Outline

Overview

This unit analyses how multinational firms leverage their capabilities and competencies to create competitive advantages in international and global markets. Topics include assessing foreign market attractiveness; understanding the impact of differences in legal, cultural, political and economic regimes; evaluating international political and economic risk; building and operating global networks, including entry mode choice; understanding how managers design organisational architecture and implement internal control and incentive mechanisms; and assessing the challenges of global citizenship, ethical behaviour and social responsibility for international business. Problem-based learning, with case study workshops, is an integral part of the unit.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	International Business
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	IBUS5003
Prohibitions ?	ECHS6008
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Stefan Volk, stefan.volk@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam	Final exam Written exam with MCQ	50%	Formal exam period	1.5 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	News flash presentation Oral presentation	10%	Multiple weeks	20 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Case analysis Written report	20%	Week 05 Due date: 10 Apr 2020 at 16:00 Closing date: 24 Apr 2020	2000-3000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	News flash report Report	20%	Week 11 Due date: 22 May 2020 at 16:00 Closing date: 05 Jun 2020	2000-3000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Final exam: The final exam will test your understanding of and ability to apply key concepts from the unit. This is a closed-book exam and will cover all material from assigned readings, lectures, and tutorials. You are required to answer several multiple-choice questions and provide a one-sentence explanation of why the chosen answer is correct. Only if both, your choice and explanation, are correct you will receive points for a question. You will receive no points in any of the following cases: you tick the wrong box, you tick no box, you provide an incorrect explanation, you provide no explanation.
News flash report: In groups of 4-5 students, you will choose a recent (within that last 6 months) event/news in the business world that demonstrates the practical relevance of one concept discussed in the lectures or assigned readings. It is recommended to look for business stories in top business publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, The Economist, Fortune, and Forbes. Major newspapers can also be used. Teams are then required to prepare a written report and present a summary of their report in class.
News flash presentation: In groups of 4-5 students, you will choose a recent (within that last 6 months) event/news in the business world that demonstrates the practical relevance of one concept discussed in the lectures or assigned readings. The presentations for the will be held in weeks 7 and 8. You are required to submit the presentation slides via Turnitin on Canvas by Tuesday, 21 April 2020, 1pm.
Case analysis: In the case analysis task, you have to do research on the consequences of the Coronavirus Epidemic for the business operations of multinational enterprises. Your task is to obtain as much information as possible about how the epidemic has affected multinational enterprises from various online and print sources and prepare a written analysis of your findings.

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.

Learning support

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	10/11 March: Introduction and unit overview	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	17/18 March: Strategy, political economy, and country differences	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	24/25 March: Strategic positioning and value creation	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	31 March/01 April: Cooperation, competition, and collusion	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	07/08 April: International business strategies	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Team project preparation	Independent study (3 hr)
Week 07	21/22 April: Organisational structures to support international business strategies	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	28/29 April: Organisational processes to support international business strategies	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	05/06 May: International business strategy and ethics	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	12/13 May: Market entry strategies	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	19/20 May: Global joint venture exercise	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	26/27 May: Corporate culture and strategy	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	02/03 June: Unit review	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

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. Students should ensure they attend and participate in all classes.

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

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

Learning outcomes

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.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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

LO1. evaluate and explain concepts, frameworks, and theories in the domain of international business strategy
LO2. apply the different business concepts, frameworks, and theories in the domain of international business strategy critically
LO3. identify, collect, classify, evaluate, and utilise useful information to prepare an international business news flash report
LO4. explain and analyse key problems of multinational corporations, and conclude with convincing solutions within real-world constraints
LO5. develop skills to work with people from diverse national backgrounds with inclusiveness, open-mindedness and integrity.

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
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

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

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered.

Additional information

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.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

IBUS6001: International Business Strategy

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect