University of Sydney Handbooks - 2019 Archive

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International Business

Table of postgraduate units of study: Commerce

The information below details the unit of study descriptions for the units listed in the Table of postgraduate units of study: Commerce.

Timetabling information for the current year is available on the Business School website. Students should note that units of study are run subject to demand.

Errata
Item Errata Date
1.

The following units have been cancelled for 2019:

IBUS6006 Comparative International Management

IBUS6021 Global Outsourcing and Offshoring

20/12/2018

International Business

Achievement of a specialisation in International Business requires 30 credit points from this table comprising:
(i) 6 credit points in foundational units of study
(ii) 12 credit points in compulsory units of study
(iii) 12 credit points in elective units of study.

Units of study for the specialisation

Foundational unit of study

IBUS5003 Global Business

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2,Summer Main Classes: 1x 3hr seminar per week Prohibitions: IBUS5001 Assessment: in class participation (10%), mid-semester exam (20%), group presentation (10%), group project (20%), final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit focuses on the application of strategic thinking in key business contexts with a particular focus on the global nature of business. Students gain knowledge about: (i) identifying and managing challenges and risks presented by operating in a global business environment; (ii) international business trade and foreign direct investment theories; (iii) country level factors that impact global strategy.

Compulsory units of study

IBUS6001 International Business Strategy

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2,Summer Main Classes: 1x 2 hr lecture and 1x 1hr seminar per week Corequisites: IBUS5003 Prohibitions: ECHS6008 Assessment: Individual assignments (70%) and group assignments (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
This unit analyses how multinational firms leverage their capabilities and competencies to create competitive advantages in international and global markets. Topics include assessing foreign market attractiveness; understanding the impact of differences in legal, cultural, political and economic regimes; evaluating international political and economic risk; building and operating global networks, including entry mode choice; understanding how managers design organisational architecture and implement internal control and incentive mechanisms; and assessing the challenges of global citizenship, ethical behaviour and social responsibility for international business. Problem-based learning, with case study workshops, is an integral part of the unit.
IBUS6002 Cross-Cultural Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1x 3hr lecture/seminar per week Assessment: tutorial participation (10%); case study (30%); mid-semester test (20%); final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
An understanding of cultural differences and how to manage such differences is critical to effective management in international and multi-cultural business environments. The aim of this unit is to provide conceptual frameworks and evidence from practice that will develop an understanding of the ways in which cultures differ, how these differences can impact on management, and how cultural issues can limit organisational effectiveness. Major topics include the significance of culture in international management, the meaning and dimensions of culture, comparative international management and leadership styles, managing communication across cultures, ethics and social responsibility in global management, cross-cultural negotiation and decision-making, forming and managing global teams, and developing the international and global manager.

Elective units of study

ACCT6002 International Accounting

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 1hr lecture and 1 x 2hr tutorial per week. Prerequisites: ACCT6001 Assumed knowledge: Accounting standards and their application Assessment: final exam (50%), test 1 (15%), test 2 (15%), assignment (10%), oral presentation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
Many of the topics in an international accounting unit have a domestic counterpart. However, new factors and complications arise in the international arena. Some of these are (1) diversity of laws, practices, customs, cultures, and competitive circumstances; and (2) risks associated with fluctuating exchange rates, differential rates of inflation, and unstable property rights. International accounting discusses issues from the perspective of companies that have internationalised their finance and/or their operations. It has a comparative aspect, comparing accounting across countries. It deals with corporate reporting and disclosure across national boundaries. It also deals with the harmonisation of the worldwide diversity in financial reporting, in particular, convergence around International Financial Reporting Standards. It discusses consolidation issues that arise from multinational operations.
CLAW6007 Issues in Law and International Business

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: One 3 hour class per week which may include one or more of the following: lectures; seminars; tutorials or workshops. Prerequisites: CLAW5001 Assessment: mid-semester exam (40%), case study presentation (20%), final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
Globalisation enables successful businesses to tap into the international economy to find new and bigger markets for their goods and services. Entering the global marketplace also means greater risk, as businesses deal with new customers, and are forced to operate in unfamiliar legal environments where the "normal" rules of business often don't apply. This unit aims to provide students with an understanding of how the global economy is regulated (if at all), and to provide the tools needed to use international business law to minimise the risks of doing business in the global economy. Questions addressed include: What is international business law and what do I need to know?; What institutions ensure a level playing field for my business?; How do I make an agreement to sell my goods to foreign customers?; How do I protect those goods in transit?; How do I ensure payment for goods and services I provide?; How do I build a presence in a foreign market through local agents and distributors?; What considerations apply to entering and borrowing from foreign capital markets?; How can I safely do business online in the global virtual economy?; What if things go wrong?; and How do I fight foreign disputes by my rules and in my court?
CLAW6030 China's Legal Environment for Business

