Baylor in Cuba, 2004
INB4398, Business Research in Cuba
Faculty:
Les Palich, M.B.A., Ph.D.
Les_Palich@Baylor.edu
254-710-6184
First Summer Session 2004: 3 Credits
Course Description:
This course is conducted as part of the Baylor in Cuba program, and it involves the development and
pursuit of business-related research questions as they apply to the Cuban marketplace. Students will
make use of their experiences associated with the Baylor in Cuba Study Abroad program, and apply
this special insight to the research papers for the course. Post-trip research will also be conducted and
applied to the course papers.
Course Objectives:
Through the work in this course, students will be able to gain an understanding of business principles
in a foreign culture, specifically a country that exhibits many interesting characteristics:
Cuba is a Latin American nation
Cuba is a small, developing nation
Cuba operates under a socialist economy
Cuba operates under a non-democratic, Communist political system
Cuba has faced an American economic embargo for over forty years
In this context, business exists and an international marketplace has developed. Students will
have an opportunity to examine business principles in a new light, and to see how the Cubans
manage to pursue their economic goals in the face of these interesting challenges.
The main objective is for each student to become educated in-depth, through experience and
research, about a business topic related to the Cuban environment.
Required Texts: (same as for INB4340 course)
Azicri, Max (2001). Cuba Today and Tomorrow: Reinventing Socialism. Gainesville,
Florida: University Press of Florida.
Baker, Christopher P. (2000). Cuba Handbook. Chico, California: Moon Publications, Inc.
Recommended Texts:
Corbett, Ben (2002). This is Cuba: An Outlaw Culture Survives. Cambridge, MA: Westview
Press.
Exploring Original Perspectives: Contemporary Economic Cuba - Cuba 1
Course Requirements and Grading:
Topic Paper
Session Paper I
Session Paper II
Participation in Cuba
10%
25%
25%
40%
100%
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
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Submitted by May 15th, 2004
Submitted by June 15th, 2004
Submitted by end of Summer Session I
Earned according to experience in Cuba
Grading Scale:
90%-100%
88%-89%
80%-87%
78%-79%
70%-77%
60%-69%
Below 60%
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
A
B+
B
C+
C
D
F
Participation, and Papers
Participation and “in-country” Research – The student will participate in the itinerary items
associated with the Baylor in Cuba Study Abroad Program. This participation constitutes initial
research in the student’s chosen topic, as it involves immersion in the culture, society, and
markets of Cuba. This experience will greatly enrich the student’s ability to place his/her
research topic in context with examples and insights.
Topic Paper – This three-page paper (double-spaced) is simply designed to communicate
between the student and professor what subject the student intends to research. Please identify a
business-related topic that you wish to study, and explain how you intend to research the subject
both in Cuba and back in the United States.
Session Paper #1 – This eight-page paper (double-spaced) will provide an overview of the
chosen topic as it relates to Cuba. That is, students will describe their subject matter in terms of
the Cuban market and/or experience.
Session Paper #2 – This eight-page paper (double-spaced) will provide the student’s assessment
of how the Cubans might improve their economic and/or business condition, especially in light
of the student’s chosen research topic. That is, students will make recommendations regarding
the weaknesses they have identified in the Cuban marketplace.
Research Note – All papers must have accurate bibliographies of works cited. Students may use
the Internet for research, but with the understanding that for each Internet site cited, the research
must be complemented by at least one written book or magazine/journal/newspaper article. A
minimum of ten cites is required for each of the session papers.
Exploring Original Perspectives: Contemporary Economic Cuba - Cuba 2