Contact Information:
 

Course Description:
 

    Foundation course for understanding the world economy and the international economic forces that affect every activity in the private or public sector toour economy. It provides a comprehensive introduction to internationalmonetary systems, worldwide patterns of trade and investment, international money and capital markets, balance of payments issues, and an overview offinancial, managerial, marketing, and strategic planning problems confronted by multinational finance. The determinants of trade and foreign investment are discussed and international institutions that regulate trade and capital flowsare surveyed.

Texts:
 

Required Text:  Hill, Charles W.L., International Business, Irwin.  Click here to order the text.

Supplementary Text:  John D. Daniels and Lee H. Radebaugh: International Business:  Environments and Operations, Addison-Wesley, 8th Edition, 1998.
Click here to order the supplementary text.
 

Course Objective:
 

    The course is designed to provide a foundation for  understanding the world economy and the international economic forces that affect every activity in the private or public sector of a nation's economy.  It provides a comprehensive introduction to international monetary systems, worldwide patterns of trade and investment, international money and capital markets, balance of payments issues, and an overview of financial, managerial, marketing, and strategic planning problems confronted by multinational firms.  The determinants of trade and foreign investment are discussed and international institutions that regulate trade and capital flows are surveyed.  Students should aim at attaining a familiarity with major features of the world economy, multinational corporations, current international economic issues, and the ways in which governments and businesses deal with these issues.

    Please see the following website for the specific course objectives:  http://www.reocities.com/irvineclarke/5503objectives.html.

Course Format:
 

    To achieve the objectives of the course, lecture/discussion sessions on the assigned reading materials and student paper/case presentations will be employed. Students are expected to arrive well prepared to discuss the meeting's assigned topic. In particular, students must have completed the meeting's required readings, prepared the selected cases or questions and should be fully prepared to discuss these issues in-class.

Grading and Performance Evaluation:
 
 

    The following scale will be used.  A grade of zero will be assigned for any assignments not turned in on schedule or for missing an exam.
 
 

     Incomplete grades will only be given if extraordinary circumstances (beyond the student's control) occur that preclude students from completing the course. Incompletes will not be given to students who have failed to complete assignments because of their own propensity to procrastinate.

    A group paper (approximately 15 pages double spaced) will be expected. The paper topic must be approved but it can cover any area that relates to the course objectives. Students majoring in international business are encouraged to consider their thesis topic and tie this work to that area.  Practicing managers are encouraged to select a work related topic that can help you gain recognition at work.  The paper topic should be selected, and discussed with me before submitting the paper proposal.  This one-page paper proposal must be submitted by each group on class #6.

Collaboration:  Students are permitted, in fact encouraged, to collaborate on homework, cases, and for class preparation.  This can often crystallize important information.  However, no collaboration is allowed during written in-class exams.  Therefore, no communication of any type (talking, passing of notes ...), or other assistance between students will be allowed during exams. Violations will result in a grade of zero for the exam (and an F in the course) and students will be referred to the Dean of Students for further appropriate action.

The Course Outline and Assignments:  For each lecture, notes can be obtained by "clicking" the topic links below in the middle column.

NOTE: The above schedule and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.  My International Business Resource page can be accessed at the following website:  http://www.reocities.com/irvineclarke/ib.html.