Course profile

Business in Asia (IBUS3304)

Study period
Sem 2 2024
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person

Course overview

Study period
Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
Study level
Undergraduate
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person
Units
2
Administrative campus
St Lucia
Coordinating unit
Business School

Explores different business environments in East Asia & provides perspective on recent developments of business significance. Provide an understanding of country business cultures from an assessment of history and geography. Focuses on business opportunities.

To achieve this end, this subject introduces the unique business environment in Asia and examines the strategic and operational decisions that need to be made when a company enters theﾠregion. This necessitates a deep understanding of our trading partners in Asia from various perspectives includingﾠhistory, culture, politics, economics, management, etc.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Before attempting this course, students are advised that it is important to complete the appropriate prerequisite course(s)ﾠlisted on the front of this course profile. It is the student's responsibility to attend classes and check the Blackboard regularlyﾠfor correct and up-to-date information regarding the course.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

IBUS2301

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

IBUS7312

Restrictions

Quota: Minimum of 35 enrolments

Course contact

Course staff

Lecturer

Mr Mike Thomes

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:

  • Full Name
  • Student ID
  • Course Code
Aims and outcomes

Aims and outcomes

This course aims toﾠprovide students with a broad understanding of majorﾠissues that areﾠimportant for business success in Asian countries. In doing so, they willﾠidentify business opportunities in Asiaﾠand addressﾠmajor challenges with respectﾠto doing business inﾠthe region.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

LO1.

Understand the unique business environment in Asia and how it is related to doing business in the region.

LO2.

Demonstrate working knowledge on the key aspects of strategies for entering the Asian market through analysis of real-world business cases.

LO3.

Have a good understanding of the major issues in relation to operational management in Asia.

LO4.

Apply relevant concepts, principles and frameworks to real-world business scenarios.

LO5.

Develop critical thinking ability and problem-solving skills through purposely designed assignments.

Course overview
Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Category Assessment task Weight Due date
Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Participation/ Student contribution, Tutorial/ Problem Set Small Case Study
  • In-person
 20%

Small Case Study #2 Week 6, Mon 8:00 am

Small Case Study #3 Week 8, Mon 8:00 am

Best 1 of 2 submissions will count towards the final mark for this assessment.
Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Participation/ Student contribution, Tutorial/ Problem Set Large Case Study
  • In-person
 30%

Week 9 Mon - Week 13 Mon
Paper/ Report/ Annotation Country Analysis 50%

25/10/2024 2:00 pm

Assessment details

Small Case Study

  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Participation/ Student contribution, Tutorial/ Problem Set
Weight
20%
Due date

Small Case Study #2 Week 6, Mon 8:00 am

Small Case Study #3 Week 8, Mon 8:00 am

Best 1 of 2 submissions will count towards the final mark for this assessment.

Learning outcomes
L01, L02, L04, L05

Task description

This assessment task covers a variety of learning activities including your individual pre-class preparation and in-class team/class discussion. It is based on two small case studies that will be conducted in Tutorial 6 and Tutorial 8, respectively. NOTE: The tutorial activities for the case studies can be found in the Tutorial Guide document available on the Blackboard. 

INDIVIDUALLY, you are required to prepare a 1-2 page answer (excluding figures and tables) to the case study questions before your tutorial. Failure to do so will jeopardise your results. 

  • BEFORE THE TUTORIAL, you must submit a soft (electronic) copy of your answer to the Blackboard by 8:00 am Monday of the same week for your tutorial. Please bring a hard copy of your answer to the tutorial if you do not have access to the soft copy during the tutorial. 
  • DURING THE TUTORIAL, you will join your team or class in a discussion of the case study questions. 

NOTE: as the first small case is used as a practice, you will have two (2) opportunities (i.e., the second and third small case studies) to submit your answers and receive marks. Of these two (2) assessment activities, only the better result will be counted towards your final marks for the course. Your tutor will provide more details about this assignment and how this assessment will be conducted during the first two weeks of tutorials. NOTE: Further details about this assessment task are included in the Tutorial Guide available on the Blackboard.

