Unit information: International Business Management in 2015/16

Unit name	International Business Management
Unit code	EFIM20003
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Amankwah-Amoah
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 and foreign entry strategies. 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 organizations operating across national borders.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will have:

• The capacity to contribute to the development and review of international business strategy.
• The skills to evaluate critically functional activities of international business organizations.
• A deeper understanding of international business and cross-cultural management issues.
• Acquired analytical and transferable skills through written and oral presentations.

Teaching Information

The unit will be taught through Lectures and Tutorials.

Lectures (approximately 50% of contact hours) will have the principal purpose of introducing topic material, the theories that underpin concepts, and trends. Lectures will also expose students to critical evaluation of International Business theories and concepts, and the tools and models employed. Lectures will include an element of discussion and debate in order to enhance understanding.

A variety of teaching methods will be employed in the tutorials, including: discussions based on readings and student experiences; case study work involving analysis, and presentations of the team-based coursework assignment.

Assessment Information

Individual Assignment (70%): For the unit, students will be required to write an individual assignment based on a contemporary IB issue. The assignment will require students to demonstrate:

• The capacity to contribute to the development and review of international business strategy.
• The skills to evaluate critically functional activities of international business organizations.
• Knowledge of management in multinational enterprises.
• An understanding of international business risks and cross-cultural management issues.

Group Project(30%):

Group Project which incorporates cross-case analysis of the organizations. The purpose of the project element is to provide an opportunity for the students to develop their analytical and transferable, as well as team working skills.

Reading and References

Essential Reading:

• Hill, C. W.L. (2010). International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace. McGraw-Hill Education.
• Ball, D. A., McCulloch, W.H., Geringer, J. M., Minor, M.S. and McNett, J. M. (2009). International Business: The Challenge of Global Competition, 11th Edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York.

Additional Reading

• Shenkar, O. and Luo, Y. (2008). International Business, Sage (2nd edition).
• 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