This course focuses predominantly on the skill development of critical analysis.

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to …

(1) Apply their understanding of corporate governance and corporate social responsibility issues and variation across firms and countries in the global business environment.
(2) Apply their critical and analytical thinking skills to problems and dilemmas in corporate responsibility and governance.
(3) Develop well-reasoned arguments about current debates and dilemmas in international corporate governance and corporate social responsibility, such as with ethical dilemmas, corporate governance practices, how corporations deal with sustainability and poverty, stakeholder vs shareholder interest debates, among others.
(4) Develop applied research skills to deal with practical problems in global corporate governance and social responsibility, specifically, problem framing, literature research, data collection, analysis and interpretation, formulation of managerial recommendations.
(5) Understand the interaction between corporate goverance, sustainable profits and the international trade architecture.
(6) Develop problem-solving skills by addressing relevant managerial problems in international corporate governance and corporate responsibility issues through team-work and intercultural collaboration.

No prescribed textbook

Online learning resources include: course material (slides, access to case-studies, video clips and films), standardized online quizzes and interactive material

This course involves students working on critical analysis and applying practial solutions or strategies to corporate governance and corporate social responsibility challenges.  Sessions will usually start with powerpoint presentations which provide informaton about concepts, issues or challenges facing corporations and then lead into interactive debate using case-studies, quizzes, debates, simulations and group work.  We will also deepen our understanding through the critical analysis of related research-based scholarly articles. Emphasis will be placed on the application of your readings (textbook and articles) and critical reflections of your applied research activities during classes.

The University expects full-time students (i.e., those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This means that you are expected to commit approximately 9 hours for a three-unit course of private study outside of your regular classes.

Students in this course are expected to attend all sessions.

Please see our University policy for details: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/669/

Session Date / Topics 

The following is a guide only, as the timing, order and specific content of topics can vary from year to year.  Readings and film clips/DVDs to watch will be announced in class in module one and throughout the course.  Pre-course reading for module one is available on the MyUni course website for INTBUS 7501.


Module One:

Session 1A

• Introductions and course overview
• What sort of governance challenges do global corporations face? 
• Globalisation and current implications for multinatinal companies
• Taxonomy of perspectives on global corporate governance and corporate behaviour
• What exactly is corporate governance and its role in dealing with contemporary ethical challenges?
• Shareholder and stakeholder theory and analysis
• Introduction to corporate social responsibility (CSR)and its relationship with corporate governance

Session 1B 

• The origins of CSR and implications for corporate governance
• CSR impact on stock exchanges and investment funds
• Case-study exercise
• Corporate law and corporate governance
• The political economy of corporate goverance: task assignment
• Introduction to and work on research assignments and formation of business teams

Module Two:

Session 2A

• Revision of module one and research assignment update
• Is it better for governments to increase hard law or is soft law regulation more effective?
• Use of voluntary codes and financial regulation - guest speaker from ANZ Bank
• International trade law and agreements: implications for corporate goverance
• International investment agreements: implications for corporate goverance
• Comparative analysis of corporate governance across political and economic systems
  • Liberal market economies
  • Emerging economies
  • Developing economies
  • State controlled capitalism
  • Other - eg. family based 

Session 2B:

• International trade agreeements and the WTO
• The relationship between trade and global companies 
• Corporate governance and ethics
• Leadership and transparency
• The role of the Board of Directors
• How business ethics contribute to corporate governance discipline
• Ethical dilemna for employees, managers and boards
• Case-study exercise
• Wrap up, research assignments and preparation for module 3

Module 3:

Session 3A:

• Corporate responsibilty and governance in dealing with poverty and conflict situations
• Case-study from global corporate CEO from Scope Global Ltd - "Governance, Profit and Poverty"
• Corporate responsibilty and governance in dealing with gender and social inclusion
• Corporate governance in dealing with environmental sustainability issues
• Comparative analysis of industry corporate goverance structures and CSR performance
• Student presentations

Session 3B:

• Future role of global corporations and strategies in dealing with major contemporary ethical issues
• Case-study exercise and simulated role plays in dealing with governance and ethical dilemnas
• The role of the CEO in governance and corporate responsibility - Mining CEO
• Final discussion and course summary
• Exam preparation
• Evaluations

Assumed Knowledge:
INTBUS 7500 – Fundamentals of International Business
ACCTING 7025 – Accounting Essentials for Decision-Makers
COMMERCE 7039 – Business Research Methods
ECON 7200 - Economic Principles

Assessment Task	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Applied research project	35%
Quizzes	10%
Participation (in-class discussion)	5%
In-class Exercises	10%
Final exam	40%

TOTAL 100%

Course results may be subject to moderation.

APPLIED RESEARCH PROJECT

An integral part of this course is the applied research project. The goal of this project is to work with a busines partner in

developing a comparative analysis of two global corporations in the same industry in relation to their corporate goverance structure and

performance as a resonsible corporation, with recommendations on how each firm could improve on its current performance.  Details of

the project will be given during module one.  The research project aims to enhance and apply your problem solving, analytical and

research skills, while applying conceptual and contemporary isses raised in the course.  Your team will be required to present findings in

a power-point presentation toward the end of the course.


SHORT INDIVIDUAL TESTS (QUIZZES)

Over the duration of the course, there will be administered short individual quiz tests so you can check your

understanding of some key concepts or issues discussed in the assigned readings. 

The aim of this assessment is to help you verify whether or not you have adequately prepared for your class,

whether or not you are up-to-date with your readings and whether or not you have a correct understanding of the

concepts covered by the course.


PARTICIPATION

Your participation in class is essential to the course as we will construct knowledge through student-centered inclass

discussions. Basically, your participation will be assessed using three levels: (i) (almost) never participates;

(ii) participates occasionally; (iii) makes significant contributions to the development of knowledge. Significant

contributions are characterized by critical, analytical thinking and well-argued thoughts. Participation scores will add up to 5% of your

overall course grade.


CASE-STUDY EXERCISES


There will be 3-4 case-studies for students to analyse requiring answers or solutions and will   add up to 1O% of your overall course

grade.  The case-studies are intended to consolidate course content with practical and applied situations confronting contemporary

global corporations.

FINAL EXAM

Details of the final exam and the type of questions and critical analysis required will be fully discussed in the final module of the course.

In short, it will test student ability to  apply and critically analyse information from the overall course by way of answering 3-4 essay

style questions dealing with corporate goverance and corporate social responsbility issues.

The final exam is closed book, because research in education has shown that open book exams do not increase

student performance neither do they increase retention of course content1.

Students undertaking this course should be aware it is a language intensive course that requires competent skills

in English comprehension and interpretation, synthesis and extrapolation of the concepts and material presented.

Rote learning material will NOT be sufficient to demonstrate an understanding of the material in this course in

assessment. Instead, you are expected to have acquired critical thinking, analytical thinking and problem-solving

skills.

Legible handwriting and the quality of English expression are considered to be integral parts of the assessment

process. Marks may be deducted in the final examination because of poor hand-writing.

The final exam counts 40% of the overall course grade.

Assignments will be submitted through MyUni.
Students should retain a copy of all assignments submitted.