MBA 659: Managing in a Global Economy
College of Business Administration – Central Michigan University
Mondays 6-9:50 pm – Midland B
October 24 – December 12, Fall 2005
Course Syllabus
Instructor:
Dr. Michael Pisani
Associate Professor of International Business
Department of Management, 204D Smith Hall
College of Business Administration
Central Michigan University
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
Tel.: 989-774-1499; Fax: 989-774-1353; E-mail: m.pisani@cmich.edu
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 1:00 – 2:00 pm; 3:15-4:00 pm and by
appointment in 204D Smith Hall.
Course Description: Covers challenges of globalization of product- and factor-markets,
managing subsidiaries and influencing affiliates in diverse cultures, in industrialized and
emerging economies.
Credits: 2 graduate semester hours.
Course Prerequisite: MBA 508.
ADA Statement: CMU provides individuals with disabilities reasonable
accommodations to participate in educational programs, activities and services. Students
with disabilities requiring accommodation to participate in class activities or meet course
requirements should register with the office of Student Disability Services (250 Foust
Hall) and then contact the instructor as soon as possible.
Course Purpose: This course is designed to enable students to discuss and apply the
major international business issues and theories facing global managers.
Course Learning Outcomes: In completing this course, you will:
From the MBA Core:
1) understand contemporary market forces impacting business;
2) recognize the challenges of managing in a global environment;
3) compare and contrast divergent views on managing organizations;
4) be able to work effectively in a team-oriented environment;
5) effectively communicate in writing and through oral presentations;
6) incorporate socially responsible, environmental and ethical considerations into
business decision-making; and
7) understand the impact of political, legal and regulatory issues on business
decision-making;
From the Course:
8) understand the complexity of the global business environment, particularly the
triad/world economy (with an application of introducing a company/product into a
geographical [world] region);
9) study international business blunders;
10) become aware of the ethical dimensions embedded doing business globally;
11) recognize the role of culture (including multiculturalism, diversity, leadership,
negotiations, communication, cross-cultural encounters) in international
business/management;
12) study the theoretical framework for “optimal” organization and operation in a
cross-cultural environment; and
13) understand the growing importance of developing economies.
Required Materials:*
Texts:
1) Harris, Philip R., Robert T. Moran and Sarah V. Moran (2004), Managing Cultural
Differences: Global Leadership Strategies for the Twenty-First Century, 6th edition,
Burlington, MA: Elsevier, Butterworth, Heinemann.
2) Hofstede, Geert and Gert Jan Hofstede (2005), Cultures and Organizations: Software
of the Mind, revised and expanded 2nd edition, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
3) Gallagher, Kevin P. (2004), Free Trade and the Environment: Mexico, NAFTA, and
Beyond, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
4) Kras, Eva S. (1995), Management in Two Cultures: Bridging the Gap Between U.S.
and Mexican Managers, revised edition, Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press, Inc.
5) Roberts, Russell (2001), The Choice: A Fable of Free Trade and Protectionism,
updated and revised, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
6) Steger, Manfred B. (2005), Globalism: The New Market Ideology, 2nd Edition,
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, INC.
Other Readings: (Available from the Instructor)
1. Accelerator Group (2004), “Impact of Offshore Outsourcing on the Manufacturing
Sector in Michigan and the United States,” available at the following web address:
http://www.detroitchamber.com/MPC/documents/offshoring.pdf
2. Brittain-Catlin, William (2005), Offshore: The Dark Side of the Global Economy,
New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 3-38.
3. De George, Richard T. (2000), “Ethics in International Business—A Contradiction in
Terms?” Business Credit, 8(September), 50-52, 102.
4. De George, Richard T. (1993), Competing with Integrity in International Business,
New York, NY: Oxford University Press, chapter 1 (pp. 3-22).
5. De Grauwe, Paul and Filip Camerman (2003), “Are Multinationals Really Bigger
Than Nations?” World Economics, 4(2), 23-37.
6. Flynn, Stephen E. (2003), “The False Conundrum: Continental Integration versus
Homeland Security,” in Peter Andreas and Thomas J. Biersteker (Eds.) The
Rebordering of North America, New York, NY: Routledge, 110-127.
