Introduction
This specialization prepares students for working in an international business environment. The course addresses critical macro level factors in the environment and meso level factors in the organization that are fundamental for a manager to be competent in international business. This course will give students knowledge of the institutional, organizational and interpersonal factors and challenges that are critical to successful international business.
International Business is about firms engaging in cross-border economic activities or doing business abroad. International Business is an integrative perspective that draws on several functional areas of management including Strategy, Marketing, Leadership and Human Resource Management.
The course begins with an overview of the global business environment and introduces the international organization and key decisions managers have to face when going international. Strategy and structure of the international business organization will be examined. The international trade and investment environment for these organizations is explored and the global monetary system introduced.
The environmental and organizational context will provide the backdrop for an in-depth analysis of culture and management. Special focus will be placed on the concepts of global leadership and international human resource management. In the final section of the course, students will have the opportunity to develop their skills sets based on their knowledge of culture and management to be effective negotiators. The course is built on a research-based foundation, and uses practical cases where either a marketing or an economic perspective can be used to solve the cases (drawing on the students' different backgrounds).