School of Management, Unit Catalogue 2009/10 |
MN20208: Foundations for international business |
 Credits:
| 6 |
| Level:
| Intermediate |
| Period: | Semester 1 |
| Assessment:
| CW 30%, EX 70% |
| Supplementary Assessment: | Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations) |
| Requisites:
| Before taking this unit you must take MN10006 |
| Description: | Aims: To provide students with an introductory course in international business and imbue students with an appreciation for the complexity of the international socio-political, legal environment businesses have to operate in when operating across national borders. To educate future managers and policymakers about the implications of working in a multinational environment and the interdependency between business activities and economic activities in nations. Learning Outcomes: Students should be able to: * Articulate the business and economic impact of socio-political, legal and cultural differences; * understand the patterns of international trade and investment underlying internationalised business activity and relate them to theoretical frameworks; * Acknowledge some of the impacts trade and investment activity have on both host of home nations; * Appreciate the range of motivations for such activity and various modes of conducting them; * Recognize the underlying advantages of global production and outsourcing process and understand the gains of global marketing and R&D; * Grasp the benefits and risks associated with exporting and how countertrade can help facilitate exporting. Skills: Intellectual skills: analytical skills, evaluation, presentation of a balanced argument with supporting evidence. Transferable/ Key skills: independent research, project writing, bibliography compiling, ability to appreciate multiple perspectives on issues. Both are facilitated and assessed. Content: The course will: cover theories of trade and foreign direct investment, political, economic, legal, cultural and ethical considerations when operating across borders, the organisational strategy and structure and modes of foreign-market entry, global production and outsourcing, global marketing and R&D, exporting, importing and countertrade. |