COURSE OBJECTIVE
This course will enhance students' understanding of the management challenges facing businesses in today's multicultural, global environment. The goal of this course is to equip students with global vision, enabling them to apply their knowledge of international management, their skills, and sensitivities to succeed in the dynamic international business arena. The benefits of this approach can be applied both to firms with operations abroad, and to domestic companies that face foreign competitors here at home. 
Topics include an overview of the economic, political, and social factors that affect business success, cross-cultural management issue, global strategic planning and organizational design, decision-making, and leadership in international business operations, as well as an overview of international career opportunities in the various functional fields.

REQUIRED READING
Hill, Charles W.L., International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace, 2000, Irwin/McGraw-Hill. 
RECOMMENDED READING
The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and Business Week. 

  Assignments are due at the beginning of a class period. Assignments will be accepted up to one week late, but will be penalized one letter grade. If you are unable to attend class on any date when an assignment is due, please turn it in before class, or fax your work to Dr. Nielsen at (410) 837-5675 before class time. 

COURSE GRADE EVALUATION CRITERIA
 

Class Participation	20%
Test 1	15%
Test 2	15%
Test 3	20%
Term Project International Business Career Term Paper (15%)  Class Presentation (5%)	20%
Peer Evaluation	10%

 

  CLASS PARTICIPATION
Participation in all class sessions is essential for the student to understand key concepts and to demonstrate mastery of the course material. Please note that attendance during both presentation dates for the Global Player Capstone Project is required. These contributions will be reflected in your participation grade.  Your contributions to case discussions and participation in class exercises will be a major component of your participation grade. 

Students will be drawn into in-depth analyses of real case examples from a variety of industries. Each student will be challenged to make significant decisions that will affect the strategic interests of the firms under review. Students will exercise their abilities to apply what they have learned in a proactive process. 

Participation in case discussions should follow the guidelines summarized below:

     - Students contribute to the discussion by raising points that improve the level of understanding of the situation being analyzed 
     - Students listen carefully in order to understand the comments of others 
     - Students are open to various points of view, recognizing there are no "right" or "wrong" answers (...although there may be "better" and "worse" solutions...) 
     - Each student will analyze his or her own approach based on a comparison of the approaches presented by his or her classmates

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CAREER PAPER
Student teams will investigate career opportunities in an international business career function of special interest to the team. The maximum length of the paper is 20 pages, including all attachments and figures. The text should be single-spaced, 10-12 characters per inch, with one-inch margins. Be sure to number pages. Use tables, graphs, and other exhibits to summarize statistical data. Interviews with managers who are currently working in the field are encouraged.
Suggested subtopics include: Description of the career function, and various positions in the career path; salary projections, education and experience required, an "average" daily or weekly schedule of someone in the profession, and companies that have good reputations for advancing individuals in that career path.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CAREER PRESENTATIONS
Each team will present a summary of its project work during a scheduled class session. Teams are encouraged to use audio-visual, and other graphic aids to enliven their presentations. Tables, graphs, and figures should be used for concise presentation of comparative data. Guest speakers may be invited to participate. Presentations will be evaluated by your classmates. 
 

PEER EVALUATION
Each student will be evaluated by his or her team members in a confidential report provided to Dr. Nielsen.  These evaluations are to be signed and submitted to the professor in a sealed envelope on December 12.  (Submissions by e-mail will not be accepted.)  Each student will be rated by their peers on the following criteria: a) Amount of work done; b) Intellectual contribution; c) Reliability; and d) Group relations.  Each factor for each team member should be considered separately.  Then, a numerical evaluation should be assigned based on a scale of 0 to 10 (nil contribution to outstanding) on the basis of your evaluation of each team member.  A paragraph or two of explanation for the grade assigned should be submitted for each team member evaluated.  General guidelines for peer evaluations are provided below. 
Four factors should be considered separately for each team member: 

1.  Amount of work done: interviews, meetings attended, research and analyses, report writing, typing, editing, etc. 

2.  Intellectual contribution: ideas, provocative suggestions, sage advice, useful devil's advocacy, etc. 

3.  Reliability: the team member's performance at meeting deadlines, attendance at meetings, delivery of work promised, etc. 

4.  Group relations: leadership supplied, constructive actions vs. disruptive behavior, assistance provided to teammates, etc. 

The following guidelines should apply: 

1.  Identical evaluations of all team members are unlikely.  Please do not avoid the responsibility of this procedure. 

2.  Very high and very low evaluations should be given extra substantiation in writing. The degree to which these evaluations will be reflected in the grades assigned by the professor will depend upon the quality of the substantiation evidence. 
 

GENERAL NOTES

1. The course schedule is subject to change based on the availability of guest speakers and other factors. Dr. Nielsen will communicate changes during class time, or through e-mail to you. Please check for such messages regularly. 

2. Students should bring their textbooks to all classes. 

3. Assignments should be handed in during class directly to Dr. Nielsen. 

4. Students are encouraged to keep a copy of all work turned in. You may wish to have a copy to guide your remarks during class discussions. Misplaced work or lost work is the responsibility of the student to replace. 

