INTBUS 1000 - International Business Environment

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2022

This course explores the international business environment in which organisations operate. The course examines the structure and features of the international markets, how organisations engage with these markets, and how they respond to its complexities. Students are introduced to useful theoretical and analytical frameworks that are crucial to understanding the opportunities and risks derived from the political, economic, social, technological and institutional environment of countries. The course also reviews aspects of global institutions, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), which set global rules that profoundly affect business strategy and human welfare. Through this course, students are introduced to fundamental skills and competencies for further development towards an international business profession.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code INTBUS 1000
    Course International Business Environment
    Coordinating Unit Management
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Incompatible INTBUS 2500
    Course Description This course explores the international business environment in which organisations operate. The course examines the structure and features of the international markets, how organisations engage with these markets, and how they respond to its complexities. Students are introduced to useful theoretical and analytical frameworks that are crucial to understanding the opportunities and risks derived from the political, economic, social, technological and institutional environment of countries. The course also reviews aspects of global institutions, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), which set global rules that profoundly affect business strategy and human welfare. Through this course, students are introduced to fundamental skills and competencies for further development towards an international business profession.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Henry Shi

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    LECTURE TIMETABLE
    Week 1: An introduction of international business
    Week 2: Globalisation and its implications for business (Ch 1) (NB: Tutorials commence)
    Week 3: International trade theory (Ch 2)
    Week 4: Regional economic integration (Ch 3) (NB: Team formation complete)
    Week 5: The political and legal environment (Ch 6)
    Week 6: National differences in economic development (Sup) (NB: In class test)
    (Mid-semester break)
    Week 7: The cultural environment (Ch 5)
    Week 8: The technological environment (Sup)
    Week 9: The international flow of funds and exchange rates (Ch 4)
    Week 10: Ethics, skills and competencies for IB professionals (Ch 7) (NB: Team assignment due)
    Week 11: Understanding emerging markets (Sup)
    Week 12: Course review and exam prep (NB: Practice in tutorial)

    TUTORIAL TIMETABLE
    Week 1: No tutorials
    Week 2: Tutorial induction: course requirement and assessments
    Week 3: Globalisation
    Week 4: Unpacking and preparing for the team project
    Week 5: Regional economic integration
    Week 6: Political and legal environment
    (Mid-semester break)
    Week 7: Economic environment
    Week 8: Cultural environment
    Week 9: Team presentations
    Week 10: Team presentations (cont.)
    Week 11: Corruption and ethics in international business
    Week 12: Review and exam prep
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
    1. Understand and apply appropriate frameworks to analyse the international business environment;
    2. Recognise and use relevant analytical tools to address issues of importance to international business practice;
    3. Critically evaluate relevant international business literature;
    4. Determine how the international business environment influences business practice.
    University Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning Resources
    Recommended Resources
    Gaspar, J. E., Arreola-Risa, A., Bierman, L., Hise, R. T., Kolari, J. W., & Smith, L. M. (2015). Introduction to global business: Understanding the international environment and global business functions (2nd ed.). Cengage Learning: Melbourne, VIC. (ISBN 978-1-305-50118-8).

    Note: Purchasing a textbook is not mandatory and is entirely the students’ decision. However, having access to a textbook is believed to be helpful for learning and strongly recommended.

    For those who would like to buy a textbook, use this code (RADELAIDE10) on https://au.cengage.com/c/isbn/9781305501188 will give a 10% discount.

    You have access to numerous resources in the library including scholarly journals and alternative contemporary texts on international business. You are encouraged to read widely and critically with a focus on recent work (less than 5 years old) in periodicals, refereed academic journals and books.

    The Communication Skills Guide and The University of Adelaide Writing Centre are helpful resources for your academic writing and observance of the protocols and conventions of the Harvard referencing style.

