Week 1 Discussion
Getting Started
First, share a little bit about yourself. Where are you
from? Do you already have experience in international business? If so, share
your experience. Also share what interests you most about international
business. What do you find most exciting about it?
In INT 113, you gained a foundation for thinking about
business in a global context. You analyzed a country for market entry,
considering the sociocultural environment, the economic environment, and the
political-legal environment before recommending market entry strategies.
First, share the country that you researched for INT 113 and
share a few of your findings (e.g., what cultural differences would your
company need to be aware of?). Then reflect on what you learned from that
process and explain how you might expect that project to serve you in this
course.
In response to your peers, expand upon their ideas. What
similarities and differences can you see between the countries your peers
researched and the country you researched? Help your peers discover how they
can apply the concepts from the INT 113 country analysis project to the risk
management report required in this course.
To complete this assignment, review the Discussion Rubric
document.
Week 3 discussion
Debate: Ethics, Culture, and Social
Responsibility
After reading this week’s assigned chapters in your
textbook, engage your peers in a debate about culture and corporate ethics.
Address the following:
What effect does the local culture in which a company is
doing business have on ethical practices?
What are the implications of local customs on the
decision-making process of an international business?
Could there be conflicts of interest between local culture
and corporate actions and strategies as applied to risk management?
Present examples to illustrate your views.
In response to your peers, seek out opinions that differ
from your own, and engage your peers in a respectful debate. On what points do
you agree, and on what points do your opinions diverge? Has your peer presented
an aspect of the argument that had not occurred to you? Present a persuasive
argument using research and examples to support your views.
To complete this assignment, review the Discussion Rubric
document
Week 4 discussion
Brainstorming: Steps for Strategic
Decision-Making
Identify and research a recent (within the last 12 months)
strategic decision by a global company that appears to have been made for the
purposes of mitigating risk. Share the process you would have gone through as
part of a risk committee to arrive at the decision made by the company.
In response to your peers’ examples, critique the process
they have proposed and brainstorm ways to augment it. In other words, put
yourselves on your peers’ risk committees and strengthen the process with your
input. Identify additional strategies the company might have considered to
mitigate the identified risk.
To complete this assignment, review the Discussion Rubric
document.
Week 5 discussion
Brainstorming:
Strategic Monitoring
Identifying a risk, evaluating a risk, developing a strategy
to manage the risk, and implementing the strategy are necessary steps in
managing risk, but there is more to risk management. Once a strategy has been
implemented, it needs to be monitored to ensure it has the intended
consequences (and no negative unintended consequences).
In this assignment, you and your peers will brainstorm
strategy-monitoring systems.
To complete this assignment, review the Discussion Rubric
document.
INT 400 Case Study
Team Meeting
(Modules One and Two)
Overview: Your team meetings in this course simulate the
actions of a risk assessment committee. These committees evaluate the business
environment that an organization operates in and identify risks that need to be
addressed. The use of teams in business creates a diversity of views and experience
to address the issue at hand, most often leading to increased productivity and
better problem solving. In this course, you are required to meet with your team
in Modules One and Two to discuss the case studies that will be the basis of
your final project. You will then come back together in Module Six to defend
your individual risk mitigation strategies. However, you are encouraged to
continue to meet with your team throughout the course. Your team can provide a
place to process ideas, ask questions, and get feedback as you work on your
individual risk management report.
Note: In Module Eight, you will have an opportunity to
evaluate your team members based on the quality of their contributions to the
overall team experience.
Requirements for Case Study Team Meetings:
Your team meeting should be a dynamic discussion throughout
the week. You should join your team as early in the week as possible—whether or
not you have finished the case study work—but you are required to join your
team and make your initial post no later than Thursday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern
Time.
For your initial post, you must do the following:
? Compose a post of one to two
paragraphs.
? In Module One, complete the initial
post by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
? In Module Two, complete the initial
post by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. of your local time zone.
? Use the guiding questions provided in
the task to write your initial post. Your posts should be well researched,
illustrated with specific examples, and properly cited.
