Course Design Considerations in International Business Education

Designing courses to teach international business is a very complex multidisciplinary task. Cross-border and international business has to deal with all of the issues and functions (such as accounting, finance, management, and marketing) that are faced by a domestic business along with the complexities of operating across borders. Business globalization is a multidimensional balance between the costs and benefits of going across borders. The costs of foreignness have many dimensions—costs due to differences in cultures, levels of social trust, languages, religions, economic and market systems, political systems, legal and regulatory systems, institutional structures, labor laws and regulations, financial institution structures, the economic role, availability and use of external capital, and myriad other differences encountered when crossing borders. The benefits of crossing borders are also influenced by these and other factors, which include access to new markets for your products and brand; economies of scale and scope; sourcing of cheaper inputs like labor, managerial personnel, raw materials, and R&D; and lower cost regulatory and environmental laws and regulations. Therefore, operating across borders can be very complex.

Consequently, it is logical to seek and use appropriate design principles to guide course design in international business. Based on Biggs (2003), it seems that five design principles can be formulated. Accordingly, the teaching materials used in such a course should be authentic and relevant, as well as sequential and interlinked; engage students’ ever higher cognitive processes; align with each other and learning goals; and challenge and motivate the students to learn. Commonly used materials for an international business (IB) course cover a range of pedagogies and would include lectures and discussions, class and take-home projects, real-world projects and internships, interactions with foreign individuals, and relevant experiences in foreign countries.

Of course, there are many ways to put all of these components together to maximize learning outcomes. IB course design must be customized to reflect the peculiar conditions faced with regard to prior student preparation, the place of the IB course in the overall curriculum, and the available resources and other local college conditions. Though this can provide a great deal of flexibility for a course designer, it can also be overwhelming. Fortunately, many examples of excellent IB course design are available in the literature (Wolf & Wright, 2014).

Specifically, in addition to the traditional lecture approach in IB classroom, many business schools have focused various pedagogical approaches in designing IB class. One of the approaches is the case study approach. Finney and Pyke (2008) show that the case study approach enhances student learning experiences and is positively associated with student motivation. Studies also show that a case study approach can improve communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills (Cochran & Gibson, 1984; Peach et al., 2007). Simulation is another often used pedagogical approach. Xu and Yang (2010) study the factors that affect student learning in the context of business simulation and find that social interaction and psychological safety had a positive impact on knowledge development in student groups. Using the project-based learning (PBL) model, Danford (2006) shows that PBL with student–corporation collaboration can be easily incorporated into international business education and can be beneficial to both the corporation and the student.

Nevertheless, each approach has its own set of challenges and shortcomings. For example, it is challenging to find a suitable case in IB education that fits needs for students with various educational and ethnical backgrounds. In using the PBL model building the bridge to link theory with dynamic decision making for complex business problems is built into the process. Danford (2006) emphasizes that instructors must account for the learner’s mind in designing the course, with the goal of delivering value to corporate sponsors when implementing the PBL model in IB.

Three papers in the current issue of Journal of Teaching in International Business (JTIB) present how these challenges are met from three different perspectives. Bin Ai, Lifei Wang, and Jie Zhang, in their article, “Using English as Economic Capital in a Chinese–Australian Workplace: Implications for Teaching Business English in China,” show how to improve the effectiveness of business communication facing the increasing demand of Chinese enterprises. Chad Nehrt, in “Integrating Knowledge and Developing Critical Thinking in a Capstone International Business Course: A Never-Ending Work in Progress,” demonstrates how to use a problem-based approach in designing a capstone IB course. Kwok-Chiu Lam and Ping Zou, in “Pedagogical Challenges in International Economic Education Within Traditional Classroom Contexts,” demonstrate how to improve outdated pedagogies in international economic education.

There are many ways to move forward in international business education. As this brief review of many aspects of course design in IB education shows, course design in IB education continues to be a challenge. We hope that articles in this issue can bring us a step closer in this direction.

1. Introducing this issue

This issue of JTIB focuses on various methods and issues in course design in IB education. Papers published in past issues of JTIB reflect varied insights, ideas, and practical lessons on improving the learning environments and learning outcomes in IB education. In this issue, we highlight several important factors that affect course design and the student learning environment.