    Online Learning
    Online environment is important part of students’ learning in this course. The lecturer in charge will upload PowerPoint lecture slides and any other relevant materials and exercises to MyUni course site on a weekly basis. PowerPoint lecture slides provide a summary of each topic. MyUni will also be used by the lecturer to post important messages. Remember that your student email is the only email that we make broadcast announcements to.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The course will be conducted via a series of lectures and tutorials. Lectures will include an interactive presentation by a lecturer, group discussions and presentations by guest speakers (to be confirmed). Tutorials will focus on highly participative approach and application of problem based learning. Students will have an opportunity to discuss recommended readings and engage in individual and group experiential exercises, such as for example case studies. The course will use e-learning and blended learning, with active use of MyUni to provide diverse content (notes, videos, quizzes and other exercises, and discussion forums). It is essential for students to familiarise themselves with all prescribed materials before each class to maximise their learning outcomes.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The following information is provided as a guide to assist students with engaging appropriately with the course requirements. 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.
    Learning Activities Summary

    No information currently available.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary

    Assessment task

    Task type

    Due

    Weighting

    Learning Objectives

    Mid-term test Individual, summative Week 6 20% 1-4
    Team report Collaborative, formative, summative 17.00, Friday, Week 10 20% 1-4
    Team presentation Collaborative, formative Weeks 9-10 10% 1-4
    Examination Individual, summative TBA 50% 1-4
    Total 100%
    Assessment Related Requirements
    • To gain a pass for this course, a mark of at least 45% must be obtained in the examination as well as an aggregate total for all assessments of at least 50%. Students not achieving the minimum exam mark will be awarded an aggregate course mark of no more than 49%.
    • Students who receive an aggregate course mark between 45% and 49% may be offered a supplementary examination. Your performance in the replacement assessment will determine whether you are awarded a Pass grade for the course with a maximum aggregate course mark of 50%.
    • Attendance at all tutorials is expected and your attendance will be recorded. You are expected to come prepared and contribute to all tutorial activities.
    Assessment Detail
    Assessment 1. In class test (20% - one hour in lecture time)
    You will be tested for your knowledge and understanding of course concepts pertaining to Topics 1-5. Test questions may include multiple choice and short scenario based questions.

    Assessment 2A. Team-based report (20% - 2000 words max)
    Team size: 4-5 students
    The international business environment is an important consideration for businesses intending to expand across borders. In this assessment, the students are required to conduct secondary research and produce an essay on international business environment, and make evidence-based recommendations of the market attractiveness, based on their analysis.
    Word limit: 2000 words excluding executive summary and reference list. Exceeding the word limit will attract a 5% mark penalty and the exceeded part will not be graded.
    Due 17.00, Friday, Week 10, via MyUni
    The question you need to answer is:
    “Is Chile/South Korea/Singapore (choose one country) an attractive market for Australian beef?”

    Students are required to choose one country only and focus on this country as a (potential) market for Australian beef, by using relevant theories/frameworks covered in this course to make sense of the essay tasks. An analytical, rather than heavily descriptive, essay is expected. Use examples and evidence to support your argument. Keep your points clear and make them build towards a conclusion.

    To succeed in this assessment, students should pay particular attention to the following:
    • Logic and flow of argument;
    • Ability to present your findings clearly and succinctly;
    • Application of key relevant theories and concepts;
    • Evidence of external information search;
    • No appendix allowed. Figures, tables, and/or maps, if essential, are restricted to a total of two and must be correctly labelled and include titles.
    • Presentation: word limit, layout, language, referencing (Absence of or significant mistakes in referencing are deemed “fatal flaws” of academic integrity, resulting in the work receiving a ZERO grade).
    • Single spacing with 2.5 cm margins.
    • Time New Roman or Arial size 12.
    • Page numbers on each page.


    Assessment 2B. Team presentation (10%)

    All team members are expected to present. All members will receive an identical team mark up to 5%, and each presenter will receive an individual mark up to 5% based on their presentation performance.

    The presentation will be approximately 15 mins, and you need to create a PowerPoint presentation and condense much of the information contained in your report. The most pertinent aspects to be covered in the presentation are your analysis and recommendation. With that said, these aspects must be framed with the appropriate information. Do not assume that the audience knows the material you decided to exclude. There is an element of creativity and showmanship to presenting, so the decision on how to frame your presentation is ultimately yours.

