REQUIRED TEXTCAMERON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS BUS 5963 SEM: GLOBAL BUSINESS TODAY ONLINE FALL 2007 (JULY 2-AUG 24, 2007) INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Syed M. Ahmed OFFICE: Room CETES 203A/ North Shepler 727 PHONE: (Office) 581-5438 (CETES)/2430 (North Shepler) OFFICE HOURS: M T W R 12:00 AM -1:20 PM (CETES 203A) F 10:00-1:00 PM (North Shepler 727) Other times; by appointment E-MAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] address: http://www.cameron.edu/~syeda INTRODUCTION This course is designed to familiarize students with theory and practice of international trade and business. As national markets are becoming more and more integrated with the development in technology, international trade and business have become very important parts of our lives. Topics include impact of culture on business, traditional and modern theories of trade, balance of payments, foreign exchange markets, international monetary system and economic integration among nations, international factor movements and trade policies. COURSE OBJECTIVES This course will help you to 1. understand the theoretical principles basic to the analysis of international business 2. gain an understanding of cultural issues involved in international business 3. gain an understanding of operation of multinational enterprises 4. be exposed to the international trade and investment aspects of the US economy 5. be able to combine trade theories with current events and policy debates 6. learn a set of tools that will help them to make a consistent and comprehensive analysis of international economic problems 7. be capable of evaluating and interpreting international economic reports published in the media. CLASS FORMAT This is an online class. Students are required to participate in discussions in the discussion board. Each week there will be discussion on topics assigned for that particular week. Students should check announcements regularly.STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES • You are expected to attend classes regularly. Be punctual. • You are responsible for all materials covered in lectures, assigned readings or homework assignments. • In order to keep pace with the progress of the class you are advised to read the materials before coming to the class. • If you have to miss an exam on medical grounds or other emergencies, please let me know in advance, if possible. That will give me time to arrange make-up exams. REQUIRED TEXT International Business by Charles W. L. Hill, 6th edition, 2007, McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 978-0-07-310255-9 Website: www.mhhe.com/hill TIMELINE July 2 - 8 Globalization, Ch. 1 Differences in national political economies, Ch. 2 Differences in culture, Ch. 3 Quiz 1 (Ch 1 to 3) July 9 - 15 Ethics in International Business, Ch 4 International trade theory, Ch. 5 Political economy of international trade, Ch. 6 Quiz 2 (Ch 4, 5) July 16 - 22 Foreign direct investment, Ch 7 Political economy of foreign direct investment, Ch. 8 MID-TERM EXAM (Chapters 1 to 8) July 23 - 29 Regional economic integration, Ch. 9 Foreign exchange market, Ch. 10Quiz 3 (Chapters 9, 10) July 30 – Aug 5 International monetary system, Ch. 11 Strategy of international business, Ch. 12 Quiz 4 (Ch 11, 12) Aug 6 – Aug 12 Organization of international business Ch. 13 Entry strategy and strategic alliances, Ch. 14 QUIZ 5 (Ch 13, 14) Aug 13 – 19 Exporting, importing, and counter trade, Ch. 15 Global Production, Outsourcing and Logistics, Ch 16 Aug 24 FINAL EXAM (Ch 9 THRU 16) Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a most serious academic offense which involves passing off as your own work something that has been written by someone else. Plagiarism exists when an essay is copied from a book, when the paper submitted has been written by another individual, or when sentences or ideas are taken from another’s writing without properly acknowledging the source, even if the sentences or ideas are paraphrased. Evaluation: Quiz (4 out of 5) 10 points each 40 POINTS Mid-term exam 30 POINTS Participation in blackboard 10 POINTS Final exam 40 POINTS Essay 20 POINTS _______________________________________________________ TOTAL 140 POINTS The final examination is cumulative and comprehensive. Quizzes will be multiple choice type. Tests will be mainly of multiple-choice and problem-solving type. The final examination will consist of a mixture of multiple-choice questions, problem-solving, and short/long essay-type questions. Marking And Grading Policy: The following letter-grading system will be used in assigning final grades. Tests, essay, etc., will be given marks. These marks will be combined according to the weights described above (see evaluation section) and converted into a letter grade at the end of the course.* Grade Percentage equivalentsA 85 - 100 Excellent performance B 75 - 84 Very good performance C 65 – 74 Good performance D 55 – 69 Poor performance F 55 - Fail * The above scale may be raised or lowered by a couple of percentages if the class average is exceptionally low or high. Essay Guidelines: Choosing a Topic: Attached is a list of suggested topic areas. You may also choose any topic other than those suggested here. Before choosing from these topics or any other topic, ask the professor for approval of your specific proposal. You will be requested to make a brief presentation of your proposal in the class. You will benefit from feedbacks and discussions on your project in the class. Evaluation Criteria: The essays will be graded on the basis of: i) quality of the student’s argument or reasoning, ii) apparent depth of research: Have appropriate source materials been employed? Are these materials properly integrated and are they used to good advantage?, iii) presentation in terms of both organization and expression, and iv) proper documentation of ideas and materials borrowed from other authors Essay requirements: 1. The essay is due on August 24, 2007 2. I expect a minimum of eight typed,