Subject name |
International Business and Marketing |
| Study |
Master in Business Administration |
| ECTS |
3 |
| Four-month Period |
First module |
| Type of subject | Compulsory |
Presentation
The administration of international business – as well as its effects – is inextricably integrated into modern human life. During times of economic crisis and the reduction of internal demand for goods and services, the possibility of carrying out cross-border operations emerges as a genuine opportunity.
However, to keep these opportunities from becoming frustrations, it is essential that those interested in starting, consolidating, or diversifying their international business activities understand a variety of elements such as, for example, the norms of international trade, the most important organizational structures in use today, the corporate communication styles and corporate culture of different countries, and even the subtleties of cultural perceptions of time and non-verbal communication.
Equally relevant are the elements that should be present in business meetings, from preliminary agreements, to tactics at the negotiating table, and on to interactions after negotiations. As this course will demonstrate, the strategies of international negotiation should vary by country.
Finally, the course touches on the relevant topic of the so-called “dark side” of international business: economic concentration, global externalities, global risks, market imperialism, migration, global oppression, discrimination, and conflict. First, the course will identify the main risks that exist for international businesses and then will proceed to the deconstruction of conventional examples to their basic elements.
Competences
General Competences
- GC1. To control and to integrate the techniques, instruments and methods of management needed in the development of the professional activity.
- GC2. To delve into the business management and into the different administration areas.
- GC4. That the students can communicate their conclusions, present their projects, results, plans, the knowledge and the reasons that support them before a specialized or an ordinary public in a clear and in an ambiguity free manner.
- GC5. That the students are able to integrate their knowledge in the different working areas of the business with information, usually incomplete or limited, in the business environment in order to manage the decision making and troubleshooting processes through complex and multidisciplinary situations.
Specífic Competences
- SC8. To understand the target of the marketing in corporations and the consumers behaviour and being able to formulate Integral Marketing Plans.
- SC12. To understand the functional organization of the business. Areas interrelation. To identify and to understand the factors and dimensions that belongs to the functional part of the business, and the features of its administration system.
- SC15. Knowing to quantify the impact of the decisions taken according to the four marketing-mix variables about different business variables as income, profit and loss account, market share, channel, business positioning and product to value the alternatives in marketing-mix management and strategy.
- SC16. To know some of the tools used in the market / product planning.
- SC17. To be able to make a sectorial market research.
- SC18. To be able to search and structure the information from different sources, to interpret the results obtained and to elaborate commercial reports and marketing plans.
- SC19. To understand and knowing how to use the new digital marketing or e-Marketing techniques and the new access channels to the consumer in the Network society.
- SC24. To learn and to understand the necessary elements to understand an strategy for the business internationalization.
- SC25. To know how to use the e-commerce tools in the international market and to understand the relationship and the impact of the goods and services international distribution.
Transversal Competences
- TC1. Interpret, with the necessary means, relevant information, trustful and structured for the decision making and troubleshooting.
- TC3 . Being able to use TIC’s Technologies in management and decision-making.
- TC5. To know and to understand the necessary elements in the definition of an internationalization strategy of a company.
- TC6. To communicate efficiently, in a structured and organised manner, the most relevant aspects of a project.
- TC7. To provide the student with the necessary knowledge and skills to interact in an international environment.
- TC8. To ease the process of transition to the business professional career.
- TC9. To provide the students with learning skills that will allow them to continue their studies in an autonomous manner.
Program
Unit 1. International Businesses: participants, legal overview, and opportunities for indiviual entrepreneurs and small businesses
Introduction
Overview of international business
Participants, structure, and legal overview of international trade
International legal regimes and conditions of access to select country/countries
Modes of internationalization
International opportunities for individual entrepreneurs and small businesses
The necessary capabilities for conducting international operations
International marketing channels for small businesses
Bibliographical references
Master class
Unit 2. International Businesses: the global corporation
Introduction
Trends in global trade
Overview of global production, outsourcing, and logistics
International business and legal entities
Multinational corporations (MNCs)
International partnerships, strategic alliances, and joint ventures
Applicable legal norms for international business
The importance of free trade agreements, the World Trade Organization, and other relevant international organizations
Bibliographical references
Master class
Unit 3. Business meetings: corporate culture and cross-cultural communication
Introduction
The risks of failing to appreciate local culture when running a global business
Cross-cultural communication and managing international employees and contractors
The perception of time across cultures
International negotiations and the influence of culture in decision-making
The importance of preliminary agreements before business meetings
Communication in business meetings: language and non-verbal cues
Corporate culture: communication and contact after negotiations and the celebration of agreements (with a focus on East Asian customs)
Bibliographical references
Master class
Unit 4. Strategies of international negotiation for selected countries
Introduction
Brazil
China
Japan
Germany
The United States
The United Kingdom
Bibliographical references
Master class
Unit 5. Globalization and the impact of international business on developing countries
Introduction
The extent and limits of globalization
Global externalities and global risks
Why –and how–governments encourage foreign investment
The private sector, FDI, and economic development
Social activism and corporate engagement with civil society
Competition and collaboration with local firms
Technology transfer
Bibliographical references
Master class
Unit 6. International Business: the dark side
Introduction
Economic concentration
Corruption
Labor exploitation and the negative impact of globalization
Business implications of economic inequality
Discrimination
Preparing for political risk
Ethical issues confronting the international business community
Bibliographical references
Master class
Methodology
The different tasks and activities programmed during the semester have been developed with the goal of adapting the learning process to the different capabilities, necessities and interests of the students.
