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Unit outline_

IBUS3101: International Business Alliances

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

The formation and implementation of successful global business strategies involves alliances with a range of stakeholders including international customers and suppliers, overseas agents, international franchisors and franchisees, international joint venture partners, and international merger relationships. The aim of this unit of study is to provide conceptual frameworks and evidence from practice that will develop an understanding of the motivations underlying international alliances, the alternative approaches to alliance formulation and development, and the problems involved in promoting effective alliance management. Major topics include the motivations for international business alliances, analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of different types of alliances, factors influencing the choice of alliance arrangements, alliance structure issues, partners selection and relationship management, the reasons why alliances succeed or fail, and the management of alliance processes.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit International Business
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
Completion of at least 36 credit points of 1000-level units
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Sangeeta Ray, sangeeta.ray@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Final exam (Take-home short release) Type D final exam Final Exam
Take-home exam (Type D) involving extended answers submitted to Turnitin
35% Formal exam period 3 hours (including reading time)
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO4
Small continuous assessment Participation quizzes
Q&A, Online interactive activity & Quiz
15% Ongoing Ongoing
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO4 LO2
In-semester test (Open book) Type C in-semester exam Mid-semester Test
Online MCQ and/or short answer text-based typed responses
20% Week 08
Due date: 24 Oct 2020 at 14:00
1 hour
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO4
Presentation group assignment Alliance presentation
Oral presentation
10% Week 11 10 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Assignment group assignment Alliance assignment
Analytical Report (written)
20% Week 12 2500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
group assignment = group assignment ?
Type C in-semester exam = Type C in-semester exam ?
Type D final exam = Type D final exam ?

Assessment summary

  • Tutorial participation: Students are expected to contribute to in-class discussions on zoom and complete online interactive in-class activity/ quiz related to lecture topics all through the semester.
  • Mid-semester Test: This online open book quiz conducted during scheduled class time will assess students’ understanding of key issues in alliance strategy and their ability to apply key concepts/ theories covered in the unit to propose appropriate solutions. Questions will typically involve scenarios and alliance strategy related issues faced by partner firms.
  • Alliance assignment: Students in groups are expected to analyse a real-world alliance between two firms from different countries and submit a written report. Groups are required to draw on disciplinary knowledge and critical thinking skills to evaluate the alliance, focusing on its key alliance strategy elements and implications for alliance performance.
  • Alliance Presentation: Students in groups are expected to research and present an alliance proposal or a real-world alliance between two firms from different countries. Groups are required to draw on disciplinary knowledge to focus on the strategic significance of the alliance, its design and implications for value creation by partnering firms. 
  • Final Exam: This Take-home exam (Type D) involving extended (essay-type) answers, that must be submitted to Turnitin, will be conducted during the scheduled formal exam period. The exam will assess students’ ability to critically analyse and apply their in-depth knowledge of core content to evaluate alliances and propose justified solutions to alliance strategy related issues faced by partner firms.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school. 

Distinction

75 - 84

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Credit

65 - 74

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Pass

50 - 64

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school. 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction to Alliances and Unit Overview Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 02 Alliance Strategy: Theoretical perspectives Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 03 Rationale for Alliances & Partner Selection Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Week 04 Alliance Design – Part 1 Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Week 05 Alliance Design – Part 2 Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Week 06 Alliance Management – Part 1 Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Week 07 Alliance Management – Part 2 Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Week 08 Mid-Semester Test & Workshop for Group Assignments Workshop (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 09 Alliance Evaluation (Performance) Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Week 10 Alliance Capability Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Week 11 Alliance Presentations (groups) Presentation (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 12 Course Review & Feedback Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture recordings: All lectures and seminars are recorded and will be available on Canvas for student use. Please note the Business School does not own the system and cannot guarantee that the system will operate or that every class will be recorded.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Tjemkes, Vos and Burgers, (2012). Strategic Alliance Management (SAM). Routledge.

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. analyse the strategic issues faced by alliance partners, using the different theories covered in the unit and to develop well justified solutions to these issues
  • LO2. develop a contextual understanding of the institutional and market environment, and evaluate the resources and capabilities of the organisation in order to propose an alliance strategy
  • LO3. research the different or similar industries of the alliance partners to gain an understanding of the markets, and investigate the strategic objectives of the alliance partners in order to propose a real world alliance between the two firms from different countries
  • LO4. analyse real world alliances to understand their strategic significance and impact on value creation by parent firms.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Course content and assessments adjusted to align with online delivery of the unit.

More information can be found on Canvas.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.