NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY

School of Advanced Educational Programs

Course Syllabus: INTERNATIONAL BUSINES POLICY

COURSE AND TITLE: CBA300 International Business Policy

CLASSES MEET: June 24—July 12, 2024, Mon—Fri
CLASS TIME: 9AM-12PM, or 1PM-4PM
CONTACT TIME: 15 classes over 3 weeks (45 contact hours)
CREDIT HOURS: 3 semester credit hours
ROOM: A2-1002 (Morning Class)
A2-1002 (Afternoon Class)
PROFESSOR: Bonnie Persons, Tel: +1.916.425.9051 (USA phone contact),
EMAIL CONTACT: [email protected]
TEACHING ASSISTANT: Tran Thanh Nga, [email protected] (Morning class)
TEACHING ASSISTANT: Tran Hoang Kien, (email) (Afternoon class)

MANDATORY MATERIALS & ACCESS

Course Textbook: Global Business Today, 12th Edition, Charles Hill, International
Edition

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course examines the flow and investment of FDI (foreign direct investment) in international venues
as a business strategy to create or gain market share in the host country and to create or gain an advantage
in the world market. Students will study conditions that promote or restrain transnational migration of
services and products, governmental and cultural catalysts and inhibitors of commerce, monetary policy
and the international monetary system, trade barriers and barriers to entry, economic integration (e.g., the
European Union, ASEAN), operations in an international environment, and strategies and strategic
alliances to help ensure success.

Mission of the National Economics University Vietnam

Being the national key university, the leading university in training economics, management and business
administration in Vietnam, NEU’s mission is to provide society with qualified education, research,
consultancy and technology-transfer-services attaining regional and international level, and to
contribute to national industrialization-urbanization in the context of global economic integration.

Class Honor Pledge

I understand that as a student in this class, and as a future member of the international business
community, I am a member of our academic and social community. I recognize the importance of my
education and the value of experiencing life in such an integrated community. I believe that the value of
my education is critically dependent upon the academic integrity of the university community, and so in
order to maintain our academic integrity, I pledge to:

Complete all assignments and examinations by the guidelines given to me by my instructor; Avoid
plagiarism and any other form of misrepresenting someone else's work as my own; Adhere to the
Standards of Conduct as outlined by my instructor. In doing this, I hold myself and my community to a
higher standard of excellence and set an example for my peers to follow.
COURSE OBJECTIVES

The specific objectives of this course are the following:

1. Understand international trade theory, the balance of payments, foreign exchange markets,
and trade policies between countries.
2. Develop a decision model to frame the decision to enter an international market.
3. Understand the legal framework of multilateral and regional trading agreements and its
implications for manufacturing strategy and the flow of capital, goods and people.
4. Present a detailed analysis of barriers and opportunities for market entry into an international
market for a particular industry sector.
5. Examine various legal and quasi-legal frameworks and treaties under which businesses
operate in emerging markets.
6. Identify issues surrounding working in a global business environment and develop
appropriate responses.
7. Grow exposure to how companies in specific industries and markets make money.
8. Cultivate powerful research and presentation skills to convince decision makers to action.

METHODOLOGY & PEDAGOGY

Pedagogy. This course is discussion based, i.e., the course is not lecture based (in which the instructor
tells you what you need to know) but rather is developed around the idea that you’ll achieve greater
learning if everyone is prepared to engage in informed discussion of the topic at hand. You’ll need to
prepare for class, not just read to acquire familiarity with the material because a facile understanding of a
topic coupled with good conversational skills will be insufficient to engage in informed discussion. In
short, for all assigned readings and prior to class, you’ll need to (1) know the facts, terms, and concepts
and (2) know them at a level that you are comfortable talking about them in depth and with insight to
others in the class, including the instructor.

As you might expect, class attendance is mandatory. Short of being bedridden with an illness, you must
attend class and arrive fully prepared, alert, and engaged. If you’re not in class, you’ll miss the insight
and understanding that discussion creates and put simply, you won’t be prepared to do well on the exam
or presentations. We’ll always start class each day with a roundup of what’s happening in the world of
international business that day, so be sure to keep up with world events through reputable news sources.

The Course Outline at the end of the syllabus contains a learning schedule.

Teams. Approximately half of your grade in this class is determined through team exercises. A major
driver for team-based assignments is to teach you how to work within a team, and to develop both
leadership and teamwork skills. Even entrepreneurs have to learn how to “play well with others,” and in
your first job assignment it is highly unlikely that you get to choose who you play with. Therefore it is
imperative that you make your teams work. You are highly encouraged to seek out your team members
early and to establish rules and norms for team behavior. Do not leave team assignments to the last
minute, as you will be rushed and end up doing a poor job. If you are a “Type A” you must not do all the
work yourself – you must learn how to delegate as a team, and to hold each other accountable. If you are
a “Type B” you must not sit back and let others do all the work.

