COURSE SYLLABUS INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, MGT 301-01 ONLINE FALL 2013 DATES COURSE TOPICS READING DEADLINES Session 1 08/19-08/23 Globalization Ch 1 (in textbook) Unit 1 (in Blackboard Learning Area ) Quiz 1: Due 08/23 10:00 Course Commitment Form: Due 08/23 10:00 1 Session 2 Cross-cultural business Ch 2 Quiz 2: Due 08/30 10:00 08/26-08/30 Unit 2 Session 3 Political and legal Ch 3 Quiz 3: Due 09/06 10:00 09/03-09/06 environment Unit 3, 4 Session 4 Economic systems and Ch 4 Quiz 4: Due 09/13 10:00 09/09-09/13 development Unit 4 Session 5 International trade Ch 5 Quiz 5: Due 09/20 10:00 09/16-09/20 Unit 5 Session 6 Business-government Ch 6 Quiz 6: Due 09/27 10:00 09/23-09/27 trade relations Unit 5 Session 7 Foreign direct CH 7 Quiz 7: Due 10/04 10:00 09/30-10/04 Midterm exam Session 8 10/09-10/11 FALL BREAK Session 9 10/16-10/18 Session 10 10/21-10/25 investment Note: If you do not take the exam during the assigned time period, your score will be 0. Regional economic integration International financial markets International monetary systems Unit 6 CH 1-7 CH 8 Unit 7 Ch 9 Unit 8 Ch 10 Unit 8 Available online From 10/07 10:00 To 10/09 10:00 Quiz 8: Due 10/11 10:00 Quiz 9: Due 10/18 10:00 Quiz 10: Due 10/25 10:00 Session 11 10/28-11/01 International strategy and organization Ch 11 Unit 9, 10 Quiz 11: Due 11/01 10:00 Session 12 11/04-11/08 International marketing research Ch 12 Quiz 12: Due 11/08 10:00 Session 13 11/11-11/15 Entry modes Ch 13 Unit 11 Quiz 13: Due 11/15 10:00 Session 14 11/18-11/22 International marketing Ch 14 Unit 12 THANKSGIVING BREAK Final exam Note: If you do not take the exam during the assigned time period, your score will be 0. CH 8-14 Quiz 14: Due 11/22 10:00 Available online From 12/04 10:00 To 12/06 10:00 1 A student who does not submit a course commitment form before the deadline will receive an automatic one point deduction in the final grade. 1
I CONTACT INFORMATION Professor: Dr. Sarala E-mail: rmsarala@uncg.edu Virtual Office Hour: Monday 2-3 PM in Blackboard chat (In Blackboard, in the Course Menu, select Office Hour -> under the Collaboration Sessions select Office Hours ) Please address the professor Dr. Sarala in all communication. II COURSE MATERIAL International Business (The Challenges of Globalization), 6 th edition, by Wild and Wild, Prentice Hall 2012, ISBN 9780132555753 All exam and quiz questions are from the 6 th edition. If a student decides to use a different edition, s/he is taking a risk that an exam/quiz question is not covered. Also, all page references in the course material are to the 6 th edition. No access codes or any other extra material from the publisher is needed. III COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is an introduction 2 to the environmental factors which cause businesses to become international. In addition, we analyze the nature of global business and multinational organizations. This is an online section 3 of the course. IV COURSE OBJECTIVES Define international business and discuss how it differs from domestic business. Define and discuss key terms and concepts related to international business. Acquire a basic understanding of the structure of the global economy and the perspectives of various actors in the global economy. Make well-reasoned suggestions about how to address many of the challenges and opportunities within an international business setting. 2 Please note that MGT 301 is an introductory level course in International Business. This means that we will cover several different topics and perspectives at an introductory level, with a focus on terminology and main intellectual debates. More advanced courses in International Business, International Marketing, International Entrepreneurship, and International Economics will cover some of the same topics in more detail, with different emphasis, and with a more applied approach. It is recommended, but not required, that you take this course before taking more advanced courses. 3 Please keep in mind that the learning styles of some students are better suited for traditional in-class environment. If you prefer an in-class setting, please consider taking the in-class section of this course instead. However, if you value ability to work according to your own schedule, the flexibility of this online section is likely to be appealing to you. 2
Knowledgeably discuss some of the key public policy, ethical and environmental issues that are typically connected to international business. Discuss the challenges that third world countries have in participating in world trade, and the different perspectives that exist with regard to intellectual property rights and the third world. V EVALUATION ITEMS 1. Weekly quizzes 10% 2. Exams a. Midterm exam 45% b. Final exam 45% The evaluation items are described in the following. 1 Weekly quizzes: 10% 1.1 Purpose The purpose of the weekly quizzes is to encourage you to study the material consistently throughout the course. The quizzes will also help you to check your own learning. Furthermore, the quizzes provide examples of the types of questions that you will encounter in the exams and familiarize you with taking tests on Blackboard. This assures that you will be prepared for the course exams. 