INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

BA 4371 Section 022, Summer 2006

Course Description & Syllabus

Class Time & Location: Mondays & Wednesdays, 12:00-1:50 p.m., @SOM 1.107

Instructor: Yasuhiro Yamakawa

Office: SM 4.410
Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:50-3:50 p.m., or by appointment
Phone: 972-302-2585
Email: yxy052100@utdallas.edu

Required Textbook: Global Business Today, 4th Edition. (2006). Charles W. L. Hill.
McGraw-Hill (Available at the on- and off-campus bookstores)

Course Pre-requisites: BA 3341, BA 3365, MATH 1326, MATH 2333

Learning Objectives

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental concepts of international business. The
course will cover topics such as globalization, country environments (political, legal, and economic), culture,
global trade and foreign direct investment, regional economic integration, foreign exchange market,
international strategy, and international human resource management. We will focus on the application of
academic knowledge to real world situations through the use of lectures and case studies. Students should leave
this course with an increased appreciation of the challenges and opportunities of managing businesses in the
complex international business environment.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be based on objective and subjective criteria. Grades will be determined as
follows:

Individual Grades: Grading Scale:

100 A+
Mid-term Exam (in class) 20% 94-99 A
Final Exam (in class) 20%
90-93 A-
Class Participation & Other Assignments 20%
87-89 B+
(10% Class Discussion + 5% Average of 2 Peer Evaluations
84-86 B
+ 5% Quizzes)
80-83 B-
Group Grades: 77-79 C+
74-76 C
2 Group Case Reports (15% each) 30% 70-73 C-
1 Group Case Presentation 10% 67-69 D+
64-66 D
Total: 100% 60-63 D-
Below 60 F

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 Exams

One mid-term and one final exam will be given at designated points in the semester. While both exams are
non-comprehensive, the course material builds and integrates on previous topics, thus certain questions may
be answered from many angles, and drawing on many areas of the course will demonstrate a superior
experience. Exams will be based on assigned readings (textbook and other articles) as well as all other
materials covered in class (videos, cases, guest lectures). The exam format will consist of multiple choice,
short answer, and/or short essay questions.

Request for rescheduling an exam will be considered only with timely notification to the instructor and with
appropriate documentation such as a written medical excuse or a note from the academic dean. It is your
responsibility to inform the instructor in advance of the exam. Approval for rescheduling is at the discretion
of the instructor.

Class Participation

All students are expected to regularly attend class, arrive punctually to class, and remain up-to-date on
assigned readings. This will facilitate meaningful discourse about the course material. Students are strongly
encouraged to participate in class discussion*. Participation grade will reflect the degree to which you
contribute to class rather than simply whether students are physically present. Quality of class contribution
will be more heavily than quantity. The instructor has the sole authority in assigning participation grades.
Here are some rough guidelines of how the participation grades are evaluated:

Excellent class participation is characterized by a student consistently attending class, and making an
insightful contribution to discussions, being well-prepared by having prepared notes and
demonstrating a superior understanding of the material.

Good class participation is characterized by students consistently attending class and contributing to
discussions as well as being reasonably prepared with notes from the reading, while only occasionally
demonstrating a superior understanding of the material.

Poor class participation is characterized by a student inconsistently attending class rarely contributing
to class discussion (or contributing with banter), and having no notes prepared for the readings.

*To help the instructor learn each student’s name and grade participation/contribution as fairly as possible,
please prepare and bring a nameplate to each class.

Peer Evaluation (part of participation grade): Students will evaluate others’ contributions in their group work.
Details on how to calculate peer evaluations and how to incorporate into the group projects are shown in the
peer evaluation sheet (see page 8).

Other Assignments

Throughout the course, the instructor may periodically assign additional assignments on the course material.
These include pop quizzes, written assignment of current events, and/or creative exercises on research topics.
The instructor may invite guest lecturers with associative assignments. Students are expected to complete
these assignments on time.

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 Case Reports

Case Analysis

The class will be divided into groups of equal size. Students will either choose their group members or will be
assigned to a group by the instructor*. As a group, students will turn in two case reports, one of which will be
presented in the class.