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Submit to Blackboard a soft (electronic) copy of your answer (in WORD/PDF) before your tutorial.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Large Case Study

  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Participation/ Student contribution, Tutorial/ Problem Set
Weight
30%
Due date

Week 9 Mon - Week 13 Mon

Learning outcomes
L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

The Large case study is an individual assessment task.

In a sense, a large case study can be regarded as an enhanced version of a small case study as a large business case is much longer and represents a more complex business situation. During the first tutorial, four large business cases selected from Harvard Business Publishing (HBP) will be allocated to individual students based on the alphabetically sequenced class list of each tutorial.

Each student will be allocated one large HBP case by their tutor that will be discussed in class in a specified week. NOTE: The schedule for the four large case study discussions (including the due date for each case study report) is contained in the tutorial schedule in the Tutorial Guide (see Page 3) available on the Blackboard.

For each tutorial in Tutorials 8-11, if you are allocated a large business case that is scheduled to be discussed during the tutorial, you are required to prepare a case study report and submit it to the Blackboard. Failure to do so will jeopardise your results. Specifically,

  • BEFORE THE TUTORIAL, if you are allocated a large case that is to be discussed in the tutorial, you must submit a soft (electronic) copy of your case study report (in WORD/PDF format) to the Blackboard by 8:00 am Monday of the same week for your tutorial. For other students, you need to prepare a short answer (ok in bullet points) for the case study questions contained in the Tutorial Guide, but do not submit it to the Blackboard. 
  • DURING THE TUTORIAL, you will join your class in a discussion of the business case. 

In your case study report (maximum 1,800 words excluding references and appendices), you are expected to:

  • provide a good analysis of the case, particularly the issues/problems the case organisation was facing, supported by appropriate concepts/theories and background research;
  • identify the key issues/problems through case analysis;
  • discuss how to address the key issues/problems and/or transferable practices; and
  • provide conclusions.

If the name of the case organisation was not disguised, background research is expected in preparation for the case study. You should make yourselves familiar with the general issues in the industry including the current developments, but should analyse the situation of the case as it existed at the time when it was written. In addition, you should refer to relevant concepts/theories in the course and rely on public sources. NOTE: You are NOT to contact the company directly.

Further guidelines about the case study method are included in the Tutorial Guide available on the Blackboard.

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Submit to Blackboard a soft (electronic) copy of your report (in WORD/PDF format) by 8am Monday of the same week for your allocated tutorial discussion.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Country Analysis

Mode
Written
Category
Paper/ Report/ Annotation
Weight
50%
Due date

25/10/2024 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes
L01, L02, L04, L05

Task description

Small and large case studies provide opportunities for analysis of business situations in specific case organisations, whereas country analysis requires students to analyse the broad business environments of a set of candidate countries.

In this assessment, you are tasked to write a report that compares a set of candidate countries with respect to their broad contexts (e.g., political, social, economic) and relevant business environments and makes a recommendation on country choice.

To achieve this, you will need to conduct some qualitative and/or quantitative analysis and apply appropriate concepts, theories and frameworks as covered in this course and other related courses.

Your country analysis is to be presented as a formal academic report (Maximum 2,200 words excluding references and appendices) that is submitted to the Blackboard.

More detailed instructions on this assessment will be provided in the early weeks (Weeks 1-4) of the semester.

Further details about this assessment will also be included in the Tutorial Guide available on the Blackboard.