The first article in the issue, “Using English as Economic Capital in a Chinese–Australian Workplace: Implications for Teaching Business English in China,” by Bin Ai of Zhongnan of the University of Economics and Law, Lifei Wang of the University of International Business and Economics, and Jie Zhang of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, China, explores the challenges of transnational and intercultural business in terms of English communication and services. As a large number of Chinese enterprises are facing the challenge of developing their business internationally, improvements in the effectiveness of transnational and intercultural business communication for these enterprises is very important but has proven to be challenging. This study shows how these challenges can be met and thus contributes to the development of effective practices for transnational and intercultural communication services in globalizing enterprises. This article also contributes to the pedagogy of teaching business English in Chinese universities.

The second article in the issue, “Integrating Knowledge and Developing Critical Thinking in a Capstone International Business Course: A Never-Ending Work in Progress,” by Chad Nehrt of Quinnipiac University, Quinnipiac CT, USA, uses a problem-based approach in designing a capstone IB course. Through the use of this learner-centered and problem-based approach, students were better equipped with critical thinking, quantitative analysis, and written communication skills. In the capstone class, students need to write focused reports (country, industry, etc.), evaluate how each of the focused reports support each other, and craft a country entry business plan all within the 15-week course. This article includes a detailed sample course syllabus and week-by-week teaching plan that may be of interest to other educators teaching such capstone courses.

The third article in the issue, “Pedagogical Challenges in International Economic Education Within Traditional Classroom Contexts,” by Kwok-Chiu Lam of United International College and Ping Zou of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, China, endeavors to distinguish those ubiquitous pedagogic challenges confronted by educators and students within traditional classroom contexts. Recent global university rankings show that many universities in Asia are among the top 100 in the world. However, they are constantly under fire for their persistently outdated pedagogies. This article discusses some of the roots of these outdated pedagogies and proposes changes in order to improve the educational quality and student learning environment for Chinese university education.

The fourth article in this issue is a book review by Raj Aggarwal that would be of interest for IB educators looking for a main or supplementary text for their IB and globalization courses. Global business can be a very complex topic that has to consider aspects of business, politics, economics, and culture. The book being reviewed, The Laws of Globalization, is by a renowned scholar of IB with a practical bent, Pankaj Ghemawat. The two laws of globalization presented in this book purport to simplify the complex topic of IB for both students and instructors of IB while retaining a very practical and understandable tone.

We hope that you enjoy reading this issue and that you find it thought-provoking and that it provides ideas to further improve your teaching. Perhaps this issue can even serve as the basis for a discussion session with fellow faculty. We would appreciate hearing any comments you may have on this issue. We can be reached at [email protected].

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Raj Aggarwal

Raj Aggarwal is the Sullivan Professor of International Business and Finance Emeritus and the former Business Dean at the University of Akron, Ohio. He has also taught at Kent State University, John Carroll University, Harvard University, University of Michigan, and other institutions. He is an elected Fellow and ex-Program Vice President for the Academy of International Business (AIB) and an area editor of the Journal of International Business Studies and has served on and headed numerous AIB committees, including the Best Dissertation awards and the Outstanding Educator of the Year award. He has won many awards for outstanding teaching and scholarship. He is also a board member of corporations, mutual funds, and nonprofit organizations. In addition to the area editorship of JIBS, he is a past Editor of Financial Practice and Education and the current Editor of the Journal of Teaching in International Business. Raj Aggarwal is the author of numerous scholarly publications and is in the top third of a percent among SSRN authors ranked by downloads and has over 6,800 Google Scholar citations with an h-index of 43 and an I-10 index of over a 100.

Feng Zhan

Feng Zhan, PhD, is the Mulwick Scholar and the Assistant Professor of Finance at the Boler College of Business, John Carroll University, Cleveland, OH. His recent publications include articles in Journal of Banking & Finance, Journal of Corporate Finance, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions & Money, among others. He is the Managing Editor of the Journal of Teaching in International Business.