For your response posts, you must do the following:
? Reply to members of your team and
continue a lively discussion throughout the week.
? In Module One, complete at least one
response to each of your team members by Sunday 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
? In Module Two, complete at least one
response to each of your team members by Sunday 11:59 p.m. of your local
time zone.
? Use the guiding questions provided in
the task to write your responses.
INT 400 Team Meeting
Mitigation Strategy Defense
(Module Six)
Overview: Your team meetings in this course simulate the
actions of a risk assessment committee. These committees evaluate the business
environment that an organization operates in and identify risks that need to be
addressed. The use of teams in business creates a diversity of views and
experience to address the issue at hand, most often leading to increased
productivity and better problem solving. In this course, you are required to
meet with your team in Modules One and Two to discuss the case studies that
will be the basis of your final project. You will then come back together in
Module Six to defend your individual risk mitigation strategies. However, you
are encouraged to continue to meet with your team throughout the course. Your
team can provide a place to process ideas, ask questions, and get feedback as
you work on your individual risk management report.
Note: In Module Eight, you will have an opportunity to
evaluate your team members based on the quality of their contributions to the
overall team experience.
Requirements for Mitigation Strategy Defense Team Meeting:
1. Your team meeting should be a dynamic discussion
throughout the week. You should join your team as early in the week as
possible, but you are required to join your team and make your initial post no
later than Thursday at 11:59 p.m. of your local time zone.
Choose one of your risk mitigation strategies and outline
the strategy for your team. As a team you may want to decide that each team
member choose a different type of risk strategy (political risk, economic risk,
environmental risk, social/cultural risk) so you have a diverse group of
strategies to analyze. That is a committee decision that you will make with
your team members. Each individual team member may want to present the strategy
he or she struggled with most or the one that feels least developed. This is a
good opportunity to brainstorm how to strengthen your strategy with your team. For
your initial post, you must do the following:
Choose one of your risk mitigation strategies and outline
the strategy for your team. Then defend your strategy by addressing the
following:
? Identify the approximate costs and
benefits associated with employing your risk management strategy.
? Explain how the risk management
strategy considers cross-cultural differences.
? Explain how the risk management
strategy accounts for the analyzed risk. Defend your strategy with appropriate
examples and research.
? Present a contingency plan to be
deployed should your risk management strategy prove ineffective.
? Complete the initial post by Thursday at
11:59 p.m. of your local time zone.
For your response posts, you must do the following:
? Reply to members of your team and
continue a lively discussion throughout the week.
? Complete at least one response to each of
your team members by Sunday 11:59 p.m. of your local time zone.
? Use the guiding questions provided in
the task to guide your responses.
INT 400 Milestone One
Overview: In any business situation, a manager will face a
series of challenges. This course explores specific contemporary challenges in
international business,
preparing you for the managerial decisions that you will
make in future courses and in global business. The best approach in addressing
these issues and
challenges is to identify and prepare for risks in various
international markets. It is essential to be able to identify, evaluate, and
categorize risks based on their
impact on the organization and explore how you will address
them to maximize your opportunities. This approach will be vital in evaluating
the prospects of
future international business pursuits in your professional
career.
Prompt: For your final project, you are acting as a member
of a risk committee for All Star, the organization represented in the five mini
case studies that you
analyzed with your team in Modules One and Two. In this
milestone, you will begin your individual risk management report by conducting
a risk evaluation. You
will identify and evaluate the extent to which risks in the
Latin American region might impact the well-being of the company.
You will want to look at the broad picture of doing business
in Latin America; however, you will eventually narrow your view to focus on a
key risk in each of the
four areas identified in the critical elements: economic
risk, environmental risk, political risk, and cultural/social risk.
Your final project will require research beyond that found
in the case studies and in the case study companion, Student Manual – Latin
America. For example,
you will want to explore the current political atmosphere in
Latin America and research current environmental challenges in the region. In
addition to
researching current events, you will also want a full
understanding of the cultural and social characteristics of the region. In
addition to current news articles of
the region, you may find the following resources helpful in
acquiring a comprehensive picture of Latin America.
