MGMT221-21S1 (C) Semester One 2021

International Business

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 22 February 2021
End Date: Sunday, 27 June 2021
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 7 March 2021
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 14 May 2021

Description

This course introduces the major topics in International Business, including comparative environmental frameworks, government and economic influences, import/export, and organisation of international business. The course emphasises the pervasive repercussions of global issues on contemporary business management and the role of the business owner or executive manager.

International Business is one of your key courses, given the increasingly global nature of commerce. It will take a strategic perspective in introducing you to the international dimensions of managing organisations. Although New Zealand’s place in international business will be explored, the emphasis is on developing an international rather than a local perspective. The IB paper is essential to everyone with a sense of adventure and curiosity about the wider business world: not only those aiming to work overseas in large corporates, but also those heading to smaller and/or domestic organisations, and budding entrepreneurs. The format will be as interactive and applied as possible with formal lecture input, videos and cases; and informal discussion and debate where possible. Although theory is vital to understand what’s going on in international business, the applied emphasis will enable you to link course themes and issues to the practitioner world.

Relationship to other courses
This is a core course in the Management, International Business, and Strategy and Entrepreneurship BCom majors. It is an introduction to international business focused on strategically managing an organisation. This course is complemented by MGMT344 Strategic Management and MGMT345 Strategy Processes & Practices. It also helps prepare students for the MCom Masters and BCom Honours programmes.

The estimated workload breakdown for MGMT221 is:  
Lectures 24
Weekly Quizzes (on Learn) 11
Final Exam 2
Group Project 50 (per person)
Exam Preparation 30
Lecture Preparation 33
Total 150 hours

Learning Outcomes

  • The objectives of the course are (related to the specific BCom Learning Outcomes in parenthesis):  

  • Recognise the main contemporary international, supra-national and global strategic impacts upon organisations. The final exam is an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge of international business theory and practice (BCom LO1.1.1 Students can explain and/or apply theory, concepts, models or reasoning from their selected subject major to a problem/issue/ context).
  • Explain the different roles Multinational Enterprises and Small-and-Medium-sized Enterprises play in international business. The Learn quizzes help assess this (BCom LO1.1.1 Students can explain and/or apply theory, concepts, models or reasoning from their selected subject major to a problem/issue/ context).
  • Interpret spatial strategic situations, evaluate strategic choices and identify nascent strategic options firms have chosen in response to spatial impacts. The group project requires application of theories and techniques to an organisation’s strategy problems (BCom LO4.1.1 Students have engaged with a business, not-for-profit organisation, government department, professional society, professional community or local community and have evaluated their experience).
  • Manage a group project involving the effective delegation of specific analytical, writing and editing tasks and the coordination of all team members over the entire project period; and the on-time delivery of the final project report (BCom LO2.1.5. Students can work effectively in a team in order to reach a common goal).
  • Write a report on the strategic situation and chosen strategies relating to a particular firm’s product with an international dimension. This is through the group project (BCom LO2.1.4. Students can write a report/essay on a problem/issue/situation/scenario that: a. incorporates content at an appropriate level of detail; b. is logically structured; c. is presented professionally using correct English, referencing and appropriate resources).
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the business environment of specific regions/countries that are of increasing importance to internationalising companies. The Learn quizzes help evaluate this (BCom LO5.1.1. Students can identify, consider and debate perspectives, processes and impacts relating to globalisation and localisation in different contexts, drawing on theory and practice when considering issues in their discipline or field of study).
  • Review and interpret salient international and national cultural influences upon organizations. This is a specific lecture topic, and Learn quizzes help assess this (BCom LO5.1.2. Students can identify, consider and debate perspectives, processes and impacts relating to the culture and identity of multiple stakeholders, drawing on theory and practice when considering issues in their discipline or field of study).

    Graduate Attributes
    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:  

  • Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award
  • Employable, innovative and enterprising
  • Engaged with community
  • Globally aware

    Learning Objectives, BCom
  • Students have an in‐depth understanding of their majoring subject and are able to critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within the discipline.
  • Students have a broad understanding of the key domains of commerce.
  • Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers which can be used in a range of applications.  
  • Students will be aware of and understand the nature of biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, and its relevance to their area of study and/or their degree.  
  • Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi‐cultural contexts.

