International Business

The increasing globalization of Business makes it imperative to achieve a thorough understanding of the complexities and subtitles of international business activities. Many businesses, that in the past were traditionally considered to be 'local' in nature, are now impacted to varying degrees by issues such competition from low cost foreign sources, multi-cultural marketing requirements, and web-based commerce that crosses traditional market boundaries. As a result today's business leaders must be capable of exploring new opportunity frontiers while dealing with challenges from far away places.

This course introduces the student to the field of international management. We begin by analyzing the international business environment that connects the phenomenon of globalization with the national and cultural differences that characterize the countries in this economy. Next we will analyze, from the point of view of a medium - large global organization, how to first define a strategy to enter foreign markets, select a global company structure, define a global marketing and human resource planning and controlling global business activities. We will delve into some strategic and functional issues that characterize the management of organizations in the global marketplace.

This course is intended to provide the student with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of international business and the key factors that must be considered in the development of a well conceived, global business plan, from the perspective of a medium - large organization that compete in a global market.