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Submit to Blackboard a soft (electronic) copy of your report (in WORD/PDF format)

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Grade Cut off Percent Description
1 (Low Fail) 0 - 29

Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.
2 (Fail) 30 - 46

Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.
3 (Marginal Fail) 47 - 49

Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes
4 (Pass) 50 - 64

Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes.
5 (Credit) 65 - 74

Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes.
6 (Distinction) 75 - 84

Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes.
7 (High Distinction) 85 - 100

Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Additional course grading information

Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Aims and outcomes
Learning resources

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

There is no textbook that covers all the topics of this course well. Students are advised to refer to the recommended books listed below for specific topics as indicated in "Learning Activities" section of this course profile.

Note: in the "Learning Activities" section, "H&W" represents the textbook edited by Hasegawa and Witt (2019), "L&S" stands for the textbook written by Lasserre and Schütte (2006), and "Ch" means chapter.

Hasegawa, H. and Witt, M. (2019). Asian business and management: theory, practice and perspectives. 3rd edn., Palgrave MacMillan, London.

Lasserre, P and Schütte, H (2006). Strategies for Asia Pacific: meeting new challenges. 3rd edn., Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

Assessment
Learning activities

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

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Learning period Activity type Topic
Week 1
Lecture

Course Outline and Introduction

Refer to H&W (Ch1)

Learning outcomes: L01
Week 2
Tutorial

Allocation of Large Cases; Case Analysis

Refer to Tutorial Guide

Learning outcomes: L05
Lecture

Writing Skills for IBUS3304

Learning outcomes: L05
Week 3
Tutorial

Small Case Study - An Example

Refer to Tutorial Guide

Learning outcomes: L01, L04, L05
Lecture

Strategies for Entering Asia

Refer to L&S (Ch2)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03
Week 4
Tutorial

Country Analysis and Report Writing

Refer to Tutorial Guide

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04, L05
Lecture

Asian Business Environment and Logic

Refer to L&S (Ch3&Ch5)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04
Week 5
Tutorial

Small Case Study #1

Refer to Tutorial Guide

Learning outcomes: L02, L04, L05
Lecture

Partnership and Organisation in Asia

Refer to L&S (Ch7&Ch8)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04
Week 6
Tutorial

Small Case Study #2

Refer to Tutorial Guide

Learning outcomes: L02, L04, L05
Lecture

The Business System in India

Refer to H&W (Ch11)

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04
Week 7
Tutorial

Large Case Study - An Example

Refer to Tutorial Guide

Learning outcomes: L02, L04, L05
Lecture

The Business System in Vietnam

Refer to H&W (Ch17)

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04
Week 8
Tutorial

Small Case Study #3

Refer to Tutorial Guide

Learning outcomes: L01, L04, L05
Lecture

The Business System in China

Refer to H&W (Ch10)

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04
Week 9
Tutorial

Large Case Study #1

Refer to Tutorial Guide

Learning outcomes: L02, L04, L05
Lecture

The Business System in Korea

Refer to H&W (Ch14)

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04
Mid Sem break
No student involvement (Breaks, information)

In-Semester Break

No classes this week.
Week 10
Tutorial

Large Case Study #2

Refer to Tutorial Guide

Learning outcomes: L02, L04, L05
Lecture

Assessment Discussion and Consultation

Country analysis assessment discussion and consultation

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04, L05
Week 11
No student involvement (Breaks, information)

NO LECTURE/ TUTORIALS THIS WEEK - PUBLIC HOLIDAY

King's Birthday Public Holiday - Monday 7 Oct 2024 - Check Blackboard for announcements about affected classes.

Learning outcomes: L05
Week 12
Tutorial

Large Case Study #3

Refer to Tutorial Guide

Learning outcomes: L02, L04, L05
Lecture

The Business System in Japan

Refer to H&W (Ch13)

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04
Week 13
Tutorial

Large Case Study #4

Refer to Tutorial Guide

Learning outcomes: L02, L04, L05
Lecture

Course Overview and Reflection

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Additional learning activity information

Sustainable Development Goals

This course integrates the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through learning activities and assessment.

Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth

Goal 10: Reduced inequalities

Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals

Learning resources
Policies and procedures

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

Learning activities