Course Schedule

Date	Assignments Due	Topics
Aug 31		Introductions and Course Overview  "Black & Decker Confronts Competition at Home and Abroad" Case Introduction  The Profile of a "Global Player" for International Management Success
Sept 5	• Read Chapt. 1 • Prepare for Case Discussion "Black & Decker Confronts Competition at Home and Abroad" (Handout)	Globalization Trends Black & Decker Case Discussion
Sept 7	• Read Chapt. 2	National Differences in Political Economy: An International Management Challenge  Overview of Country Risk Assessment for Market Entry Decisions  Case Introduction: "Assessing Opportunities and Risks: Thomas Bata Considers Re-Entry into the Czech Republic"
Sept 12	• Prepare for Case Discussion: "Assessing Opportunities and Risks: Thomas Bata Considers Re-Entry into the Czech Republic" (Handout)	Bata Case Discussion
Sept14	• Read Chapt. 3	The Challenge of Multicultural Management Cultural Dimensions and Value Systems
Sept 19	• Prepare for Case Discussion: "Disney in France," p. 106.	The Challenge of Multicultural Management "Disney in France" Case Discussion Preparations for "Bafa, Bafa" simulation
Sept 21	• Prepare your Bafa, Bafa role  • Finalize Term Paper Outline	Bafa, Bafa Simulation and Debriefing Submit Term Paper Outline
Sept 26	• Read Chapt. 5 (The material in Chapt. 4 is covered in ECON 409 International Economics.) • Prepare for Case Discussion "Active-Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays: Trade Dispute," p. 267 and "The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Semiconductor Industry, 1970-2000," p. 270.	The Political Economy of International Investment Case Discussion of "Active-Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays: Trade Dispute and "The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Semiconductor Industry, 1970-2000"
Sept 28	• Read Background on the National Trade Data Bank (NTDB) handout	Overview of International Information Sources: NTDB  NTDB exercise and discussion
Oct 3	• Prepare for TEST 1	Test 1 during class period.
Oct 5	• Read Chapt. 8 • Prepare for Case Discussion "Martin's Textiles," p. 258	Regional Economic Integration "Martin's Textiles" Case Discussion
Oct 10	• Read Chapt. 12 (Chapts. 9,10, and 11 on the International Monetary System are covered in ECON 409 International Economics.)	International Strategies that Work
Oct 12	• Read Chapt. 13  • Prepare for Case Discussion "Organizational Change at Unilever," p, 424.	Organizing for International Success "Organizational Change at Unilever" Case Discussion
Oct 17	• Read Chapt. 14 • Prepare for Case Comparison "Anatomy of a Failed Alliance- GM and the Daewoo Group," p.418 and "The Ford-Mazda Alliance" (Handout)	Overview of Market Entry Strategies Focus on Strategic Alliances Case comparison of GM and Ford approaches to strategic alliances
Oct 19	• Read Chapt. 15	Market Entry Strategies: Focus on Exporting and Countertrade Countertrade and Offset Simulation
Oct 24	• Read Chapts. 6 & 7	Market Entry Strategies: Focus on Foreign Direct Investment
Oct 26	• Prepare for Case Discussion "The Nielsen Case" (Handout)	You Select the Best Market Entry Strategy: "The Nielsen Case" Discussion
Oct. 31	• Meet in Teams	No Class
Nov 2	• Prepare for TEST 2	Test 2 during class period
Nov 7	• Class meets in Library. Attendance will be taken.	Overview of International Information Resources: Electronic & Archival
Nov 9	• Read about the 3 Fundamental Types of Games: Race, War, and Space (Handout) • Study Rules for one game as assigned to you • Prepare for Case Discussion "Honda Motor Company", p. 429 (all questions except #1.)	The Global Chess Game...Or is it Goh?  Corporations as "Global Players"  Changing Paradigms of International Competition
Nov 14	• Read Chapt. 16  • Presentations on Manufacturing, and Global Electronic Commerce	International Careers:  Focus on Manufacturing, and Global Electronic Commerce
Nov 16	• Read Chapt. 17	International Careers:  Focus on Marketing
Nov 21	• Presentations on Global Marketing	International Careers:  Focus on Marketing
Nov 23	• Prepare Turkey or Vegetarian substitute	Enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov 28	• Read Chapt. 18 • Prepare for Case Discussion OSC Company Case (Handout)	International Careers:  Focus on Human Resource Management OSC Case Discussion
Nov 30	• Presentations on Entrepreneurs	International Careers:  Focus on Entrepreneurs in International Business
Dec 5	• Presentations on Human Resource Management	International Careers:  Focus on Human Resource Management
Dec 7	• Read Chapts. 19 and 20 • Presentations on Accounting and Finance • Term papers due	International Careers:  Focus on Accounting and Finance
Dec 12	• Peer evaluations due	In-class review for Test 3
Dec 19	• Prepare for TEST 3	Test 3 during final exam period