Year
2023Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Prerequisites
NilIncompatible
MGMT656 Global Experience
Teaching organisation
3 hours per week for twelve weeks or equivalent.Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit is designed to introduce students to the issues involved in undertaking business in the global marketplace. We examine why businesses engage in international trade and business and consider the role that economics, politics, and culture play in the decision to operate internationally. How organisations evaluate, plan, and undertake international engagement and expansion are considered. We analyse the appropriate means for engaging in international trade and expansion given the nature of and circumstances facing the organisation and with consideration for the impact on the common good, society, and the environment. We introduce students to concepts of international financing, marketing, and human resource management.
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 - Examine and communicate the meaning and impact of globalisation on business, the creation of regional trading blocs and trade agreements (GA5, GA9)
LO2 - Evaluate the country risk by using the information and data related to political, cultural, and economic environments (GA5, GA8)
LO3 - Evaluate the benefits and problems associated with international trade including its impact on the environment and society (GA2, GA5)
LO4 - Critically evaluate the methods businesses use to penetrate foreign markets and manage the return on investment (GA4, GA5)
LO5 - Formulate solutions to the major issues involved in global production, outsourcing and logistics, finance, marketing, research and development and Human Resource Management (GA5, GA6)
Graduate attributes
GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society
GA4 - think critically and reflectively
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
GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media
Content
Topics will include:
- Globalisation and the world economy
- Difference between countries - politics, culture
- International trade theory: social and environmental implications
- The political economy of international trade
- Foreign direct investment and penetration
- Regional economic integration
- The global monetary system
- International business strategy
- International project evaluation
- Exporting, importing and countertrade
- Global marketing, R&D and logistics
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Mode of delivery: On-campus or mixed mode or online, consisting of lectures, seminars, and workshops.
Pattern of attendance and duration: One three-hour workshop each week on campus during a 12 week-semester or equivalent in intensive mode over two block weekends. Students will require 150 hours of study for this unit, including class attendance, readings and assignment preparation.
The above strategy has been chosen because delivery of learning materials in this unit requires block sessions (weekly or weekend) in order to both present descriptive material, and to analyze such material. Interactive discussions around the topics and themes in the course is central to engaging students, and embedded knowledge and critical thinking. Extended sessions build around the various topics in the course is therefore appropriate.
Assessment strategy and rationale
A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. Such procedures may include, but are not limited to: essays, reports, examinations, student presentations or case studies.
Assessment item 1 involves analysis of an article from a selected list of popular media articles provided by the lecturer. Students need to understand connections between news stories and themes and topics in international business, indicating the interconnectedness of business and the global nature of many industries and markets. Assessment item 2 involves students selecting a case on an international organization, industry or market from a list provided by the lecturer. Students analyse the case and answer a series of provided structured questions (in addition to those at the end of the case), in order to develop their critical thinking and analytical skills. Assessment item 3 involves students selecting an essay topic from a list provided by the lecturer and researching the topic by consulting the academic literature in the topic area, and then examining the proposition at the centre of the topic from several different points of view. This is intended to enhance student’s research and critical thinking skills.
Taken together, skills built scaffold from understanding international business interconnectedness (the media article analysis), building ‘real world’ analytical and critical thinking skills (the case analysis), and building academic research and critical thinking skills (the major essay). Each assessment is structures around specified Learning Outcomes.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Case Study Analysis This assessment task consists of a 1500-word written case study analytic report. This task requires students to analyse the key issues in an international business case (Live Case), and their linkages with international business theory and concepts. The case will be a real-world international business from Australia and one of the managers will be invited to discuss the challenges in international trade & business and the impact of post-COVID 19 trends on his/her firm in the international context. Students have to analyse the case based on the information shared by the manager and respond to the questions raised by him/her through a written report. One of the key areas will be the social and environmental well-being of stakeholders involved in international business processes. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Case Study Analytic Report Artefact: Written report | 25% | LO1, LO3 | GA2, GA5, GA9 |
Assessment Task 2: Verbal Presentation This assessment task consists of a 8-minute pre-recoded presentation. Students are to imagine that they are the trade minister of a country of their choice – they are meeting with their creative and business teams to develop a business promotional package for the international market - students’ task is to create a promotional video outlining the benefits and opportunities that the chosen country offers international businesses and investors vis a vis international competition. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Verbal Presentation Artefact: Presentation video and notes | 35% | LO1, LO2, LO4 | GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9 |
Assessment Task 3: International Business and Trade Plan This assessment task consists of 2000-word report using a business language. Students take the role of an entrepreneur who intends to invest in the country explored in assessment 2 and they’re seeking governmental authority and financial support. The task is to prepare a submission outlining a business plan and elaborating on how that opportunity will become a reality in the targeted country. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Business Report Artefact: Written Report | 40% | LO4, LO5 | GA4, GA5, GA6 |
Representative texts and references
Recommended references
Browaeys, M & Price, R 2015, Understanding Cross Cultural Management, 3rd edn, Prentice Hall, England.
Cavusgil, S, Knight, G & Riesenberger, J 2016, International Business: Strategy, Management and the New Realities, 4th edn, Prentice Hall, USA.
Daniels, D, Radebaugh, L & Sullivan, D 2018, International Business: Global Edition, 16th edn, Prentice-Hall, Australia.
Griffin, R & Pustay, M 2015, International Business, 8th edn, Prentice-Hall, Australia.
Hill, C 2021, International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace, 13th edn, Mc-Graw Hill Education
Hill, C, Cronk, T & Wickramasekera, R 2014, Global Business Today, 3rd edn, Irwin/McGraw- Hill, Boston.
Schneider, C Stahl, G.& Barsoux, J 2014, Managing Across Cultures, 3rd edn, Prentice-Hall, England.