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At the bottom of the last post you will see a tab saying older posts on the right side this will take you to the posts that were listed before the last post on this page sorry for any confusion. By the way the contact info is the first post.

March 11th International Business Paper (World Cup 2010)

This post will be used as a discussion board for the term paper as well as a place to post the assignments leading up to the term paper. As we all know we have picked to do our term paper on the World Cup 2010 taking place in South Africa, we will need a ton of information for this paper and any info that you can find make sure to post it here. We will get together before turning in the paper but, this will help us organize most of the info prior to our meeting.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PAPER

With your group, write a 1,500-2,000 word paper (not including graphs or tables) on International Business. Your paper can be an opinion piece, a report on a firm or industry, or a current events paper. It should be an International Management topic or a topic that affects International Management.

This is a group project and all members of the group will receive the same grade. (If you are unhappy with a group member’s participation, send their name back to me BEFORE April 2nd. Please see the Group Policy section in the syllabus.)

Go to Course Contents, IB Paper for more detailed instructions and possible outlines you could use.

This paper must be original, do not copy other writer’s works without giving credit.

I will assist you in writing your paper by having interim reports due during the semester. Go to Assignments to post these assignments.

January 28 – post your TOPIC for IB paper (2 points)
February 11 – post the WEBSITES you will use for your IB Paper (2 points)
February 25 – post your OUTLINE for your IB Paper (2 points)
March 11 – post your IB Paper (34 points)

April 15th Oral Report Requirements and Discussion Board

Here is the Oral Report requirements. I would like to use this as a discussion board for the oral report this way when it comes time for our group to meet we will already brainstormed ideas for the oral report and even have information ready for a meeting. Thanks again for the help.

ORAL REPORTS

In your group, research your Notebook topic area during the semester. For example, if your topic area is Australia, your Oral Report will be on Australia. In this case, do online research on Australia. All of your homework assignments will be on Australia. By the end of the semester you should be an expert on how to manage in Australia.

You have 20 minutes to present. Write on any management subject you find interesting in your country. Do not use all the notebook assignments; there is too much material in a Country Notebook to present in 20 minutes. Pick 3-4 main ideas and talk about them, using examples. You may also include topics not in the Notebook, like current events that affect managers.

Use visual aids, hand-outs, or other supporting materials to reinforce your message. Most people remember better what they see than what they hear. Write out detail in your Powerpoints so we can take notes.

Please bring in artifacts or other materials to aid in our understanding and hold our interest in your presentation.

Your goal is to be so well-informed and present such a well-designed report that we will be able to remember key points when we find ourselves on a plane to your country, wondering how to manage when we get there.

ORAL REPORT EVALUATION

I. Content – 6 points - This is a grade on substance.

How well does this group understand the overall topic area?
How well did they research?
What is the quantity of information presented?
Be sure you don’t duplicate material from class.

II. Presentation – 6 points - This is a grade rating the effectiveness of the presentation.

How well is the report organized?
How well does the communication work (Powerpoints)?
How well do I understand their main points?
Is the group able to accurately show how much work they did on the subject?

III. Other – 6 points - This is a grade rating the visual aids (not Powerpoints) and support materials.

Can I imagine doing business in this country?
How easy is it to pay attention?
What will help me remember it when I am thinking about it later?
Artifacts? -Costumes?
Music? – Video?
Snacks?
Skit? - Other?

IV. Staying on Time (20 minutes) – 2 points

March 25th Homework 8 (TBA)

8. Negotiation Pattern (10 pts)
1. What is the basic process of negotiation in this country?
2. Do they haggle or start with one, best suggestion? What is the pattern with regard to concessions?
3. What are likely to be the important issues during negotiations (in general)?
4. How long do negotiations take?
5. Are they objective or subjective?

March 11th Homwork 7 (Mayker)

7. Labor Relations (10 pts)
1. What is the nature of organized labor, labor unions?
2. How strong and influential is labor with management? –government?
3. How are disputes resolved?
4. Does labor openly confront management; what are the issues?
5. How will a foreign manager have to adapt/change to labor in this country?

February 25th Homework 6 (Jack)

6. Management Style (10 pts)
1. Characterize style: participative or authoritarian or bureaucratic? (pick one)
2. Characteristics of effective leader and type of decision making
3. Is management formal or informal? –direct or indirect
4. How does management praise/reward desired behavior and critique poor performance?
5. How important is practice of planning? –sticking to the schedule?

Febuary 18th Homwork 5 (Vanessa)

Communication: consider communication style, issues, and problems

1. Direct or indirect?

2. How does power distance impact the way people communicate to subordinates, bosses? This is about communication, not power distance

3. Marketing issues: what do foreign managers need to learn about marketing in this country?

4. What colors, symbols that have meaning in this country?

5. Find examples of ads in this country: YouTube.com (10 pts)