March 28, 1998

BA 395: International Business

London - May 15 to June 5, 1998

Instructor:  Dr. Charles Kuehl
St. Louis: 
     Office: 481 SSB, UM - St. Louis, St. Louis MO 63121
     Telephone: 314/516-6112; fax: 314/516-6420
     E-mail: kuehl@umsl.edu
London:
     Office: Imperial College Union Beit Quad
          Prince Consort Road
          London SW7 2BB
     Telephone: (171) 589-4366

Text:   International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace, 2nd ed. by Charles Hill

Prerequisites: At least one course in economics, management, marketing or consent of instructor.

Note: Do not buy the text here in the US; the group that is in London now is using it and I have
made arrangements for those students to leave their books for you. Each copy will have the
owner's name and address and you will send him/her the $30 used-book price. You do have the
option of buying a new one, of course, and bringing it with you. They are about $80 new.
The primary objective of this course is to familiarize you with the ways in which corporations
compete in the world of international business.  To accompish this objective we will explore
topics such as international trade, international organizations, foreign investment, the diverse
forces making up the foreign environment, and the ways in which managers deal with those
forces. A secondary objective of the the course is to provide preparation for an internship in a
London business. This will be accomplished by focussing on the culture and customs of London
and by examining the current state of affairs in business, not only in London, but in the United
Kingdom and the remainder of the European.
The course comprises three components: pre-departure preparation, classes, and supplementary
activities.
Pre-departure preparation  While I will expect you to read widely during your days in London,
some selectivity may be advisable as you prepare for the summer. The most important of the
publications for you to spend time with are The Financial Times and The Economist. Both are
London publications and both are excellent vehicles for learning what is going on in international
business. Many newsstands carry them; it should be worth $10 or so to get a preview.  
In addition to these printed materials, check out the following web sites:

Classes  Because we have limited time before your internships will start, we will adopt an
intensive schedule, meeting daily, starting with an introduction/orientation the day of your arrival.
While the times and dates of the topics will be specified later, the coverage in class will include 
the following:
  • The context of international business (Chapter 1)
  • Country factors (Chapters 2&3)
  • Trade and investment (Chapters 4,5&8)
  • Global monetary system (Chapters 9&10)
  • International business strategy (Chapters 12&14)
  • International operations (Chapters 15-18)
Supplementary activities  One important advantage of having London as the site of the course is
the many relevant organizations and activities to be found there.  Consequently, an integral part of
the course is set of events constituting the British Life and Culture lecture series; its schedule, 
as currently set, is as follows:  
  • Tuesday, May 19 Museum of London visit
  • Wednesday, May 20 Globe Theatre visit
  • Friday, May 22 Houses of Parliament visit
  • Tuesday, May 26 European business lecture
  • Wednesday, May 27 Roman Britian lecture
  • Thursday, May 28 Trip to Bath and Stonehenge
  • Monday, June 1 British class system lecture
  • Tuesday, June 2 British Museum visit
In addition to the activities listed above, we may engage in visits to the London Securities and
Derivatives Exchange, the Bank of England, and other institutions.
                                
                         

Grading

The following components will be used in the determination of grades: 1. Exams 250 points Materials for the exams will be taken from both the text and classroom discussions; a combination of essay and short-answer items will be used. To encourage you to stay current with the assigned reading, exams will be given frequently. Three mid-term exams (50 points each) and a final (100 points) will be given.. 2. Participation 150 points You will be expected to relate the material covered in class to events in business in England and/or Europe. This will require you to read business periodicals regularly and to interpret the events of the day using lessons and knowledge gained from the text and class. 3. Report 100 points A report of 3-5 pages will be due June 5 in the London IE office. The report will include a close examination of an issue or problem currently found in international business. The report will identify and describe the issue or problem, citing several published sources. The report will conclude with an analysis of the situation, based on conceptual material provided by the text and the impressions gained through the various supplementary acttivities, planned and unplanned, you will have experienced.
Top of Page

Back to Dr. Kuehl's profile

UM-St. Louis Home Page