BA 141C – Intro to International Business Law (Instructor Nance)
BA 141C – AN INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LAW
ONLINE CLASS (FALL 2011)
INSTRUCTOR: Instructor Candice Nance
PHONE: (408) 826-1150 (mobile)
OFFICE HOURS: As required
OFFICE: Virtual
E-MAIL: CNance@Ohlone.edu (for questions not relating to this class)
BLACKBOARD TECH SUPPORT: (866) 259-6244 (available 24/7)
REQUIRED TEXT:
International Business Law and Its Environment
Schaffer/Agusti/Earle, 7th Edition, 2009
Published by South-Western Cengage Learning
ISBN is 978-0-324-64967-3
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to
international business law, featuring trade (import and export),
licensing agreements for the transfer and protection of patents,
copyrights, trademarks and intellectual property (including
franchising), and active foreign investment through mergers,
acquisitions and joint ventures.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: The student will:
1. Explain the three major forms of international business: 1.) trade, 2.) licensing agreements,
and 3.) active foreign investment.
2. Identify the elements of successful international contract negotiation and compliance.
3. Compare the various international bodies that affect international trade law, including an
analysis of GATT, the WTO, the EU and NAFTA.
4. Describe the varying levels of foreign presence a U.S. business may have, from least
intrusive to most substantial, and the resulting increasing impact of host-country laws,
norms, policies, and procedures.
5. Demonstrate the ability to correctly use international legal vocabulary.
GRADING: Students should keep an up-to-date total of their points, and keep copies of all work
produced. Assignments subject to change. The following scale will be used to calculate grades.
Individual Introduction
15 pts
Discussions (16 @ 10pts/ea) 160 pts
Exams (5 @ 75 pts/each)
375 pts
Total Points
550 pts
A = 90% - 100%
B = 80% - 89%
C = 70% - 79%
D = 60% - 69%
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BA 141C – Intro to International Business Law (Instructor Nance)
Ch 13
Ch 11
Ch 12
Ch 10
Part III
Part II
Ch 4
Ch 5
Ch 6
Ch 7
Part I
Ch 1
Ch 2
Ch 3
North American Free Trade Law (25 pages)
The Regulation of Exports (29 pages)
Regulating Import Competition and Unfair Trade (22 pages)
Imports, Customs, and Tariff Law (27 pages)
International and U.S. Trade Law
National Lawmaking Powers and the Regulation of U.S. Trade(26)
GATT Law and the World Trade Organization: Basic Principles
(19 pages)
Laws Governing Access to Foreign Markets (27 pages)
International Sales, Credits, & the Commercial Transaction
Sales Contracts & Excuses for Nonperformance (23 pages)
The Documentary Sale & Terms of Trade (19 pages)
The Carriage of Goods and the Liability of Air & Sea Carriers (28)
Bank Collections, Trade Finance, and Letters of Credit (11 pages)
The Legal Environment of International Business
Intro to International Business (39 pages)
International Law & the World’s Legal Systems (35 pages)
Resolving International Commercial Disputes (18 pages)
258-284
288-298; 302-306;
310-313; 316-317
321-346; 350-352
114-135; 155-157
161-178; 186-187
191-217; 224-225
227-237; 253-254
Pages
2-43; Skip 31-32
47-82
85-102; 111-112
COURSE CALENDAR
Ch 14
The European Union and Other Regional Trade Areas (14 pages)
Ch 8
Ch 9
Ch 15
558-581
463-484; 489-493;
494-495
499-507; 518-519;
522; 525; 526-527
356-376; 380-381
384-404; 408-421;
423-427
431-460
Part IV
Regulation of the International Marketplace
Licensing Agreements and the Protection of IP Rights (23 pages)
Ch 17
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9/2 Individual Intro Due
9/15 Discussion Questions Ch 1 – 3 Due
9/16 – 9/18 Exam #1 (Ch 1 – 3) (92 PAGES)
10/6 Discussion Questions Ch 4 – 7 Due
10/7 – 10/9 Exam #2 (Ch 4 – 7) (81 PAGES)
10/27 Discussion Questions Ch 8 – 10 Due
10/28 – 10/30 Exam #3 (Ch 8 – 10) (72 PAGES)
11/17 Discussion Questions Ch 11 – 13 Due
11/18 – 11/20 Exam #4 (Ch 11-13) (78 PAGES)
12/9 Discussion Questions Ch 14, 15, 17 Due
12/10 – 12/16 Final Exam (Ch 14, 15, 17) (62 PAGES)
BA 141C – Intro to International Business Law (Instructor Nance)
INDIVIDUAL INTRODUCTION POSTING (15 points): Each student is required to post a
descriptive individual introduction by the first Friday of class. An example of what to post will be
made by my own personal introduction about myself. Be creative and think about what other
students would want to know about you.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (160 points): There are discussion questions for each chapter. I will
post these questions on the Discussion Board. Responses to these questions will be worth 10 points
each, for a maximum total of 160 points. To receive credit, you must post a thoughtful, wellworded response of at least 10 sentences. Uploaded or embedded media are welcome. I encourage
you to respond to other students' posts, but the points come from your own post to my question.
Credit for postings will only be given if you post before the deadlines. Even if the system allows
you to post a response after the deadline, you will not receive credit for it.