Each case should be a comprehensive analysis of the facts of the case and application of concepts discussed
in the lecture or sourced from the textbook using the questions in the cases. The case analysis grade will be
based on the quality of the group’s work. Part of the learning experience is managing the coordination of
tasks required to create a good product. How students work as a group will be accounted for in the
participation grade based on each individual’s assessment of the relative contribution of each group member
(peer evaluation – which can make a dramatic change in students’ final grades). See below for further
information on case reports:

Contents for Case Reports:

- Each group will take on a role as a team of business consultants making recommendations to the chief
executive officer of the company. Conduct a strategic analysis of the company and the industry using
case materials, library research, electronic data sources, and tools suggested by the text. The goal is to
determine what direction the company should take, and be sure to make specific recommendations
about what the company should do next and why.
- Including quantitative analyses (e.g. such as financial ratios, industry sales, and competition figures) is
highly recommended. Clever use of exhibits can dramatically enhance the quality of the report.

Suggested Format:
- Case report should be: 8 pages, double-spaced, times new roman, 12 point font.
- Sub-titles are required (e.g., introduction, analysis, alternatives, recommendations, and conclusions).
- Library research and online research (called “due diligence” in the business world) is required. As a
guide, each of the case reports should have at least 8 references listed. Try and avoid the “Google”
method of report writing, and use the library’s resources such as the access to electronic periodicals of
business journals and documents to make your recommendations. A bibliography is required
accordingly, providing a full list of references. Exhibits should be labeled sequentially and in the order
they are discussed in the text. (If you do not talk about an exhibit in the text, it probably isn’t doing
anything except taking up space.)
- Hand in one hard copy of written report and keep an additional copy for yourself. In addition, a soft
copy of the report is required to be emailed to the instructor for a plagiarism check.

Due Dates: The first case report should be turned in on June 21st and the second case report should be
turned in on July 26th. **

Grading Guidelines: Case reports will be graded as follows:

- Content (80%). This is the most important part of the case report. This shows the group’s ability to
find, swift through, and compile information pertinent to this assignment. It also shows the group’s
analytical ability in terms of determining the challenges and opportunities of managing business in a
complex international environment. Thoroughness, accuracy, and keen analysis should come through
in this portion of the report.
- Process (20%). This refers to readability, flow, logic, organization, professional look, and writing
mechanics of the report. Reports should be clear, concise, structured in a logical fashion and easily
readable, with a logical flow of thoughts and ideas as well as transitions between paragraphs. The report
should be devoid of spelling and grammatical errors. It should look neat and professional.

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 Strong Points in Case Reports
- Evidence of thorough case study.
- Clear articulation of the issue you are addressing.
- Judgments supported by evidence from the case or outside sources.
- Use of professional tools and concepts from the text and lectures.
- Identification of the key drivers and/or forces in the external environment and how that may affect
the future of the firm or the industry.
- Identification and evaluation of pertinent company’s capabilities, weaknesses, resources, and sources
of competitive advantage in the context of the industry and competitive environment.
- Justification for the recommendation that is consistent with company strategy and resources.
- Alternatives that are realistic and fall from the analysis.
- Examination of tradeoffs associated with alternatives.

Weak Points in Case Reports

- Unorganized or unclear.
- Failure to proofread any written material (correct obvious misspellings, errors, and sloppy grammar).
- Mere repetition of case facts (rehash of the facts of the case is not value added).
- Failure to analyze. Don’t just give facts, do analysis!
- Failure to support opinions by evidence or logical explanation.
- Lack of consideration of non-economic issues (e.g., culture, values, ethics, etc.) if it is relevant.
- Lack of adequate outside research.
- Failure to identify outside sources.
- Exhibits that are extraneous to the analysis (reader or viewer is left to draw his/her own conclusions
and wonder why the exhibit is there).

*Note: The instructor will not re-assign individuals to a different group after the initial assignment has been
made. It is the team’s responsibility to work together; students desiring guidance on working with group
members are welcome to ask the instructor for advice.

