COURSE PLAN(M)

FACULTY OF BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY & ACCOUNTING
From : December 2015
January 2016
Course Title

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Course Code
Credits

:
:

BAGB2023
3 credits

Contact Hours Per Week

Delivery Methods

2 hours

Tutorial and online facilitation

Pre-requisite

Nil

Course Leader

AINON JAUHARIAH ABU SAMAH

Tutor/s

Main Campus Azhari Abdul Rahman

Faculty/ School

Faculty of Business Technology & Accounting

Course Location
Venue

Main Campus and Study Centres

Day

As per schedule provided by the respective regional

centres

Time

Course Leaders
Consultation Hours

Monday: 9.30 11.30am

Tuesday: 2.30 4.30pm
OR by appointment

Telephone

03-7627 7437

E-mail

ainonj@unitar.my

This document comprises the following:

Introduction of the modules
Learning objective & learning outcome
Course requirement and policies
Module Rules & Regulations
Course Assessment
Calendar Schedule
Other documents as follow will be issued to you on an ongoing basis throughout the
semester via UNIEC:
Powerpoint slides
Handout for Assignment
Topic Review Questions
INTRODUCTION:
Globalization has made the world very small. Businesses regardless of their size now find
themselves having to compete internationally. A groceries shop in your town for example,
may never expand its business to China or Indonesia but it certainly will be affected if
TESCO opens its hypermarket in your town. In fact some of the items they sell are imported,
making them part of the beneficiaries of international trade. This course explains the
implications of globalization to businesses. It also outlines the factors which businesses need
to consider if they want to spread their wings into a new country like the political economy
of the nation, the cultural differences and the currency value. The course also provides
students basic knowledge on international business strategies and management including
foreign direct investment, human resource and financial management
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1

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COURSE PLAN(M)
FACULTY OF BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY & ACCOUNTING
From : October 2015
December 2015
The objective of the course is to assist learners to:
1) analyze the attractiveness of countries to multinational companies.
2) formulate international business strategy.
3) formulate market entry strategy.
4) apply international trade theories and concepts.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the course, the learners should be able to:
1) analyze the attractiveness of countries as markets for products , services and
investment based on their politics, economics & cultural aspects.
2) develop an overall international business strategy.
3) formulate individual market entry strategy.
4) create marketing, HR and financial plans to support the strategies formulated.
COURSE STRUCTURE:
Contact hours
No. of weeks
Tutorials/Online Facilitation
No. of assignment & Topic
Reviews/activity
No. of exam
No. of Forums

:
:
:
:

14
7 weeks
20 hours
1 assignment; a maximum of 3 topic reviews

: 1 (final exam)
: 2

GENERAL COURSE POLICY

Learner are required to abide by the universitys Academic Regulation pertaining to all
matters during their course of study.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Class attendance is compulsory. Students who are absent from class are required to provide
valid reason with valid supporting documents to account for the absence 1. Students are
advised to adhere to the academic regulation on class attendance or risk being barred from
sitting for the final exam. Being a part time/distance learning/working student is not an
excuse for missing class. Your transcript and scroll will not be distinctive from those of full
time students hence what is compulsory to them is obligatory to you as well. Based on the
course leaders previous experience students who miss classes are likely to get worse
grades compared to those who do not play truant. Students are expected to know and to
practice good manners (adab) in the classroom. Please dress decently when coming to class.
The lecturer/tutor has the right not to allow those who dress inappropriately to enter the
classroom. Please observe the class hour. Late comers will miss some of the lessons and also
disturb the facilitators and other students concentration.

1 Valid supporting documents refer to death certificate, medical leave or hospitalization certificate and police report

Page |2
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COURSE PLAN(M)
FACULTY OF BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY & ACCOUNTING
From : October 2015
December 2015
COURSE ASSESMENT:
Assessments Description
Assignment
Topic Reviews
Forum
Final Exam
TOTAL

