Course Syllabus

Syllabus for Business 395

Welcome to International Business!

Please read the information on this page before proceeding to the course materials.

Credits: 3 semester credits

Prerequisite: BUS210

Course Overview

This course is designed to acquaint you with the unique challenges of conducting business on a global basis. We will quickly dispel the theory that international business is really nothing more than conducting business domestically – only on a larger scale. Managers wishing succeed internationally will face a variety of new and unique challenges that must be understood within a broader context of global strategy and cross-border management. The goal of this course is to provide such a context.

Today, multinational corporations are making their operations in large emerging economies like China and India central to their global strategies; they are coming to grips with social responsibility issues and challenges raised by the anti-globalization movement. The globalization of business creates wealth that benefits business entities, nations, and people. Many people associate international business only with huge businesses making huge profits, but it also supports entrepreneurs and corporations in developing countries and reduces poverty throughout the world. A joint study conducted by the United Nations, Organization for Economic Development, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, reports that the goal of reducing poverty by half from 1990 to 2015 is on schedule.

Required Texts:

The following text is required for this course:

Griffin, W., R. & Pustay, W., M. (2010) International Business: A Managerial Perspective , 8/e. Prentice Hall : Upper Saddle River, NJ.  ©2015 | Pearson

ISBN-13:    9780133506297

NOTE: Every effort has been made to provide accurate and current Internet information in this course. However, the Internet and information posted on it are constantly changing and it is inevitable that some of the Internet addresses listed will change. The inclusion of a Web site does not indicate an endorsement by Abraham Lincoln University and does not guarantee the accuracy of the information presented at these sites.

Resources Section:

At the top center of the course main page is a Resources link. This will take the student to particular resources for the course. Included are (1) supplementary and web resources, (2) library resources, (3) grading rubrics, (4) a study guide, (5) study skills assistance, and (6) case study template.

Course Objectives

Upon completion, this course should be able to:

• Acquaint you to with the techniques associated with managing conflicts between cultures arising from differences in language, religion, values, customs, and education.
• Introduce you to the theoretical background for international trade and investment activities,
• Help you to delineate the macroenvironmental factors and institutions affecting international business.
• Outline how firms can develop strategies and make preparations to enter foreign markets.
• Acquaint you with the operational challenges of conducting business internationally once the firm has successfully entered a foreign market.

Course Requirements

Homework Assignments

The Homework Assignments are in-depth questions that address a particular module’s concepts and their application in use. The assignment criteria are designed to address critical depth and integrated understanding. Each assignment is evaluated against criteria to measure a demonstrated level of understanding of the subject matter covered, quality of writing, and critical thinking employed.

Discussion Boards

The Discussion Board allows students to participate in focused module discussions to share their ideas and understanding of module concepts and how these ideas apply to the forum topic. To meet the minimum Discussion Board requirements, for every module students should:

1. Answer the brain-storming question posted by the faculty on application of the module’s concepts.
2. Acknowledge faculty’s feedback to the answer by further clarification of a point or a substantive response to the feedback. Otherwise, student may also discuss another original application of the module’s concepts.

Points for participation will be awarded based on the following criteria:

1. Comments offered to the cohort and to the instructor should be substantive and should be substantiated and persuasively presented, whether it is the first original posting, acknowledging faculty’s feedback, or asking for further clarifications. Comments like “well done”, “oh I see”, “I agree”, etc. are NOT considered substantive.
2. Posted comments from students should reflect understanding of the course objectives and original thought and reflection on the course topic and concepts.
3. Comments should extend the thoughts and ideas offered by the other members of the cohort. The best contributions will reflect not only excellent preparation but interpretive and integrative thinking as well.
4. Comments should show evidence of thorough reading and analysis of the material being studied and discussed.
5. Student comments should show a willingness to test new ideas and risk comments that are not mainstream and “safe.”

Final Examination

The Final Exam will be a 50-item Multiple Choice questions which will test your comprehension of the course you completed and will give you the opportunity to apply the material you are learning. The Multiple Choice questions will cover the main concepts from the course. Please give yourself ample time to review for this exam.