    On delivering an excellent presentation, students need to specifically address the following issues:
    • Adhere to a business dress code (smart casual is fine)
    • Do not directly read from slides or cards
    • Engage your audience
    • Be creative and (appropriately) entertaining

    For more useful information on how to give a “killer presentation”, see: https://hbr.org/2013/06/how-to-give-a-killer-presentation/

    It is also important to note that there will be approximately 5 mins of questions and answers after your presentation. As a presenter, your entire group will be responsible for fielding these questions in a convincing and confident manner. As an audience member, you are responsible for posing “good” questions that respectfully critique/challenge the presenting team’s position. A good question can be defined as one that is clear, thought-provoking, and specifically related to aspects of the presentation at hand. At the discretion of your tutor, a 1% bonus (to your overall grade in the course) will be issued to any student who asks such a question.

    Assessment 3. Final examination (50%)
    This assessment is aimed at testing your understanding of knowledge in the discipline of international business and capacity for logical, critical, and creative thinking. The examination will be held during the scheduled exam period. The contents of the exam will cover material discussed in the lectures and tutorials and the exact form of the exam will be discussed in the second half of the semester.
    Submission
    You are required to submit a digital version of your assignments through the MyUni assignments portal as a PDF. Direct emails to the course co-ordinator or instructor/ tutor will NEITHER be accepted NOR count as being “in the system”. No hardcopy is required. Please note that assignments will be passed through the “Turnitin” plagiarism checking software.

    Helpful guides for academic writing and observance of the Harvard referencing style conventions and protocols are provided on The University of Adelaide Writing Centre web page (see Writing Centre) and in The Communication Skills Guide (see Communication Skills Guide). A copy of the Communication Skills Guide will have been given to you at the beginning of your program and can assist you structure your assignments. This publication also provides guidelines on a range of other important communication skills including writing essays and making oral presentations, etc.

    In preparing any written piece of assessment for your studies it is important to draw on the relevant ‘literature’ to support critical analysis. Also essential is to reference the literature used. Correct referencing is important because it identifies the source of the ideas and arguments that you present and the source of the actual words you use, helping to avoid the problem of plagiarism. The Harvard system is widely used in Business Schools and use of this style of referencing can be found in the Communication Skills Guide. Further assistance with referencing and writing is available from The University of Adelaide Writing Centre and the Faculty’s Learning Support Advisors (or contact the u/g Hub in the first instance).

    You should consistently and appropriately reference your assignments using the Harvard referencing system. You should try to cite peer-reviewed academic journals and specialist books in the area. Your submission should look like something that you would be proud to present in a professional environment (i.e. presented in a professional manner) and be free of grammatical and spelling errors.

    LATE SUBMISSION
    To maintain a fair and equitable system for all students, you are required to submit your work by the due date. Extensions are generally only given for medical or compassionate reasons. All requests for extensions must be emailed to the tutor before the due date and should be accompanied by documentary evidence from a social service professional (e.g. doctor, counsellor, psychologist) confirming the circumstances that require an extension. The tutor will then assess the application, seek advice from the course coordinator if necessary, and make a decision on whether an extension is granted. You should start early on assignments so that foreseeable pressures like work or assessment for other courses does not delay you completing assignments for this course on time. A late assignment (without prior arrangement) will be penalised by a mark reduction for each day that it is late. Assignments that are submitted late will be penalised at 5% of the potential grade per day.

    RETURN OF ASSIGNMENTS
    Markers aim to mark and return assignments to students within two weeks of the due date with written feedback. Students will be able to access their marked assignments from their MyUni web site.

    GRADE REVIEW / RECONSIDERATION
    Students (or groups) who believe their work should receive a different grade should apply in writing within 48 hours of the publication of the grades. They must write/email directly to their marker, and copy to the course coordinators, an analytical piece, in which they give strong reasons on why they believe they have achieved the requirements. Students who choose to apply for a review or reconsideration must be logical and concise in their appeal, and provide as much detail as possible. Claims like “I believe I have done to the requirements and deserve a better grade” will not be accepted. It is at the marker’s discretion whether the work should be reviewed or reconsidered. If the application is accepted, a different marker will conduct a review/reconsideration independent from the original grade, and the outcome can be a higher grade, no change, or a lower grade, and this new grade will be final.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

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