International Business
MGT3660-R3, Summer 2015
Georgia Institute of Technology
Scheller College of Business
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
MGT3660-R3
Summer 2015
Instructor: Dr. Wenxin Guo
Time: Tuesday and Thursday 12:40 – 2:45pm
Office Hours: Tuesday 3:00-4:00pm
Contact Information: wenxin.guo@scheller.gatech.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This is an introductory course in international business. The basic content of the course includes (1) an
overview of the means of conducting international business, with an emphasis on what makes international
different from domestic; (2) the effects of the social systems within countries on the conduct of international
business; (3) the major theories explaining international business transactions and the institutions influencing
those activities; (4) the financial exchange systems and institutions that measure and facilitate international
transactions; (5) the dynamic interface between countries and companies attempting to conduct foreign
business activities; (6) corporate strategy alternatives for global operations; and (7) international activities
that fall largely within functional disciplines.
COURSE OBJECTIVE:
1. Understand the different challenges business face when they operate in an international environment.
2. Examine the various cultural, political and legal issues that impact international business activity.
3. Examine the international institutions and practices that impact international business;
4. Understand trade and investment theory, foreign exchange and the determination of foreign exchange
rates.
5. Appreciate the interaction of business and government as they relate to international commerce.
6. Develop insight into the management implications of international business strategy and operations.
REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS:
Textbook
Hill, Charles W. International Business. New York: McGraw-Hill. 9th Edition. 2013.
Ebook also available for purchase at http://www.coursesmart.com/international-business-9thedition/hill-charles-w-l/dp/0077437578
Simulation
Cesim Global Challenge International Business and Strategy Simulation available at
http://www.cesim.com/simulations/cesim-global-challenge-international-business-strategy-simulationgame
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OTHER COURSE MATERIALS
Other course materials are accessible via the T-Square website https://t-square.gatech.edu
Other course materials may include assignments, downloadable papers, newspaper information, business
reports, etc., updated as the semester progresses. You should check the T-Square website daily, as you will
be held responsible for any information posted that affects any component of your grade. In addition, you
should keep your e-mail box cleared of old messages, as you’ll be held responsible for the content of e-mails
sent to you that can’t be transmitted because your box is full.
TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS:
This course emphasizes active learning which has been used in many advanced undergraduate courses as well as MBA
programs. The key features of this approach are:
1. Case analyses: Throughout the course, we will analyze real-world cases and make international business
recommendations. In doing so, we will build on the readings for that class session, which provide the
theoretical and conceptual basis for the session topic.
2. Class discussions: Learning is a collective endeavor. Each individual has unique strengths, questions,
perspectives, and experiences that are relevant to our course topics. Through class discussion, we are
collectively able to create a learning experience that goes way beyond what each of us could individually
achieve reading some textbook.
3. Teamwork: Working collectively on tasks has many benefits, including division of labor, diversity of
perspectives, and peer motivation. Because of these benefits, many employees and managers are routinely
members of teams. Teamwork in this course will improve your learning experience with respect to
substantive issues and will also help you build your skills as a “team player”.
4. Business Simulation: The second part of this course is a business simulation, in which your team will
compete with other teams in this class. In this module, you will have a chance to apply some of the
concepts and tools acquired throughout the course and you will also need to incorporate the knowledge
and skills from other courses such as marketing, finance, human resources, and operations. This exercise
will give you hands on experience crafting business strategy and implementing it across functional areas.
COURSE EVALUATIONS
Requirements
The course requirements include quality class participation, a midterm and final exam, two team case
presentations, and attendance. Students will form their own teams of 4-6 persons each. The specific
requirements to be evaluated, including course weights, are as follows:
Active Participation
15%
Midterm exam
20%
Two case presentations (team)
20%
Capstone Simulation (team)
25%
Simulation (20%) Team presentation (5%)
Final Exam: Comp-XM Simulation (individual) 20%
Total
100%
International Business/MGT3660-R3/Summer2015 p.3
Grading
The alphabetical grade will be determined in the following way:
98-100
93-97
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
65-69
Below 65
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
CLASS PARTICIPATION
You are expected to be prepared before each class on the required readings. During the class, you should
engage in the discussion actively with the instructor and other students. In addition, the discussion should
show your good understanding and application of the class materials.
As part of the class participation evaluation, the instructor will ask for volunteers and occasionally make
“lucky calls” on the students to answer specific questions about the assigned readings, summarize/integrate
case discussion, and/or take part in certain activities that contribute to class learning.