    For quality assurance purposes the School is required to hold on record a number of assessment pieces as examples of differing standards of work. If you have any objections to the school holding your assessment for this purpose then email the course coordinator to ensure your assignment is not used for this purpose.
    • University Graduate Attributes

      This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

      Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

      Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

      Employable, innovative and enterprising

      Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.

      Engaged with the community

      Students will have observed and understood a culture within a community by reflecting on their own performance and experiences within that community.

      Globally aware

      Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.

Prerequisites

(1) MGMT100; and (2) A further 45 points

Restrictions

MGMT220

Timetable Note

Lectures for MGMT221S1 are recorded using the ECHO360 lecture recording system.

Attendance
All students are expected to attend all scheduled class sessions, actively engage with course content, actively participate in all course activities, and complete all required tasks by the due dates. The lectures are also recorded and will be available through Echo. However, lecture attendance is highly recommended for a more active and engaging experience.

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

David Stiles

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Weekly Quizzes (on Learn) 20% Weekly Quizzes (on Learn) (no special considerations)
Group Project 30% Group Project
Final Examination 50% Final Examination


Learn Quizzes
Learn quizzes are weekly online tests designed to help regularly test your own understanding of each of the main course topics. They are based on your ‘Required Readings’ (also called Essential Reading in the handouts) described in the lecture schedule below (the core text chapter) and the relevant lecture each week (including the video cases presented) – so reading the textbook and regularly attending lectures is essential. You will answer theoretical and applied questions to make you think more deeply about each topic. All quizzes open immediately after the lecture dealing with the relevant topic, starting in Week 1 with the Introduction & Overview quiz. Quizzes are normally open for 7 days after each class (i.e. will close at the start of the following week’s lecture), so be careful not to miss the deadlines. However, to allow extra time for enrolments, book buying etc., the deadline for the first 2 quizzes is the beginning of lecture 3 on 9th March. Check the Learn website for each deadline.

You may make unlimited attempts at each quiz, but there is a 30 minute delay between quiz attempts to get you to think rather than randomly guess. To make it fair to all, there is no option for late submission of a quiz or to complete the quiz other than via Learn. However, I have deliberately built some slack into the system to account for late enrolments, illness and a reasonable number of absences. This means you will need to complete all questions for 8 out of 11 quizzes to gain full credit for this item of assessment. So, this means you have three extra ‘lives’ i.e. you can fail to complete up to three quizzes – for whatever reason. Of course, since the quizzes are designed to help your learning, the best strategy is to attempt all of them to give you a buffer. There is no quiz after the last lecture.

Marks will be available for each quiz after the quiz closes (i.e. the final deadline for the whole class) – not when you complete your own quiz. Otherwise you would know the answers and could resubmit until you got 100% - or pass the answers on to others.

One warning about the Learn quiz system: Press the submit button when you’re ready to finalise your answers (or if you resubmit answers)! Some students forget to 'close' their quiz responses properly on Learn, but leave answers ‘open’ past the deadline, so don’t officially submit answers. If you do this, you may not receive any marks. It is a particular problem if you make multiple attempts at a quiz, since your final attempt won’t be clear. Be aware the very act of reopening the quiz to look at the questions counts as an attempt and Learn will automatically submit this as an open quiz, even if you don’t want it to. Learn counts the last submission made, not the highest scoring one. If it did, you could simply attempt the quiz as many times as you like, and eventually get 100%! Unfortunately, Learn doesn’t allow me to override your responses, so I can’t change the outcome once the quiz is closed. Neither are the quizzes available for special consideration, since they a form of continuing assessment. So please don’t email me then to say you forgot to complete the quiz, were absent, or request an alternative assessment for that week. Try to maximise your potential marks by closing the attempt with your preferred answers.

Obviously don’t consult your classmates on questions or answers, since this will be detrimental to your own learning and will not be a valid indication of whether you understand the course material. The final exam will be a lot harder in this case. In any case, the questions are in a different order each time you open the quiz. This item of assessment is not available for special consideration.