Issue Date

Due Date

W1
W5
-Throughout the semester-Throughout the semesterW8

%
10%
30%
10%
50%
100%

You are expected to fulfill the following requirements of the course to obtain a grade:
FORUM PARTICIPATION: 10%
Since the number of class hours allocated for distance learning students is less than the
hours for conventional students, your active participation in online forums is expected.
Please visit your UNIEC Virtual and constructively respond to the forum topics provided
there. DO NOT answer the forums by handing over your hardcopy answers to your tutors.
The grading for the forums will be done by your tutors but the course leader reserve the
right to moderate your marks. If you are given marks for forum but the course leader does
not see your responses in UNIEC forum, the marks will automatically be removed from your
course marks when they are made available in your respective system (VOISS/CMS) by your
tutor.
For tutors, please do the following:
1) respond to students answers and comments in the online forum as well. We do not get
the opportunity to discuss face-to-face hence, let us make full use of the forums to
interact.
2) Do not give a full mark simply because the student has answered the forum. Please do
read the answer and give marks based on the quality of the answer.
3) Key in the marks for forum in the ATT column of CMS/VOISS marks system. This is to
ease the process of double checking forum marks with the postings in UNIEC Virtual.
Rubric for grading online forum
10.0 - Student makes a significant, positive contribution to the discussion by introducing
creative/original insights that demonstrate serious and deep reflection expressed in a clear
manner.
9.0 - Student makes a positive contribution to the discussion with some creative/original
insights that demonstrate reflection expressed in a clear manner.
8.0 - Student makes a positive contribution to the discussion with little creative/original
insight but shows that the student reflected on the material being discussed and is
expressed in a reasonably clear manner.
7.0 - Student makes a positive contribution to the discussion with little evidence of
creative/original thought but shows some reflection on the material being discussed yet
expressed in a less than clear manner.
5.0 - Student makes a positive contribution to the discussion with little evidence of
creative/original thought with limited signs of reflection on the material being discussed and
expressed in a less than clear manner.
1.0- Student contribution is not considered helpful to the forum discussion.
Negative Marks Student submits a copy and paste answer (either from other students or
from other sources AND/OR the answer is posted after the forum deadline.

Page |3
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COURSE PLAN(M)
FACULTY OF BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY & ACCOUNTING
From : October 2015
December 2015
Instruction is provided in UNIEC virtual.
ASSIGNMENT: 10%
The assignment is meant to expose you to recent developments in the international market.
You are expected to work in pairs to write a brief report on the Trans-Pacific Partnership
Agreement. Once your assignment has been graded by your tutors please remind your tutor
to send the graded assignment (together with the comments on your work) to the course
leader for moderation and record keeping purpose.
TOPIC REVIEWS: 30%
To enhance students understanding of topics covered in the course, review questions will be
given in selected classes. Unlike discussion questions which do not carry any marks, review
questions carry 20% of the grade for the course. Questions for the reviews sometimes may
require students to find certain information from newspapers or the internet. Hence students
are highly encouraged to bring their smart phones or laptop with internet connection to
class. Since answers must be submitted during the class hour, those who are absent from
class will lose marks for reviews. There is no make-up for the reviews. Those who have
valid reasons for being absent from class on the day in which the questions are given are
required to contact the facilitator within 2 days of the exercise date. Upon reception of the
reason and its supporting document the facilitator will exclude the review marks from the
students total topic review marks.
FINAL EXAMINATION: 50%
The 3-hour final examination is comprehensive i.e. covering all chapters in the course. The
format will be a combination of short answer and essay questions or a mini case OR a
combination of multiple choice questions and either short answer or mini case or both.
Students are strongly recommended to try out past semester examination questions which
are available in the virtual library to familiarize them with the syllabus and exam format.
Please note that the past semesters exam format may not be the same as your own exams
format. A testplan will be given prior to the final exam to guide students in preparing for the
final exam. The testplan will detail out the exam format, number of questions from every
chapter and the level of difficulty of the questions. For those who have the habit of finding
short-cuts, redirect your time and energy in asking for tips to studying.
GENERAL GRADING
RANGE
MARK
90 100
80 89
75 79
70 74
65 69
60 64
55 59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35 - 39
0 - 34

GRADE
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
E
F

QUALITY POINT
EQUIVALENT
4.00
4.00
3.75
3.50
3.00
2.75
2.50
2.25
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.00

LEVEL OF
ACHIEVEMENT
Distinction
Distinction
Distinction
Merit
Merit
Merit
Satisfactory
Satisfactory
Pass
Redeemable Pass
Fail
Fail

COURSE CONTENTS/ SLT (MODULAR)

Content outline of the course/module and the SLT per topic:

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COURSE PLAN(M)
FACULTY OF BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY & ACCOUNTING

