Unit information: International Business in 2016/17

Unit name	International Business
Unit code	EFIMM0003
Credit points	15
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Schwartz
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Management - Business School
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

International Business (IB) seeks to illuminate students understanding of the contemporary IB issues and challenges posed to managers and organization operating across national borders. The unit will be highly interactive and will cover issues such as the role of multinationals, business risks and foreign entry strategies. The team work element of this unit provides students the opportunity to learn from others. The units will also provide opportunity for students to develop their analytical and transferable skills. By the end of the unit, students would have developed the skills to critically evaluate issues and challenges facing organisations operating across national borders.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will have:

1. The capacity to contribute to the review and development of international business strategy.
2. The skills to evaluate critically functional activities of international business organizations.
3. Knowledge of management in multinational enterprises.
4. A deeper understanding of international business risks and cross-cultural management issues.
5. Acquired analytical and transferable skills through written and oral presentations.

Teaching Information

This unit will encompass weekly lectures supported by tutorials and case studies.

Assessment Information

1. Case studies – Group presentations, discussions and debates (formative) — ILO 1, 2 and 5
2. Group written assignment (2,000 word essay) – 40% (summative) — ILO 1, 3, 4 and 5
3. Closed book written exam (2 hours) – 60% (summative) – ILO 3, 4 and 5

The group assignment will allow the students to demonstrate in-depth analytical and investigative skills as they collectively review and make reflective propositions about corporate strategies. They would be able to show a critical understanding of a focused set of management and functional activities in view of existing theories and scholarship. Working towards their assignment, the students would receive formative feedback on the development of their transferrable skills by way of engaging in case study discussions, short presentations or debates, and on the development of their knowledge of the subject matter of the unit. The final exam would be the opportunity to have a summative form of assessment that combines the students’ preparation, previous group and individual contributions in seminars, and lectures and reading material, testing the breadth of their knowledge of the subject and allowing them to display many of the analytical, critical, information-gathering and time-management skills they and gained via the unit.

Reading and References

• Essential Reading:

Shenkar, O. and Luo, Y. (2008). International Business, Sage (2nd edition). Hill, C. W.L. (2010). International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace. McGraw-Hill Education.

• Additional Reading

Peng, M. W & Meyer, K E. (2011). International Business, London. Cengage. Peng, M. W. (2009). Global Business. Cincinnati: South-Western Cengage Learning. Dicken, P. (2011). Global Shift: Mapping the Changing Contours of the World Economy. 6th edn. SAGE Publications

• Useful Journals:

Journal of International Business Studies Journal of World Business Harvard Business Review Strategic Management Journal Thunderbird International Business Review Journal of International Management Academy of Management Executive