SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY        

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDY PRACTIUM 

  COURSE EVALUATION, REPORT GUIDELINES, TOPIC ASSIGNMENT, AND CORPORATE REVIEWS

BA560

Course title: International Business Study Practicum (3 credit hours)

Catalog Description and Credit Hours of Course: Provides a comprehensive, theoretical overview of international business, along with an intensive overseas study tour of business and institutions.  This course involves additional travel and accommodation expenses.  

Prerequisites: Admissions into the MBA program or consent of the instructor

Purposes or Objectives of the Course:

A.    Define the field of International Business and emphasize the differences between business within the domestic context and business in the international context.

B.    Provide a comprehensive exposure to the various international business components: marketing, management, operations, finance, etc. via papers, lectures and onsite visits.

C.    To illustrate the interrelationships with external disciplines: geography, history, political science, law and anthropology, and their impact on international business.

Expectations of students: The student is expected to review and discuss recent developments in international business and make recommendations relevant to the objectives, problems, and challenges facing firms operating on a global scale.  Students should also:

a.    Keep abreast of developments in international business, with emphasis on specific areas of current course focus.

b.    Be able to comprehensively discuss the business environment in countries and industries under specific discussion.

c.    Meet with senior level international businessmen and academics to further advance the student's knowledge in the areas of international business.

Course (Program) Evaluation (grading):

The following grading scale will be used for BA560 taken as part of the international study program (January, March, May).

The student's grade for this course will be based on their performance on total points available for the course.  Out of the total points available, the following guidelines will be employed to assign the overall course grade:

A 90-100%; B 80-89.99 %; C 70-79.99%; D 60-69.99%; F Below 60%

The total points for this course will be weighted accounting to the following areas:

Pre-departure assignments:  40-50% papers, and corporate article reviews (when these apply). 

Trip Diary and onsite assignments: 20-25% You should maintain a daily diary of your travel observations.  This should include a listing of "things" that you have noticed that are similar to home and things that you noticed as being different.  It should also include a brief narrative of each day's activities.  You will include at least 8 pages addressing the items listed on your onsite retail assignment (information provided below).  These will be reviewed by the professor on the plane ride home.  You will have them returned before the end of the flight.

Final Exam: 10-15% This exam will be taken on the plane.  This is an essay exam.  Take it on the plane and turn it in before the flight is over.

Professional Points: 15-20% You all start out with the maximum points in this category.  Points will be deducted for lack of professionalism (eg. tardiness, inappropriate attire, lack of proper attention at any business meeting, any inappropriate behavior which reflects badly on the program, etc.)

PRE DEPARTURE ASSIGNMENTS:

Please provide a few written papers on the indicated topics.  These assignments will be worth 50 percent of your course grade.  We are assigning these topics early because you will have to have them completed before we meet in Saint Louis.  These assignments are due two weeks before departure from Saint Louis. Do not email them to us. You can drop them off at our office or mail them to us.  Mail the papers to our attention at the following address: Program Coordinators, MBA/International Business Office, 246 Dempster Hall, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO  63701  

The papers should include relevant information collected on the topic (business or culture) from the internet, textbooks, professional journal articles (e.g. Journal of Marketing), national newspapers (e.g. Wall Street Journal), and general business related journals (e.g. Fortune).  Additional sources of information for these papers can be travel guides or personal sources of  information.  You should cite any and all sources that you use in your papers.  All papers should be submitted at one time as a total portfolio of your pre-departure research.   Please make your own copy of these papers for your use and as souvenirs of your international program study.  Papers will not be returned to the student.

Reference all appropriate works using a generally accepted format (e.g. American Psychological Association Guidelines, etc.).  Provide a reference list with each of the 3 topics listed below.   Use 1"  margins and a font size of no larger than 12.   Additionally, students should be prepared to present about a 5 minute overview of their selected topics to a small group of members from the rest of the class in Saint Louis prior to departure (or during program).  This is a very casual presentation when time allow for such facilitation on these topics.  

BA560 International Business  

1.  Overview of the economic and business conditions in the countries you are visiting on this study program (3 pages minimum for each country we will visit).  

2.  History and future direction of the European Union (6 pages minimum).

3.  A discussion of the arguments for International Trade (Ricardo's Theory) (5 pages minimum).

 

Corporation Review Assignment Guidelines; required of all students traveling in May:  We are assigning these topics so you can become familiar with some of the businesses we are visiting in Europe.

Please provide one single spaced page review of companies we may be visiting with the international program (or European companies that are prevalent in the countries we are visiting).  These may include National Banks (Bank of England), Department Stores (Galeries Lafayette or Printemps Fashion Shows), and Winery/brewery companies, fast food establishments, entertainment venues (theatre district in London, or dance halls in Paris), or other businesses you are interested in and will hopefully see in Europe.  Focus on the international operations of the companies is you can. You are to complete at least 5 of these businesses.  Feel free to use some of  the information you can find on our hot links on our schedule.  You may also read articles from the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Business Week, or some other respected source and then summarize your major thoughts related to the article.  Please provide an overview of the company and its involvement with an international aspect of business..
 

BA560 graduate students will also complete two additional single spaced papers (plus a reference list) covering both of the following topics.  Graduate students in dual enrollment courses are expected to do additional work beyond what is required of undergraduate students.

1.  Discuss the unique challenges for managing a corporation engaging in business in different countries/culture; (4-5 single spaced pages minimum). 
A good book we have found on this topic is the following:
Kiss, Bow, and Shake Hands: How to do business in Sixty Countries by Morrison, T., Conaway, W., and Borden, G. (1994) Adams Media Co., Holbrook, MA.

2.  Discuss the economic relationship between the US (or NAFTA) and the EU; (4-5 single spaced pages minimum)

We have arranged an exciting trip, one that is both enjoyable and educational.

Here are some additional topics you may want to do some personal research on related to international business.  These topics are areas of significant interest in international business.

1.   Importance of international business to multinational corporations 

2.  International Human Resource Management: multinational management recruitment, training and development, cross national transfer selection and adaptation 

3.  Global Marketing Strategies:  Country selection, market entry strategies, and channel strategies. 

4.  Global Promotional Strategy:  Similarities and differences across countries 

5.  Information on the National Trade Data Base; National Economic, Social and Environmental Data Bank; Disclosure: What they are and what they can offer (these are CD ROM products and may allow you to get on the computer and really learn something useful, you can also access them through INTERNET). 

6.  Pricing for International Markets: internal factors impacting pricing strategy, transportation, production costs, tariffs, taxes, channel member costs, exchange rate fluctuations, inflation rates, price controls, dumping regulations.  

7.  International Accounting: international accounting standards, international valuation of assets and liabilities, subsidiary reporting requirements, selecting translation exchange rates

8.  Investment and financing strategies (capital budgeting, financing sources and techniques such as Factoring, Forfeiting, Commercial Banks, Credit Insurance) 

9. Managing foreign exchange risk (foreign exchange exposure, exposure management strategy, foreign exchange forecasting 

10.Import and Export Trade Process: financing for exports, export logistics, export documentation, export planning process and mechanics (US import and export clearance procedures, role of custom agents, free trade zones, obstacles to foreign imports and exports  

11.International Banking: Financing, Tax Laws, Commercial Banks, import-export Bank of the United States, Foreign Credit Insurance Association. 

12.The impact of European integration on US-European economic relations. 

13. Explain what the EURO is, the necessary economic condition for taking part in the single currency, a time line for its complete implementation, and what it will mean for the countries of the EU.