autumn 2015 BED-3052 Internationalisation and negotiations - 10 ECTS

Application deadline

Applicants from Nordic countries: June 1st for the autumn semester and December 1st for the spring semester. Exchange students: October 1st for the spring semester and April 15th for the autumn semester. 

Exchange students are students from academic institutions with which UiT The Arctic University of Norway have formal exchange agreements.


Type of course

This course can be taken as a singular course.

Admission requirements

Students have to hold a bachelor degree (180 ECTS) in one of the following disciplines: Business, Management, Marketing, Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Electrical engineeing, Physics, Health, Energy, Fisheries or Biotechnology.

  • The Norwegian grading system is an A-F scale in which A is the highest score and F is fail. An average grade C from a bachelor degree issued in Norway is the minimum requirement for admission to the master's level for students with Norwegian study background.
  • Applicants who hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent issued in Europe, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand must have an average grade C as a minimum, or the corresponding numerical mark/percentage score to be considered for admission.
  • Applicants who hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent issued in countries other than the above mentioned region/countries must have an average grade B as a minimum, or the corresponding numerical mark/percentage score to be considered for admission.


Course content

This course introduces the students to different theoretical perspectives on internationalization and negotiations. Regarding internationalization, the course will present different theoretical approaches that in various ways explain how companies may enter and expand in foreign markets and why. An important part of doing business is to establish business relationships. This course will introduce the students to some of the challenges that business partners from different cultures may encounter when establishing and developing business relationships, and how these challenges could be managed. Negotiations are an essential part of doing business. Therefore, this course will prepare the students to take part in negotiations in a cross-cultural context. This implies both an introduction to theoretical approaches to negotiations and practical sessions where students take part in negotiations.

 

Preparations

The students are encouraged to read the literature which is given in the lecture plan before attending a class. This will make the student better prepared to ask questions and to take part in discussions. In the first lecture the students will be divided into groups, and will be offered guidance with regard to how to get started with the group assignment which will focus on a problem related to the internationalization process of a company or industry. It is therefore of great importance that students attend the first lecture.

 

Supervision

The students will be offered supervision. More detailed information regarding supervision will be made available in Fronter. Prepare questions/issues that you want to discuss before the meeting.


Objectives of the course

The course should make the students prepared to review essential concepts and models that can be used to explain how a company internationalizes and why. The student should be prepared to analyze, discuss and offer suggestions regarding how a company could internationalize/extend its activities in foreign markets. The students should also be prepared to offer suggestions with regard to which strategy that could be useful when meeting a business partner in negotiations, and take part in a team negotiating in a cross-culture business venture.

The student will attain the following learning objectives:

Knowledge and understanding:

  • Be prepared to review essential concepts and models explaining how a company may internationalize and why.
  • Be prepared to take part in a discussion about a company's internationalization process: what kind of strategy could be appropriate for a selected company?
  • Be prepared to review different approaches to negotiations.
  • Be prepared to review different challenges that may occur in a negotiation with a foreign business partner, and how challenges could be managed.

 

Skills:

  • Be prepared to be part of a team which aim is to analyze a company's potentials for internationalization, or extending its activities in foreign markets.
  • Be prepared to be part of a team which aim is to offer suggestions with regard to a company's internationalization process
  • Be prepared to take part in a team negotiating with a business partner from a different country

 

Competence:

  • The student will be prepared to take part in discussions regarding a company's internationalization and negotiation strategies.
  • The student will hold fundamental knowledge when it comes to internationalization and negotiations, and have a solid fundament to expand knowledge further.

Language of instruction and examination

English

Teaching methods

In the autumn 2015, the course is offered as an ordinary course at the university campus. It is required that the students are present at the Campus because the course requires that the students take part in course activities that are compulsory, including a group assignment. The teaching will consist of lectures, group work, presentations, discussions and negotiations. Each group will present the results of the group assignment. Each member of the group will take part in the presentation.

 

The schedule (timeplan) BED - 3052 offers information about where and when lectures, presentations, supervision and negotiations will find place.

 

The teaching plan will be made available in Fronter just before the start of the semester.

 

The student is responsible to ensure that he/she gets the information given during the lectures, and which is not given in the schedule, teaching plan, in Fronter or in the required course readings.

 

Software tools

It is expected that the students master the use of word processing.


Assessment

Group based assignment makes up 30 % of total grade, reflection note makes up 10 % of total grade, and 4 hours individual written exam makes up 60 % of total grade. A graded scale of fice marks from A to E for pass and F for fail.

There will not be arranged a re-sit exam for this course.

 

Group assignment
The students will be divided into groups by the lecturer. Each group has to select a company or an industry which it wants to use as a case for its assignment. The purpose of the assignment is to apply concepts and models from the internationalization literature in order to analyze and discuss a particular problem/issue related to the company's or industry¿s internationalization process. The assignment should be submitted both as a paper size and as a PDF file in Fronter. It is expected that the students identify relevant literature for their assignment.

The assignment should be 15 pages maximum including reference list and appendixes. The students should make use of the structure explained in the Guidelines for Master Theses found at: http://uit.no/ansatte/organisasjon/studier?p_dimension_id=88167&p_menu=28714

Information about the deadline for the submission of the group assignment will be given in the beginning of the semester. List the candidate numbers of all the group members on the front page of the assignment.

The group assignment makes up 30 % of the total grade.

Reflection note
The reflection note is an individual assignment, maximum five pages including front page and references. After the negotiations have been carried out, the student writes a reflection note based on one of the two cases. The student should offer an analysis of the negotiation process leading to the outcome of the selected negotiation. Secondly the student has to offer her/his point of view regarding the learning outcomes: What did you learn as a result of taking part in the two negotiation cases?

Information about the deadline for the submission of the reflection note will be given in the beginning of the semester. Provide the candidate number on the front page of the reflection note. The reflection note should be submitted both as a paper size and as a PDF file in Fronter.

The individual reflection note makes up 10 % of the total grade.

Written exam
The written exam is held at campus Tromsø
The written exam makes up 60 % of the total grade.

Compulsory requirements
The students have to complete some requirements in order to sit for the written examination.

Requirement 1
Each group will present the assignment, and each member of the group has to contribute in the presentation. The schedule for the presentations will be given in the beginning of the semester.

Requirement 2
The students will practice negotiations in groups (one group makes up a negotiation team). All students have to take part in two different negotiations (two different cases). Each negotiation session will last 4 hours. The groups have to prepare, carry out negotiations and take part in the discussions about what happened in the negotiations (debriefing). The schedule for the negotiations will be given at the beginning of the semester.

The student has to submit documentation like medical certificate to the student administration if the student does not complete one of the requirements. Documentation is required in order to find an alternative requirement, and to find a new date for the submission of written work.


Recommended reading/syllabus

Literature will be announced in Fronter at the beginning of the term.

Error rendering component

  • About the course
  • Campus: Tromsø |
  • ECTS: 10
  • Course code: BED-3052