COURSE SYLLABUS

ECO 21350:

International Business Environment (Section 6X) - 3.0 Credits

Fall 2015

HOURS:

Saturdays; 9:00-12:00pm;
3 hours per week
NAC 5/150

PREREQUISITES: ECO 10000 or ECO 10101 or ECO 10200 or ECO 10300 or ECO10400
FACULTY:

Professor Aaliyah El-Amin

Office: NAC 5/103D
Office hours: Saturdays, 12:00-1:00pm
Contact Number: 201-401-5786
E-Mail: aelamin@ccny.cuny.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The causes, dimensions, consequences, and evolution of our

current interdependent world economy. The course examines the institutional background of the
world financial order, international income comparisons, foreign exchange, balance of payments,
the multinational enterprise, international trade, and international investment.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Undergraduate and graduate students in International Business should be able to:
Explain fundamental concepts underpinning the world economy and international trade,
Analyze economic and business data from established sources to identify key insights,
Outline broad strategies for entry and competition in foreign markets,
Develop ability to analyze and discuss ethical issues in a business context,
Integrate theory with public policy,
Evaluate theories against empirical findings within management, finance, or economics,
Compose excellent oral and written communications for diverse audiences, and
Refine critical thinking, teamwork and leadership skills.
EVALUATION METHODS:
Homework
Class Participation
Individual Project
Group Project
Exams
Final Exam
Total:

10%
10%
10%
15%
25%
30%
100%

WRITING ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES

Assignments are due at the beginning of class.
Margins: One-inch margin (left and right, top and bottom)
Font: Times New Roman, 12 point
Spacing: Double Spaced
CURRENT EVENT RESOURCES

Wall Street Journal

The Economist
Bloomberg Businessweek

PARTICIPATION:
The course will include class discussions and attendance and participation are of critical
importance. Please come to class prepared for active participation as the quality of the learning
experience is dependent upon interaction and exchange of ideas.
ATTENDANCE:
Students are expected to attend every class session of each course in which they are enrolled and
to be on time. An instructor has the right to drop a student from a course for excessive absences.
The instructor may treat lateness as the equivalent of an absence. No distinction is made
between excused and unexcused absences. The College Bulletin sets the default policy that a
student may be dropped if absent more than 4 classes (for classes meeting twice a week) or 2
classes (for classes meeting once a week). The instructor will notify the Registrar for students
that are registered for the class but do not attend a single class. These students will be dropped
from the class.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
The CUNY Policy on plagiarism is included below (the CUNY Policy can be found in Appendix
B.3 of the CCNY Bulletin 2005-2007):
Plagiarism is the act of presenting another persons ideas, research or writings as your own.
Please find examples of plagiarism below:
1. Copying another persons actual words without the use of quotation marks and footnotes
attributing the words to their source.
2. Presenting another persons ideas or theories in your own words without acknowledging the
Source.
3. Using information that is not common knowledge without acknowledging the source.
4. Failing to acknowledge collaborators on homework and other assignments.

5. Internet plagiarism includes submitting downloaded term papers or parts of term papers,
paraphrasing or copying information from the internet without citing the source, and cutting and
pasting from various sources without proper attribution.
The City College Faculty Senate has approved a procedure for addressing violations of academic
integrity, which can also be found in Appendix B.3 of the CCNY Bulletin.
If plagiarism is suspected, the Instructor can report the incident to the Academic Integrity
Official. Disciplinary sanctions for plagiarism range from a failing grade to expulsion.
DISABILITY ACCOMODATION:
The Office of Student Disability Services (SDS) is dedicated to providing students with
disabilities equal access to the College curriculum. The Office ensures that, upon request,
qualified students with disabilities are provided reasonable and effective accommodations, as
mandated by law, as well as appropriate support services.
Students who contact SDS and indicate that they have a disability or believe that they might
qualify for services will be asked to make an appointment for an intake interview with SDS staff.
To qualify for services, students must register with SDS by providing appropriate documentation
from a qualified professional describing the nature of their disability and functional limitations.
Although academic adjustments are mandated by law, the College is not required to alter
demonstrably essential academic requirements of a course of study nor is the College mandated
to lower or effect substantial modifications of reasonable academic standards.
Early planning is essential for many of the resources, adjustments and accommodations; students
are asked to contact SDS at the earliest possible date.
POLICIES ON NON-DISCRIMINATION AND SEXUAL HARRASSMENT
The City College prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, gender, sexual orientation,
transgender, disability, genetic predisposition or carrier status, alienage or citizenship, religion,
race, color, nationality or ethnic origin, or veteran, military or marital status in its student
admissions, employment, access to programs, and administration of educational policies.
Questions, concerns, or complaints based on any of the above may be directed to the Office of
Diversity and Compliance, Wille Administration Building, Room 212 (212-650-6310). In
addition, the specific form of gender discrimination, "sexual harassment," is prohibited by the
policies of the Board of Trustees of The City University of New York. Student complaints
alleging sexual harassment should be directed to the Sexual Harassment Awareness and Intake
Coordinator (see Appendix B.15 of the Bulletin, and the Sexual Harassment brochure for the
name of the current Coordinator and a list of Committee members who may be contacted).
Brochures are available in the Office of Diversity and Compliance, the Office of Human
Resources, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and at the NAC Welcome Center.
Information is also available on the City College website under the Office of Diversity
http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/affirmativeaction/.

REQUIRED TEXT:

Global Business Today by Charles W.L. Hill (Ninth Edition)

COURSE OUTLINE
WEEK
1

DATE
Aug 29

TOPICS

Sep 5

No Class

Sep 12

National Differences in Political Economy

Chapter 2

Sep 19

Differences in Culture

Chapter 4

Sep 26

Political Economy and Economic Dev.

Political Economy of International Trade

Chapter 3, 7

Oct 3

Exam 1
Foreign Direct Investment

Chapter 8

Oct 10

Class Assignment

Oct 17

Regional Economic Integration

The Strategy of International Business

Chapter 9, 12

Oct 24

Chapter 13, 14

10

Oct 31

11

Nov 7

Entering Foreign Markets

Exporting, Importing and Countertrade
Project 1 Due
Global Production, Outsourcing and
Logistics
Global Marketing and R&D
Exam 2
Global Human Resource Management

12

Nov 14

The Foreign Exchange Market

The International Monetary System

Chapter 10, 11

13

Nov 21

Ethics in International Business

International Trade Policy

Chapter 5, 6

14

Nov 28

No Class

Globalization

READING
Chapter 1

Chapter 15, 16
Chapter 17

15

Dec 5

Presentations (Team Project)

16

Dec 12

Final Exam

*Course outline is subject to change