** Note: Late cases will not be accepted under any circumstances.

Case Presentation

Each group will present one case during the course. Students are required to use visual aids such as power
point slides. The group not only needs to address all relevant issues in the discussion but also needs to be
prepared to address questions from the audience. Each group has the flexibility to choose one or two
members to do the presentation and let the rest answer the questions from the audience. In that case, all the
group members will get the same presentation grade depending on their general performance. Otherwise,
each of the group members will present a part of the presentation and get different individual grades.

Suggested Format:
- Presentations should be an overview of the written case report, including a summary of the problems
and the recommendations that the group as consultant have recommended.
- Presentations should be approximately 15 minutes in length with 5 minutes of Q&A.
- Visual aids must be employed but keep it “content-intensive” as opposed to “powerpoint-feature-
intensive.”
- A printout of the slides as well as bibliography should be given to the instructor and other class
members prior to the presentation.

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 Grading Guidelines: Case presentations will be graded as follows:
- Content (40%). This aspect corresponds to what was written in the case report. Evidence of
thoroughness, accuracy, and a quality analysis should come through in the presentation.
- Presentation (40%). This area refers to general presentation skills. Students should be audible, come
across as confident and knowledgeable, and clearly state their points. Practicing in advance is
important and helpful. The group’s ability to answer questions from the audience is also included.
- Creativity (20%). Be creative and fun when giving presentations. Do not simply read the paper aloud,
but engage in an active, interesting, fun presentation. Students may do a skit, have a mock business
meeting, produce a game show, or engage in other innovative presentation formats.

Class Communication

WebCT: Class notes, the syllabus, and other relevant course-related materials will be posted on the course
website. Students may download these materials from the website. In addition, students are advised to check
messages on WEBCT prior to each class session. This will be the main way of disseminating any messages or
instructions relating to the course.

Contacting the Instructor: Faculty has been requested to state in their syllabi that a new university policy to
protect student privacy has been established. This policy states that faculty is not required to answer student
emails unless they come from a UTD email account. Therefore, students are advised to contact instructors via
their UTD email account from students’ own UTD email accounts or through WebCT.

Common Courtesy

Students are expected to be courteous during class time. Please respect other fellow students by turning off
cell phones and beepers before class, refraining from talking with others when someone is speaking, and
arriving punctually to class. Also, note that laptop usage during class is prohibited, as this is distracting to
fellow students.

Scholastic Dishonesty

Any student who commits an act of scholastic dishonesty is subject to discipline. Scholastic dishonesty
includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, colluding, submitting for credit any work or materials
that are attributable in part or fully to another party, taking an exam for another person, and engaging in or
attempting to engage in any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student. The University of Texas at
Dallas has several procedures to deal with students who commit acts of scholastic dishonesty, ranging from
flunking the course to being expelled from the university. Visit http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/TitleV
for further information on this topic.

Tentative Academic Calendar

Students are responsible for having read the chapters in accordance with the dates below. Read the materials
before coming to class on the day it is to be discussed. Other reading materials may be assigned in addition to
those in the schedules below, but these will be mentioned at least one class period in advance.

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 Assignments
Date Readings Topic (s)
Due
Introduction, Course Overview,
May 15 (Mon) No Readings
Open Discussion, Library Search
Groups formed
May 17 (Wed) Chapter 1 Globalization
(Submit name list)
Country Differences in Political Economy; 1st Case Selection
May 22 (Mon) Chapter 2, 3
Differences in Culture (Submit selection)
May 24 (Wed) Chapter 3 Differences in Culture

Mon 29 (Mon) No Class None

May 31 (Wed) Chapter 4 Ethics in International Business

June 5 (Mon) Chapter 5 International Trade Theory

June 7 (Wed) No Class None

June 12 (Mon) Chapter 6 Political Economy of International Trade

Political Economy of International Trade;
June 14 (Wed) Chapter 6, 7
Foreign Direct Investment
June 19 (Mon) Chapter 7 Foreign Direct Investment
1st Case Report &
June 21 (Wed) Chapter 8 Regional Economic Integration
Peer Evaluation Due
Bring scantron
June 26 (Mon) Chapter 1-8 Mid-term Exam
Sheet 882-E
Test Discussion; 2nd Case Selection
June 28 (Wed) Chapter 9
Foreign Exchange Market (Submit selection)
July 3 (Mon) Chapter 11 Strategy of International Business

