Outline

Overview

Collaboration to achieve competitive advantage is one of the most commonly recommended cross border strategies. However, international alliances can take many different forms, and they can serve many different purposes. Managing international alliances raises a series of different issues for the alliance partners to manage. This unit examines the issues raised and considers the reasons for success and failure of international alliances. It looks at the forms that partnerships can take, it examines the methods for choosing among potential partners, it examines the potential forms of collaboration and the level of resources each may require. Managing the partnership for maximum advantage, avoiding possible risks, and deciding how and when to end the partnership, all are further issues that managers must consider. The unit considers these questions in the framework of general theoretical approaches, and pays particular attention to discussion of individual cases.

Unit details and rules

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

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Nimer Uraidi, nimer.uraidi@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Tutorial quiz	Quizzes Multiple-choice questions	20%	Multiple weeks	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	In-class participation Participation in the Zoom tutorial discussion, and discussion forum thread	15%	Ongoing	Ongoing
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Alliance analysis case Written report	20%	Week 12 Due date: 29 May 2020 at 17:00 Closing date: 12 Jun 2020	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Alliance presentation Oral presentation	10%	Week 13 Due date: 05 Jun 2020 at 14:00 Closing date: 19 Jun 2020	13 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Individual assignment Propose an alliance	35%	Week 13 Due date: 05 Jun 2020 at 23:59 Closing date: 19 Jun 2020	10 pages
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Alliance analysis case: In groups, students will be required to conduct research investigating an alliance case of their choosing. They will need to present an analysis that infers the alliance strategy and motivation of the alliance between the partners, the management structure of the alliance, and performance measures. Then, they will need to provide recommendations on the future of the alliance.
Alliance presentation: Students will be requested to deliver the findings of the group alliance report.
Individual assignment: In this task, you will provide a comprehensive proposal for a real-world alliance of your own choice. For-profit as well as not-for-profit private or public alliances can be chosen. You may also choose to propose a possible alliance between two firms that you find to have complementary resources and thus could benefit from collaboration. You will identify and focus on a specific alliance management issue, or a group of issues, and develop consistent, coherent and feasible arguments for how and why this collaboration will increase organisational effectiveness. Please nominate your alliance partners (subject to approval by course coordinator) by week 7. Full proposals are due in week 12.
In-class participation: Students are expected to read the assigned material, participate actively in online forum discussions and issues raised in Zoom tutorial class. At the end of each lecture, students will self-assess their contribution to the class discussions (which will be one of the inputs to their grades in this assessment item). Students will be engaged in preparing and discussing particular cases. This assessment is worth 15%.
Quizzes: Students are required to answer 20 multiple-choice questions.

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	1. Introduction to the unit and case study method; 2. Theoretical perspectives in alliance research	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Theoretical Underpinning	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 03	Motives: Sources of Synergy	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 04	Structure: Partnership vs. Acquisition, & Equity vs. Contractual Partnerships	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 05	Good Friday: No lecture	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 06	Partner selection and motives (I)	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 07	Partner selection (II) and negotiation	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 08	Alliance governance: trust, contracts, and institutions (I)	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 09	Alliance governance: trust, contracts, and institutions (II)	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 10	Alliance performance evaluation	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 11	Alliance termination	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 12	Alliance learning	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 13	Semester recap	Lecture (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.

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

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 interpret information to identify relevant issues faced by alliance partners
LO2. apply unit content to propose well-justified solutions to typical strategic issues faced by alliance partners
LO3. apply unit content to formulate an alliance strategy
LO4. apply unit content to propose a real-world alliance between two firms from different countries.

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.

Only minor changes have occurred: the individual project is now broken to its two constituting parts: participation and real-world alliance (to draw attention and simplify).

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

IBUS6004: International Business Alliances

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal evening] - 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