1.2 Content Each weekly quiz covers the respective chapter in the textbook. For instance, during session 1, quiz 1 will cover CH1 in the textbook. During session 2, quiz 2 will cover CH 2 in the textbook. Each quiz has 10 questions. Each question carries 1 point. The questions are either true-false questions or multiple choice questions. You can take as long as you need to complete the quiz. Backtracking is allowed. Quiz tip: Backtracking allowed means that you do not have to complete the quiz questions in order, and that you may change the answer to a question that has already been submitted (as long as you have not submitted the entire quiz). The Question Completion Status bar above the quiz questions allows you to quickly move from one question to another: In the Question Completion Status bar, simply click the number of the question that you want to complete next in order to move to that question. I recommend that you experiment with the Question Completion Status bar when completing your quizzes so that you will be familiar with this Blackboard feature when taking your exam. Many students have commented that they have found the Question Completion Status bar very helpful when completing quizzes/exams. 1.3 Availability You will find the quizzes in Blackboard under Quizzes. Each weekly quiz is available until Friday 10:00 of the corresponding week. You can take each quiz only ONE time. There 3
will be no additional test taking opportunities. If you miss a quiz, your score for that particular quiz will be 0. If you know that you cannot take a quiz during a particular week, study ahead and take it in advance. 1.4 Technical problems If you lose your internet connection or Blackboard goes down, get back to the quiz when the connection resumes. You will be able to continue the test from where you left off. If you experience technical problems, contact the instructor immediately by e-mail. 2 Midterm Exam: 45%, Final exam: 45% 2.1. Purpose The purpose of the course exams is to objectively evaluate the outcome of your learning. The exams are designed to test your knowledge of the course textbook material. 2.2 Content The midterm exam will cover Chapters 1-7. The final exam will cover Chapters 8-14. All questions will be from the textbook. Contents from the learning units are not asked in exams. The exams are not cumulative. 2.3 Testing procedures Even though you are taking your exams online, they are still "real" tests. The following are the testing procedures I expect you to follow while taking the exam: You will find the exams in Blackboard under Exams only during the assigned test times. It is recommended that you use Mozilla Firefox as your browser when taking the test. An exam is available for 48 hours as indicated in the course schedule on page 1 of the syllabus. You can take each exam only ONE time. You may use your book and notes; however, you are to take the test by yourself, with no group efforts or help from other people. This test has 100 objective questions (true/false and multiple choice). The maximum score is 100. You have 120 minutes to complete the exam. A timer will appear, but the test does not automatically stop at 120 minutes. You have to click Submit to end the test and stop the timer. You will lose 1 point for each full minute that you go over the time limit. The time is strictly limited in order test your knowledge of the material; not your ability to search for information during the exam. Remember not to click the Back button in your browser window. 4
Backtracking is allowed. Exam tip: Backtracking allowed means that you do not have to complete the test questions in order and that you may change the answer to a question that has already been submitted (as long as you have not submitted the entire test). The Question Completion Status bar above the exam questions allows you to quickly move from one question to another: In the Question Completion Status bar, simply click the number of the question that you want to complete next in order to move to that question. The Question Completion Status bar also shows you which questions you have already completed. Some students prefer to complete the easy questions first and return to the more difficult questions later. Questions will be presented one by one and in a random order, similar to the quizzes. 2.4 Technical problems If you lose your internet connection or Blackboard goes down, get back to the exam when the connection resumes. Blackboard will let you continue the exam from where you left off. If you experience any problems, contact the instructor and provide evidence of the problem (for instance, a screenshot of a message indicating that Blackboard is down). If you are taking your test after 5 PM, please be aware that I will not be able to reply to your e-mail and solve any problems that you might have until the next morning. NOTE: AS A STUDENT TAKING AN ONLINE COURSE, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A RELIABLE INTERNET CONNECTION DURING THE EX TIMES. INABILITY TO ACCESS INTERNET DURING THE EX TIMES IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE EXCUSE FOR MISSING AN EX. 2.5 Rules for not taking an exam during the assigned testing times IMPORTANT To accommodate for multiple commitments of students, the exams are available for an extended period