978-1259317224 Chapter 1 Part 3

International Business

Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball

Instructor Guide to Module 1

in China? What about that Dodge Ram truck? Nothing is more American than a pick-up truck,

1. Should it matter to consumers whether the companies that make their products are based

in the consumers’ home country or not? Explain your rationale. 

2. Why has there been almost no negative backlash among Americans to the flood of foreign

investment into their country?

This question can prove to be difficult for some students to answer. On one hand, students may

note that the U.S. is a major investor in foreign nations and therefore cannot be overly

protectionist when investments also go the other direction. Other students may argue that

country and its potential for economic prosperity.

International Business

Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball

Instructor Guide to Module 1

BONUS ACTIVITIES (additional resources not in the text)

This section provides you with support of your course above and beyond what’s found in the

text. We have developed these resources to support your course, to support your traditional,

hybrid, online, flipped class.

VIDEO SUGGESTIONS

McGraw Hill’s collection of international business videos is available on pinterest at

https://pinterest.com/mheibvideos. The Impact of Globalization board is rich and varied,

updated monthly. It’s a great resource. See http://finance.yahoo.com/video/loews-hotels-

chairman-international-travelers-150330341.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma for an interview

with the chairman of Loews Hotels, explaining why international travelers are vital to growth.

See Debate.com’s History and Debate of Globalization at http://www.debate.org/globalization/

for a variety of debates on the merits of globalization as well as critiques of globalization.

MapsofWorld.com has an interesting series of facts and discussion about the history of

international business and trade, which you can find at

http://finance.mapsofworld.com/trade/history-international.html.

GlobalEdge and the Academy of International Business provide links to a number of

organizations that offer videos about international business. You can find these links at

https://aib.msu.edu/resources/videodepositories.asp.

YouTube has many international business-related videos in its collection. For example, you can

find a 31:03 minute video on How Beneficial is World Trade at

https://youtu.be/xRJZWfqWcs0?list=PL9E6D9764746EA546.

TEAM EXERCISES

These may be done individually or in groups or teams, either in or out of class, for later class

presentation. Some are also appropriate for hybrid and online courses.

1. International Business Project

One popular team exercise is to prepare a foreign market assessment and entry business plan,

which can be done on a standalone basis or in multiple stages during the international business

course. While the project could be done individually, we have tended to assign them to teams of

International Business

Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball

Instructor Guide to Module 1

Objective: To create a foreign market entry business plan for taking an American consumer

product into a foreign country.

Project Outline

1. Size of market (demographics, socioeconomic state, urban/rural).

2. Sociocultural acceptance of product – is adaptation necessary?

3. Legal/bureaucratic environment (imports, local manufacture, taxation).

4. Competition in market.

5. Economic and political climate for foreign business.

6. Methods for marketing and distribution.

7. Managerial and labor climate.

8. Financial viability (profit margin, currency translation, profit repatriation).

Project Report: The report may essentially cover all topics in the outline plus an executive

summary, introduction (country and product), and recommendations. The report will be word–

processed, about 20 pages (double-spaced) and will have an appendix that contains exhibits

and a complete bibliography of sources. Examples are maps of the country, tables, and charts.

Project Presentation: The project may be presented to the class either through a taped session

posted online (most appropriate for online classes) or through face–to-face presentation to the

class (more appropriate for hybrid or face–to-face sessions). Thirty minutes will typically be

allotted to each team, including 15-20 minutes for presentation followed by question and

2. Conduct a debate on issues in support of and opposing globalization. The text hints at a range

of issues regarding the pros and cons of globalization, which can serve as a starting point for a

stimulating debate and class discussion on globalization. Consider assigning students to “for”

and “against” positions and ask them to research their positions and provide a clear and

International Business

Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball

Instructor Guide to Module 1

Potential discussion questions can include: “Discuss the benefits of globalization and the

concerns regarding the globalization of markets as outlined in the module? Are you concerned

with the internationalization of markets? If so why?, “ or “If international business is not a new

topic, what about the globalization of international business is new? What are the roots of

globalization? Is globalization accelerating? Why or why not?,” or “How have you benefited

personally or been negatively impacted by the forces of globalization? Please be specific in

your response.” A summary of the class discussion would offer an appreciation of the many

3. Following up on the mini–case, “Are You Really Buying American,” ask students to research

other American brands and businesses that are owned by foreign companies. They might be

surprised who really owns what in the U.S. and how brand identification and ownership may be

different. You might stimulate some of this discussion by putting the following

companies/brands onto individual PowerPoint slides and asking students to identify the

d. Diesel clothing (produced by Diesel S.p.A. of Italy)

e. Aquafresh toothpaste (GlaxoSmithKline plc of the United Kingdom)

f. Baby Ruth candy bars (produced by Nestle of Switzerland)

g. Holiday Inn motels (owned by InterContinental Hotels Group plc of the United

Kingdom)

m. Random House (owned by Bertelsmann of Germany)

n. Ralston Purina pet foods (owned by Nestle of Switzerland)

o. Motel 6 (owned by Accor of France)

p. Pinkertons (owned by Securitas AB of Sweden)

q. Ban deodorant (owned by Kao Corporation of Japan)

International Business

Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball

Instructor Guide to Module 1

SUPPLEMENTAL ACTIVITIES

Case Studies

Case studies that focus on the internationalization of business and on issues related to the

globalization debate are available through Ivey Publishing and Harvard Business School. Ivey’s

catalog is available for browsing (www. iveycases.com); the cases are downloadable and pricing

is in the U.S. $3.50 range. Harvard Business Publishing

(https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/pages/home) requires an account and offers free review

copies for educators. The case prices begin in the $3.95 to $6 range.

“Planet Starbucks (A)” details efforts made by Starbucks to act in a socially responsible manner

“Worker Rights and Global Trade: The U.S.-Cambodia Bilateral Textile Trade Agreement”

examines the political and economic dimensions of the campaign to improve workers’ rights

around the world, through inclusion of labor standards in international trade agreements and

with a specific focus on the U.S.-Cambodia Textile Trade Agreement. The latter agreement was

the first to link increased access to U.S. markets with improvements in working conditions in an

1. Global Debate : The GLOBAL DEBATE: Is the “Bottom of the Pyramid” a Market Worth

Serving? Boxed element described earlier in this module’s Instructor Guide provides an excellent

foundation for debating some of the issues raised in the text.

Online and Hybrid: Virtual teams can be assigned questions and submit their work as a group.

International Business

Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball

Instructor Guide to Module 1

2. Debate on Globalization: The debate on globalization element described earlier in this

module’s Instructor Guide provides an excellent foundation to lever the content from the text’s

discussion of this topic into a lively and insightful debate among the class participants. Conduct

a debate on issues in support of and opposing globalization. The text hints at a range of issues

involved.

Online and Hybrid: Virtual teams can be assigned to take different perspectives to argue

for or against globalization and these assignments can be submitted as a group and then opened

up to discussion and debate on an online class discussion site or blog, or presented and debated

3. Current events for sources of culture controversy

A focus on current events that are relevant to the module’s topics is a good way to bring home

the concepts, review their application and build news-review habits. Five minutes at the

beginning of class is devoted to discussion of current events. Recent relevant current events