CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS


COURSES IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Business Strategy

This course focuses on strategy and «managing for success» and emphasizes the need to formulate plans for the enterprise as a whole and managing strategically from an all-systems perspective. Through case analysis, a business planning project, and exercises in contingency response, students will have the opportunity to integrate concepts from previous courses and simulate the tasks general managers perform. A number of major topic areas can be explored, with the objective of: a) assessing the vision, mission, and objectives strategy managers have in an organization; b) strategic analysis and diagnosis of environmental and internal strengths and weaknesses; c) formulating strategic options and presenting evidence for choosing a preferred strategy; and d) presenting a detailed plan for implementation, control and evaluation of a chosen strategy.

Contemporary Issues in Business

This course was created to make provisions for flexibility to address a wide range of possible contemporary issues affecting businesses, managers and analysts. The course draws from cases and issues that reflect the most current thinking on selected issues and cutting-edge research and practice, to make managers aware of trends, challenges and possibilities in business. At present, course issues include opportunities in transitional economies, emerging markets, the impact of new technologies on business, and contemporary approaches to management.

Cross-Cultural Management

Students will explore key concepts in managing business in cross-cultural settings and the various contexts in which business is conducted from a global perspective. In doing so, they will learn fundamentals of culture in relation to international management, such as conflicts in value systems; the influence and effects of language on the construction and understanding of ideas; problems of inter-cultural communication; functions of culture; education and value systems. In the context of the range of economic, social, technological and political environments across the globe, students will apply these concepts to the organization and management of human behaviour in the workplace.

E-Commerce

Students will be introduced to the key elements of electronic commerce and its applications and uses in marketing and the operational dimensions of business, including advertising, financial services, purchasing, the exchange of data between business and institutions, etc. Students will examine specific examples of successful business ventures in e-commerce—ranging from huge e-businesses such as Amazon to small business enterprises that market handicrafts world-wide; study the latest trends and the significance of technological innovations for these trends; appreciate the advantages afforded to businesses that employ e-commerce techniques and strategies; and recognize the value of e-commerce in making the market place—national and international—more transparent and accessible. Students will have the opportunity to design their own e-business enterprise. At the end of the course, students will understand key e-commerce concepts that are important to grasping its complexity, challenges and opportunities.

Emerging Markets

As globalisation continues and there are increasing interconnections among enterprises throughout the rich and poor parts of the world, emerging markets have become an important topic of study as they offer significant opportunities for future growth of capital and capital markets. In this course, students explore the nature of such markets, the challenges of investing and operating in such markets and future opportunities for investors and managers. Cases come from Central and Eastern Europe (especially the new capitalist economies of Europe), Africa, Asia and the Americas. Students use learning from the course to explore avenues for establishing opportunities in local and global markets.

Emerging Trends in Business

This is designed as a course in which a great deal of independent research and group interaction will take place. It addresses explores specific new trends in-depth as a means of exposing students to practical and strategic decision-making processes based on real-life cases. In addition to a common body of reading and a defined sequence of topics, students will be asked to identify a topic of interest or choose from a list of possibilities, to research in depth for review and presentation in a class discussion.

Finance

Under this heading, a selection of courses may be offered and would include a course that introduces students to financial markets, financial institutions, risk, corporate and international business. Other topics include financial statement analysis, operating and financial leverage, valuation models, capital budgeting, cost of capital, and working capital management. More specialized courses in Finance may also be offered separately and may cover some or all of the areas just described and more.

International Business

This course introduces students to the essential elements and the emerging theories of international business through an exploration of the complex interrelations among business, government, and society. It provides an overview of the effects of political, cultural, geographic and other factors on international business and explores the theories and institutions of trade and investment, the world financial environment, corporate policy and strategy, as well as international business management function of marketing, accounting, finance and management of human resources.

Issues in International Marketing

This is another course intended to provide a fairly open-ended approach to the identification and selection of topics, ensuring their relevance or applicability to a specific locale or during a specific period, The course examines the interrelationships and impacts of social, cultural, legal, political, and ethical factors in the marketing of services and products from a global perspective.

Global Marketing

The purpose of this course is to illuminate areas of common interest and concern to international corporations, labour, government, and other affected sectors in global marketing. It offers an opportunity to enrich the student’s knowledge and ability to deal with critical elements of international marketing decisions such as country selection, mode of entry, the development of marketing mix strategy for foreign countries, i.e., product, price, distribution and promotion, etc. In addition, the course will cover both the impacts of globalisation trends and regional economic integration on international marketing. Special attention will be given to the implications, problems and the resulting impacts of the international marketing operations in developing countries, the emergence of international transfer agents in the world community, as well as international marketing and business negotiations

International Law for Global Managers

This course surveys business law as it relates to the European Union, the United States, and the international environment. For the European Union component students will learn the general characteristics of EU law, the legal operating structure, institutions and the legislative process, EU markets as a movement towards a single market, competition within the EU, trade policy, and private remedies. The United States component will provide students with a general overview of the resolution of private and business disputes as related to US Constitutional requirements, business ethics, corporate responsibility and corporate governance, competition and market regulatory systems. Specific topics include an introduction to contracts, agreements, and consideration concepts, negotiable instruments, liability of parties, litigation processes, agency contracts and partnerships, corporations and shareholder rights. A component that offers examples for comparative analysis will provide students with an understanding of the comparative corporate governance of the U.S., German and Japanese models. At all possible points, these studies will take into consideration their applicability and comparative dimensions in relation to Russian business law.

Management of Small and Medium Size Enterprises

With a view to addressing a component of that has been very successful in many economies – Small and Medium Size Enterprises, this course is designed to provide the student with an overview of the concepts and principles of entrepreneurship for SMEs. It employs concepts involved in the major functional areas of business and develops them within the framework of small and medium businesses and provides students with both theoretical and applied dimensions to appreciate such working environments and their role and place in national and global economies.

Project Management

Planning, scheduling, controlling, economic analysis, quality control and customer satisfaction are stressed in this course, which provides intensive coverage of management in a wide range of project applications from concept through operations. The aim of the course is to provide students with a basic understanding of project management principles and practices, increase the student’s ability to function effectively on a project team and as a project manager and improve the student’s ability to communicate effectively using appropriate tools and logical frameworks and both orally and in writing.

Public Sector Management

Students will be introduced to the key differences in the functioning of public sector enterprises and will be exposed to the theory and practice of public sector management as they relate to functions of budget-making, planning, personnel management, ethical dimensions of the managerial role, the inherent value of public service and the types of service functions provided to a variety of public constituencies. It will consider how managers of public organizations manage and have to take into consideration interactions with other agencies, bureaus, and officers in a complex public service setting, including comprehending the sources and importance of power within a bureaucracy.

Services Management

The course is intended to expand the student’s understanding of services as a science and how management relates to services science. Core to the concept is the customer. The design and execution of the service process with customer requirements is essential. As the economy moves from a manufacturing-based to a service economy, services become integral to sustained economic health and growth. Students will learn how to recognize and evaluate a service operation; how to adjust, correct and streamline the service business; and how to effectively integrate the important components of information technology. Students will have the opportunity to design a services project.

Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management is emerging as an important cross-disciplinary field of business. This course will introduce students to the key elements of this exciting new field of management studies. Consideration will be given to such elements as logistics, warehousing management, transportation management, operations and production management, purchasing, inventory control, and management of customer relations, amongst others. Students will learn how supply chain management integrates business processes from originators of products and services to the end-user through management of services, information and adding value for the customer.