On case discussion days I will hand out quick questionnaires at the beginning of class to make sure that you
have thoroughly read the case, if you have read it these should be easy. These will go towards your
participation grade.
CLASS ATTENDANCE
Missing class greatly detracts not only from your own ability to learn. As one is unable to participate when
not in attendance, missed classes will negatively affect your class participation mark. You are expected to
attend EVERY session of the class. As such attendance will be taken at the start of each class. It is each
student’s responsibility to sign the attendance sheet before you leave class.
However, I understand that things may happen and you may have to miss several sessions throughout the
semester. You are given five freebie misses. For those students that have more than five unexcused absences,
I reserve the right to decrease a student’s final grade by up to 5% points. Excused absences include: (1)
athletes who have provided their travel schedules to me prior to the first exam; (2) valid doctor’s note and/or
(3) valid note from the Dean of Students. In the case of excused absence, please bring a relevant
documentation of proof to me next class you attend.
Student nametags will be provided to you before each class starts. Please put our nametag in front of your
desk during the class. And also, please select a seat on the second class and use it for the remainder of the
term.
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EXAMS
Midterm Exam
The midterm exam will be close-book, close-notes. Computers are not permitted in the exam. The exam may
include multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank question, and essay questions. The exam will be in class and cover
required materials from the readings and other information provided in class, including lectures, class notes,
videos and case discussions.
Also please note, the exam must be given during our assigned period. In general, no makeup exams will be
given. If you have scheduling problems and/or an emergency wherein you must leave Atlanta before then, you
must discuss with me as soon as possible as time approaches. You will also need to get relevant approval as
soon as possible to validate your situations on the scheduled exam date. The eligible approval includes: (1)
athletes’ travel schedules; (2) valid doctor’s note and/or (3) valid note from the Dean of Students/undergrad
office at the College of Business. I will then allow you a makeup exam when you are back in town. If I do not
hear from you before the next scheduled class time, you will not be able to make up the exam. Please note that
I will NOT give the final exam before finals week under any circumstances.
Final Exam
Final exam will be based on simulation conducted individually online.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
Team Formation
I will finalize student teams (4-6 persons) by the end of the first week of class. Teams should then select one
team representative to email me your selection of the two cases for presentation.
Peer Evaluations
All team members are expected to contribute equally to completing the team assignments. It is primarily
your responsibility to eliminate free-riding. If you think that there is a problem in your team, you should first
try to resolve it within the team. However, if this does not work, please discuss the matter with the instructor
in a timely manner so that corrective actions can be taken.
Students will submit a peer-evaluation form of their team members’ contributions at the end of the semester.
Individual grades may be adjusted depending on the peer-evaluation results.
CASE REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS
Case Selection
Each team will select two cases from the six cases listed in the class schedule for analysis and presentation.
All the cases can be found in the required textbook. One case will be selected from the first set of three and
the second case from the remaining three. The team representative is responsible to send me an email
regarding their choices of the two cases. If more than two teams are choosing the same case, selection will be
granted on a first-come-first-served basis according to the order in which the email request is received. The
instructor will send out an email confirmation of the final case arrangement to each team representative.
The team presentation should discuss the following information:
1. Introduction of the company’s background and/or industry competitive environment
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2. Description of a critical phenomenon/problem based on an analysis of the information provided by
the case. Briefly describe the causal forces and the dynamics at work that led to this
phenomenon/problem.
3. Discussion of 3-4 actions that you would recommend to address the critical phenomenon/problem
identified in (1). These recommendations should follow logically from the previous analysis with
proper justification.
Case presentation slides are due two days before the actual date of presentation via email to me.
Case Presentation
Typically there will be two different teams presenting the same case as competitors for each case. Students
can choose the presentation methods they feel comfortable with (e.g. ppt slides, word, pictures, video, etc.).
The team will have 20 minutes to present their case analysis, followed by a 5 minutes Q&A. You may want
to do a rehearsal of your presentation to make sure it does not exceed the 20-minute limit. The main criterion
in evaluating the case report and presentation will be its value-added contribution, demonstrated by the
extent to which the team uses relevant course materials as a basis for identifying and analyzing the key issues
and problems.
While presenters are presenting the case, the other students (the audience) should complete a case
presentation evaluation form which consists of (1) what they think the phenomenon/problem is in the case,
