Reference no: EM13136863

This course is designed to consolidate students' existing knowledge in the areas of international management and to introduce them to the complexities of decision-making regarding issues relevant to global interrelationships. Specific attention is paid to recognition and appreciation of the community context in which international management takes place. 

Knowledge 
The course is designed to enable students to gain the following knowledge, 
• Identify the environment and context in which the international manager operates. Major trends and issues challenging the manager; contextual variables, such as politics, economics and technology, and the role of culture in the manager's environment and communication process. 
• Examine the planning function in the global arena incorporating strategic planning and negotiation and decision making. 
• Determine the major tasks involved in organising for international operations. That is designing the organisation, staffing and dealing with other IHRM functions and issues, such as the role of women in international business; and international labour relations. 

Skills 
The course is designed to enable students to gain the following skills, 
• Describe cultural-based and comparative perceptive on the leading function including motivation, leading and managing workforce diversity at both foreign environments and domestic levels. 
• Appreciate the function of controlling by examining the design of effective control systems for overseas subsidiaries as well as the management of economic, human and environmental interdependence through social responsibility and ethical behaviour. 

Values 
• Appreciate the complexity of international management; 
• Appreciate the characteristics and values which exist in other cultures; 
• Develop a sense of interconnection with other cultures; 
• Understand the interconnection of disciplines within business; 
• Develop an attitude to learning which views pre-reading, reflection and group learning as essential to learning. 

3 CONTENT: 
Topics and sub-topics may include: 
• Assessing the environment of international management 
• The political economic and legal environment 
• Managing interdependencies; Social responsibility and ethics 
• The Challenge of international management planning 
• The role of culture in international management 
• The cross cultural communication environment 
• Negotiating and decision making 
• Strategic formulation for international markets 
• Cross-cultural alliances and strategy implementations 
• Organisational structure and co-ordinating systems 
• Staffing and training for global operations 
• Expatriation and labour relations in global HRM 
• Managing international teams and workforce diversity 

4 LEARNING TASKS AND ASSESSMENT: 

Summary 
It is emphasised that this course requires a significant commitment outside of formal class contact. The learning tasks in this course may include classes (lectures, tutorials or seminars), required reading, the preparation of answers to set questions, exercises and problems, and self-study. In addition, students may be required to complete an assignment, test or examination. 

The table below is an example of the suggested time allocations for this course. 

Classes 3 hours per topic for 12 topics 36 hours 
Reading 2 hours per topic for 12 topics 24 hours 
Preparation of set questions, exercises and problems 4 hours per topic for 12 topics 48 hours 
Preparation of assignment 22 hours 
Study and revision for test and end of semester examination 20 hours 
TOTAL 150 hours 

Attendance and Participation 
It is in students' interest to make every effort to attend all the classes for this course and to complete all preparatory and assessment tasks. It is our experience that those students who do not attend class or carry out the associated activities are more likely to do poorly or to fail the course completely. 

Learning Task Assessment Weighting Week Due 
1. Assignment 1 
Individual News Article Analysis Written Essay Style Report 20% Week 5 
2. Assignment 2 
Research and Prepare an Analytical Research Report Individual Written Research Report 30% Week 9 
3. Final Examination Examination - 3hr Closed Book based on a Pre-sighted Case Study 50% Official Examination Period 

Note on Assessment 

At the University a PASS is usually achieved at 50%. For courses listed below, a mark of at least 40% in the examination must additionally be achieved. 

BUACC1506, BUACC1507, BUACC1521, BUEBU1501, BUECO1507, BUECO1508, BUENT1531, BUHRM1501, BULAW1502, BULAW1503, BUMGT1501, BUMKT1501, BUMKT1503, BUTSM1501, BUTSM1502, BUACC5901, BUACC5930, BUACC5937, BUECO5903, BUHRM5912, BULAW5911, BULAW5914, BULAW5915, BUMGT5921, BUMKT5901, BUMKT5922. 

Students are strongly advised to attempt ALL assessment tasks. Students who do not submit a task(s) or fail a task(s) in the semester will be identified as a 'student at risk' of unsatisfactory academic progress (outlined in the Faculty Handbooks) and will be directed to the Faculty's Intervention Program. Students who encounter difficulties or who are otherwise concerned regarding their progress should consult their lecturer. 

Assessment criteria set out the details by which performance in each task will be judged. This information will give a clear and explicit understanding of the expected standards to be achieved relative to the marks awarded. 

Assessment Details and Criteria 

LEARNING TASK 1: 

DUE DATE Week 5 - 24 April, 2014 by 5pm 
WEIGHT 20% 
LENGTH 1,500 words 
TOPIC INDIVIDUAL NEWS ARTICLE ANALYSIS 

Students are expect to find a "current news article" of approximately 500 words related to current national/international issues that might include topics such as internationalisation/globalisation, political/economic challenges/changes, social/demographic/ethical issues. The article must be sufficient in length and scope to allow a detailed analysis. Your choice of article and the topics to be covered MUST be approved by your lecturer. 
You are to write an "article analysis" that seeks to summarize, analyse, comment on and critique your selected article. Article analyses consider all angles of an article and ultimately determine the true nature and worth of the arguments outlined. Writing an article analysis is similar to writing other kinds of essays; the main difference is that the reviewer must use critical thinking skills to analyse an external article. 
There is no "one right way" for undertaking an article analysis but you must be able to state your own opinion on the topic/material and the author's comments and presented evidence. Depending on the article you choose, you may discuss the broader issues brought out in the article and/or your own opinion on the topic you have chosen. 

The criteria for the assessment task are: 
• Demonstrated full understanding of the article 
• Linking the topics in the article to the conceptual and analytical models in the literature covered so far in class 
• Substantive and well written argument to support any recommendations/conclusions 

Criteria Guidelines Marks available 
1. Demonstrate a detail understanding of the analysis, its content, topic and themes Students need to give a detailed summary of the key issues covered within the chosen article 20% 
2. Linking the topics to the article to the conceptual and analytical models in the literature covered so far in class 
In this section students should use the conceptual and analytical models as covered in class to date, to analyse the key topics covered in the article 40% 
3. Demonstrate the ability to provide individual ideas/opinions/commentary from a scholarly perspective. Students should be able to demonstrate their ability to provide individual opinion and/or discussion from a personal perspective of the topic you have analysed 30% 
4. Recommendations Based on your analysis above, make one or two recommendations that apply to the article/topic that you have chosen 10% 
(A detailed Marking Guide will be available in Appendix 1) 

LEARNING TASK 2: 

DUE DATE WEEK 9 (23 MAY 2014 BY 5PM) 
WEIGHT 30% 
LENGTH 3,000 words 
TOPIC International Project; Report (Individual) 

This is an individual assignment. 
This will involve undertaking a major assignment on a topic selected from the topics below. A word limit of 3,000 (excluding appendices) is set. You are required to choose a specific topic, and then research the academic and practitioner-based literature on that topic. You should illustrate the literature/theory with contemporary examples. 
It is recommended that in week 4 you submit to a plan/outline to your lecturer on how you will approach the topic with a specific research question. 
Research topics (select ONE only): 
• Globalisation has affected Newly Industrialised Countries (NIC's) more than other regional groups. Discuss the impacts, costs and benefits of the political, economic and social aspects of globalisation on at least two of these countries. You should seek to provide specific regional/country examples to support your answer 
- or - 

• Many Multinational Corporations (MNC's) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO's) face significant ethical and social responsibility dilemmas. Discuss the variety of strategies and business practices that MNC's and NGO's may utilise in order to maximise success in the newly global environment. You should seek to provide specific MNC and NGO examples to support your answer