Submission

Including a Title/Cover Page

When you submit a document for a homework assignment, it is important to submit the document properly. Since your instructor will receive multiple assignments from you and many other students, you should perform the following:

Most courses at ALU utilize APA style format. APA style format requires a title cover page for all written assignment.

Your cover page for research, final exam, or Capstone projects will include the following:

1. Your assignment’s title
2. Your name
3. The course prefix and title
4. Your instructor’s name
5. The date

Your cover page for all other assessments should include the following:

1. The specific assignment number
2. The course prefix and title
3. Your name
4. Your instructor’s name
5. The date.

Grading

Your grades will be based on the quality of work and level of understanding demonstrated.

Each member of the Faculty is required to post grades electronically for each student within seven days of the course completion date. Grade reports will then be made available to students through the student website. No grades will be given to a student over the phone.

Grading Scale

Abraham Lincoln University has established the following grading scale. All faculty are

expected to comply with this scale:

Grade	Description	Scale	Quality Points
A+	Excellent	97-100	4.00
A	“	94-96	4.00
A-	“	90-93	3.67
B+	Above Average	87-89	3.33
B	“	84-86	3.00
B-	“	80-83	2.67
C+	Average	77-79	2.33
C	“	74-76	2.00
C-	“	70-73	1.67
D+	Below Average	67-69	1.33
D	“	65-66	1.00
D-	“	60-64	0.67
F	Failure	Below 60	0.00
P	Credit Earned/ Pass	NA	0.00
I	Incomplete	NA	0.00
W	Withdraw	NA	0.00

Grade Weights

Homework Assignments	50%
Discussion Boards	20%
Final Exam	30%
Total	100%

Time Required for this Course

ALU has developed a credit hour equivalent validation process that is based upon student learning activity and tasks. Time allocated by task varies by program (associate, bachelor and master), subject studied, and course level (100-600). An example of the study commitment for a three-semester credit, eight-week course at the 300 level breaks down as follows:

Activity/task	weekly hours	total hours
Academic Engagement
PowerPoint Slides	3	24
Discussion Board	1	8
Reading: Lectures/Web links	2	16
	Total	48
Outside Preparation
Reading: Textbook	2	16
Essay Questions	6	48
Research/Case Study	3	24
Final: review materials	2	16
	Total	104
Total Hours	19	152

Non-participation

Non-participation is characterized by lack of assignment submission and inadequate contribution in threaded discussions. In every module of the session, participation will be monitored by both Academic Progress Advisors and the instructor. Closer monitoring will be made particularly during the first two weeks to encourage continuous and active student engagement.

Students who have not submitted assignments and have not responded to the Discussion Board posting for the module will be contacted by their Academic Progress Advisors and the Instructor to learn the circumstances due to non-participation. If students are experiencing extraordinary circumstances that prevent assignment submission, the Academic Progress Advisors will provide assistance as needed and instructors will provide support and guidance on assignment submission. In discussions, instructors will contact students with a reminder to contribute to the discussion. When the participation is inadequate, that is, not meeting the performance criteria noted above, the instructor may provide direct or indirect feedback to encourage a higher level of contribution, and / or contact students individually with a personal coaching message on their contribution to date.

Participation points will be differentially awarded based on how well students have met the performance criteria noted above.

Policies

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is highly valued at Abraham Lincoln University. A student must always submit work that represents his or her original words or ideas. The student must make it clear the extent to which such sources were used. Words or ideas that require citation include, but are not limited to, all hard copy or electronic publications, whether copyrighted or not, and all verbal or visual communication when the content of such communication clearly originates from an identifiable source.

Attendance Requirements and Deadlines

All assignments must be posted to Moodle within 24 hours of the last day of each scheduled week. Instructors will respond and grade within 72 hours. Under extenuating circumstances the student must contact the instructor to make alternate arrangements for assignment submission. This agreement must support the student’s ability to master the learning objectives and to complete all work within the session’s timeframe. All students are expected to complete the course within the eight week time-frame specified by the University.

Course Incompletes and Extensions

Incomplete grades and extensions may be assigned if there are extenuating circumstances. Students are required to contact their faculty to alert them of such circumstances. Formal requests for incompletes must be submitted through the Academic Dean’s office.

Last modified: Tuesday, August 28, 2018, 6:12 PM