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2020/2021  BA-BINBO1321U  International Business Environment

English Title
International Business Environment

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory offered as elective
Level Bachelor
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course First Quarter, Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BSc in International Business
Course coordinator
  • Bersant Hobdari - Department of International Economics, Goverment and Business (EGB)
Main academic disciplines
  • Globalisation and international business
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 30-06-2020

Relevant links

Learning objectives
After having followed the course the students should be able to:
  • Explain the differences in national or regional business environments and assess why they exist and how they impact international business operations.
  • Present a thorough review of the economics and politics of the international trade and investment environment.
  • Assess the important role played by multinational economic and social aid organizations such as the UN, EU, IMF and World Bank in facilitating international trade and business
  • Analyze the strategies and structures of international businesses
  • Assess the functions of an international business.
  • Highlight the adjustments needed in the transition from domestic to international business, and the adjustments needed to operate successfully in specific foreign markets
  • Assess business operations and relationships in complex international business environments.
Examination
International Business Environment:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Oral exam
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Duration 20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Preparation time No preparation
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and second internal examiner
Exam period Autumn and Winter
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

Individual 20-minute exam. The exam will test the course’s learning objectives as well as the students’ abilities in organizing, structuring and communicating academic arguments in a coherent way. The exam will take the form of a dialogue between the student and the examiners. At the beginning, the student will have the opportunity to use about 2-3 minutes to introduce some thoughts on a chosen topic. Consequently, the examiners will pose questions covering the entire course syllabus.

Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

 

 

 

Course Content

The aim of the course is to provide an integrated understanding of the complexity of the international business environment and the challenges it poses for firms engaged in cross-border activities. Emphasis is put on highlighting the differences among countries and/or regions in terms of their national/sub-national business environments, and how these differences are linked to the various strategic choices that firms adopt in order to compete internationally. By the end of the course students should have developed their ability to explain, interpret, and synthesize international business practices in a multidisciplinary discourse. Both theory and cases are included in the curriculum, with much of the empirical material will be drawn from recent examples of developments in the field of international business.

 

The main blocks of the curriculum are:

  • Selected cross-country differences with a potential impact on business operations, including historical, institutional, geographical, cultural, and political structure.
  • Global trade, foreign direct investment and global value chains, including the regulatory systems for international trade, investment, and monetary transactions.
  • Strategy and International Business.
Description of the teaching methods
The course is based on 12 3-hour lectures, amounting to a total of 36 lecture hours per student, and 3 3-hour tutorials, amounting to 9 tutorial hours per student. The lectures, which will be delivered remotely, will consist of a mix of short videos prepared by the instructors, PP slide decks, other assigned readings and discussion questions posted on Canvas that will help students to think critically about the topics covered in respective lectures. Further, lecture times will also include activities involving the use of technology and online tools, designed to specifically test the students understanding of individual topics. Tutorials will be devoted to discussion of cases used to highlight and exercise the key concepts and frameworks in the course.
Feedback during the teaching period
The students should actively seek feedback from the lecturers during class time and especially scheduled office hours.
Student workload
Exam, oral exam 20 min 37 hours
Classes 36 hours
Preparation 200 hours
tutorials 9 hours
Expected literature

Hill, Charles W.L. and Hult, C. Thomas M.: International Business; Competing in the Global Marketplace, 12th Edition, 2018. McGraw-Hill. 
 

Additional reading material to be distributed during the course.

 

Last updated on 30-06-2020