C566, Topics in International Business Management : Business Management Practices in
Poland
Summer II
GENERAL INFORMATION
Instructor:
Linda S. Ficht
Office:
Office Hours:
KO 174E
By appointment
Office Telephone Number:
E-Mail Address:
765-455-9471
lficht@iuk.edu
C566, Topics in International Business Management is a graduate level summer course which
provides MBA students with the opportunities to travel to selected countries in order to gain an
in depth and practical understanding of the macro and micro aspects of doing business in those
countries. The broader goal of the course is to familiarize students with the environmental
dynamics that arise when business activities transcend international borders. A variety of
environmental dimensions—economic, financial, political, legal, and cultural - are examined,
with a major focus on the impact these factors will have on the various types of international
business functional operations such as marketing, manufacturing, human resources, accounting
and finance. Successful completion of this course should allow students to understand and
appreciate the diversity and complexity of the global environment today’s businesses have to
grapple with. This is a cross listed course. Although many of the assignments are similar to the
undergraduate students, graduate students are expected to take a leadership role in the class,
write with a higher level of critical thinking and reflection and generally produce higher quality
work. The research paper for the graduate students is longer and expected to be more
comprehensive.
The country chosen for summer 2016 is Poland. Thus, in addition to the overall goal stated
above, the course will explore aspects of international business management practices in Poland.
The course will consist of classroom sessions held in Kokomo during which students will be
given an orientation consisting of discussion of course syllabus and other instructional resources,
and a lecture on Poland given by a guest speaker. This orientation is designed to prepare
students for the Poland trip and how it will integrated with the overall goals of the course. Then
students will go on a ten-day trip to Poland during which they will be provided with
opportunities to observe a variety of Polish business practices. Students will also be able to
interview managers of businesses in Poland. This will allow students to gather primary data for
the specific industry they chose for their project.
At the beginning of the course, teams of three students each will be formed. Each team will be
required to write a research paper of up to 15 pages. The project will consist of two parts: in the
first part each team will research Poland’s macro business environment: the cultural-social,
political-legal, economic environments, government fiscal and monetary policies, and the foreign
direct investment environment in Poland. Each team will then select a specific industry in
Poland which is being represented on the trip. The team will write a comparative paper on that
particular industry and compare and contrast the US industry with the Polish one. Teams will
carry out a major part of their data collection for the research paper during the trip. They will
finalize the paper when they return and present their findings during the last week of summer
classes.
Course and trip Objectives:
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Observe and interact with Polish managers of business as they deal with some of the
opportunities and problems facing global managers today.
Learn to adapt to, and become more sensitive about, Polish culture and peoples and doing
business within Poland.
Appreciate the complexities and nuances of operating in the cultural, political, legal,
ethical, economic and financial environments of Poland
Assess the political risks associated with doing business in Poland
Understand the principles of international trade and foreign direct investment and how
they could be applied to doing business in Poland, and
Write and present a paper on a selected industry that compares and contrasts that industry
to the same industry in the US.
Demonstrate their ability to explain their experiences through group presentations of their
papers
Reflect upon your preconceived notions of the global business environment and the
change in your perception upon completing the course
Understand the significance of diversity in the management of business organizations
through the experience abroad.
Exhibit leadership skills as you assist undergraduate students navigate a foreign
environment
Assignments:
1. Read and study the readings and come to classroom sessions ready to discuss different
aspects of international business management topics. Class quizzes will be had covering
the readings
2. Individual assignment - study the assigned company and report to the class their findings
3. Keep a diary while in Poland of their experiences
4. Observe and analyze Polish management practices in different industrial settings
5. Interview and interact with Polish managers of firms doing business in Poland
6. Write a group research paper on the comparative nature of their chosen industry
7. Present the group research paper. The best presentation will be selected to present to the
IU Kokomo School of Business Advisory Board.
8. Pre and Post perception quiz
9. Post trip quizzes
Grade Scale
1. Research paper
2. Quizzes
3. Research paper presentation
4. Country diary
5. Participation in business meetings in Poland
6. Company presentation pre-trip
7. pre and post trip perception quiz
8. Final reflection and debriefing
9. Demonstrated leadership skills
10. Quality of interactions with business partners abroad
75 points
80 points
30 points
50 points
50 points
25 points per company
30 points
20 points
30 points
20 points
410 + (depending on how
many companies you have to research)
The final grade cutoff points are found on the following scale:
A+
98% - 100%
C+
78%-79%
A
93%- 97%
C
73%-77%
A-
90%-92%
C-
70%-72%
B+
88%-89%
D+
68%-69%
B
83%-87%
D
63%-67%
B-
80%-82%
D-
60%-62%
F
59% or lower
Course Specific Policies
Attendance
Attendance and participation are required at our pre-trip sessions and post-trip debriefing, as
these sessions cover very important material. Your grade will be affected if you do not attend.
