Module BUSI4M410: International Business in Context (Taught)

Department: Business School (Business)

BUSI4M410: International Business in Context (Taught)

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To visit leading international companies at a specified location, and to understand and evaluate the complex nature of different dimensions of their business in one overseas country.
• To compare and contrast international environmental influences on specific organisational business decisions (e.g. culture, strategy, finance, operations, Human Resource Management, marketing, innovation and entrepreneurship, and Corporate Social Responsibility).
• To research and produce a detailed case study analysis of leading international organisations, based on desk research prior to the tour and primary research conducted during the tour.
• To provide an insight into international business in context.

Content

• Module content is divided into three major parts: the pre-tour preparation of a formative research report on challenges facing international organisations; a tour to a specified location; and the post-tour completion of the group summative assignment plus an individual reflective assignment.
• Pre-Tour preparation: There will be 3 preparatory webinars for the students prior to the tour. In groups of 3-4, students will research their international business dimensions (eg culture, Human Resource Management, finance, innovation and entrepreneurship, and Corporate Social Responsibility) which will be applied to (an) organisational case study(ies), discussing international business theoretical frameworks. They will produce a 1,500-word group formative assignment based on the international business challenges faced by organisations within the case study(ies), drawing on desk-research (e.g. printed case studies, as well as journals and newspapers) one month before the tour, on which they will received feedback prior to the visit. A week before the tour, they will submit a business idea which will form the basis for a proposed business plan, outlining the challenges that may be faced by a start-up in the international business context.
• The Tour: The tour will involve visits to participating organisations, spread across five days. The tour will be supported by a series of reflective workshops throughout the duration of the tour.
• The post-tour assignment: following the tour, the group will submit a shared summative assignment comprising a multimedia presentation on their business plan (5 minutes) supported by a 500-word commentary. Each student will also submit a further individual assignment (2,000 words) detailing their own reflections on the experience, on what they personally learned on the tour, and how they will make use of this experience and knowledge (i.e. ‘reflective practitioner’ activity). There will be an online de-briefing session for all students.

Learning Outcomes

• Upon successful completion of the module, the students should have a critical understanding of:
• How businesses operate in an overseas context.
• Environmental forces that shape companies' decisions in international markets.
• Effects of strategic decisions on the company performance.
• The growing requirement for integration of innovation and entrepreneurship; and CSR and Ethical principles and practices in the international context.
• The similarities and differences among leading international companies in aspects of their organisation.
• How these similarities and differences manifest themselves, how they originated, and their impact on performance.
• Applied analysis of theory and frameworks in a real organisation.
• The benefits and limitations of primary research, especially in the production of detailed business plans and business analysis.

• Upon successful completion of the module, the students should have:
• The ability to put organisational theory into practice.
• Developed effective group work skills, including collaborative effort in the research, drafting, refinement, and presentation of an assignment, as well as interpersonal sensitivity, perhaps across national cultural boundaries.
• Developed skills in desk research and primary research associated with the production of business plans and analysis of business case studies/simulations.
• The ability to appreciate the concept of a ‘reflective practitioner’ and to reflect critically on organisations, as a way of learning and developing.

• Effective written communication skills
• Planning, organising and time-management skills
• Problem solving and analysis
• Interpretation of data
• Computer literacy
• Team working
• Interpersonal skills

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The summative assignments are designed to test the students’ theoretical understanding of specific international business challenges and opportunities - which may include: culture, strategy, finance, operations, Human Resource Management, marketing, innovation and entrepreneurship, and CSR, and their ability to apply this to organisations. They also test their capacity for ‘reflective practitioner’ insights.
• The group project will comprise a short multimedia presentation and commentary, and the individual assignment will be a 2000-word reflective learning journal based around the company visits and accompanying strategic analysis exercise.
• There will be three online webinars (seminars), which will prepare the students for the visit, get them to reflect on case study methodology in the preparation of their formative assignment, and a final webinar to examine the formative feedback.
• On the tour itself, the participating organisations – having been briefed and having agreed on the overall theme of their visit – will submit to questioning and other forms of primary research. The groups will prepare questions, and assess the evidence for the organisation’s responses to those questions.
• The post-tour webinar will be an opportunity to reflect on learning and de-brief on the visit.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

1500 word group assignment. Feedback will be provided on contributions to the preparation webinars and the business analysis.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University