The syllabus and content of International Business course reflects its emphasis on the strategy of International Business, the analysis of each international entry modes including export and import strategies, foreign direct investment, cross-border collaboration. In addition, the impact of governmental influence on trade is also discussed.
Aims and objectives
The course has the following broad aims and objectives:
- to understand the nature of international business and impact of globalisation
- to analyse the international business strategy and different structure of MNEs
- to analyse the factors influencing the national evaluation and selection process
- to identify the different international entry modes and indicate their advantages and drawbacks
- to explain the determinants of trade, foreign direct investment and various forms of collaborative arrangements
- to discuss cross-national co-operation and governmental influence on trade
Coursework and assessment
|Assessed component||Basic requirements||Weighting||Deadline|
|Oral presentation||Oral presentation lasting no more than 40 minutes||20%||The lecturer will assign groups and deadlines in week 1|
|Essay||Coursework of 2,500 words to accompany presentation||20%||Week 11|
|Examination||Two-hour written examination||60%||Week 14|
Each presentation and coursework should reflect reading around the topic beyond the textbook and the internet and in particular to draw upon recent research published in academic journals.
The tutorial presentation and the accompanying coursework fulfil important teaching and learning objectives: to extend the acquisition of knowledge about various aspects of International Business beyond the textbook, to provide an opportunity for students to take an active role in their own learning, and to stimulate discussion and exchange of knowledge and information. The exact content of the oral presentation and written coursework assigned to each student will be distributed at the beginning of the term.
Apart from the requirements above, students have to commit to regular attendance.
Students also have to comply with the weekly assignments. The lectures do not seek to repeat information available in the textbook, but to draw inter-relationships, identify similarities and contrasts, provide emphasis and put forward a critical approach, where necessary. Students will profit more from the course if they attend regularly and come prepared by complying with the weekly assignments.
Textbook and supplementary learning materials
The textbook for the course is:
- Daniels, J D, Radebaugh, L H and Sullivan, D, (2010), International Business: Environments and Operations, 13th edition, London: Prentice Hall, London. ISBN-10: 0135119952 or ISBN-13: 978-0135119952.
Supplementary resources supporting the textbook are available as follows:
- Companion Website: this free website provides practice tests and other online resources. Visit the following: http://www.prenhall.com/daniels
Other useful references
There are a number of books on International Business that students could read to enhance their understanding and broaden their knowledge of the topics to be covered in the course. Among others, these are:
- Cavusgil, T., Knight, G., and Riesenberger, J. (2008) International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities: International Edition, Pearson Higher Education. ISBN 10: 0137128339, ISBN13: 9780137128334
- Hill, Charles W.L. (2008), International Business. Competing in the Global Market Place, seventh edition, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, International Edition
- Shenkar, O and Luo Y, (2004), International Business, John Wiley & Sons.
- Wall, S and Rees, B, (2001), Introduction to International Business, FT Prentice Hall. A second edition of this book with title: International Business, second edition has been released in 2004.
These books are available in the Birkbeck Library.
A week by week seminar plan will be provided by the lecturer at the beginning of term. For the first class you should read the following:
Key readings for weeks 1 and 2:
- Daniels, Radebaugh and Sullivan, chapters 1 and 11
Supplementary readings for weeks 1 and 2:
- Shenkar and Luo, chapters 1 and 10
- Wall and Rees, chapters 1 and 2