Topic 1

International Business : Overview

Topic 2

Topic 3

Topic 4

20

Overview of Trade Theory

Instruments of Trade Policy
Mercantilism
The Revised Case of Free Trade
Absolute Advantage
Comparative Advantage
Heckscher-Ohlin Theory
The Leontief Paradox
The Product-Life-Cycle Theory
New Trade Theory
National competitive Advantage: Porters Diamond

Page |5
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Total (Hours)

Assignment

Exam

Library Search
1

Definition of Culture
Social Structure
Religious & Ethical Systems
Language
Education
Culture & the Workplace
Cultural Change

International Trade Theory and Government Influence on Trade

Political Systems
Economic Systems
Legal Systems

Differences in Culture

Definition and forms of Globalization

Emergence of Global Institutions
Drivers of Globalization
The Changing Demographics of the Global Economy

National Differences in Political Economy

Self-study

Course Content

Forum

Tutorial/Seminar

From : October 2015

December 2015

COURSE PLAN(M)
FACULTY OF BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY & ACCOUNTING
From : October 2015
December 2015
Topic 5

Foreign Direct Investment

Topic 6

Topic 7

Topic 8

Strategy & the Firm

Global Expansion: Profitability & Profit Growth
Cost & Local Responsiveness Pressure
Choices of Strategy

Entry Strategy & Strategic Alliance

Functions of the FOREX Market

Economic Theories & Exchange Rate Determination
Fixed Versus Floating Exchange Rates
Global Money Management
Investment Decisions
Financing Decisions
Counter trade

Strategy of International Business

FDI in the World Economy

Greenfield Venture Versus Acquisition
Horizontal FDI
Vertical FDI
Political Ideology & FDI Benefits & Costs of FDI to Home Country
Benefits & Costs of FDI to Host Country
Government Policy
Instruments & FDI

Foreign Exchange, Financial Management in the International

Business & Counter-trade

Basic Entry Decisions

Entry Modes
Promises & Pitfalls of Exporting
Improving Export Performance
Export-Import Financing
Export Assistance
Selecting Entry Modes
Strategic Alliance

Page |6
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COURSE PLAN(M)
FACULTY OF BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY & ACCOUNTING
From : October 2015
December 2015
Topic 9

Organization of International Business & Global Human Resources

Management

Topic 10

62

15

Organizational Architecture
Organizational Structure
Control Systems & Incentives
Organizational Culture
Strategy & Architecture
Strategic Role of International HRM
Staffing Policy
Training & Management Development
Performance Appraisal
Compensation

Global Marketing and R&D

Globalization of Markets & Brands

Market Segmentation
Product Attribute
Distribution Strategy
Communication Strategy
Pricing Strategy
Marketing Mix
TOTAL HOURS 14

20

MAIN REFERENCE
Bruce R. Barringer and Duane Ireland (2015) Entrepreneurship: Successfully Launching New
Ventures, 5th Edition, Prentice Hall.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCE
Spinelli S., Adams R. & Timmons J. (2011) New Venture Creation: Entrepreneurship for the
21st Century, 9th Edition, McGraw Hill.

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120

COURSE PLAN(M)
FACULTY OF BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY & ACCOUNTING
From : October 2015
December 2015
COURSE CONTENTS (MODULAR)
TOPICS

MEETING
NO.

Overview of international
business

FACE
TO
FACE

ONLINE
FACILITITATIO
N

HANDOUT/
DEADLINES/
ASSESSMENTS/
INDUSTRY TALK/
REMARKS

Forum 1 posted
in UNIEC

Forum 1 deadline:
12/12/15

Forum 2 posted
in UNIEC

Forum 2 deadline:
24/12/15

National Differences in Political

Economy
Differences in Culture
International Trade Theories and
Government Influence on Trade
Foreign Direct Investment

Foreign Exchange, Financial

Management in the International
Business & Counter-trade
Strategy of International
Business
Entry Strategy & Strategic
Alliance

Organization of International
Business & Global Human
Resources Management

Assignment
deadline: 9/1/16

Global Marketing and R&D

Final Examination

Week 8

Prepared by:
Signature

Verified by (Deputy Dean)

:

Date:

Review by (HOD):
Signature

Signature

:
Date:

Approved by (Dean):
Date:

Signature

Date:

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COURSE PLAN(M)
FACULTY OF BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY & ACCOUNTING
From : October 2015
December 2015

Page |9
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