EXAMS (5 exams x 75 points = 375 total points): There will be a total of 5 exams with 75
questions each. The final exam is non-cumulative. Tests are multiple choice and true/false
questions. All tests will be taken online. Tests are available from Friday to Saturday of the week
indicated. You have 90 minutes after you have opened the exam to complete each of the five
exams. Be sure to access the exam before midnight on the closing day of the exam. You will be
shown questions in random order, without the ability to go back and revisit questions. Think
carefully before submitting each answer, as you will not be able to go back and change your
answers.
The computer will not allow you to save any more answers after your 90 minutes has expired. You
can submit the exam after your time has expired, but only those answers that were saved before
your time expired will be counted. Watch the clock! Once you access the test, the 90 minutes begin
and cannot be stopped. Also, make sure you click the save button for all your answers before you
submit the test for grading (and before your 90 minutes are up). Any unsaved answers are counted
as incorrect. It is always a good idea to write down your answers on a sheet of paper, just in case
you encounter technical problems during the exam. Be sure to write down more than just the
question number as the questions are randomized and I will need more information.
THERE ARE NO MAKEUP EXAMS, NO RE-OPENING OF EXAMS BECAUSE YOU DID
NOT GET YOUR ANSWERS SAVED IN TIME, AND NO ALLOWANCES FOR NOT
KNOWING WHAT DATES OR TIMES THE EXAMS WERE OPEN.
MAKEUP POLICY: There are no make-ups for any missed exams. It is your responsibility to
keep track of all testing dates and take the exams during the times posted. The only exception to
this policy is if you can bring me a doctor’s note that verifies that you were unable to take the exam
during the days of availability (due to hospitalization, for example). Then I may consider allowing
you to take an alternate test at my discretion.
INSTRUCTOR PARTICIPATION/RESPONSES TO EMAIL AND DISCUSSION: I will
check my email daily (Monday through Friday) and respond to any emails in my mailbox at that
time within 24 hours. Email questions received after 12 NOON on Fridays, or on Saturdays and
Sundays, may not receive a response until Monday. (Any times listed in this syllabus are Pacific
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BA 141C – Intro to International Business Law (Instructor Nance)
Daylight Time). I will not respond to every post to the discussion board, but will respond with
comments or answers as appropriate. I will, however, read all postings to the discussion board.
DISCUSSION TIPS: If you have general questions about the course you should post them in the
MAIN topic area. You are all highly encouraged to participate in helping out your peers as much as
you can with any questions posted.
A certain degree of netiquette is required when posting to an online discussion:
• Check the discussion area frequently and respond to questions appropriately
• Focus on one subject per message, typing the subject title in the heading of your message
• Only capitalize words to highlight a point
• Cite references and sources when quoting
• Please do not forward someone else's message without asking his or her permission
• Humor is allowed but note that without visual cues, humor can be misinterpreted
• Feel free to use emoticons such as :) to let others know you’re being humorous
• Always respond with courtesy and respect to another student’s post
• Reply with a dynamic post – use uploaded photos or embedded videos from YouTube as a
great visual impact to your response. If you link to another website, provide your classmates
with a succinct synopsis of the link you are providing and why it is worth their time to click
and visit the site.
TECHNICAL ISSUES: The online education center will notify me if there is a technical issue that
would prevent you from submitting any work on time. If the technical issue is on the Ohlone end,
you will be granted a time extension and I will notify all students of this time extension. If the
technical problem is on your end, you need to ensure that it is resolved early so that your work can
be submitted before any class deadlines. There will be no time extensions if the technical problems
are within your system.
Software recommendations for this course are as follows:
Windows
Internet connection -- 56K Dial up or faster (Broadband connection is highly recommended)
An Internet browser -- Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, or Firefox 2.0 to 3.0
Cookies, JavaScript, and Java Enabled
Mac OS
Internet connection -- 56K Dial up or faster (Broadband connection is highly recommended)
Firefox 2.0 (OS X only)
Safari 2 to 3.2(OS 10.4 & 10.5 only)
Flash 6.0 or higher ( www.adobe.com )
Cookies, JavaScript, and Java Enabled
Up-to-date software patches and add-ins, including:
Sun java ( http://www.java.com)
Macromedia Flash Player ( http://www.adobe.com )
Adobe Reader ( http://www.adobe.com )
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BA 141C – Intro to International Business Law (Instructor Nance)
Visit BlackBoards's Browser Zone to make sure you are running a supported browser.
For help with Blackboard, visit http://www2.ohlone.edu/instr/onlineeducation/ecampus/help.html
to view a 24 hour/7 days a week help phone number as well as a list of current Ohlone staff who
help with online courses.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY: Please note that this course follows the guidelines as
described in the Ohlone College Policy on Academic Dishonesty which can be found at the
following URL: http://www.ohlone.edu/org/studentservices/academicdishonesty.html
If I notice or sense any students collaborating on exams, written papers, or discussion responses, I
reserve the right to take any of the appropriate actions as stated in the Policy on Academic
Dishonesty, including but not limited to dropping the student(s) from this course or assigning an F
grade for the semester.
DROP POLICY & DATES
NOTE: Sunday, September 11, is the last day to drop without a W grade. Thursday, November 17,
is the last day to drop with a W grade. I do not drop students. This is your responsibility. All
students whose names appear on my roster at the end of the semester will receive a grade based on
the scale in this syllabus.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:
As your instructor, I am here to facilitate your learning and to push the boundaries of your
knowledge of international business law. I believe in making it worthwhile for your participation
online and to be organized so that you as students can understand all that is expected of you online
throughout this course. I will always value and respect your opinions and expect the same in return.
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