BUSN201 - International Business

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

The unit enables students to gain a broad and critical understanding of the issues involved in the operation of an international business and different challenges managers of such businesses face in a global business environment. specifically, this unit covers issues which arise due to cultural, economic, social, legal, political, and geographical differences between businesses operating internationally. In this unit, students will be equipped with the required knowledge for dealing with the challenges of the changing international business environment by learning various models and frameworks that support effective decision-making. Students will also learn techniques to critically analyse theories of international trade and investment relevant to the international business environment, and strategies to manage people and operations at a global level. This knowledge will eventually enable students to use appropriate business strategies in analysing the potential risks and opportunities of doing business in a global market.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - analyse the meaning and impact of globalisation on business, the environment and communities (GA5, GA6)  

LO2 - identify the relevant political, cultural, economic and ethical factors in analysing country risk and market opportunities (GA3, GA5) 

LO3 - evaluate the reasons for benefits and problems associated with sustainability in international business across borders including fair trade (GA2, GA5) 

LO4 - individually and collectively apply relevant models and international business understandings to a variety of markets including but not limited to Asia, the Americas and Europe (GA5, GA7)  

Graduate attributes

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively

Content

Topics will include: 

• globalisation and international business
• culture and international business
• political and legal environments
• foreign market entry strategies
• international institutions
• global production, outsourcing and logistics
• ethics in international business
• international business in regional markets including but not limited to Asia, the Americas and Europe  

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit takes an active learning approach to guide students in the analysis and synthesis of knowledge associated with the conduct and challenges of ethical and sustainable international business. Students will become able to explore the knowledge base that underpins operation of international business in a series of online modules. Students have the opportunity to take part in facilitated synchronous online classes designed to support them to actively participate in the construction and synthesis of this knowledge base using latest advances in the field. By undertaking the individual activities and participating in these online classes, students will systematically develop their understanding of the critical aspects of international business. This Unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing the skills required to effectively manage internationally by tapping into the knowledge of other participants, sharing stories and insights and reflecting on experiences. This approach provides flexibility and facilitates the participation of students who are unable to attend class. 

Mode of delivery: This unit is offered in different modes. These are: “Attendance” mode, “Blended” mode and “Online” mode. This unit is offered in three modes to cater to the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants and maximise effective participation for isolated and/or marginalised groups.

Attendance Mode

In a weekly attendance mode, students will require face-to-face attendance in specific physical location/s. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops, most students report that they spend an average of one hour preparing before the workshop and one or more hours after the workshop practicing and revising what was covered. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for you to prepare and revise.

Blended Mode

In a blended mode, students will require intermittent face-to-face attendance determined by the School. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for you to prepare and revise.

Online Mode

In an online mode, students are given the opportunity to attend facilitated synchronous online seminar classes with other students and participate in the construction and synthesis of knowledge, while developing their knowledge. Students are required to participate in a series of online interactive workshops which include activities, knowledge checks, discussion and interactive sessions. This approach allows flexibility for students and facilitates learning and participation for students with a preference for virtual learning.

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to pass this unit, students are required to complete and submit three graded assessment tasks and achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be in accordance with a rubric specifically developed to measure your level of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. 

Students will also be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the Unit. The assessment strategy for this Unit allows students to sequentially develop their knowledge and skills in international business to the point where they can effectively operate on a global level. In order to develop this level of capability, students will demonstrate their knowledge of international business in an essay, further develop their understanding of organisational change through an article critique and then apply their knowledge and understanding of international business in the final assessment task.  

The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome as indicated in the following Assessment Table. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Browaeys, M & Price, R 2015, Understanding cross cultural management, 3rd edn, Prentice Hall, England.  

Cavusgil ST, Knight G, Riesenberger JR, Rammal HG & Rose EL 2015, International business: the new realities, 2nd edn, Pearson Australia, Melbourne.  

Daniels, J.D., Radebaugh, L.H., & Sullivan, D 2015, International business: environments and operations, Global Edition 15th Edn. England: Pearson Education Ltd 

Hill, C, & Hult, G 2015, Global business today, 9th edn, Mc-Graw Hill Education.  

Verbeke, A., Roberts, R. E., Delaney, D., Zámborský, P., Enderwick, P., & Nagar, S. (2019). Contemporary International Business in the Asia-Pacific Region. Cambridge University Press. 

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Andrews, Tim G et al., 2019. Corruption in Asia Pacific business organizations: insights on causes, conditions, consequences and treatment. Asia Pacific business review, 25(4), pp.459–469.

Antràs, Pol, de Gortari, Alonso & Itskhoki, Oleg, 2017. Globalization, inequality and welfare. Journal of international economics, 108, pp.387–412.

Berger, Ron et al., 2020. Doing business in India: The role of jaan-pehchaan. Industrial marketing management, 89, pp.326–339.

He, Canfei et al., 2019. Entrepreneurship in China. Small business economics, 52(3), pp.563–572.

Jackson, Terence. (2020). Cross cultural management scholarship and the coronavirus crisis. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management : CCM, 20(2), 119–124.

Levy, David L, 2021. COVID‐19 and Global Governance. Journal of management studies, 58(2), pp.562–566.

Orij, René P et al., 2021. Is CSR the new competitive environment for CEOs? The association between CEO turnover, corporate social responsibility and board gender diversity: Asian evidence. Corporate social-responsibility and environmental management, 28(2), pp.731–747.

Satow, Takao & Wang, Zhong-Ming, 1994. Cultural and Organizational Factors in Human Resource Management in China and Japan: A Cross-cultural Socio-economic Perspective. Journal of managerial psychology, 9(4), pp.3–11.

Szkudlarek, Betina et al., 2020. Communication and culture in international business – Moving the field forward. Journal of world business : JWB, 55(6), p.101126.

Wen, Wen, Ke, Yun & Liu, Xuejiao, 2021. Customer concentration and corporate social responsibility performance: Evidence from China. Emerging markets review, 46, p.100755.