? The World Factbook website contains country-specific
information on the government, geography, society, infrastructure, trade, the
economy, and
more.
? The World Atlas website provides maps, descriptions, and
data for individual countries around the globe.
? The Hofstede Centre is a resource that analyzes different
dimensions of culture for their role in business.
? The Kwintessential Culture Guides website is a business
that works to assist organizations facing cultural challenges. The Country
Profiles tool provides
details and examples of etiquette, customs, and cultural
protocol for a large number of countries.
Specifically, in Milestone One, the following critical
elements must be addressed:
I. Risk Evaluation: For this part of the project, you will
identify and evaluate the extent to which risks in the region may impact the
well-being of the
organization.
A. Evaluate the effect of economic risks present in the
region that the organization will have to account for. Be sure to use the
economic
characteristics of the region in your evaluation.
B. Assess the impact of environmental challenges that the
organization will be faced with while operating in this region. Be sure to use
the
environmental characteristics of the region in your
evaluation. For example, you could consider transportation costs, market
demand, and
production regarding operating in the region.
C. Appraise the political atmosphere within this region for
its impact on the organization. Be sure to use the political characteristics of
the region in
your evaluation. What issues could arise because of
political volatility and how will these impact the organization?
D. Evaluate the effect of the cultural and social risks of
the region that will pose a threat to the well-being of the organization. Be
sure to use the
cultural and social characteristics of the region in your
evaluation.
INT 400 Milestone Two
Overview: In any business situation, a manager will face a
series of challenges. This course explores specific contemporary challenges in
international business,
preparing you for the managerial decisions that you will
make in future courses and in global business. The best approach in addressing
these issues and
challenges is to identify and prepare for risks in various
international markets. It is essential to be able to identify, evaluate, and
categorize risks based on their
impact on the organization and explore how you will address
them to maximize your opportunities. This approach will be vital in evaluating
the prospects of
future international business pursuits in your professional
career.
Prompt: For your final project, you are acting as a member
of a risk committee for All Star, the organization represented in the five mini
case studies that you
analyzed with your team in Modules One and Two. In this
milestone, you will prioritize the risks identified in Milestone One and
develop strategies for
addressing the risks. Be sure that your strategies are
informed by your previous analysis of risk.
In Milestone One, you assessed the broad picture of doing
business in Latin America, and then you narrowed your focus to the key risk in
each of the four areas
identified in the critical elements: economic risk,
environmental risk, political risk, and cultural/social risk. You will work
with those four identified risks now in
Milestone Two.
Note: Revise your Milestone One content (Section I of the
final project) and resubmit it with Milestone Two. This allows you to ensure
that the two sections
are well aligned and that Section II is informed by Section
I. Only Milestone Two (Section II) will be graded at this point, but your
instructor may provide you
with additional feedback on both sections as a whole.
Again, you will find a lot of information in the case study
companion, Latin American Student Manual. But you may need to do additional
research, especially in
the areas of legal and ethical standards associated with the
region and cross-cultural differences. Use these and other resources to fill
out your knowledge of the
region as necessary:
? The World Factbook website contains country-specific
information on the government, geography, society, infrastructure, trade, the
economy, and
more.
? The World Atlas website provides maps, descriptions, and
data for individual countries around the globe.
? The Hofstede Centre is a resource that analyzes different
dimensions of culture for their role in business.
? The Kwintessential Culture Guides website is a business
that works to assist organizations facing cultural challenges. The Country
Profiles tool provides
details and examples of etiquette, customs, and cultural
protocol for a large number of countries.
Specifically, in Milestone Two, the following critical
elements must be addressed:
II. Strategy Development: In this part of the project, you
will begin to develop strategies for addressing the previously identified
risks. Be sure that your
strategies are informed by your previous analysis of risk.
A. Determine the type of each identified risk based on how
it can be addressed by the organization. For example, can any of the risks be
minimized
through operational changes? Which of them would require an
insurance policy? Can any of them be self-insured by reserving funds?
B. Prioritize the risks and exposures that you have
previously identified in order of precedence for the organization to address.
