INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT

 

Professor:	Dr. Christine Nielsen, Director of International Programs
Office:	Thumel Business Center, Room 552
Office Hours:	Tuesdays  4:00-5:30 pm
Phone:	(410) 837-4992
E-mail:	cnielsen@ubmail.ubalt.edu

The purpose of this course is to enhance future managers' abilities to operate successfully in today's multicultural, global environment. Students will gain a theoretical basis for understanding key aspects of international management, as applied to both small companies and multinational corporations. Course modules focus on cross-cultural management, country risk analysis in the context of political economy, global strategic operations, and market entry strategies. Ethical and legal concerns are addressed in the context of case analyses. Knowledge gained in this course can be applied both to management of firms with operations abroad, and to domestic companies that face foreign competitors here at home. 
 

REQUIRED READING

Hill, Charles W.L., Excerpts from International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace, 3^rd edition, 2000, McGraw-Hill/Irwin. 

The Economist
 

APPROACH TO LEARNING

Lectures will elaborate on basic issues in the field to ensure a breadth of understanding. Class Discussions and Reading Assignments will offer more specific insights into particular areas of international management. Exercises and Role Plays will be used to simulate real-world situations within which the students must function. Case Analyses will place students in the position of managers whose responsibility is formulating global strategies.
 
 
 

ASSIGNMENT	DUE DATE	CONTRIBUTION TO GRADE
Class Participation and Case Discussions	Weekly	20%
Written Case Analyses- Sign up for 3 cases during the first or second class session (Best 3 grades will be recorded)	Refer to course schedule for alternative dates	TelSys Intl or Bata: 10% OEC or Black & Decker: 10% Hikma or Nielsen: 10%
Cultural Matrix - Sign up for one country or region during the first or second class session	Refer to course schedule for alternative dates	10%
Great Leader- Sign up for one report during the first or second class session- Submit article read and 1-2 page report with appropriate references	Refer to course schedule for alternative dates	10%
Mid-Term Exam	Oct 25	15%
Final Exam	Dec 20	15%

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. 
 

CLASS PARTICIPATION

Participation in class sessions is essential for the student to understand key concepts and to demonstrate mastery of the course material. 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: 

CASE DISCUSSION SUMMARIES

Following most case discussion sessions, you will be asked to reflect on the major issues raised through the discussion, and on the course concepts that added to our understanding of the problem(s) and potential solutions. A sample case discussion summary sheet will be available on the first day of class.
 

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING A WRITTEN CASE ANALYSIS

Congratulations! You have just been hired as a highly paid international management consultant to provide advice to a particular firm regarding the international challenges it faces. Written case analyses should be typed, double-spaced, and 3-5 pages in length. Specific guidelines for preparing your written case analysis are included below.
 

WRITTEN CASE ANALYSIS GUIDELINES

Use the following subject headings in your case analysis report. 

Heading

1. Name of Case 

2. Name of the recipient of your report, i.e. the executive within the company for whom  you are conducting the analysis. 

3. Add your name as the report originator and the due date. 

Identification of Symptoms
Symptoms are indicators of problems.  These may be listed in "bullet" form in this section.  Use no more than 1/2 page for this section. (The first case reading is designed to get you acquainted with the organization and the setting.  The second or third reading should lead to the identification and listing of symptoms.  Jot these down and look for possible relationships among groups of symptoms.) 

Problem Statement
Careful consideration of the symptoms should lead you to a statement of one to three problems/issues being faced by the organization.  A good problem definition keeps the case analysis tightly structured  because everything you discuss after this point must be related to the problem(s) stated in this section.  Use no more than 1/2 page for this section. (List problems using a complete sentence for each problem you have found.  Do not use questions to formulate problem statements. Prioritize the problems in terms of long-term significance and in terms of need for immediate intervention.) 