(2) what recommendation they have to address the phenomenon/problem, (3) how well they think each of the
presentations performed and which one is better, and (4) what they learn from the case. Student audience
should interact with the presenters and contribute to the discussion of the case after the presentation. The
case presentation evaluation form will be distributed through Compass website.
Case Evaluations
Case presentation will be evaluated by the instructor and counted as components of your case grade (each
case is worth 10% towards your final grade).
SIMULATION:
We will use Cesim Global Challenge International Business and Strategy Simulation, which measures how
well you can integrate and use the knowledge and skills gained from the core courses including this course.
You will compete as teams against other classmates for business success within an industry. For an effective
execution, teams must analyze the economic conditions of the simulated environment, ensure smooth
production, understand your products relative to your customer needs, use accounting data to evaluate results
and make decisions, finance operations, determine R&D targets, market products, manage employees, and
respond to the competition. As a team, you will identify and implement a business strategy, make operational
adjustments to that strategy to gain competitive edges in the industry. This exercise allows for real-world
decision making, strategy formulation, problem-solving, and competitive challenges. You are individually
responsible for the registration, which can be done online (http://www.cesim.com/simulations/cesim-globalchallenge-international-business-strategy-simulation-game).
20% of your course grade will depend on your performance on the group simulation exercise. Teams will be
evaluated against each other.
You will also have a group presentation at the end of the semester (5%). In your group presentation you
should (1) identify the strategies you implemented throughout the simulation; (2) describe the measures of
International Business/MGT3660-R3/Summer2015 p.6
your success; (3) discuss your performance with a self-evaluation, i.e., what went right, what went wrong,
what you wish you should have done, etc. You should be prepared for questions from the class and myself.
GETTING HELP OR CLARIFICATION OF INFORMATION
To succeed in this course, you’ll need to invest a good amount of time and energy. If at any time you feel
you’re investing the required time and energy but aren’t learning the material or improving your skills,
contact me and I’ll do my best to help you and to suggest additional resources and options.
If you have questions or concerns that you believe can be handled via e-mail, feel free to contact me that
way. I’ll make every effort to reply to e-mails as soon as I can. Because your questions or concerns are quite
often relevant to others in the class, I may simply respond to an e-mail by indicating that I’ve posted
information to the course web site. If I cannot adequately respond to your question via e-mail, I’ll ask you to
come to my regular office hours or make an appointment.
EXPECTATIONS ABOUT PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR
In order to ensure a polite and productive classroom environment, the following unprofessional behaviors are
disruptive to everyone and therefore should be avoided during our classes and for the exam sessions:
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Arriving late: Please be on time. (If you are late, do not disrupt the ongoing activities when entering
the classroom. Particularly for those sessions with group presentations, do not disrupt the ongoing
presentation when you enter the classroom. Be mindful that other groups are being graded for their
performance. Use the backdoors if that would minimize disruption.)
Holding side conversations. (If you have a question about the class material, please raise your hand
and ask it, rather than whispering it to your neighbor. If you have to discuss something unrelated,
please wait until after class.)
Inattention (e.g., reading unrelated materials or studying for other classes).
Personal attacks or comments of a disrespectful or insulting nature.
You may use laptops in class however phones must be turned off.
Unprofessional behavior may lead to your being asked to leave the classroom. If this occurs, regardless of
when it occurs during class, you will be counted as absent (unexcused) for that day. Further violations will
lead to a referral to the Dean of Student’s Office.
GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY HONOR CODE
All students are to uphold the Honor Code at all times. Any act of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism)
hurts the entire Georgia Tech community. The Honor Code aims to prevent any student from gaining unfair
advantage over other students through academic misconduct. All cases of alleged academic misconduct will
be immediately referred to the Office of the Dean of Students for disciplinary actions. I will not adjudicate
any alleged Honor Code violation myself.
The Academic Honor Code is explained in detail at www.honor.gatech.edu. Each student is required to read
and understand the Honor Code.
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DISABILITY ACCOMODATION
The Georgia Institute of Technology has established policies with respect to disability accommodation
through Access Disabled Assistance Program for Tech Students (ADAPTS).
These policies may be accessed at the ADAPTS website located at http://www.adapts.gatech.edu.
Students seeking disability accommodation are specifically referred to the student guide and documentation
pages on this website. Students failing to comply with the requirements set forth in ADAPTS will not receive
accommodation.
International Business/MGT3660-R3/Summer2015 p.8
CLASS SCHEDULE
Changes in class content and/or scheduling may be made as the course progresses and will be announced in class and/or on the course web page. You
are responsible for announcements of such changes.
Class
No.
1
May 19 (Tue)

