2019/20 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

LUBS5233M Debates and Controversies in International Business

10 creditsClass Size: 230

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

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2019/20

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

The aim of this module is to develop critical thinking skills to evaluate and discuss business ethics in international business. The module is issue-focussed, with a strong emphasis on current and ongoing debates and a link to business ethics theories and international business theories.

Objectives

This module introduces students to some major debates in international business and develops critically evaluation and thinking skills. The core learning objective is to develop transferable critical thinking skills that can be employed in any academic and non-academic situation. This is practiced in relation with the second learning objective which is the application of business ethics and international business theories to important current and ongoing issues in international business.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able to:

- assess critically any issue from multiple perspectives in relation to a business and the business environment and identify the resources and the business ethics and international business theories required for the assessment.
- integrate business ethics and international business perspectives into a critical thinking process and communicate this orally and in writing.
- Develop critical awareness of how current and ongoing 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 industrialised and developing countries.
- Recognise and integrate alternative arguments concerning how contemporary trends are likely to shape international business strategy, at present and in the future.
- Interpret how recent and on-going changes to the international environment are likely to reconfigure the geographic distribution of international business activity.
- Analyse and evaluate threshold concepts in relation to international business drawn from current news stories and real life case studies.

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:

- Business ethics theories (e.g., rights theory, social contract theory) and ethical decision making.
- International labour issues (market issues, comparative advantage, exploitation, child labour).
- Corruption and doing business globally.
- Economic and industrial espionage.
- Sustainability and climate change within international business.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	11	1.50	16.50
Seminar	10	1.00	10.00
Private study hours			73.50
Total Contact hours			26.50
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			100.00

Private study

Private studies will be used to prepare for and revise lectures and to carry out research for the seminars. Students will select a case company themselves and research how this company is responding and rationalising its behaviour with regards to the business ethics and topics discussed in the lectures.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students' progress will be monitored through (a) class discussion of the topics considered in the lectures, and (b) the participation in the seminars. During the seminars students will be expected to apply the theoretical knowledge gained during lectures (and across other modules) and their private study to the evaluation and discussion of case study questions. Students will be given feedback on their oral contributions by peers and the lecturer during the lecture and the seminar. Feedback will also be provided on their presentation outline if students submit it for uploading to the VLE. This feedback will be in writing and available to all students.

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

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Assignment	4,000 word individual assignment	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

The coursework will be jointly assessed with LUBS5232M. Business ethics will be the focus of the LUBS5233M assessment. A marking rubric will be provided. The resit for this module will be 100% by 2,000 word individual assignment

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 12/09/2019

Disclaimer

Browse Other Catalogues

• Undergraduate module catalogue
• Taught Postgraduate module catalogue
• Undergraduate programme catalogue
• Taught Postgraduate programme catalogue

Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team.PROD