Assignments, Late Work, and Make-up Work
All assignments should be submitted on Canvas unless otherwise noted. Due dates for graded
work are stated in the syllabus and on the class schedule. You may turn an assignment in up to
24 hours late for half credit. After that, no late work is accepted, and there are no make-up
assignments. For genuine personal emergencies, please contact your instructor as soon as
possible and your instructor will try to work with you to come up with an acceptable agreement.
Communication
Be sure to check your IU e-mail account and Canvas messages often. These are the primary
modes of communication for this class and the university. If you prefer another e-mail address,
then arrange for your IU e-mail to be forwarded to that address.
Syllabus Changes
Because unexpected things sometimes come up, the instructor has the right to change the
syllabus. However, changes will be kept to a minimum due to disruption to students’ academic
plans. You will be made you aware of any changes via Canvas or in-class announcements.
Writing and speaking across the curriculum – Proper usage of the English language is
essential for effective communications. All tests and reports whether written or verbal, will
result from the proper usage of the English language. The professor reserves the right to lower a
student’s grade for improper usage of the English language.
Library Usage – The IUK library system offers a large variety of resources for the student to
supplement the content of this course. Examples include current newspapers (Wall Street
Journal), magazines (Business Week), and access to the Internet and a variety of research
databases. The library is ready, willing and able to train you in the use of electronic research and
assist you in finding sources for you academic work in the library. For assistance you should go
to the library or call 455-9521.
Integrity – No form of cheating or plagiarism is tolerated. Such actions are dealt with, in
accordance with university policy and procedures. If a student is unfamiliar with these policies
and procedures, he/she should obtain them and read them carefully. Honesty in academic
matters is fundamental to college learning. Any violation of this section can result in a charge of
Academic and/or Personal Misconduct, the consequences of which could be a variety of
sanctions either from the professor and/or the Dean of Students to include but not limited to,
failure of the assignment, failure of the course, record of misconduct placed in their permanent
academic file, dismissal from the School of Business and/or dismissal from Indiana University
Kokomo, depending on the severity and facts/circumstances of said behavior.
Computer Usage - Students must use the computer to access course information contained in
the Canvas website (canvas.iu.edu) as I will post pertinent course information (such as handouts
and power points) as well as grades. Failure to do so will mean that the student is likely to miss
important class information and not be properly prepared for lectures. IUK also offers a variety
of computer resources for course assignments and projects (e.g. word processing, spreadsheets,
presentation software, database management, and statistical packages). These resources are
found in the computer labs on campus. Laptop computers may be used in the classroom,
however any student accessing unauthorized material on the laptop during class such as
Facebook and Twitter, will be expelled from the class for the day and their laptop privilege
revoked.
Class cancellations – If any class is canceled, tests are rescheduled for the next class period.
Assignments are collected at the next class period.
Code of Conduct – Students are expected to adhere to the IU Kokomo Bulletin, the Schedule of
Classes and the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct regarding classroom
conduct, and other materials published by academic departments and by the Department of
Student Services. Any inappropriate behavior, disruptive conduct, or non-compliance with
faculty directions can result in a charge of Academic and/or Personal Misconduct, the
consequences of which could be a variety of sanctions either from the professor and/or the Dean
of Students to include but not limited to, failure of the assignment, failure of the course, record of
misconduct placed in their academic file, dismissal from the School of Business and/or dismissal
from Indiana University Kokomo, depending on the severity and facts/circumstances of said
behavior.
Cell phone usage (texts or phone calls), Facebook or other social media is strictly
prohibited in the classroom. Any student found using their cell phone, reading
newspapers/magazines or any other material not relevant to class, using the internet not
related to class or disrupting class in any other manner, will be asked to leave the
classroom immediately. Classroom disruption will be defined by the professor, not the
student.
The Unauthorized Practice of Law – Students are advised that mastery of this material is not a
license to practice law. Such a license may only be obtained through the Indiana Supreme Court
or the highest court in the state where one wishes to practice. Students should not give advice to
others based on material covered in this class. This class is intended to provide a working
knowledge of the legal environment in which businesses often operate for the non-lawyer.
Nevertheless, any student who finds themselves interested in law due to their studies in this
course should feel free to speak to me about attending law school to obtain your law degree.
Students with Disabilities – Every attempt will be made to accommodate qualified students
with disabilities (e.g. mental health, learning, chronic health, physical, hearing, vision
neurological, etc.) You must have established your eligibility for support services through the
appropriate office that services students with disabilities. Note that services are confidential, may
take time to put into place and are not retroactive; Captions and alternate media for print
materials may take three or more weeks to get produced. Please contact your campus office as
soon as possible if accommodations are needed. Find your office at:
http://ada.iu.edu/students/index.shtml
Schedule
Two orientation sessions will be required prior to class starting.
Week one: Perception quiz, Lecture on Polish culture, law and politics. Assign companies. Quiz
1, readings assigned see Canvas
Week two: Company reports by the students, quiz 2. Leave for Poland July 9th
Week three: Poland trip
Week four: Poland trip
Week five: Diaries due, work on papers, quiz 3
Week six: papers due, group presentations, quiz 4, final debriefing and reflection due, post trip
perception quiz