BUS 490
SENIOR INTEGRATIVE SEMINAR:
CASE ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT
http://www.ups.edu/sbl/mccullough.html
Course Outline
Spring 2004
Dr. Jim McCullough
111 McIntyre Hall
mccullough@ups.edu
PLEASE NOTE: THIS CLASS WILL MEET Tu Th 11-12:20
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
and discussions based on readings of selected topics. Cases 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
course activities is expected.
Text: Bartlett, C., S. Ghoshal, and J. Birkinshaw, Transnational Management, fourth
edition, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2004.
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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. You are expected to keep aware of changing conditions in world
markets, and, if you do not already to so, you should develop the habit of reading
international sources news regularly.
All written work must be turned in on the date indicated and must be typed. Late or
untyped work will not be accepted.
Pay particular attention to the relative weights of course work, as there will be no extra
credit, and your final grade will be based on your cumulative performance. In the
determination of your final grade, assignments will be given the following weights:
Examinations:
Midterm Examination
Final Examination
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10
Case Briefs and Presentations:
Case Briefs (6 @ 10)
Case Presentation (team paper and presentation)
Participation and contribution:
Total possible points
60
10
10
100
Examinations: The 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 six 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
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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.
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COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1
Week beginning January 19
Tuesday:
Introduction to Transnational Management
Thursday:
Managing International Risk
Read: Reading 1-1 Managing in a Borderless World
Week 2
Week beginning January 26
Tuesday:
International Expansion and the MNC
Read: Chapter 1
Thursday:
International Expansion and the MNC
Discuss: Case 1-1 Jollibee Foods Corporation (A)
Week 3
Week beginning February 2
Tuesday:
Managing Conflicting Demands
Read: Chapter 2
Thursday:
Managing Conflicting Demands
Read: Reading 2-2 Clusters and the New Economics of Competition
Week 4
Week beginning February 9
Tuesday:
Managing Conflicting Demands
Write and Present: Case 2-2 Global Wine Wars: New World Challenges
Old
Thursday:
Managing Conflicting Demands
Discuss: Case 2-3 Hitting the Wall: Nike and International Labor
Practices
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Week 5
Week beginning February 16
Tuesday:
Developing Strategic Capabilities
Read: Chapter 3
Thursday:
Developing Strategic Capabilities
Read: Reading 3-2 Global Strategy…in a World of Nations?
Week 6
Week beginning February 23
Tuesday:
Developing Strategic Capabilities
Write and Present: Case 3-1 Caterpillar Tractor Co.
Thursday:
Developing Strategic Capabilities
Read: Reading 3-3 Competition in Global Industries: A Conceptual
Framework
Week 7
Week beginning March 1
Tuesday:
Summary and Review
Read Case 3-2 Komatsu Limited
Thursday:
Midterm Examination
Week 8
Week beginning March 8
Tuesday:
Developing the Organizational Structure
Read: Chapter 4
Thursday:
Developing the Organizational Structure
Read: Reading 4-2 Making Global Strategies Work
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Week 9
Week beginning March 15
Spring Break
Tuesday:
Developing the Organizational Structure
Read: Reading 4-3
Thursday:
Developing the Organizational Structure
Write and Present: Case 4-1 Philips and Matsushita 1998: Growth of Two
Global Companies
Week 10
Week beginning March 22
Tuesday:
Worldwide Learning
Read: Chapter 5
Thursday:
Worldwide Learning
Read: Reading 5-3 The Knowledge-Creating Company
Week 11
Week beginning March 29
Tuesday:
Worldwide Learning
Write and Discuss: Cases 5-4a, b, c, d Meridian Magnesium
Thursday:
Worldwide Learning
Read: Reading 5-2 Integrating the Enterprise
Week 12
Week beginning April 5
Tuesday:
Managing Across Boundaries
Read: Chapter 6
Thursday:
Managing Across Boundaries
Read: Reading 6-1 The Global Logic of Strategic Alliances
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Week 13
Week beginning April 12
Tuesday:
Managing Across Boundaries
Write and Present: Case 6-3 Star Alliance (A): A Global Network
Thursday:
Managing Across Boundaries
Read: Reading 6-2 Collaborate with Your Competitors—and Win
Week 14
Week beginning April 19
Tuesday:
Building Multidimensional Capabilities
Read: Chapter 7
Wednesday:
International Seminar for SBL/BLP
Thursday:
Building Multidimensional Capabilities
Read: Chapter 7
Read: Reading 7-1 Local Memoirs of a Global Manager
Week 15
Week beginning April 26
Tuesday:
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
Thursday:
Write and Present: Case 8-2 GE’s Two-Decade Transformation: Jack
Welch’s Leadership
Week 16
Week beginning May 3
Tuesday:
Course summary, review, and evaluation
Thursday:
Reading Period
Week 17
Week beginning May 10
Wednesday:
Final Examination 8-10 a.m.
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