Students

MQBS3030 – International Study Tour

2023 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-infrequent, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Parmod Chand
parmod.chand@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
120cp at 1000 level or above and permission by special approval
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit develops knowledge and understanding of the international business environment and business operations in foreign markets through first-hand observation of businesses in a foreign country. It is designed for students with background knowledge of, and interest in, business processes in an international context. The unit includes a series of seminars and a study tour to a foreign country.

As this unit requires students to attend a supervised study tour, additional costs are involved. Contact Macquarie Business School for full details.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Synthesise key management, business and international business concepts and theories and assess the practical application of these concepts and theories in the context of conducting business in a foreign country.
  • ULO2: Communicate in a professional environment and reflect on study tour experiences and learning for personal and professional development.
  • ULO3: Examine the business environment in a foreign country and identify and analyse issues faced in order to extrapolate insights into challenges faced by businesses operating in an external economy.
  • ULO4: Develop effective and justifiable strategies and solutions to identified business and/or cultural issues, individually and in a collaborative environment.

General Assessment Information

Portfolio and Final Report   

Submission: Attendance is compulsory.

Extension: No extension will be granted unless an application is approved under the Special Consideration Policy in accordance with the University rules.

Penalties: Zero mark for non-submission. Unless an application for Special Consideration has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern. For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests, exams, performance assessments, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.  

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Portfolio and Final Report 60% No Week 5, 11 and 12
Active Participation 20% No Ongoing
Reflective Journals 20% No Week 10

Portfolio and Final Report

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Week 5, 11 and 12
Weighting: 60%

This task consists of 3 stages/ components of work and is a combination of individual and group work: 1. Individual: 1,000 word pre-trip report (worth 15%) 2. Individual: 2,000 word post-trip final report (worth 25%) 3. Group: Presentation and/or video (worth 20%)

For individual work, each group member is required to develop a different yet connected topic for his/her individual report, based on the learning throughout the lectures, readings and field trip in India. These topics developed individually will then be combined into a coherent and well-structured group presentation and/or video. Presentations and/or video should be produced to a standard suitable for presentation to a professional audience.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Synthesise key management, business and international business concepts and theories and assess the practical application of these concepts and theories in the context of conducting business in a foreign country.
  • Communicate in a professional environment and reflect on study tour experiences and learning for personal and professional development.
  • Examine the business environment in a foreign country and identify and analyse issues faced in order to extrapolate insights into challenges faced by businesses operating in an external economy.
  • Develop effective and justifiable strategies and solutions to identified business and/or cultural issues, individually and in a collaborative environment.

Active Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%

Students will be expected to attend and actively participate in pre-trip seminars, in-class discussion and all field trip activities.

Contributions will be assessed based on preparation, quality of participation and engagement with peers, lecturer(s) and business hosts, professionalism at site-visits and during the tour and a student’s ability to synthesise theories with the practical application of these theories observed during their study tour.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Synthesise key management, business and international business concepts and theories and assess the practical application of these concepts and theories in the context of conducting business in a foreign country.
  • Communicate in a professional environment and reflect on study tour experiences and learning for personal and professional development.
  • Examine the business environment in a foreign country and identify and analyse issues faced in order to extrapolate insights into challenges faced by businesses operating in an external economy.
  • Develop effective and justifiable strategies and solutions to identified business and/or cultural issues, individually and in a collaborative environment.

Reflective Journals

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 10
Weighting: 20%

Students are expected to produce regular reflective journals outlining their personal experience and learning from the study tour experience. They are expected to submit five entries from their reflective journals. Students will be assessed on the quality of their reflection, including their growth/development in self-awareness.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Synthesise key management, business and international business concepts and theories and assess the practical application of these concepts and theories in the context of conducting business in a foreign country.
  • Communicate in a professional environment and reflect on study tour experiences and learning for personal and professional development.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Teaching staff

Unit convenor: Associate Professor Parmod Chand

Telephone: 9850 6137

E-mail: parmod.chand@mq.edu.au

Contacting staff

· Consultation times

Staff will be available for consultation; these times will be posted to unit homepage by Week 1 of the session. You are encouraged to seek help at a time that is convenient to you from staff on this unit during their specified consultation hours. In special circumstances, an appointment may be made outside regular consultation hours. Staff will not conduct any consultations by e-mail. You may, however, phone staff during their consultation hours. In order to gain access to staff located at levels 1 and 2 of building 4ER during their consultation hours please ring the staff member from the phones available in the lobby (phone numbers of relevant staff members will be provided on iLearn and are available next to the phones).

· Other ways of contacting staff

The most effective way for students to contact staff is via email. Students experiencing significant difficulties with any topic in the unit are strongly encouraged to seek assistance immediately.  

Classes

The learning experience is delivered through pre-departure seminars in the first half of the semester at MQ campus and 2-week study tour to India where students will visit industry, government organisations, cultural, social and educational institutions to observe and understand the business environment in India. There will be no lectures after the field trip except for weekly consultations and student presentation session in Week 12.

• Number and length of classes: 3 hour face-to-face and 2 weeks of the study tour.

• The timetable for classes can be found on the University web site at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/

 

Required and Recommended texts and/or materials

We will use case studies and reading materials that link to the content for the course.  

Technology Used and Required

You will need basic skills with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint. The research report e-copy can be submitted in Word or PDF. You will also be required to access the Internet in order to conduct research and Macquarie University’s iLearn teaching facility (refer to the detail contained below in Unit Web Page).

UNIT WEB PAGE

The university’s on-line learning site “iLearn” is used to provide announcements, forms, some course materials (including weekly lecture notes) and to submit e-copies of the assignment. Login at http://learn.mq.edu.au/ Reading material for this unit is all available on the Library’s e- Reserve. Access to the e-Reserve is made using the student number and password supplied to you by the Library. A link will also be provided on iLearn.

Unit Schedule

    SUMMARY OF MQBS8030 PROGRAM

 

Week

Topic

 

Notes

 

1

Introduction to MQBS3030

 

Conducting business in India

 

Assignment & field trip information

Case study

2

Understanding the role of culture in India

 

Case study

3

Corporate laws, types of enterprise and entry strategies

 

Multinational companies operating in India

Case study

4

Management planning and control in an international context: performance evaluation

Case study

5

Demographic changes, labour laws and human resource in India

 

The do’s and don'ts while in India

Case study

Due: Individual Pre-trip Report

6

Guest lecture

 

 

 

7

Practical session for study tour

(Field Trip to India - Travel date: 10th - 24th September)

 

Logistic arrangement for the field trip

8

Reflection and Group Report Preparation

 

 

9

Reflection and Group Report Preparation

 

 

10

Reflection and Group Report Preparation

Due: Reflective Journal Entries

11

Group Report Preparation

 

Due: Individual Post-trip Report

12

Group Presentations         

Due: Group Presentation

                                                

13

Feedback. There is no formal exam for this unit.

Week 13 is a revision week

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2023.05 of the Handbook