Syllabus for MAN-372

INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course provides the student with knowledge of the complexities and opportunities of conducting business across national boundaries. Topics include international trade theory, foreign direct investment, and foreign exchange rates. Students will study the functions of management including diplomacy and the unique cultural customs and traditions that impact the business environment. International management topics such as various forms of business practices, business ethics, leadership, and human resource management will also be covered.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:

1. Discuss globalization and the drivers of globalization.
2. Explain the changing nature of the global economy.
3. Compare and contrast the political and economic differences of countries.
4. Discuss economic integration and international trade.  
5. Describe the politics of economics and international trade and investment.
6. Evaluate new trade theories and strategic trade policies.
7. Identify the strategies and functions of international business.
8. Explain the relationships between international trade and economic growth.
9. Explain with details what managers can do to incorporate ethical considerations into their decision making.  
10. Summarize the market imperfection approaches to foreign direct investment.
11. Analyze national institution structures and the protection of property rights.
12. Define with examples global competition, global strategic alliances and core competencies.
13. Discuss new international business marketing and finance policies.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following textbook to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

COURSE STRUCTURE

International Management is a three-credit online course, consisting of the six (6) modules. Each module includes an overview, a list of topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.

1. Module 1: Globalization and Country Differences

2. Module 2: Country Differences in the Political Economy

3. Module 3: Culture and Ethics in International Business

4. Module 4: The Global Trade and Investment Environment

5. Module 5: The Global Monetary System & Special Topics: The Rise of the Global Corporation & The Foreign Exchange Market

6. Module 6: The Strategy and Structure of International Business

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in six (6) graded discussion forums and to complete five (5) written assignments. You are also required to complete a final paper. See below for more details.

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Discussion Forums

This course requires you to participate in six (6) graded discussion forums. There is also an ungraded but required Introductions Forum in Module 1.

1. Click to review the Evaluation Rubric for Online Discussion

For posting guidelines and additional help with discussion board assignments please see the Student Handbook located within the General Information section of the course Web site.

Written Assignments

You are required to complete five (5) written assignments. The written assignments are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules. For each assignment, you are required to discuss the topics or countries that interest you in 4–5 double-spaced pages.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

See the Student Handbook for additional help regarding preparing and submitting assignments located within the General Information section of the course website.

Final Paper

In lieu of a final exam, you are required to complete a Final Paper. Your Final Paper shall be 14–20 pages long and focus on global expansion management strategies.

In this comprehensive term paper, you can use all of your written assignment papers and answers in discussion forums to build the Final Paper. The paper should provide a descriptive title or heading by focusing on topics or countries that interest you, and then discuss and explain the main concepts, using the following subheadings as a guide:

1. Introduction. Provide a brief focus statement about your paper and what the reader can expect.

2. Global World Economy. Discuss the importance of globalization in today’s global economy.

3. Cultural and Political Differences. Discuss cultural and political differences that global managers consider when expanding abroad. Are values and ethics different in each culture? Explain.

4. Going Global Strategies. Explain why companies are forced to expand globally. Discuss possible strategies for competing globally. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the different  strategies and  policies  that  firms use to enter foreign markets. What are the main factors that influence a firm’s decision of market entry?

5. Suggestions and Recommendations. Provide practical and specific recommendations and suggestions for managers and expatriate to expand in this country of your choice for this project.

6. Summary. Provide a few concluding paragraphs about what your paper discussed and how it can be beneficial for practitioners.

Below is the rubric that will aid in the grading of the Final Paper.

1. Final Paper Grading Rubric

Consult your course Calendar for due dates.

See the Student Handbook for additional help regarding preparing and submitting assignments located within the General Information section of the course Web site.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

1. Online discussions (6)—24%
2. Written assignments (5)—50%
3. Final Paper—26%

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a nonarea of study course), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.

2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.

3. Familiarize yourself with the learning management systems environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.

4. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The Calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations.

2. Check Announcements regularly for new course information.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:

1. Cheating
2. Plagiarizing (including copying and pasting from the Internet without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources)
3. Fabricating information or citations
4. Facilitating acts of dishonesty by others
5. Unauthorized access to examinations or the use of unauthorized materials during exam administration
6. Submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the mentor
7. Tampering with the academic work of other students

Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized assignment, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.

A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.

If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.

Plagiarism

Using someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > "Citing Sources.")

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else's. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.