International Business Operations is designed to develop your ability to assess the business environment faced by an international company and evaluate opportunities and risks in international market places. This module will help you develop decision making skills in operational issues for international companies. Class will be delivered by the combination of lecture and tutorials
This module will include the following topics: global market environment, international market entry modes, international trade, risk management, culture and international human resource management, global operations, international marketing, international finance, business ethics and corporate social responsibility.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
There will be a lecture every week. Teaching sessions will be supported by regular Canvas postings which will include the following: PowerPoint slides, Case study materials and other learning materials. Much of these sessions will be delivered by discussions of cases and examples in a number of international business situations to supplement theoretical learnings. An interactive session will be organized to maximize students' engagement throughout the session.
There will be a tutorial every week where students are expected to participate actively in case study discussions. They are required to read extensively from recommended readings and use any other materials to collect background information on industries and companies featured in a number of case studies. Case studies will allow students to work in a small group and apply the theories they have learnt previously into the practice. After a group discussion, students will receive feedbacks from the tutor.
Formative feedback will be given to students in these teaching sessions to help them understand how well they have applied concepts and ideas, and suggest how they can do this more effectively in the future.
A comprehensive supplementary reading list will be provided for each topic. They are expected to consult a variety of source types including some articles from academic journals.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Lecture and tutorials | 66 |
| Guided independent study | 234 | |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
The students will work on international business operation-related issues and problems individually. Summative assessment will be a combination of two individual coursework.
In order to demonstrate their in-depth understanding of themes developed on the module, students will write about how to solve the problems faced by international companies. This project will run throughout the first teaching block and will be submitted at the end of the first teaching block. The maximum word count is 2000 words.
This is where the students can demonstrate the level of integrated understanding and knowledge which they have accumulated throughout the module. The questions related to the key topics learnt in class will be asked. The students need to answer these questions by making full use of all the materials available on books, papers, newspapers, internet, etc. This assignment will run throughout the whole teaching block and will be submitted towards the end of the second teaching block. The maximum word count is 2000 words.
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| 1) Work individually to prepare an academic essay and business report. | Individual assignment 1 & 2 |
| 2) Research an international business situation and present and defend reasoned recommendations for action. | Individual assignment 1 |
| 3) Apply the concepts of risk assessment, risk diversification, flexibility and learning in the context of international business operations. | Individual assignment 2 |
| 4) understand the key dimensions of certain managerial cultures and assess their impact on external and internal relationships. | Individual assignment 2 |
| 5) Use the opportunity/risk trade-off framework to assess various business decisions. | Individual assignment 1 |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Individual assignment 1 | Coursework 1 | 50% |
| Individual assignment 2 | Coursework 2 | 50% |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that the element of assessment is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
Lasserre, P. (the latest edition) Global Strategic Management, Palgrave Macmillan.
Specialist Journals
Journal of World Business, Management International Review, Journal of International Business Studies, International Business Review, Harvard Business Review, European Management Journal, World Financial Markets, OECD Observer