Group Project
The group project will help you understand how international business impacts practically upon a company. It is designed to help you develop applied strategic management understanding and skills. You will be allocated to a group and it is up to you to be able to function effectively as a team to deliver this assignment. All group members will be expected to contribute equally to this assignment and those not contributing satisfactorily may have marks deducted - but for all those engaging fully in the project it should be an enjoyable and interesting learning exercise.

Each group must submit a 1st Meeting Feedback Sheet at the start of the final lecture in the first term (30th March). This is evidence that you have met and have begun your project. The final Group Report is due at the start of the lecture on 11th May, together with a group cover sheet - only one report & cover sheet per group. However, each person on the course also needs to submit their own individual Reflections form by the 11th May deadline.

More details will be in a separate document posted on Learn.

Final Examination
The final examination will be a closed book, invigilated, short essay-style, applied 2-hour exam based on material from the lectures and the textbook. The paper is designed to test you on your broad knowledge of International Business issues, concepts and tools from across the course rather than on a single topic. You will need to answer 4 questions from a choice of 6, each from a different topic area. Good answers will use organisational examples to illustrate points drawn from short case studies in the textbook. So, to get higher marks it's a good idea to use the cases in each chapter (including the Active Learning ones) and/or lecture examples of companies to illustrate your answers. Answering the questions after each textbook Active Learning Case isn't compulsory, but might help you to understand and remember the material. As well as the textbook cases, I also give company/country examples in the lectures both anecdotally and through special video cases. So attending classes, and taking notes of each session, is doubly important. More detailed advice on the final exam will be given in the last lecture, but exam papers from 2013 onwards are good indications of this year’s exam format and level. This course was essentially new in 2013, so exam papers before this are not relevant.

Grading
The marks for assessments may be scaled before a final grade is determined.  You should not regard 50% as a pass mark.

Textbooks / Resources

Required Texts

Collinson, Simon et al; International business ; Eighth Edition; Pearson, 2020.

For unlimited access, the best option is to buy the eBook priced at $65, available from the publisher at:
https://www.pearsoned.co.nz/9781292274171

There are a few paper copies in the library High Demand collection and limited library access to the eBook at https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/canterbury/detail.action?docID=6031374 but there is likely to be strong demand for these from other students and availability is restricted. There is also a print edition available from the publisher/University Bookshop, but this is $119.99, so this option is unlikely to appeal to many. See: https://www.pearsoned.co.nz/9781292274157

Do not use previous editions, since much of the material will be out-of-date.

Other material will be posted on the course Learn website.

Notes

Class Representative
A class representative may be asked to volunteer in the first few weeks of class. Any problems with the course can be raised with the class rep. Their email can be found at UCSA. The class representative will take up any issues raised by class members with the lecturer concerned as they occur.

Departmental Academic Policies
A summary of Departmental academic policies on course grading, special considerations, etc. is available under: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/business/departments/. The Department assumes that you have read this document.

You should also read the following:
• UC Business School Student Handbook on the UC Business School Students Learn page https://learn.canterbury.ac.nz/course/view.php?id=7744
General Course and Examination Regulations http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/regulations/general/general_regs_enrolment_courses.shtml

Dishonest Practice
The University of Canterbury considers cheating and plagiarism to be serious acts of dishonesty.  All assessed work must be your own individual work unless specifically stated otherwise in the assessment guidelines. Material quoted from any other source must be clearly acknowledged. You must not copy the work of another person (student or published work) in any assessment including examinations, tests and assignments. Any person, who is found to have copied someone else's work, or to have allowed their work to be copied, will receive a fail grade for that piece of assessment and may face disciplinary action which may lead to a fine, community service or exclusion from the university.

IMPORTANT: Where there are concerns regarding the authorship of written course work, a student can be required to provide a formal, oral explanation of the content of their work.

Citations and referencing

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $831.00

International fee $3,875.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Management, Marketing and Tourism .

All MGMT221 Occurrences

  • MGMT221-21S1 (C) Semester One 2021