Course Description
Global Business Perspectives introduces International Business concepts as well as key terms and trends. It will help students identify and explain the importance of formal and informal institutions as well as discuss global resources and capabilities. This course will also cover the importance of corporate social responsibility, and the key components of international trade, foreign exchange, entering foreign markets, international marketing, and human resources.
Course Objectives
- Answer the big question: What determines the success or failure of companies around the world?
- Explain the importance of and opportunities in global business
- Compare and discuss the pro’s and con’s of globalization
- Understand the personal traits necessary to succeed in a global marketplace
Week 1
Lecture: Global Business – An introduction
Lecture: Global Business Terms and Trends
Lecture: Globalization
Outcomes
- Explain the concept of Global business
- Discuss the importance of global business
- Explain globalization and understand the pro’s and con’s of globalization
- Understand the Global Economic Pyramid concept
- Understand why Friedman believes the world is becoming flat
- Identify and explain the ten (10) forces that flattened the world
Week 2
Lecture: Informal Institutions – Culture and Cultural Intelligence
Outcomes
- Identify and explain the importance of formal institutions
- Identify and explain the importance of informal institutions
- Explain how institutions reduce uncertainty for businesses
- Discuss the factors which drive economic development
- Understand the importance of culture in a global business setting
- Understand the five (5) Cultural Intelligence profiles
- Explain how you will use your knowledge of institutions to successfully operate in a global business situation
Week 3
Lecture: Informal Institutions - Ethics
Lecture: Resources, Capabilities, Outsourcing, and Offshoring
Outcomes
- Define resources and capabilities of global companies
- Explain the difference between tangible and intangible resources
- Understand outsourcing, offshoring, captive sourcing, and inshoring
- Discuss the pro’s and con’s of offshoring and outsourcing
Week 4
Lecture: Corporate Social Responsibility
Outcomes
- Identify primary and secondary stakeholders and discuss their impact on a global business
- Explain global sustainability
- Debate the topic of corporate social responsibility and the responsibilities of a global business
- Explain the concept of Triple Bottom Line
Week 5
Lecture: International Trade
Lecture: Free Trade
Lecture: Trade Theories
Lecture: The Untouchables (The World is Flat – Chapter 6)
Outcomes
- Explain the reasons nations trade
- Define import and export
- Understand the Classical and Modern trade theories
- Understand and discuss the different types of trade barriers
- Discuss the pro’s and con’s of free trade
- Debate the U.S. versus China trade deficit
Week 6
Lecture: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
Lecture: The Right Stuff (The World is Flat Chapter 7)
Lecture: Foreign Exchange
Lecture: International Monetary System
Outcomes
- Define FDI and explain why global companies engage in FDI
- Understand the factors affecting foreign exchange rates
- Explain purchasing power parity and interpret the Big Mac index
- Calculate exchange rates
- Debate a weak U.S. dollar versus a strong U.S. dollar and explain how this effects different parties
Week 7
Lecture: Global Economic Integration
Lecture: Regional Economic Integration
Lecture: Entering Foreign Markets
Lecture: How Companies Cope
(The World is Flat – Chapter 11)
Outcomes
- Explain global and regional economic integration
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each
- Discuss the role of the WTO
- Explain the importance of the DOHA round of negotiations
- Name and understand the various regional economic integration efforts in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia
- Explain the liability of foreignness
- Discuss the equity and non-equity modes of entering a foreign market
Week 8
Lecture: Global Marketing
Lecture: Global Human Resources
Lecture: Dog’s Hearing and Peace
(The World is Flat – Chapters 14 and 16)
Outcomes
- Explain how the marketing concepts are used in an international marketplace
- Identify the do’s and don’ts to avoid international marketing blunders
- Understand the three (3) primary approaches to staffing for a global business
- Explain the role of an expatriate
- Identify ways to avoid international human resource blunders
The course description, objectives and learning outcomes are subject to change without notice based on enhancements made to the course. May 2012
