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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