The activities included in the subject are:
- Practical cases: will provide the student with actual business situations that will need to analyse and, after that, make decisions, evaluate the consequences and alternatives. They will allow acquiring intellectual skills to face sudden situations or to plan action programs adapted to a changing environment where there is no math logic.
- Participation in events. During the course you will be participating in different events. Some of those events are attendance to online classes, forums, self-evaluation tests.
In the weekly program you can find the specific tasks you need to complete in this subject.
These activities are combined with the following aspects:
- Personal Study
- Tutoring. The tutoring class can be implemented through different tools and means. During the course of the subject, the teacher-tutor plans the individual tutoring on specific days for the resolution of academic-oriented doubts through “Consultation sessions”. Supplementing these sessions, students have also available the “Ask your teacher” forum through which they can formulate questions and check the corresponding answers on general aspects of the subject. Due to the very nature of the media used, there are no fixed schedules for the students.
- Mandatory on-site final exam
The hours dedicated to each activity are detailed as follows:
Assignments |
Hours |
| Assistance to virtual classes | 4,5 |
| Basic material study | 9,0 |
| Additional resources readings | 9,0 |
| Task and practice cases | 18,0 |
| Self-evaluation test | 18,0 |
| Individual and group tutoring | 18,0 |
| Collaborative work, forums, debates, etc. | 13,5 |
| Master's Dissertation work development | - |
| Final evaluation | - |
Total |
90 |
Bibliography
Basic bibliography
The necessary texts for the study of this subject have been elaborated by UNIR and are available in a digital format to consult, download or print inthe virtual classroom.
Additional bibliography
Anson, B. (2013). How to Negotiate with a Brazilian. The Brazil Business.
Büthe, T. & Milner, H. (2008). The Politics of Foreign Direct Investment into Developing Countries: Increasing FDI through International Trade Agreements? American Journal of Political Science, 52 (4).
Chang, L. (2009). A Study of Brazil Business Negotiation Strategy. The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning, 5 (1).
Coy, P., Campbell, M. & Kennedy, S. (2014). From Davos, a View on the State of Globalization. Businessweek.
Fukuyama, F. (1999). The End of History. The National Interest.
Gervais, R. (2011). The Difference Between American and British Humour. Time.
Ghemawat, P. (2009). Why the World Isn’t Flat. Foreign Policy.
Görg, H. & Greenaway, D. (2003). Much Ado About Nothing? Do Domestic Firms Really Benefit from Foreign Direct Investment? Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
Graham, J., & Lam, M. (2003). The Chinese Negotiation. Harvard Business Review.
Hirst, P. & Thompson, G. (2003). The Limits to Economic Globalization. In The Global Transformations Reader. Polity Publishers, 2nd Edition.
Jain, A. (2011). Nation-States and the Multinational Corporation: A Political Economy of Foreign Direct Investment. Enterprise & Society.
Kavalchuk, A. (2012). Cross-Cultural Management: How to Do Business with Germans -A Guide. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.
Lebow, E. (2007). Cross-Cultural Reflections on Negotiating with Japanese Businessmen. Haynes Boone, LLP.
Liang, F. (2008). Does Foreign Direct Investment Improve the Productivity of Domestic Firms? Haas School of Business.
Maddison, A. (1987). Growth and Slowdown in Advanced Capitalist Economies: Techniques of Quantitative Assessment. Journal of Economic Literature.
Mäkinen, J. & Kourula, A. (2014). Globalization, National Politics and Corporate Social Responsibility. In Limits to Globalization: National Borders Still Matter. Copenhagen Business School Press.
McDonald, J. (2001). An American's View of the U.S. Negotiating Style. American Diplomacy Publishers.
Monroe-Sheridan, R. (2014). Five Major Myths about Negotiating with Japanese. Tokyo Nexus.
Niedel, B. (2010). Negotiations, Chinese Style. China Business Review.
Oliviero, M. & Simmons, A. (2002). Who’s Minding the Store? Global Civil Society and Corporate Responsibility. Global Civil Society.
