COURSE SYLLABUS
MGMT 503
SPRING 2009
VIVEK PANDE
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS
Course Syllabus
Course Description
This course will examine the legal foundations of international business transactions. It is an
interdisciplinary course designed specifically for non-lawyers, i.e., MBA students interested in
international business. Students will be introduced to law in general and the differences among
various legal systems. The course will then cover the different types of global businesses, their
legal forms, and the legal issues that arise during their operation. It is, in short, a legal primer for
the international business executive. Instructional emphasis will be placed on imparting practical
knowledge. For a detailed list of the topics covered, please see the Course Topics section below.
Instructor
Name:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Office Hours:
Vivek Pandé, Esq.
CASE 102
338-1769
vpande@ku.edu.tr
TBA
Recommended Textbook
August, Ray. International Business Law, 5th ed., Pearson International 2009
Required Supplementary Materials
The instructor has prepared an outline of the textbook and all Turkish law that will be studied in
the class. Students must download this outline from the instructor’s MGMT 503 share folder
which can be found on the KU F: drive. Students are responsible for all material on the outline,
whether or not discussed in class.
Class Conduct
One of the important functions of graduate education is to prepare students for life in the
professional world. Accordingly, the instructor expects students to behave in class as they would
in a professional business environment. Because the following conduct would be considered
rude and disruptive in a business setting such as a client meeting or a corporate presentation,
these activities are equally unacceptable in class and are prohibited:
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Talking to other students during class. This is annoying to surrounding students and
disrespectful to the instructor.
Using cell phones in any manner. All phones should be switched off before students enter the
classroom.
Sleeping.
Arriving late repeatedly or leaving early without the prior permission of the instructor.
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COURSE SYLLABUS
MGMT 503
SPRING 2009
VIVEK PANDE
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Coming to class without a notebook and writing implement.
Engaging in non-class related activities in class (including studying for other classes, reading
unrelated material and/or answering email/surfing the web on laptop computers)
Falsifying the attendance sheet
The instructor reserves the right to deduct any number of points from a student’s grade on
account of class misconduct.
Grading
10% Class conduct and attendance. Students should attend class and document their attendance
by signing the attendance sheet. Students are allowed five unexcused absences without
penalty after which they will have two points deducted from their final grade for each
unexcused absence over five. These points will be awarded at the instructor’s discretion
and are based on attendance AND class conduct.
30% Mid-Term Examination 1 (open-book). Exact date, time and place TBA.
30% Mid-Term Examination 2 (open-book). Exact date, time and place TBA.
30% Final Examination (cumulative, open-book). Exact date, time and place TBA by the
Registrar.
The examinations will be composed of multiple choice, matching, true-false and/or short answer
questions. Any student who has a conflict with any examination date or time must contact the
instructor in advance to make alternative arrangements. Any student who misses any
examination without an authorized excuse shall receive a zero on that examination. Any student
who misses any examination on account of an authorized excuse must contact the instructor
within one week to arrange a make-up examination.
The instructor will grade regularly scheduled examinations on a scale of 0-100 using a curved
grading system, i.e., all students’ grades will be mathematically adjusted such that the mean class
grade is an 85; however, in no event shall a student receive a curved grade higher than 100. This
ensures that all students receive a grade which is based on their performance relative to that of
their colleagues. However, since make-up examinations are not the same as regularly scheduled
examinations, make-up examinations will not be curved. Final class numerical grades will be
rounded to the nearest whole number using conventional mathematical principles (<.5 = lower,
≥.5 = higher) and converted to letter grades using the following conversion table:
100-93 = A
92-90 = A-
89-87 = B+
86-83 = B
82-80 = B-
79-77 = C+
76-73 = C
72-70 = C-
69-67 = D+
67-60 = D
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less than 60 = F
COURSE SYLLABUS
MGMT 503
SPRING 2009
VIVEK PANDE
Academic Honesty
Honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals. Students and faculty adhere to the
following principles of academic honesty at Koç University:
 Accountability for all submitted work, written or oral. Copying from others or providing
answers or information, written or oral, to others is cheating.
 Providing proper acknowledgement of the original author. Copying from another student’s
paper or from another source without written acknowledgement is plagiarism.
 Authorized Teamwork. Unauthorized help from another person or having someone else write
one’s paper or assignment is collusion.
 Attendance. Signing in for a student not present in class is a violation of the principles of
academic honesty on the part of both students (the one falsifying the attendance sheet and the
one on whose behalf attendance is falsely recorded).
The instructor has a zero tolerance policy for cheating, plagiarism, collusion and falsifying
attendance which are serious offenses. Violations will result in a student receiving a zero in that
component of the class and will be reported to the University Disciplinary Committee for further
disciplinary action.
How to Succeed in this Course
This course is about the law of international business. Since law is essentially a collection of
rules, the rules of law governing international business are set forth in the instructor’s outline and
the textbook. However, rules are meaningless unless one understands their practical application.
Accordingly, in class, the instructor will explain how these rules of law apply to international
business in real life using hypothetical situations and examples from current events. The openbook mid-term and final examinations will test students on their understanding of the practical
application of international business law. Therefore:
 To pass the class, at a minimum, students must read the relevant outline section before class
(usually 5-10 pages), pay attention in class, and take notes regarding the practical application
of the law. Students should then review the outline and their notes thoroughly prior to
examinations. Depending on the ability of the student, it is possible for a student to do this
much work and get an A, presuming the student attends class regularly.
 Students who wish to ensure a more thorough understanding of the course material, should
also read the relevant sections of the recommended course textbook. It is not necessary to
read the legal cases in the recommended course textbook.
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COURSE SYLLABUS
MGMT 503
SPRING 2009
VIVEK PANDE
Course Topics
The course can be broken down into the following topics and subtopics.
 Introduction
 Law and its effect on international business
 Different types of law and legal systems/families
 Sources of law
 Selecting an international business
 International trade in goods
 Contracts
 Transportation
 Financial documents
 Regulation of international trade in goods
 International trade in services
 International trade in intellectual property
 Acquisition of intellectual property
 Licensing intellectual property
 Regulation of international trade in intellectual property
 Establishing an international business
 Legal forms of business associations
 Subordinate international business types
 International business financing
 Operating an international business
 General business regulation
 Turkish commercial law
 Commercial enterprises
 Commercial transactions
 Merchants
 Specific international business regulation by way of
 Unfair competition law
 Criminal law
 Tort law
 Securities law
 Labor law
 Consumer protection law
 Other legal issues related to
 Money and banking
 Insurance
 Taxation
 Travel and immigration
 International business etiquette
 International business dispute resolution
 Negotiation
 Mediation/Arbitration
 Litigation
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