International Business and Global Responsibility Course Descriptor

Course Overview

This course explores how businesses operate in the global arena and the challenges they face to be successful.

The emphasis of this course is on the cultural, economic, strategic, and political aspects of national business environments and their impact on international business operations. Topics include free trade agreements, national trade policies, foreign market analysis, and international strategic management. Students are exposed to a variety of key international business concepts, ranging from strategic planning and marketing in the global arena, Students will be introduced to the strategies and tools commonly used by international businesses to successfully run their companies and will discuss how these have been applied in practice with reference to current and where relevant, historical examples.   

The concepts and topics are taught within the context of International global responsibility- Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG). Consequently students will be challenged to consider the multiple and sometimes conflicting parameters when analysing or recommending business decisions. Case studies and examples will be drawn from a range of business situations: small and large privately owned businesses, multinational corporations and state owned from around the world. This will enable students to understand and evaluate how the different business and management theories and tools can be  applied to differing situations. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Employability Skills

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, discussion boards) to orientate and engage students in their studies.

The scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course are:

Lectures and/or seminars

40 scheduled hours – typically including induction, consolidation or revision, and assessment activity hours.

• Version 1:all sessions in the same sized group

OR

• Version 2: most of the sessions in larger groups; some of the sessions in smaller groups

Faculty hold regular ‘office hours’, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups. 

Students are to attend and participate in all the scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and independent study.

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessment are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within interactive teaching sessions, office hours, and/or the VLE.

Summative Assessments

The assessments will require students to explore the moral and ethical issues of operating internationally and make recommendations that have been informed by ethical and cultural debates

Further information about the assessments can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments, through email or the VLE) or oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours).

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is for a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

• Hill, C. W. L. (2022). Global Business Today. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

Indicative Topics

Note: Comprehensive and current topics for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative topics provided below is used as a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

• National cultures, political systems, and/or legal systems
• Economic and social development
• Globalisation, trade, and investment
• Economic,Social and Corporate Governance