7. Friedman, Thomas L. (2000), The Lexus and the Olive Tree, New York, NY: Anchor
Books, xi-xxii & 3-16.
8. Hall, Edward T. (1960), “The Silent Language in Overseas Business,” Harvard
Business Review, 38(2), 87-96.
9. Hofstede, Geert (1984), Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in WorkRelated Values, abridged edition, Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, pp. 283-286.
[VSM Survey]
10. Huntington, Samuel P. (1996), “The West: Unique, Not Universal,” Foreign Affairs,
75(6) November/December, 28-46.
11. Lappé, Frances M., Joseph Collins, and Peter Rossett (1998), World Hunger: Twelve
Myths, second edition, Grove Press, NY: New York, Chapter 8, pp. 109-121.
12. Michigan Works! (2004), “Capital Area Manufacturing: Past, Present, Future,”
available at the following web address:
http://www.camw.org/docs/manufacturing__past_present__future/PastPresFut.pdf
13. Ohmae, Kenichi (2005), The Next Global Stage: Challenges and Opportunities in Our
Borderless World, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Publishing, xvii-xxvi &
3-25.
14. Pisani, Michael J. (2000), “An American Management Training Model in a Latin
American Context: Some Implications for International Business Consultants,”
Journal of Teaching in International Business, 12(1), 23-39.
15. Wolf, Martin (2004), Why Globalization Works, New Haven, CT: Yale University
Press, ix-xviii & 3-19.
*And class handouts and other assigned materials.
Other Recommended Readings:
1) The Financial Times (www.FT.com)
2) Bhagwati, Jagdish (2004), In Defense of Globalization, New York, NY: Oxford
University Press.
3) Dicken, Peter (2003), Global Shift: Reshaping the Global Economic Map in the 21st
Century, 4th Edition, New York, NY: Guilford Press.
4) Friedman, Thomas L. (2005), The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first
Century, New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
5) Ricks, David A. (1999), Blunders in International Business, 3rd edition, Oxford, UK:
Blackwell Publishers, Ltd.
6) Rodrik, Dani (1997), Has Globalization Gone Too Far? Washington, DC: Institute for
International Ecnomics.
Evaluation:
Class Participation/AttendanceReview EssayGroup/Team PresentationProgress Reports (2)
Weekly Managerial Applications (6) Final ExamTotal
150 Points
200 Points
250 Points
50 Points
100 Points
250 Points
1000 Points
Grades: A= 940-1000 points; A- = 900-939 points; B+ = 870-899 points; B = 831-869
points; B- = 800-830 points; C+ = 770-799 points; C = 731-769 points; C- = 700-730
points; E = below 700 points (failing).
Proposed Course Calendar*
October 24: Course Introduction, International Trade & Globalization, Teaming
Readings: Roberts (all); Steger, Preface & Ch. 1; Accelerator Group (all);
Michigan Works! (all)
Video: “Is American Number 1?”