July 5 (Wed) Chapter 11 Strategy of International Business

July 10 (Mon) Chapter 12 Entering Foreign Markets

Global Production, Outsourcing,
July 12 (Wed) Chapter 14
and Logistics
Global Marketing and
July 17 (Mon) Chapter 15
Research & Development
July 19 (Wed) Chapter 16 Global Human Resource Management
Bring scantron
July 24 (Mon) Chapter 1-16 Final Exam
Sheet 882-E
2nd Case Report &
July 26 (Wed) No Readings Presentations
Peer Evaluation Due

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 Library Research

The following library site provides abundant data search engines that are helpful in writing the case report.
http://www.utdallas.edu/library/reference/business.html

Just searching company website and/or citing free web information is not enough. Take advantage of the
paid search engines in the library homepage. It contains the following search engines. Should you have
further questions, contact liaison librarians in the library (Loreen Phillips, Loreen.Phillips@utdallas.edu) or
visit http://www.utdallas.edu/library/reference/somliaison.html.

• Business and Company Resource Center

• Business Source Premier
• Business & Management Practices
• CCH Internet Tax Research Network (tax service)
• Wall Street Journal (1984-current)
• Academic Universe Lexis Nexis (then under Business)
• Disclosure Data from Academic Universe Click on Business, then Company Financial (for company
financial info)
• Mergent Online (formerly Moody's FIS Online) (company financial information)
• National Trade Data Bank (NTDB)
• EconLit (economics)
• ECONbase
• PAIS (public affairs)
• Business Dateline (index to regional business publications)
• Business Organizations
• Regional Business News (from TexShare)
• EDGAR Financial Reports (company financial information)
• Social Sciences Abstracts
• Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science/Web of Knowledge)
• Essay & General Literature Index
• Web of Science (Web of Knowledge) (citation indexes)
• WorldCat (OCLC)
• General Databases (multidisciplinary)

For psychology in the workplace: Psychology and Human Development Databases

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 Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the
orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student
organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and
activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z
Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and
established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The
University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities
of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to
students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in
interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is
expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and
administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such
conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such
conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the value of
an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is
imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for
enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s
own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion
and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary
proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is
unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details).
This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over
90% effective.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses. These
dates and times are published in that semester’s course catalog. Administration procedures must be followed.
It is the student’s responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot
drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final
grade of “F” in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

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 Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the
university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic
responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the
instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the
respondent”). Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations.
If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent
with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided
by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not
resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of Graduate or
Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision
of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all
involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where
staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the
semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be
resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to
complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the
incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of “F.”

Disability Services
The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to those
of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours
are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and
Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to
eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove classroom
prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind.
Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral
presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments may
have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special services
such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

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It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation.
Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student has a
disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the
professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel to
and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property tax
under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the
absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam
or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the
absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed
exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or
assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a
religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable
time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a
ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or
designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will
abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Instructor.

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 BA 4371 Section 022 – Summer 2006
Peer Evaluation Sheet

Case:

1st case or 2 nd case in the semester?

Group #

Student Name:

Names of You 1 2 3 4 5
Members
(write names
under numbers)

Score
(1-5; in 0.5
increments,
where 5 is the
highest and 1 is
the lowest)
Reasons
(use space below
or back of paper
if necessary)

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 BA 4371 Section 022 – Summer 2006
Student Information Sheet

General Information

Name: ____________________________
Phone #: ____________________________

Email: ____________________________

Hometown/State or Country: _______________

Work experience (use back if necessary):

International experience (study abroad, travel, work, national origin, etc.) – include length of time
and country(ies)

Personal goals:

1. What do you hope to learn from this course?

2. What are your professional and/or academic goals?

3. Would you like to work abroad or in an international context? If so, please elaborate why.

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