SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
COURSE SYLLABUS
Harrison College of Business
Course Number BA663
Revised Fall 2009
Title of Course: International Business Strategies
I.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION AND CREDIT HOURS OF THE COURSE
Comprehensive theoretical and practical discussion of international business strategies with
specific emphasis on current case analysis
(3 Credit Hours)
II.
PREREQUISITES: admission to mba program or permission of mba director.
III.
PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
IV.
A.
Define the field of international business and emphasize the differences between
domestic business strategies and multi-national business strategies, using current and
historic examples.
B.
Discuss the inter-relationship between business and the external environment variablesgeography, history, political science, law, anthropology, etc.
C.
Prepare students for career positions with multi-national corporations, domestic
corporations seeking to expand overseas and for entrepreneurial ventures involving
foreign business activities.
EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS AND LEARNING GOALS
In addition to normally required text and related readings, students are expected to keep abreast
of current world business trends through intensive readings in current periodicals. Students will
also need to have regular access to a series of on-line and CD-ROM data bases.
Students are expected to fully participate in class discussion, individual and team projects.
Additional expectations will be set forth in a class outline, distributed in class at the beginning of
the semester.
LEARNING GOALS FOR HARRISON MBA STUDENTS
The Harrison business faculty has identified five critically important learning goals for those
pursuing the Masters of Business Administration degree offered by the Donald L. Harrison
College of Business. A student receiving the Harrison MBA degree should:
1. Demonstrate proficiency in effective communication and team work by writing a clearly
focused, organized and mechanically correct business document, creating and delivering a
professional presentation on a relevant business problem with substantive content, organization
and delivery; recalling work related information and exhibiting effective team work.
2. Demonstrate advanced knowledge of accounting, finance, business law, management,
marketing, management information systems, and economics by using business related terms,
concepts, theories and principles appropriately.
3. Demonstrate the ability to apply critical thinking skills and advanced research skills to
business problems and ethical dilemmas by identifying a problem or ethical issue, presenting and
evaluating relevant information; evaluating alternatives; and resolving the problem or ethical
dilemma with a justification based on general principles, discipline-specific understanding and
professional judgment.
4. Demonstrate upper-level management and leadership skills in a diverse environment
by providing evidence of understanding of individual management styles, evidence of adapting to
a diverse environment and other cultures.
5. Demonstrate executive management level knowledge (mastery) of technology by using
the Internet, business computer applications, statistical software, and presentation software when
creating and making presentations.
V.
Student Learning Outcomes
A.
B.
C.
Identify the factors that determine the global success or failure of companies. Analysis of
current case studies of businesses in the global market place and make
recommendations as to what actions should be taken by the firms to be successful and
reduce the risk of failure.
Identify the perspectives of local firms that global companies compete against. List
through answers on essays actions that local firms can take to compete against global
companies entering their market, as well actions that global companies should consider
as they compete against local firms.
Identify what challenges companies are facing on a day to day basis as they compete in
the global market place. Present an article from a current business publication that
reports on the global strategy of business or businesses. Analyze the article and lead a
discussion with the class of the article and the aspects of the global strategy of the
company reported by the article.
VI.
COURSE OUTLINE
Class Hours
A.
International Business-An Overview
2
B.
Human and Cultural Environments Facing International Businesses
2
C.
Political and Legal Environments Facing International Businesses
2
D.
Economic Environment and International Trade Theory
2
E.
Foreign Direct Investment Strategies
2
F.
Current Status-Economic Integration and Cooperative Agreements
3
G.
Foreign Exchange-Strategic Implications
2
H.
Strategic Evaluation of Countries/Markets
3
I.
Impact of Multi National Enterprises
2
J.
International Business Diplomacy
2
K.
Important Export Strategies
2
L.
Collaborative Strategies
2
M.
Organizational Structure, Decision Making and human Resource Management
3
N.
Sourcing and Production Decisions
3
O.
International Marketing and Promotional Strategies
3
P.
International Pricing Strategies
2
Q.
Multinational Accounting and Tax Functions-Managerial Implications
3
R.
Multinational Financing and Markets
3
S.
Current Trends and Future Directions in International Business
2
VI.
TEXTBOOKS AND/OR OTHER REQUIRED MATERIAL OR EQUIPMENT
A.
Text:
Daniels, John D. and Lee H. Radebaugh, International Business: Environments and Operations,
Seventh Ed.. Reading, Massachusetts, Addison Wesley Publishing Co., 1995.
Yip, George S., Total Global Strategy, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall., 1995.
Rugman, Alan, M. and Richard M. Hodgetts, International Business: A Strategic Management
Approach, New York, McGraw-Hill, Inc, 1995.
Reference Material:
A listing of supplemental readings will be provided. Examples of journals cited include: Journal of
International Business Studies, Management International Review, Columbia Journal of World
Business, Harvard Business Review, Journal of Business Strategy, International Journal of
Advertising, Journal of Marketing, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science and
Journal of Consumer Research.
Regular access to major business news publications is required, such as Wall Street Journal,
Business Week and Fortune, etc.
VII.
BASIS OF STUDENT EVALUATIONS
1.
2.
3.
4.
VIII
Mid-term and final essay exams.
Major research paper.
Class discussions.
Other individual and group exercises.
Grading Policy:
100%--90%
89.9%--80%
79.9%--70%
Below 70%
A
B
C
F
The weight of the evaluation criteria may vary according to each instructor and will be
communicated at the beginning of the course.
IX.
Academic Policy Statement:
Students will be expected to abide by the University Policy for Academic Honesty regarding
plagiarism and academic honesty. Refer to:
http://www6.semo.edu/judaffairs/code.html
X.
Student with Disabilities Statement:
If a student has a special need addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and
requires materials in an alternative format, please notify the instructor at the beginning of the
course. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate special needs.