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 3hr seminar per week Assessment: mid-term exam (25%), presentation of proposed research area (10%), proposal of research paper (5%), research paper (50%), class participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
China has recently become the second biggest economy in the world and is Australia's most important trading partner. Australian businesses are increasingly engaging with China. This unit addresses the frequently asked question of how to do business with China. It addresses China's unique business environment which has resulted from its unique culture, history and demography, and examines the business regulations, tax system, and the administrative and compliance issues businesses will face when carrying on business with China. The unit first outlines the business environment in terms of culture, history, economics, demography, and government administration. It then provides students with an understanding of the legal environment that businesses will face in China. Through a hypothetical case study, different aspects of business regulation such as contract, entity structure, mergers and acquisition, property and intellectual property rights, the tax system, different tax types and associated international issues, and social insurance are analysed.
CLAW6033 International Business Tax Strategy

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 3hr seminar per week Assessment: individual assignment (30%); mid-semester test (20%); final exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Taxation strategy of an international business has significant impact on not only the overall financial performance of the enterprise, but also the quantum of tax revenue that governments can collect. The increasing globalisation and integration of operations of multinational enterprises, together with the ingenuity of the army of tax advisors, provides ample opportunities for international tax planning. This unit introduces students to international tax principles and practices. Students will learn how the international tax rules are implemented in practice, and tax strategies that international businesses can adopt to minimise their global tax liabilities. Case studies on major multinational enterprises, such as Apple and Google, will be used to analyse and evaluate the international tax rules and business tax strategies. This unit will cover the fundamental residence and source principles, the taxation of inbound and outbound investments, the taxation of international finance, and common international tax strategies of multinational enterprises, including tax arbitrage between tax rules of entity classifications, the tax treatment of debt and equity, and transfer pricing.
FINC6013 International Business Finance

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1 x 3hr seminar per week Prerequisites: FINC5001 Assessment: mid-semester test (25%), assignment (25%), final exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
In our highly globalised and integrated world economy, understanding international dimensions of financial management is essential for businesses. This unit provides a greater understanding of the fundamental concepts and the tools necessary for effective financial decision making by business enterprises, within a global setting.
IBUS6003 Managing International Risk

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 3hr lecture/seminar per week Assessment: international risk analysis 1 (20%), international risk analysis 2 (30%), risk management proposal (20%), final exam (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
This unit introduces students to the multi-level risk environments encountered by multinational enterprise and the processes and strategies that can be employed to identify, assess, manage and mitigate risk. Topics covered include multinational enterprise and expropriation, sovereign risk and corruption, political and regulatory risk, brand and corporate reputation risk management, managing anti-globalization protests and consumer boycotts, terrorism risk, and executive risk and risk management and a short introduction to financial risk and risk management. The unit also introduces the various analytical approaches involved in designing risk identification systems, reporting and monitoring protocols, and how risk is able to be assessed, prioritized and effectively managed. The unit emphasizes a problem case based approach to learning using workshops and simulation exercises.
IBUS6005 Ethical International Business Decisions

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1x 3 hour seminar per week from week 1 to week 13 Assessment: Group assignments (40%), final exam (30%), and individual assignments (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
In order to succeed in international business, both corporations and individuals need broad decision-making abilities. Business decision-making tools yield more coherent and justifiable results when used with an understanding of the ethical, social and environmental aspects of the process. This applies to various situations in the international business setting including business relations with government, customers, employees, and NGOs. This unit is designed to look at these non-financial elements in the decisions made within the international business context. Upon completion of this unit, students will have enhanced skills and knowledge relevant to the understanding of ethical issues and ethical decisions making in international business organisations.
IBUS6006 Comparative International Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x 3hr class per week Assessment: mid-semester exam (25%), final exam (35%), group research project (30%), peer evaluation (5%), participation (5%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The triad regions, Japan, the United States, and the European Union, together are the homes of almost all of the world's largest 500 corporations. They account for a large majority of world exports. They provide most of the world's outward flows of foreign direct investment, and in addition, they are the recipients of most of inward FDI flows. However, they are very different, in firm structure, in regulatory environment, and in the relations between private firms and government agencies. Dealing with them as competitors, customers, suppliers, or partners requires international managers to be aware of these differences and to vary their strategies accordingly. This unit compares the structure and operations of triad firms, and the ways that government agencies frame the operating environment in each region. The unit looks at the ways firms in each region seek competitive advantage, and how governments have supported them. In addition to the specific knowledge of the habits and tendencies of Japanese, United States, and European firms, the techniques of analysis developed in this unit are applicable to a wide range of competitive situations across the global economy.
IBUS6008 Export Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x 3hr lecture/seminar per week Assessment: individual assignment part 1 (30%), individual assignment part 2 (30%), final test (30%), class preparation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Exporting is a key international business activity, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This unit covers both the theory and practice of export management. The main areas covered in the unit are: 1) preparing to export (export stimulation, export readiness and planning), 2) forming and maintaining relationships with intermediaries (including legal considerations), 3) managing risks and export finance, 4) filling export orders. The unit therefore covers both the operational and strategic challenges associated with the exporting process.
IBUS6018 Business Negotiations