Be sure to support
your response with appropriate research.
C. Outline the legal and ethical standards and
cross-cultural differences associated with the region that might influence the
development of your
risk mitigation strategies.
D. For each of the previously identified risks, develop risk
mitigation strategies that:
1. Incorporate the measures that should be taken by the
organization in addressing each of the identified risks.
2. Incorporate appropriate legal and ethical guidelines
pertinent to the organization and the region the organization is operating in.
3. Illustrate methods for addressing cross-cultural
differences pertinent to the organization and the region the organization is
operating in.
INT 400 Final Project
Overview
The final project for this course is the creation of a risk
management report.
In any business situation, a manager will face a series of
challenges. This course explores specific contemporary challenges in
international business, preparing
you for the managerial decisions that you will make in
future courses and in global business. The best approach in addressing these
issues and challenges is to
identify and prepare for risks in various international
markets. It is essential to be able to identify, evaluate, and categorize risks
based on their impact on the
organization and explore how you will address them to
maximize your opportunities. This approach will be vital in evaluating the
prospects of future
international business pursuits in your professional career.
This project will prepare you for these situations. You will
review various case studies representing the Latin American market, from which
you will identify,
evaluate, and prioritize risks of the region for the purpose
of developing various risk management strategies. You will then defend your
strategies based on your
expertise and how you feel they best address the risks that
may potentially impact the organization.
The project is divided into two milestones, which will be
submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and
ensure quality final
submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules
Three and Five. The final submission is due in Module Seven.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the
following course outcomes:
? Evaluate the extent to which social,
political, economic and environmental challenges impact international business
activities
? Develop risk management strategies for
addressing contemporary issues in international business at the management
level
? Recommend risk mitigation strategies
and contingency plans that adhere to legal and ethical standards in
international business
? Defend the efficacy of risk management
strategies in addressing international management challenges and cross-cultural
differences
Prompt
Imagine you have been appointed to the risk committee of the
organization represented in the provided case studies. As a member of this
committee, you will
work to identify and evaluate risks to your organization and
then provide management strategies for addressing those risks.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be
addressed:
I. Risk Evaluation: For this part of the project, you will
identify and evaluate the extent to which risks in the region may impact the
well-being of the
organization.
A. Evaluate the effect of economic risks present in the region
that the organization will have to account for. Be sure to use the economic
characteristics of the region in your evaluation.
B. Assess the impact of environmental challenges that the
organization will be faced with while operating in this region. Be sure to use
the
environmental characteristics of the region in your
evaluation. For example, you could consider transportation costs, market
demand, and
production regarding operating in the region.
C. Appraise the political atmosphere within this region for
its impact on the organization. Be sure to use the political characteristics of
the region in
your evaluation. What issues could arise because of
political volatility, and how will these impact the organization?
D. Evaluate the effect of the cultural and social risks of
the region that will pose a threat to the well-being of the organization. Be
sure to use the
cultural and social characteristics of the region in your
evaluation.
II. Strategy Development: In this part of the project, you
will begin to develop strategies for addressing the previously identified
risks. Be sure that your
strategies are informed by your previous analysis of risk.
A. Determine the type of each identified risk based on how
it can be addressed by the organization. For example, can any of the risks be
minimized
through operational changes? Which of them would require an
insurance policy? Can any of them be self-insured by reserving funds?
B. Prioritize the risks and exposures that you have
previously identified in order of precedence for the organization to address.
Be sure to support
your response with appropriate research.
C. Outline the legal and ethical standards and
cross-cultural differences associated with the region that might influence the
development of your
risk mitigation strategies.
D. For each of the previously identified risks, develop risk
mitigation strategies that:
1. Incorporate the measures that should be taken by the
organization in addressing each of the identified risks.
2. Incorporate appropriate legal and ethical guidelines
pertinent to the organization and the region the organization is operating in.
3. Illustrate methods for addressing cross-cultural
differences pertinent to the organization and the region the organization is
operating in.
