignments (3 articles, 1 presentation): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit V Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit V Assessment 8%

Unit VI Managing International Operations, Part 1: Marketing and Organizational Structures [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit VI Study Guide Reading Assignments (3 articles): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit VI Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit VI Article Critique 10%

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Unit VII Managing International Operations, Part 2: Accounting and Financial Issues [ Weight: 13% ]

Read/View: Unit VII Study Guide Reading Assignments (3 articles, 1 presentation): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit VII Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit VII Case Study 11%

Unit VIII Managing International Operations, Part 3: Value-Chain Management, HumanResources, and Operations [ Weight: 13% ]

Read/View: Unit VIII Study Guide Reading Assignments (5 articles): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit VIII Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit VIII Case Study 11%

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