Ötker-Robe, I. (2014). Global Risks and Collective Action Failures: What Can the International Community Do? Monetary and Capital Markets Department of the International Monetary Fund.
Pegg, S. (2007). What are you laughing at? The Guardian.
Te Velde, W. (2001). Policies Towards Foreign Direct Investment in Developing Countries: Emerging Best-Practices and Outstanding Issues. Overseas Development Institute.
USIP (2002). Special Report: U.S. Negotiating Behavior. United States Institute of Peace.
Wahab, S., Rose, R. & Osman, S. (2012). Exploring the Technology Transfer Mechanisms by the Multinational Corporations: A Literature Review. Asian Social Science. Canadian Center of Science and Education.
WEF (2015). Global Risks. World Economic Forum.
Zhang, D., & Kuroda, K. (1989). Beware of Japanese Negotiation Style: How to Negotiate with Japanese Companies. Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business.
Zimmerman, J., Sofka, W. & Hervas, F. (2013). Attracting Foreign Direct Investment without Weakening Domestic Firms. European Commission.
Evaluation and Assessment
The evaluation system is based on the following numerical chart:
0 - 4.9 |
Suspenso (D) |
(SS) |
5.0 - 6.9 |
Aprobado (C) |
(AP) |
7.0 - 8.9 |
Notable (B) |
(NT) |
9.0 - 10 |
Sobresaliente (A) |
(SB) |
The grade is made up of two components:
On-site final exam (60%). At the end of the semester, you need to assist a mandatory on-site final exam. You need to pass the final exam so the grade obtained from the assignments (continuous assessment) is summed up to the final grade of the subject.
Continuous assessment (40%): this type of assessment will be measured through the different assignments you need to complete during the course:
- Active participation and involvement in forums, online classes.
- Tasks. The completion of the different activities the students need to send through our virtual classroom such as research, critical thinking, practice cases.
- Self-evaluation tests. At the end of each unit, students will find a short quiz which will help the students to check the knowledge acquired during the course.
Remember that you can check the points (value) of each assignment in the weekly program.
Assessment method |
Min. Score |
Max. Score |
Participation in forums, classes, etc. |
0% |
10% |
Task, practice cases and activities |
0% |
20% |
Additional readings |
0% |
10% |
On-site final exam |
0% |
60% |
That if you decide to only take the final exam, you will need to have 5 points out of 6 to pass the subject. .
Professor
Trinidad Cortés Puya, PhD
Education
She holds an Executive-MBA from IESE, a Masters in Cultural Management and Doctorate in Geography from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid. She also has graduated from the International Faculty Program from IESE 2014. Since 2002, she has been involved in Marketing Higher Education.
Professional Experience
She has taught in a variety of institutions (Escola Superior de Educação de Coimbra- Portugal; Karlshochschule International University - Germany; UNIBE- Dominican Republic; Anahuac Puebla- Mexico; Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad de Castilla- La Mancha, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in Spain). In addition, she has also researched under an international scope (Universidad de Guadalajara - Mexico, Universidad Anahuac DF - Mexico, Universidad Complutense, Universidad Nebrija - Spain).
She currently serves as a Lecturer for Marketing and International Business at UNIR. She also is an active consultant in strategy linked to tourism development. Her research interests are connected to Marketing and Social Media for Hospitality.
Lines of Research
Her research activity is focused on Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship, especially in the international area.
Tips
Studying online means you can organize your study as you wish, as long as you meet the due dates of the different assignments (activities, tasks and tests). In order to help you, we propose the following steps:
- From our online platform you will have access to each of the subjects you are enrolled. Apart from this, you can access to the virtual classroom of the master. In this section, you have available all the documents on how to use the different tools included in the virtual classroom, how a subject is organized and you will also have the possibility to organize your study plan with the tutor.
- Do not forget to check the weekly program. You will see which part of the content of the course you have to work on every week.
- After knowing your work for the week, go to Units in your virtual classroom. There, you will have access to the study material (theory and practice) from the unit you need to study throughout the week.
- Start by reading thethe Basic Knowledge of the unit, this section is the basic study material of the unit. Always read the first part of the same, Introduction, as we will show you here all the material you need to study. Visit, as well, the Resources section, you will find here the complementary readings, videos, experiences, etc.
- Devote some time when doing the Practical Cases and Test. In the subject Program we will detail which are the corresponding activities for each week and the max. grade you can achieve in each one.
- We strongly recommend to take part in the events of the course (On-site virtual classes, debate forums, etc.). To know the exact date for each one of these events you must visit the communication media on the Virtual Classroom. Your teacher and your tutor will inform of the subjects news.
Remember that in the virtual classroom of the master you can check how the different tools of the virtual classroom work: email, forum, online classes, sending the tasks, etc.
Please, take into account the following tips…
|