BUS613: Advanced International Business

Welcome to BUS613: International Business

Specific information about this graduate-level course and its requirements can be found below. For more general information about taking Saylor Academy courses, including information about Community and Academic Codes of Conduct, please read the Student Handbook.

Course Description

Explore trends influencing the global economy, multinational corporations, governments, and investing by discussing the concepts involved when conducting business across borders and analyzing the opportunities and risks that most global businesses will encounter.

Course Introduction

In this course, we will connect advanced marketing concepts and strategies to the real world of international business. We will focus on the global business environment and the elements that directly relate to making global business decisions. This course addresses all aspects of the international business environment, including strategies for selecting global markets, entering those marketplaces, evaluating cultural, social, and political factors across the globe, conducting international marketing research, and applying global marketing trends. By exploring these concepts, we hope to immerse you in the concerns of people working in business operations in the competitive international marketplace.

This course includes the following units:

• Unit 1: Introduction to International Business and Globalization
• Unit 2: Language and Culture
• Unit 3: International Trade
• Unit 4: The Global Financial System
• Unit 5: International Institutions and the Geopolitics of Emerging Markets
• Unit 6: International Market Entry Strategy
• Unit 7: Social Responsibility and Ethics

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• explain the interconnected global market and the various factors that influence both opportunities and risks;
• interpret trends within the global economy and assess the steps needed in the decision-making process within a company to enter an international market;
• explain the importance of culture and how differences can influence communication and negotiation style within an international business environment;
• justify the role international institutions play in supporting trade among nations;
• assess the opportunities and risks associated with market entry strategies into new markets;
• evaluate to what level global infrastructure and economic development play a key role around the world; and
• explain the social responsibility that international corporations have and the ethical dilemmas that decision-makers may encounter during their global operations

Throughout this course, you will also see learning outcomes in each unit. You can use those learning outcomes to help organize your studies and gauge your progress.

Course Materials

The primary learning materials for this course are readings, lectures, and videos.

All course materials are free to access, and can be found in each unit of the course. Pay close attention to the notes that accompany these course materials, as they will tell you what to focus on in each resource, and will help you to understand how the learning materials fit into the course as a whole. You can also see a list of all the learning materials in this course by clicking on Resources in the navigation bar.

Evaluation and Minimum Passing Score

Only the final exam is considered when awarding you a grade for this course. In order to pass this course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on the final exam. Your score on the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you may take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt. Once you have successfully passed the final exam you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.

There are also end-of-unit assessments in this course. These are designed to help you study, and do not factor into your final course grade. You can take these as many times as you want to, until you understand the concepts and material covered. You can see all of these assessments by clicking on Quizzes in the course's navigation bar.

Provide details about any other learning activities or projects here, as well.

Tips for Success

BUS613: International Business is a self-paced course, which means that you can decide when you will start and when you will complete the course. There is no instructor or set schedule to follow. We estimate that the "average" student will take 20 hours to complete this course. We recommend that you work through the course at a pace that is comfortable for you and allows you to make regular progress. It's a good idea to also schedule your study time in advance and try as best as you can to stick to that schedule.

Learning new material can be challenging, so we've compiled a few study strategies to help you succeed:

• Take notes on the various terms, practices, and theories that you come across. This can help you put each concept into context, and will create a refresher that you can use as you study later on.
• As you work through the materials, take some time to test yourself on what you remember and how well you understand the concepts. Reflecting on what you've learned is important for your long-term memory, and will make you more likely to retain information over time.

Technical Requirements

This course is delivered entirely online. You will be required to have access to a computer or web-capable mobile device and have consistent access to the internet to either view or download the necessary course resources and to attempt any auto-graded course assessments and the final exam.

• To access the full course including assessments and the final exam, you will need to be logged into your Saylor Academy account and enrolled in the course. If you do not already have an account, you may create one for free here. Although you can access some of the course without logging in to your account, you should log in to maximize your course experience. For example, you cannot take assessments or track your progress unless you are logged in.

For additional guidance, check out Saylor Academy's FAQ.

Fees

This course is entirely free to enroll in and to access. Everything linked in the course, including textbooks, videos, webpages, and activities, are all available for no charge. This course also contains a free final exam and course completion certificate.