BUS 490 B
SENIOR INTEGRATIVE SEMINAR:
CASE ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT
http://www.ups.edu/sbl/mccullough.html
Course Outline
Spring 2005
Dr. Jim McCullough
111 McIntyre Hall
mccullough@ups.edu
PLEASE NOTE: THIS CLASS WILL MEET MW 3-4:20
Objectives: Business 490 was developed to provide students with an understanding of
strategic policy issues in the international context. The course will provide you with
skills and background necessary for understanding and making decisions in the
international business environment and should improve your capacity to assess and solve
business problems in general. This course will provide a basis for conducting research
and evaluating opportunities existing in international settings and examine the risks
facing business activities in those markets. Through lecture and discussion, case analysis,
and research, students will develop the ability to gather information, solve problems, and
communicate effectively in the international business environment.
Business 490 has been designed to meet the needs of you, the student, and it is taught for
your benefit. If there are topics and issues you would like to see discussed, or portions of
the material with which you have difficulty, please feel free to bring those concerns and
problems to the attention of the instructor early in the semester so they might be
adequately handled.
Approach: This course is a case class. The study of cases will be supported by lectures,
field trips and local projects, and discussions based on readings of selected topics. Cases,
projects, and readings are designed to integrate information and introduce greater realism
and perspective to the course. Student participation is a key element in the learning
situation and your active involvement in and contribution to course activities is expected.
Text: Bartlett, C., S. Ghoshal, and J. Birkinshaw, Transnational Management, fourth
edition, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2004.
Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on the basis of written and oral work,
examinations, and class participation. You are expected to be prepared for class and you
should expect to be called upon to present your analyses and perceptions on the material
assigned for discussion. All written work must be turned in on the date indicated and
must be typed. Late or untyped work will not be accepted. In the determination of your
final grade, assignments will be given the following weights:
Examinations:
Midterm Examination
Final Examination
10
10
Case Briefs and Presentations:
Case Briefs (10 @ 5)
Case Presentation (team paper and presentation)
Small Business Assessment
Participation and contribution:
Total possible points
5
10
10
10
100
Examinations: Examinations will be based on class discussions, readings, and case
analyses, and may include essay or short answer questions.
Written Papers and Oral Presentations:
Case Briefs (individual papers): You are expected to prepare all cases discussed in
class. You are required to submit two page case briefs on each of these cases. In these
case briefs you should identify the main problem or issue in the case and make a clear
recommendation for action. Your recommendation should be based in effective use of
data and other information in the case and your knowledge of the local business
environment.
Case Presentation and Discussion (team presentation): Using your knowledge of
international business strategy you will lead a discussion of one of the cases we have been
studying. You should examine the political, economic, and cultural dimensions of the
case and prepare an oral presentation in support of your analysis and recommendation.
Please note: you are expected to prepare an individual case brief for the case you present.
Small Business Assessment (individual paper): You will select and examine a small
business operating in the Tacoma-Pierce County area. You should visit the business,
meet with at least one employee or manager, and make an assessment of the degree to
which the principles of transnational management are applicable to this type of small
business. You will prepare a short (five page) paper discussing your findings. Your
experiences will be discussed in class.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1
Week beginning January 17
Monday:
Martin Luther King Holiday—No Class Scheduled
Wednesday:
Managing International Risk: Introduction to Transnational Management
Read: Reading 1-1 Managing in a Borderless World
Week 2
Week beginning January 24
Monday:
International Expansion and the MNC
Read: Chapter 1
Wednesday:
International Expansion and the MNC
Write and Discuss: Case 1-1 Jollibee Foods Corporation (A)
Week 3
Week beginning January 31
Monday:
Managing Conflicting Demands
Read: Chapter 2
Wednesday:
Managing Conflicting Demands
Write and Present: Case 2-2 Global Wine Wars: New World Challenges
Old
Week 4
Week beginning February 7
Monday:
Managing Conflicting Demands
Read: Reading 2-2 Clusters and the New Economics of Competition
Wednesday:
Managing Conflicting Demands
Write and Discuss: Case 2-3 Hitting the Wall: Nike and International
Labor Practices
Week 5
Week beginning February 14
Monday:
Developing Strategic Capabilities
Read: Chapter 3
Wednesday:
Developing Strategic Capabilities
Read: Reading 3-2 Global Strategy…in a World of Nations?
Week 6
Week beginning February 21
Monday:
Developing Strategic Capabilities
Write and Present: Case 3-1 Caterpillar Tractor Co.
Wednesday:
Developing Strategic Capabilities
Read: Reading 3-3 Competition in Global Industries: A Conceptual
Framework
Week 7
Week beginning February 28
Monday:
Summary and Review
Write and Discuss: Case 3-2 Komatsu Limited
Wednesday:
Midterm Examination
Week 8
Week beginning March 7
Monday:
Developing the Organizational Structure
Read: Chapter 4
Read: Reading 4-2 Making Global Strategies Work
Wednesday:
Developing the Organizational Structure
Write and Present: Case 4-1 Philips and Matsushita 1998: Growth of Two
Global Companies
Week 9
Week beginning March 14
Spring Break
No Classes
Week 10
Week beginning March 21
Monday:
Worldwide Learning
Read: Chapter 5
Wednesday:
Worldwide Learning
Read: Reading 5-3 The Knowledge-Creating Company
Week 11
Week beginning March 28
Monday:
Worldwide Learning
Write and Discuss: Cases 5-4a, b, c, d Meridian Magnesium
Wednesday:
Worldwide Learning
Read: Reading 5-2 Integrating the Enterprise
Week 12
Week beginning April 4
Monday:
Managing Across Boundaries
Read: Chapter 6
Read: Reading 6-1 The Global Logic of Strategic Alliances
Wednesday:
Managing Across Boundaries
Write and Present: Case 6-3 Star Alliance (A): A Global Network
Week 13
Week beginning April 11
Monday:
International Small Business and the Born Globals
Wednesday:
Field Trip—to be announced
Write: Assessment of local “international” business
Week 14
Week beginning April 18
Monday:
Building Multidimensional Capabilities
Read: Chapter 7
Wednesday:
Building Multidimensional Capabilities
Read: Chapter 7
Read: Reading 7-1 Local Memoirs of a Global Manager
Write and Discuss: Case 7-1 BRL Hardy
Week 15
Week beginning April 25
Monday:
Preparing for the Future
Read: Chapter 8
Read and Discuss: Reading 8-1 The Myth of the Generic Manager: New
Personal Competencies for New Management Roles
Wednesday:
Write and Present: Case 8-2 GE’s Two-Decade Transformation: Jack Welch’s
Leadership
Week 16
Week beginning May 2
Monday:
Course summary, review, and evaluation
Wednesday:
Reading Period. No class.
Week 17
Week beginning May 9
Monday:
Final Examination: 8-10 a.m.