Course introduction
Introduction and Course Overview
2
May 21 (Thu)


Chapter 1. Globalization
3
May 26 (Tue)
(Activity 3)
May 28 (Thu)
Term globalization
Impact of globalization
No class
Different political/economic/ legal
systems of countries
Determination of different level of
economic development of a nation
Business implication of differences
in culture
Chapter 2: National Differences in Political
Economy
4
Date
Topic


Readings and In-class Activities
No class
5
Jun 2 (Tue)

6
Jun 4 (Thu)
Jun 9 (Tue)
8
Jun 11 (Thu)
9
Jun 16 (Tue)
Trade Theories of international trade
Theory application
Country / management focus
Current trends
Theories of FDI
Benefits and costs of FDI
Government policy instruments
Country focus
Management focus
Concept of strategy
Factors influencing strategic choices
Pros and cons of different strategies
Organization structure
Management Focus
Organization Strategy
Chapter 6: International Trade Theory
7
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10
Jun 18 (Thu)

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
Decisions for foreign expansion
Different modes of entering
Entry strategy
Chapter 4: Differences in Culture
Chapter 8: Foreign Direct Investment
Assignments to Be Completed in Advance of This
Session
None
Read Chapter 1
Due: Team Formation
N/A
Read Chapter 2
Due: Your selection of two cases (Team
representative sends me email about selection
and I’ll confirm via email.)
Read Chapter 4
Case presentation 1: Matsushita (Panasonic) and
Japan’s Changing Culture
Read Chapter 6
Case presentation 2: The Rise of Bangladesh’s
Textile Trade
Read Chapter 8
Case presentation 3: Spain’s Telefonica
Chapter 13: The Strategy of International
Business
Read chapter 13
Case presentation 4: The Evolving Strategy at IBM
Chapter 14: The Organization of International
Business
Read chapter 14
Case presentation 5: A Decade of Organizational
Change at Unilever
Chapter 15: Entry Strategy and Strategic
Alliances
Read chapter 15
Case presentation 6: General Electric’s Joint
Ventures
International Business/MGT3660-R3/Summer2015 p.9
11
Jun 23 (Tue)

12
Jun 25 (Thu)
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13
Jun 30 (Tue)

Simulation round 1
14

No class
15
Jul 2 (Thu)
(Activity 8)
Jul 7 (Tue)

Simulation round 2
Simulation competition by teams
16
Jul 9 (Thu)

Simulation round 3
Simulation competition by teams
17
Jul 14 (Tue)

Simulation round 4
Simulation competition by teams
18
Jul 16 (Thu)

Simulation round 5
Due: Peer Evaluation
19
Jul 17-18
Midterm exam
IN CLASS EXAM
Simulation practice
Simulation Practice round 1
Simulation final exam due
Simulation competition by teams
No class
FINAL EXAM
N/A
Due: Submit your individual Simulation online
by July 18 11:59pm