INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS (INB)

This course explores marketing across national boundaries and within foreign countries, as well as the coordination of marketing in multiple international markets. It examines plans, strategies, and tactics that are developed to cope with the problems and opportunities presented in the international arena. Specific topics will include cultural differences, marketing intelligence, foreign market entry, product policy, distribution, advertising/promotion, pricing, planning, and controlling the international marketing organization. The student will be exposed to the unique challenges and the decision-making processes that are integral to marketing on a global basis. An appreciation will be developed for the ever-changing environmental factors and risks (economic, cultural, and political/legal) that impact the international marketing field. The course will include readings, lectures, discussions, cases, reports, and presentations.

This course provides an in-depth examination of the managerial issues confronting managers as they plan, organize, staff, and control global/transnational operations. The basic premise is that management in a global environment differs in many ways from management of a firm doing business within national boundaries. Specific topics include the cultural context of international business, planning, implementation, personnel selection, labor relations, communication, motivation, control, and ethics/social responsibility. The course includes readings, lectures, cases, experiential exercises, and discussions.

This course is an introduction to the major theories and concepts of intercultural communication as they apply to business organizations. It emphasizes a process approach to the study of written, oral and non-verbal communication between persons of different cultures as they communicate with each other, work together on teams, and conduct business negotiations.