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1x 3 hour seminar per week Assessment: in-class exercises (33%), assignment (33%), final exam (34%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
Note: Note: this unit requires participation in a number of negotiations. Preparation for these negotiations, which are a large part of the grade, will require time-pressured reading of material in class.
This course is aimed at making you feel more comfortable and confident with the negotiation process. The course is taught as a 'flipped classroom', meaning that the content of the course is primarily taught outside of class, through brief written lectures, and class time is used to assimilate that knowledge through at least a dozen marked role-play negotiations, debriefs of those negotiations, problem-solving workshops and international negotiation case study analysis. You will also be taught how to develop your own negotiation strategies and tactics using a combination of multiple psychological, economic and legal concepts from the course.
IBUS6019 Strategy and Emerging Markets

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive July,Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1X 3 hour lecture/seminar per week Assessment: case analysis (20%), class leadership presentation (10%), in-class activity and quiz (10%), mid-term exam (15%), final exam (45%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Block mode
Do you have an Emerging Market Strategy? This is a question that an increasingly large number of company managers, especially in the developed western world, are trying to answer. This unit lays the foundations of strategy making in emerging markets, with an emphasis on four of the largest emerging markets of the world today - Brazil, Russia, India and China - often termed as the BRIC countries. Utilising frameworks from mainstream strategy and international business disciplines, the unit analyses emerging markets from the perspective of primarily two simultaneous phenomena - multinationals from developed markets trying to tap into emerging markets, and companies from emerging markets globalising their operations and consequently changing the global competitive landscape.
IBUS6020 Enterprise Management in China

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 3 hour seminar per week Prohibitions: CHSC6902 Assessment: class participation (10%), group presentation (10%), in-class exam (10%), group case project (30%), final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit focuses on China's globalising business environment from an enterprise perspective by analysing the way in which enterprises are embedded in a dynamic economic, legal and political environment and the consequences that arise for enterprise management and entrepreneurship. The unit combines theoretical analysis of the interrelationship of markets, firms and institutions with detailed, practical case studies of domestic and transnational business activities. Students are able to familiarise themselves with different types of enterprises including the local private sector, state-owned enterprises and foreign owned enterprises operating in China as well as Chinese enterprises expanding into global markets through joint ventures, strategic alliances and mergers and acquisitions.
IBUS6021 Global Outsourcing and Offshoring

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 3hr seminar per week Assessment: class participation (10%), mid semester exam (20%), group case project (30%), final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Global outsourcing and offshoring have become established business practices utilised by global firms in order to better compete internationally as well as domestically. The phenomenon has gained significant momentum in the last decade. Now, even advanced tasks that are closer to the core activities of the firm are being offshored and outsourced. This has had a major impact on the design and boundaries of the firm in the context of continual globalisation of firm operations. This unit introduces students to the concept of disaggregation of work in the context of increased globalisation. Students learn how firms implement offshoring and outsourcing of activities and the consequent performance implications. Case studies on major multinational enterprises from the financial services and technology sector are used to analyse and evaluate the offshoring and outsourcing strategies. This unit covers the fundamental organisational design elements, the evolution of offshoring and outsourcing, governance models, impact on financial performance, role of culture, regulation and technology, all in the context of an increasingly globalised business. Global outsourcing and offshoring have become established business practices utilised by global firms in order to better compete internationally as well as domestically. The phenomenon has gained significant momentum in the last decade. Now, even advanced tasks that are closer to the core activities of the firm are being offshored and outsourced. This has had a major impact on the design and boundary of the firm in the context of continual globalisation of firm operations. This unit introduces students to the concept of disaggregation of work in the context of increased globalisation. Students learn how firms implement offshoring and outsourcing of activities and the consequent performance implications. Case studies on major multinational enterprises from the financial services and technology sector is used to analyse and evaluate the offshoring and outsourcing strategies. This unit covers the fundamental organisational design elements, the evolution of offshoring and outsourcing, governance models, impact on financial performance, role of culture, regulation and technology, all in the context of an increasingly globalised business.
MKTG6013 International and Global Marketing

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive November,Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1x 3hr seminar per week Prerequisites: MKTG5001 Assessment: midterm quiz (15%), participation (13%), group written report (25%), oral presentation (10%), research component (2%), final exam (35%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening, Block
This unit aims to give students an understanding of international marketing concepts by using the framework of marketing mix elements of product, price, distribution and promotions, and highlights their importance in a rapidly changing global economy. Topics include the 'scope and environmental factors (PEST)' including 'culture'; 'globalisation verses internationalisation and multinational corporations'; 'international and global products, services and brands', 'market size assessment'; 'foreign market selection'; 'foreign market entry mode'; 'pricing for international markets'; 'international distribution channels'; and 'international promotions (global vs. multinational approaches) and strategies'. Understanding these concepts help students develop skills in designing and implementing marketing strategies in diverse international country contexts.