Team: Team Selection and Formation
October 31: International Trade & Globalization, Teaming
Readings: Brittain-Catlin (all); Friedman (all); Lappé et. Al. (all); Huntington
(all); De Grauwe & Camerman (all); Steger, Ch. 2; Wolf (all)
Assignment Due: Weekly Managerial Application #1
Team: Company Selection (be prepared to argue for your “chosen” company) and
Geographic Area Selection
November 7: Globalization, National Culture, Teaming
Readings: Flynn (all); Gallagher (all); Hofstede Chs. 1-3; Ohmae (all); Steger
Chs. 3-4
Assignment Due: Weekly Managerial Application #2
Team: Company Research (functional areas… finance, management/organization,
marketing, strategy) and Culture Research (flexible/non-flexible cultural
similarities/differences)
November 14: Globalization, National Culture, Leadership, Teaming
Readings: Steger Chs. 5-6; Hofstede Chs. 4-6; Harris & Moran Chs. 1-3
Assignment Due: Weekly Managerial Application #3
Team: Company/Culture Research; Progress Report #1 Due
November 21: National Culture, Leadership, International Business Ethics
Readings: Hofstede Chs. 7-8; Harris & Moran Chs. 4-5; De George (all)
Assignment Due: Weekly Managerial Application #4
Team: Company/Culture Research
November 28: Research Methods, Diversity, Cross-Cultural Management:
U.S.-Mexico, Teaming, Teaming
Readings: Hofstede Chs. 9-10 & Values Survey Module; Harris &
Moran Chs. 6-7; Kras (all) focus on pp. v-18;
Assignment Due: Weekly Managerial Application #5
Team: Company/Culture Research
December 5: Diversity, Cross-Cultural Management: U.S.-Mexico/Latin America,
An Alternative to Hofstede: Edward T. Hall, Teaming
Readings: Harris & Moran Chs. 8-9; Kras (all) focus on pp. 19-103; Hall (all);
Pisani (all)
Assignments Due: Review Essay; Weekly Managerial Application #6; Progress
Report #2 Due
Team: Company/Culture Research
December 12: Team Presentations & Final Exam
Team: Presentation of “Doing Business in… 1) North America (Canada, Mexico,
Central America & The Caribbean); 2) Europe (roughly Russia and the EU); 3)
South America; 4) Middle East & North Africa; 5) South Asia/East Asia; and 6)
Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Assignments Due: Final Exam
* The instructor reserves the right to change the calendar at any time to best meet the needs of the students.
Attendance/Participation Expectations (Methodology):
As this course emphasizes the development of discussion skills, the ability to work
responsibly in a group, and the honing of critical thinking skills, participation in the class
discussions and activities is crucial. You are expected to attend every class session.
Please do contact the instructor if you will not be able to make a class meeting; we can
discuss ways to insure that all the learning outcomes for class have been achieved. It is
the student’s responsibility to formally withdraw from the course.
Book Review: Each student will have the opportunity to compose a review essay
covering the following books: Management in Two Cultures by Eva Kras; Globalism:
The New Market Ideology by Manfred Steger; Free Trade and the Environment: Mexico,
NAFTA, and Beyond by Kevin Gallagher; and The Choice: A Fable of Free Trade and
Protectionism by Russell Roberts. The review essay should include: 1) a brief summary
of each book (e.g., contribution to the literature) (30% of grade on the paper); 2) a
critique of the books (e.g., significance) (50% of grade on the paper); and 3) an
examination of the authors’ context (e.g., who is the author [background, qualifications],
what are the author’s biases, and why did the author write the book [purpose and/or
research question]) (10% of grade on the paper). The paper should be readable (10% of
grade on the paper) and be no longer than eight (8) typed pages.
Weekly Managerial Applications: In a maximum 1-page typed single-spaced paper,
apply the week’s reading to a managerial issue, preferably one at your place of
(present/past) employment.
Group/Team Presentation: Approximately six groups will be formed to present/
discuss/question the larger class in a professional presentation (15-20 minutes) the
opportunities and challenges of doing business in a designated world region (e.g., North
America [Canada, Mexico, Central America & The Caribbean; exclusive of the U.S.];
Europe [roughly Russia and the EU]; South America; Middle East & North Africa; South
Asia/East Asia; and Sub-Saharan Africa) through the lens of a single firm (e.g., Krispe
Kreme or another acceptable/preferably fledgling international firm [Barnes & Noble,
Home Depot, Subway, Taco Bell, Target, Panera Bread, Circuit City, Lowe’s, and WallMart are off the board]). The entry decision must be an IJV or a greenfield investment.
The class as a whole will select up to two firms with at least half of the class doing each
firm (or the entire class doing the same firm). Please turn in the group’s presentation
notes at the time of the presentation (e.g., power point slides) and be sure to include class
readings, discussion, and personal experience in your presentations as appropriate. Class
time will be permitted for the team project. A progress report of the team’s development
is due November 14 AND December 5 (maximum 2 pages double-spaced [worth 50
points of the final project grade @ 25 points apiece]).
Final Exam: The final exam will comprehensively assess the learning outcomes/
classroom material discussed in class. The final exam shall be take-home and provided
in week six (November 28).