CONTACTING THE PROFESSOR

You can always reach me by email or before or after class.

EVALUATION:

Final Exam (Individual) 200 pts

Quizzes (10@ 10pts each) 100 pts

Total Individual Points 300 pts

Country Analysis Presentation 100 pts

“Invest in Vietnam” Video (and participation) 50 pts

Participation (team & individual) 50 pts

Total Team Points 200 pts

Total points awarded 500 pts

Grading Scale:

A+ 4.0 450-500 pts 90%

A 4.0 425-449 pts 85
B+ 3.5 400-424 pts 80
B 3.0 350-399 pts 70
C+ 2.5 325-349 pts 65
C 2.0 275-324 pts 55
D+ 1.5 250-274 pts 50
D 1.0 225-249 pts 45
F 0.0 224 pts and below 45 and below

QUIZZES (Book Chapters): Individual Work Only – 100 Total Points

Every class that we cover a textbook chapter, we begin with a short quiz to ensure that you have done the
assigned reading. Quizzes will typically be multiple choice or matching vocabulary and based only on
textbook chapters assigned, however faculty reserves the right to vary the assessment. If done
electronically, once you start, you must finish and you cannot return to the quiz as it only allows you one
submission. Timed quizzes. The time will be stated but the quizzes are typically 10 minutes. Quizzes
are closed-book, closed-note, and closed-web, closed-friend, closed google, unless specifically
instructed otherwise.

EXAM: Individual Work Only – 200 Total Points

During Finals week you will take an Exam. The exam covers textbook material only (which is why it’s
important for you to keep up with readings and lectures). The exam is closed book, closed web, and
closed note.

AI. No use of any big data or Artificial Intelligence or any other material that may be construed in this
category, unless specifically permitted by the instructor. The use of AI must be cited and all generated
findings must also be cited or it will result in a zero. AI checkers and tools to determine machine written
work will be used. If allowed, the query or question(s) and the AI answer(s) must be included as an
appendix. Any language or ideas used from AI material must be identified using blue text in the
submitted assignment. Failure to identify this information may result in a zero and a very low grade in the
course.

TEAM PRESENTATIONS (AND PARTICIPATION) (Total 200 Points)

Common Requirements for All Presentations:

 You do NOT have to use up your allotted time. Quality is much more important than quantity.
 Quality of research is important. You must discern reputable sources from sources that are
merely opinion or worse, “fake news” sources that are not grounded in reality and instead push an
agenda.
 ALL presentations must be accompanied by a works cited to show what research you used for
your presentation, as the final slide.
 ALL charts and graphs must contain a source and date, and all charts and graphs and pictures
must be either original or used under license. No copy and paste jobs!
 ALL team members must speak during the presentation.
 For each slide in your presentation, ask yourself: How does this slide support my conclusion or
recommendation?

INDUSTRY & COUNTRY ANALYSIS (100 TOTAL POINTS)

Team Date Industry Analysis

A June 28 Germany

[Insert Names Here]

B June 28 Ireland

[Insert Names Here]

C July 1 Singapore

[Insert Names Here]

D July 1 Thailand
 [Insert Names Here]

E July 2 United Kingdom

[Insert Names Here]

F July 2 Japan

[Insert Names Here]

G July 3 France

[Insert Names Here]

H July 3 Italy

[Insert Names Here]

I July 4 Brazil

[Insert Names Here]

J June 4 India

[Insert Names Here]

K June 4 China

[Insert Names Here]

The business world is as varied as the human condition itself. As long as a demand exists for a particular
product or service, business will seek to satisfy that demand. Regardless of your major or plans you have
set for yourself, you may find your first job is in a sector or industry you know very little about. It’s also
likely that throughout your career you may change your sector or industry, probably more than once.
This section of the course is therefore designed to do a “deep dive” into a particular sector or industry in a
specific market.

Your teams will first select a particular industry to focus on in your assigned country. Select an industry
that presents the most promise or potential for growth to an investor from outside that country.
Tell us who the established players are, and why you think there is room for growth. Conduct a thorough
examination of the market for the assigned product or service. Tell us how this industry works, and how
companies make money in it. In addition to presentation skills, you will be graded on the depth of your
substantive knowledge. Simply summarizing company websites will earn you a poor grade – in-depth
analysis, original charts and data crunching, country comparisons, creativity, and a demonstration that this
is professional-level work (as opposed to undergraduate-level work) will be rewarded. Enforced time
limit: 20 minutes, plus 2 page Executive Summary including key current data.

Your market analysis will be in the form of a powerpoint presentation, presented to the class. The
powerpoint file (in final form, no edits permitted after submission) and the two page summary must be
emailed to me by 8 am of the day of your presentation. Reminder: works cited page on the last slide.
Skills tested: research, analysis, presentation and powerpoint authoring.