III. Defense: In this part of the project, you will defend
your decisions regarding your strategies. You will compile research and other
supporting evidence
before developing a justification for the implementation of
your strategies. You will also develop contingency plans should your strategies
be ineffective
or inappropriate for the situation.
A. Determine the approximate costs and benefits associated
with employing your risk management strategies and explain how this helps to
justify
the strategy. For example, are these risk management
strategies cost effective for the organization?
B. Explain the importance of addressing cross-cultural
differences in the development of risk mitigation strategies. For example, what
decisions did
you make differently in order to address cross-cultural
differences, and what would happen if you did not factor in these differences?
C. Defend your risk management strategies based on how well
they will account for the previously analyzed risks. Be sure to support your
response with appropriate examples and research. For
example, how have other organizations approached risk management in similar
situations?
D. Develop a contingency plan should the strategy prove
ineffective or inappropriate for the particular situation. Be sure that your
contingency
plans align with appropriate legal and ethical standards.
For example, how would you prepare for unforeseen circumstances? How would you
advise the organization should something go awry?
Milestones
Milestone One: Risk Evaluation
In Module Three, you will submit Milestone One: Risk
Evaluation. As a member of a risk committee, your first step will be to
identify and evaluate the extent to
which risks in the region may impact the well-being of the
organization. This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Strategy Development
In Module Five, you will submit Milestone Two: Strategy
Development. In this milestone, you will begin to develop strategies for
addressing the risks you
identified in Milestone One. Be sure that your strategies
are informed by your previous analysis of risk. Take note of the feedback from
your instructor on
Milestone One before moving ahead with Milestone Two. You
will also resubmit a revised Milestone One with your Milestone Two content.
This milestone is
graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Final Submission: Risk Management Report
In Module Seven, you will revise Milestones One and Two
based on feedback and new information gained throughout the course, develop
Section III: Defense,
and submit your complete individual risk management report.
It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical
elements of the final project.
This final submission will be graded using the Final Project
Rubric.
INT 400 Executive
Summary
Overview: Every business report, white paper, article, etc.
over a certain length requires some sort of summary (i.e., executive summary or
abstract). Quite
often, busy executives rely heavily on the executive summary
of a long report to give them the information they need. The purpose of a
summary is to highlight
the main points of the report, the findings, and the
recommendations.
Prompt: Write a 1- to 2-page executive summary of your risk
management report.
Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed:
? The executive summary highlights the
main points, key findings, and recommendations of the risk management
report.
? The executive summary uses tone and
language appropriate for the specified audience.
? The executive summary is clear and
concise.
? The executive summary uses visual cues
(graphs, tables, charts, bullet points, headings, etc.) appropriately
for communication of message.
Guidelines for Submission: Your paper must be submitted as a
1- to 2-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New
Roman font,
and one-inch margins.
Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric
in Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For
more information,
review these instructions.
Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (75%)
Not Evident (0%) Value
Main Points, Key
Findings, and
Recommendations
Executive summary highlights main
points, key findings, and
recommendations of the risk
management report
Executive summary highlights some but
not all main points, key findings, and
recommendations of the risk
management report
Executive summary does not highlight
main points, key findings, and
recommendations of the risk
management report
20
Audience Executive summary uses tone and
language appropriate for specified
audience
Executive summary mostly uses tone and
language appropriate for specified
audience but reflects some gaps in
judgment
Executive summary does not use tone
and language appropriate for specified
audience
20
Clear and Concise Executive summary is clear and concise
Executive summary has areas that are not
clear and/or concise
Executive summary is not clear or concise 20
Visual Cues Executive summary uses graphs, charts,
tables, bullet points, headings, and other
visual cues to help communicate ideas
Executive summary uses graphs, charts,
tables, bullet points, headings, and other
visual cues, but they are used
inappropriately or inaccurately
Executive summary does not use visual
cues
20
Articulation of
Response
Submission has no major errors related to
citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or
organization
Submission has major errors related to
citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or
organization that negatively impact
readability and articulation of main ideas
Submission has critical errors related to
citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or
organization that prevent understanding
of ideas
20
Total 100%