of time (48 hours). It is your responsibility to be available during the scheduled exam times and to take the exams promptly. Do not leave taking the exam to the last minute to avoid any last minute technical problems. An exam cannot be taken after the scheduled exam time. There are no make-up exams. If for any reason, you do not take the test, your score will be 0. The only exception is a serious illness for which you are required to provide official documentation within two weeks from the end of the exam period. If you fail to provide this documentation, your score will be 0. These rules will be strictly enforced in order to be fair towards those students who do make the effort to take the tests at the assigned testing times regardless of their personal and professional circumstances and time constraints. I do not allow some students more time to prepare for the test than others. Note: It is not unusual that students fail this online course because they, for instance, forget to take the exam, are travelling without an internet connection, or are otherwise occupied for 5
a number of unverifiable personal and professional reasons. Make sure that you are not one of these students because missing one exam is likely to result in failing the course. VI SCORING SYSTEM FOR THE FINAL GRADE A+ = 98-100 A = 94-97.999 A- = 90-93.999 B+ = 88-89.999 B = 84-87.999 B- = 80-83.999 C+ = 78-79.999 C = 74-77.999 C- = 70-73.999 D+ = 68-69.999 D = 64-67.999 D- = 60-63.999 F = 59.999 and below Your final grade will be calculated as the weighted average of the course components using the weights given in section V EVALUATION ITEMS. Please note that grades are NOT rounded up. The above system is used in all circumstances. Also, to be fair towards ALL students, grades are strictly based on your objective performance in the course elements. Grades are NOT adjusted upwards on a need basis, for instance, because a student needs at least a C to graduate. I use the same standards to evaluate every student. VII AVAILABILITY OF THE INSTRUCTOR Please address the instructor as Dr. Sarala in all communication. If you have a question about the course, please email the instructor (rmsarala@uncg.edu). In the subject of the e-mail write MGT 301-01 and the topic of your e-mail. For instance, if you have a question about the syllabus, use the following subject: MGT 301-01 syllabus. This will assure that your e-mails do not accidentally go into the spam folder. During weekdays, I will make every attempt to answer to your email within 48 hours. However, I do not check my email after 5 PM, during weekends or school holidays. I will post weekly announcements on Blackboard (usually on Monday) and as needed. Therefore, it is vital that you check Blackboard regularly. VIII OTHER INFORMATION Academic Integrity Policy The students are expected to complete all requirements of this course in conformity with UNCG s Academic Integrity Policy (http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/violation/ ). Any detected violations of any aspect of the Policy will be fully pursued in accordance with the provisions therein. Students with Disabilities If you have a documented disability for which you need special arrangements, please contact the Student Disability Services Office (http://ods.dept.uncg.edu/services). Any requests for a 6
documented disability for which you need special arrangements must come through Student Disability Services Office with the appropriate paperwork. Extra Credit No extra credit assignments will be provided based on individual requests. This policy is in place to be fair towards all students. THE INSTRUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THIS DOCUMENTS AS NEEDED. ALL CHANGES WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON BLACKBOARD. 7
ONLINE MGT 301 Course Commitment Form Complete and submit on Blackboard: go to Course Documents -> Session 1 -> Submit your Course Commitment Form here and follow the instructions. E-mail submissions are NOT accepted. A failure to submit this document before the deadline 08/23 10:00 will result in an automatic one point deduction in your final grade. Your full name Your hometown Your class standing (Soph., Jr., Sr.) and major Reasons for taking this class online Your previous work experience Your previous international experience (e.g. travel, education, work) or international background (e.g. family background) Your language skills Name of five multinational companies you would be interested to work for What is going great in your life right now? Please include here any other information you would like for me to know about you ********************************************************************** By completing and returning this form, I indicate that: I have read the syllabus. I understand that this class requires a significant amount of work over the entire semester. I have scheduled sufficient time to complete the course elements AND WILL BE AVAILABLE DURING THE EX TIMES. I understand that all deadlines indicated in the syllabus are not negotiable and I myself am responsible for meeting all deadlines without further notification from the instructor. If I have any questions or concerns I can contact Dr. Sarala as indicated in the syllabus. Name (type your name here) Date 8