| Unit name | International Business |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EFIMM0151 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2D (weeks 19 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Pavlisa |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Management - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
The growing interconnectedness of the global economy poses new challenges and opportunities that businesses and individuals face. Seeking advantage of global opportunities firms engage in cross-border business activities, and professionals involved in these activities are expected to be equipped with knowledge of how international business works and relevant competencies to effectively support these activities. It becomes essential that business graduates demonstrate keen awareness of contemporary challenges for international firms, an internationally transferable skill set and show cultural sensitivity. International Business (IB) unit seeks to enhance students understanding of the contemporary IB issues and challenges posed to managers and organizations operating across national borders.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
In the context of the MSc Management (pathways) programme, the ‘International Business’ unit is one of the key pathway units, specifically devoted to enhancing learners’ in this disciplinary area of management. The unit offers a dedicated space for developing academic and practical knowledge focused on activities and strategies of multinational enterprises (MNEs), interactions between MNEs and other actors, organizations, institutions, and markets, cross border activities of firms as well as enhancing learners’ understanding of how the international environment (cultural, economic, political) affects the activities, strategies and decision-making processes of firms.
An overview of content
The unit offers on overview of issues and theories in international business. Developing theoretical knowledge and working on case studies, students will engage with issues of internationalisation, interactions between MNEs and other actors, organizations, institutions, and markets, cross-cultural management, sustainability in global value chains, as well as the issues at the intersection of technology and international business.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
As future professionals and leaders in the business context, students will benefit from this unit by enriching their professional identity with international business competencies - relevant up-to-date knowledge of firms’ activities across borders, understanding of issues, opportunities, and challenges in the complex international business environment, as well as stronger cross-cultural sensitivity.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the unit a successful student will be able to:
The unit will be highly interactive and both inquiry-based and problem-based. It will encourage learners to explore the theoretical and practical aspects in depth. The team-work element of this unit and collaborative settings of seminars provide students with the opportunity to learn from their peers. The unit will foster development of learners’ analytical and transferable skills. Group tasks and role plays will contribute to interactive nature of the unit. Guest speaker sessions integrated into the unit will help learners to establish closer linkages between academic knowledge obtained during the course and the sets of applied, real-world problems and issues within industry contexts. The unit accounts for 45 contact hours. By the end of the unit, students are expected to have strengthened their skills to critically evaluate issues and challenges facing organisations operating across national borders.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Students will receive feedback on a formative group presentation as well as feedback on discussions and debates in the context of interactive seminar settings.
As part of the formative (not-graded) assessment – group presentation – teams of students will develop a theory-led and practice-informed basis for their summative assessment and receive feedback from the teaching team. Preparation to formative assessment and group assignment are part of structured learning, enhanced by peer-to-peer learning in collaborative environments, will help students to refine their understanding of the key relevant frameworks and prepare them for the summative (graded) assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
1. Group written assignment (2,500 word report) – 30% (summative) (ILOs 1-4).
The group assignment will allow students to demonstrate in-depth analytical skills as they collectively review and make reflective propositions about corporate strategies. Working in teams of 5-7 members, students will be able to develop and demonstrate critical understanding of a focused set of management and functional activities in view of the existing theories and scholarship. The objectives and details of the assignment will be available in the assessment brief.
2. Individual assignment (3,000 word essay) – 70% (summative) (ILOs 1-4).
Working individually, students will choose an essay topic from the topics specified in the Assessment Brief. Students are expected to develop a theory-led critical analysis of a multinational firm’s activities.
When assessment does not go to plan
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, failed components will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis.
If the student fails in an individual task, they are expected to resubmit a 3,000 word individual assignment, in line with the Reassessment Brief (70%) [ILOs 1-4]
If students fail in the group written assignment, they are expected to submit a 5-minute recorded audio presentation and 1,000 word report that focuses on the improvements to the original submission (30%) [ILOs 1-4]
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EFIMM0151).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
