2015/16 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

LUBS5234M Debates and Controversies in International Business

15 creditsClass Size: 100

Module manager: Dr. Hinrich Voss
Email: H.Voss@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2015/16

This module is mutually exclusive with

LUBS5233M

Debates and Controversies in International Business

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

The aim of this module is to consider and discuss current issues in international business. The module is issue-focussed, with a strong emphasis on current controversies.

Objectives

This module introduces students to some major debates in international business with a view to develop independent, critical thinkers capable of generating insights and making judgements and decisions in an international business setting.
Disparate issues are introduced, which are of major importance in themselves. Students develop an understanding of the ethical and environmental issues that have emerged as a result of globalisation.

It also allows students to apply theories and ideas learned to important current issues.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able to critically evaluate:
- how recent and current events in the social, economic and political arenas of the world are likely to influence the behaviour, decision-taking and strategy of multinational firms from both the industrialised and developing countries;
- the alternative arguments concerning how contemporary trends are likely to shape international business strategy, at present and into the future;
- how recent and on-going changes to the international environment are likely to reconfigure the geographic distribution of international business activity;
- ideas and evidence to recognise, interpret and account for the complexity of ethical business management
- strategic choices available to organisations, identify an alternative course of action and issue recommendations supported by all available evidence
- the potential of international business activities to deliver social and environmental impacts

Skills outcomes
On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
Transferable
- Effectively solve problems and make decisions
- Effectively communicate complex information, oral and written
- Conduct self-reflection and criticality, including openness and sensitivity to diversity in terms of people, cultures, business and management issues
- Interpret and support ethical awareness

Subject specific
- Debate a range of topical issues confronting international business drawn from current news stories and real life case studies

Syllabus

Indicative syllabus:

1. Free trade and fair trade (two sessions), the principles, free trade v. protectionism, fair trade as a form of protectionism, agricultural protectionism in developed countries.
2. International labour issues, market issues, comparative advantage, exploitation
3. International labour issues, child labour, moral issues
4. Corruption
5. Illegal activities
6. Crises: Tulips, South Sea Bubble, Darien scheme, 1929, Asian Crisis, DotCom crash, 2008, Dubai
7. Climate change: The Anthropogenic Global Warming argument, the models, the sceptics, Carbon Dioxide and temperature links, consequences of climate change (good and bad), the Stern Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and its activities, the Club of Rome-Kyoto-Copenhagen-Mexico sequence, the USA and Climate Change.
8. Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation, the World Trade Organisation, Trade-Related Intellectual Property issues
9. IB and MNEs, Markets, Market failure, transaction costs and agency costs, World regulatory systems.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	10	1.50	15.00
Seminar	4	1.00	4.00
Private study hours			131.00
Total Contact hours			19.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

Students will prepare for lectures, and will be required to work in groups in discussion sessions during the lecture. Groups will be required to give informal presentations about their discussions.

For the final assessed assignment, students will be required to research and write an individual essay; the essay topics will be provided, based on the issues covered in the different weeks of the module; indicative questions which might be answered within a response to the essay topic will be provided; students however will be encouraged to develop their own ideas and responses to the issues.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students' progress will be monitored through class discussion of the controversies considered in the lectures. During these sessions students will be expected to apply the theoretical knowledge gained during lectures and their private study to discussion of case study questions and theory.

Students will be given feedback on their responses by the lecturers during the lecture period, and they will also be provided with suggested and alternative responses to the case studies in written-form (or via the VLE) after the lecture.

Students can also obtain feedback on a one-to-one basis from the module manager and lecturers outside the class setting.

Methods of assessment

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	3 hr	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 03/12/2015

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