International School of Management - ISM

Course Description: This course will help students understand the challenge and opportunities of management in a global business environment. We will review changes in that environment during this period of Globalization, look at the growing importance of the “electronic herd” and of organizations such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. We will review regional economic integration, and the rise of the WTO and other international trade organizations. Students will develop a good understanding of the basic dynamics of international trade. We will discuss some of the major trends in international management including challenges involved in foreign direct investment, foreign mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures, managing a diverse or multi-cultural workforce, licensing, Global sourcing strategy, and managing import-export operations. This is not a course in international economics or international trade theory, but rather a course that uses a basic understanding of those disciplines as a backdrop against which we focus on the management challenge they present.

Students will learn the key considerations in adopting an international strategy. They will understand the impact of diversity in the global workforce and develop a deeper appreciation of the need for consistency and cultural sensitivity in international business. They will develop a framework for managing the global workforce of multinational companies.