“INVEST IN VIETNAM” VIDEO (50 TOTAL POINTS) – DUE JULY 11

Team Team Members Invest in

A [Insert Names Here] Information & Communication

B [Insert Names Here] Garment and Textile Products

C [Insert Names Here] Energy including Renewables

D [Insert Names Here] Tourism & Hospitality

E [Insert Names Here] Fintech and Banking

F [Insert Names Here] Education and Training

G [Insert Names Here] Consumer Goods

H [Insert Names Here] Automotive

I [Insert Names Here] Business Process Outsourcing

J [Insert Names Here] Manufacturing

K [Insert Names Here] Retail and Franchise Development

Vietnam is an exciting opportunity for foreign investors. The country’s large population, emerging middle
class, and increasing levels of education and industrialization present great opportunities across a wide
range of industries. For this project, your team will create a video highlighting the reasons a foreign
investor would want to invest in this sector in Vietnam. In your video, be sure to highlight all the things
investors care about when deciding where to invest their FDI money, using the frameworks that you have
learned in this class.

Work with our course Teaching Assistant to finalize your video team member assignment by the end of
the first week of class. All teams must be a similar size. All team members must appear and speak in the
video. The video must end with a works cited page to show what resources you used to gather
information for your video. Time limit is 10 minutes per video.

COURSE OUTLINE

Date Event Assignment

June 24 Introduction to Course 1. Class Meets June 24, 9 AM (or 1PM)

9AM / 1PM 2. Purchase your textbook and Read Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Globalization 3.  Syllabus
4. Knowledge assessment (in groups)
 5. Meet in teams to discuss Industry Analysis
June 25 Chapter 2: National 1.  Chapter 2
9AM / 1PM Differences in Political, 2. Meet with teams to discuss Industry Analysis
Economic, and Legal Systems

June 26 Chapter 3: National 1.  Chapter 3

9AM / 1PM Differences in Economic 2.  Quiz 1 (Chapter 2 and 3)
Development 3. Meet in teams to discuss Industry Analysis

June 27 Chapter 7: Government Policy 1.  Chapter 7

9AM / 1PM and International Trade 2.  Quiz 2 (Chapter 7)
3. Meet in teams to discuss Industry Analysis
June 28 Chapter 8: Foreign Direct 1.  Chapter 8
9AM / 1PM Investment 2.  Quiz 3 (Chapter 8)
3. Industry Analysis: Industry in Germany – Group A
Industry in Ireland – Group B
July 1 Chapter 9: Regional Economic 1.  Chapter 9
9 AM / 1PM Integration 2.  Quiz 4 (Chapter 9)
Industry Analysis: Industry in Singapore – Group C
Industry in Thailand – Group D
3. Meet in teams to discuss Invest in Vietnam Video
July 2 Chapter 10: The Foreign 1.  Chapter 10
9AM / 1PM Exchange Market 2.  Chapter 11
3.  Quiz 5 (Chapter 10 and 11)
Chapter 11: The International 4. Industry Analysis: Industry in United Kingdom - Group
Monetary System E
Industry in Japan – Group F
5. Meet in teams to discuss Invest in Vietnam Video
July 3 Chapter 12: The Strategy of 1.  Chapter 12
9AM / 1PM International Business 2.  Quiz 6 (Chapter 12)
3. Industry Analysis: Industry in France – Group G
Industry in Italy – Group H
4. Meet in teams to discuss Invest in Vietnam Video
July 4 Chapter 13: Entering 1.  Chapter 13
9AM / 1PM Developed and Emerging 2.  Quiz 7 (Chapter 13)
Markets Industry Analysis: Industry in Brazil – Group I
Industry in India – Group J
Industry in China – Group K
3. Meet in teams to discuss Invest in Vietnam Video
Work on video.

July 5
9AM / 1PM

July 8 Chapter 15: Global Production 1.  Chapter 15

9AM / 1PM and Supply Chain Management 2.  Quiz 8 (Chapter 15)
3. Meet in teams to discuss Invest in Vietnam Video

July 9 Chapter 16: Global Marketing 1.  Chapter 16

9AM / 1PM and Business Analytics 2.  Quiz 9 (Chapter 16)
3. Meet in teams to discuss Invest in Vietnam Video

July 10 Chapter 17: Global Human 1.  Chapter 17

9AM / 1PM Resource Management 2.  Quiz 10 (Chapter 17)
3. Meet in teams to discuss Invest in Vietnam Video
 July 11 “Invest in Vietnam” No class. Each team must send video (mp4 format only) to
9AM / 1PM Video Presentations instructor to provided link by 8 AM. Study for final exam.

July 12 Final Exam

9AM / 1PM 120 Minutes in classroom (proctored).

Please note, the syllabus is subject to change as may be necessary or to improve the course.