Problem Analysis
Take the problem(s) apart, describing key facts that will inform your solution.  Be sure to consider information provided in tables and exhibits.  Quantitative details of the case are usually presented in these appendices.  Use no more than 1 page for this section, and write this section in paragraph form. 

Identification of Alternatives
Now its time to "brainstorm".  List at least 2-3 alternative solutions for each problem that you have identified. 

Evaluation of Alternatives
Evaluate the alternatives listed above.  Discuss pros and cons for each alternative.  This process leads to the identification of the most appropriate course of action.  If the alternatives have arguments in common, group these issues for efficiency.  Argue in favor of your recommendations, giving as much supporting information as possible. 

Recommended Course of Action and Implementation Plan
This is the final step and involves the development of the most effective, efficient, and feasible combination of alternatives to solve the problems within the boundaries of the firm's objectives.  It is not sufficient to state what should be done, but how, and who is going to be responsible for the various actions recommended.  This section can be up to 2 pages.  Provide your general recommendations in paragraph form and add an implementation schedule if you wish. 
 

LIST OF CASES FOR WRITTEN CASE ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT

Choose one from among the following list of cases for your written case analysis assignment. You may decide to write-up more than one analysis. If you do, the instructor will use your best grade for this assignment. We will discuss the assignment on the first day of class, and hopefully spread the written contributions more or less evenly among the cases below.
 

Date Due	Case
Sept 13	The TelSys International Case: A Marriage of Two Cultures? (Answer ?s)
Oct 4	Office Equipment Company in Argentina Case (Use Case Analysis Method)
Nov 1	Assessing Opportunities and Risks: Thomas Bata Considers Re-Entry into the Czech Republic (Answer ?s)
Nov 8	Black & Decker Confronts Japanese Competition At Home and Abroad (Use Case Analysis Method)
Nov 29	Hikma Pharmaceuticals (Use Case Analysis Method)
Dec 6	The Nielsen Case (Use Case Analysis Method)

 

COMPARING CULTURES AND BUSINESS PRACTICES/GREAT LEADER REPORTS 

The Cultural Matrix and Great Leader Report assignments will be explained in detail on the first day of class, and a sign-up sheet will be available. Students will be asked to choose one from among the following for contributions.

"THE MARRIAGE OF TWO CULTURES" NEGOTIATION SIMULATION

"The Marriage of Two Cultures" negotiation simulation will involve you in an actual negotiation session that took place in Kuala Lumpur. The experiential technique provides a means of understanding underlying value systems and major concepts that can not be learned through the more passive lecture technique.
 

CASE ANALYSIS PRESENTATIONS

Each student will present a summary of one written case analysis during the semester. Students 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. 
 

GENERAL NOTES

1. The MGMT 780 course schedule is subject to change based on the availability of guest speakers and other factors. Dr. Nielsen will communicate any 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. Do not leave assignments in Dr. Nielsen's mailbox. 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. 
 
 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY EXCERPT 

"…Academic honesty is based on the principle that one's work is one's own. The University of Baltimore Academic Integrity Policy encourages all members of the University to accept responsibility for taking academic honesty seriously be being well-informed, by contributing to a climate in which honesty is valued, and by considering responsible ways to discourage dishonesty in the work of others.

Students. faculty, administrators, and staff shall not condone or tolerate cheating, plagiarism, or falsification, since such activity negatively affects all members of the academic community…

I Responsibilities of Students

Students have the responsibility to encourage and support an atmosphere of academic honesty. To encourage honest and reasonable use of sources, students are expected to utilize appropriate methods of documentation for written word. Students are to recognize that faculty considering written materials will assume such utilization. Students are to do their won work and to make all reasonable efforts to prevent the occurrence of academic dishonesty. They are to set an example for other students be refraining from acts of cheating, plagiarism, or other violations of the Academic Integrity Policy. They are to refrain from aiding or abetting other students in any attempts to violate the Academic Integrity Policy. When acts of academic dishonesty occur, students are to consider means to limit such behavior."
 

COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE

Module I: Cross-Cultural Interactions for International Management Success
 

Session	Topics	Geographic Focus	Assignments Due
August 30	Course Overview Introduction to Country- and Regional-Level assignments Introduction to the Case Method Format American Trading Corporation Case	Global	American Trading Corp. Case Discussion  (In-class exercise) Hand in case discussion summary sheet
Sept 6	Barnga! Cultural Dimensions and Value Systems Doing Business in Malaysia	Global and Asia	• Read Hill Chapt. 3 • Cultural Matrices for Asia and Malaysia due • Malaysian and Asian Great Leader reports due (except Japan and China)
Sept 13	Communicating Across Cultures  International Negotiating Strategies	Global and Asia	• Read The TelSys International Case: A Marriage of Two Cultures? • Prepare answers to discussion questions for the TelSys Case • Teams meet during class time to prepare for the TelSys negotiation session
Sept 20	Telsys-VCG Negotiating Session Negotiation Debriefing Session	Asia- Malaysia	• Prepare for The TelSys International Case negotiation
Sept 27	International Staffing	Latin America	• Cultural Matrices for Latin America and Argentina due • Latin American Great Leader reports due
Oct 4	Doing Business in Argentina	Latin America-Argentina	• Prepare the Office Equipment Company in Argentina Case Analysis • Office Equipment Company Case Discussion

 

COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE

Module II: Understanding the Political Economy for International Management Success
 

Session	Topics	Geographic Focus	Assignments Due
Oct 11	Globalization: Opportunities and Threats Regional Economic Integration -EU, NAFTA, Mercosur, CARICOM, ASEAN, APEC	Global	• Read Hill Chapts. 1 and 8 • Bring in relevant article about one regional economic group and be prepared to report • Western European and Russian Great Leader reports due
Oct 18	An Overview of Country Risk Assessment In-class exercise: Cisco Systems Weighs Market Entry into Argentina, China, and Mexico	Global	• Read Hill Chapt. 2 • Read How One Economist Tries to Keep Abreast of Third World Trends • Read Cisco Systems Weighs Market Entry into Argentina, China, and Mexico
Oct 25	Midterm Exam	Local	• Prepare for Mid-Term Exam
Nov 1	Assessing Opportunities and Risks: Thomas Bata Considers Re-Entry into the Czech Republic	Central and Eastern Europe	• Prepare the Bata Case Analysis • Bata Case Discussion • Cultural Matrices for Central and Eastern Europe due • Central and Eastern European Great Leader reports due

 
 
 

COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULEModule III: International Strategies That Work
 

Session	Topics	Geographic Focus	Assignments Due
Nov 8	Changing Paradigms of International Competition: Alternative Strategies	Global-Japan	• Read Hill Chapt. 12 • Prepare case analysis for Black & Decker Confronts Japanese Competition At Home and Abroad • Cultural Matrices for Japan due • Japanese Great Leader reports due
Nov 15	Changing Paradigms of International Competition: Structures and Processes The Global Chess Game…Or is it Go?	Global- Japan "Western" versus Asian Competition	• Read Hill Chapt. 13 • Read and be prepared to discuss in class, Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays: Trade Dispute, in Hill, pp.267-269.
Nov 29	Market Entry Strategies to Fit Firm-Specific Requirements	Global-Middle East	• Read Hill Chapt. 14 • Prepare case analysis for Hikma Pharmaceuticals • Cultural Matrices for Middle East and Jordan due • Middle East Great Leader reports due
Nov 29	Market Entry Strategies to Fit Firm-Specific Requirements	Middle East
Dec 6	Market Entry Strategies: Partnerships Strategic Alliances on a Global Scale	Global-China	• Read Hill Chapt. 15 • Prepare case analysis for The Nielsen Case • Cultural Matrices for China due • Chinese Great Leader reports due
Dec 20	Final Exam at 5:30 pm	Local	• Prepare for Final Exam