MODULE HANDBOOK

BUSI-1695 INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS ENVIROMENT

2022-23
Contents

1. Welcome message from your Module Leader.......................................................................2

2. Key contacts.......................................................................................................................... 3
3. Module details and learning outcomes..................................................................................3
4. Enquiry-Based Learning and Research-Led Teaching..........................................................4
5. Employability......................................................................................................................... 5
6. Key Dates.............................................................................................................................. 5
7. Schedule of teaching and learning activities.........................................................................6
8. Assessment........................................................................................................................... 7
9. Resit assessments.............................................................................................................. 10
10. Reading recommendations................................................................................................ 11
11. Additional module information............................................................................................11
12. Changes to the module...................................................................................................... 12
13. Other Details...................................................................................................................... 12

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 1. Welcome message from your Module Leader

Welcome to the University of Greenwich Business School and a particular welcome to

the module BUSI-1695 International Business Environment. Businesses are complex and
they operate in a complex environment.

Please read the Moodle module homepage carefully to obtain clarity on how this
module will be delivered. The module is divided into two parts:

1. The first part introduces you to the module. 2. The second part will deliver the
environmental context of business, such as globalization, the economy and the state,
the role of technology and related issues.

Hopefully, this handbook will tell you everything that you need to know about the
contents and operation of the module. But if this is not the case, do not hesitate to
approach either your tutor or myself. Remember, we are here to help, but can only do
so if you make your concerns known to us.

It is crucial that you attend both lectures and tutorials. How you manage your time is up
to you but there is a direct correlation between attendance and assignment scores. You
should be fully engaged in any lessons. If you miss any classes, you will need to have a
plan to make up time with your own efforts.

It is important that you do the preparation set for the tutorial in order to get the most
from the teaching. Make sure you read the case studies in advance and answer the
questions before the tutorial.

We look forward to meeting you all and wish you a great year!

Dr. Kim Bui

Dr. Vladimir Popov
Dr. Francisca Da Gama
Mr James Mburu
Ms Besmire Dvorani
Mr Mohamed Shedid

kim.bui@gre.ac.uk
v.popov@gre.ac.uk
f.dagama@gre.ac.uk
j.mburu@gre.ac.uk
b.dvorani@gre.ac.uk
m.y.shedid@gre.ac.uk

This handbook provides essential information about this module including the aims and
learning outcomes, the schedule of teaching and learning activities, assessment tasks,
reading recommendations and, if applicable, any additional resources that you will
need. Please read it at the start of term so you are aware of key details and important

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dates.

2. Key contacts
The list below provides contact details of the module team.
Module Leader: Le Thi Anh Minh Module Leader: Le Thi Anh Minh
Location: FGW HCMC Location: FGW HCMC
Email: minhlta3@fe.edu.vn Email: minhlta3@fe.edu.vn
Tel: 028.73006622 Tel: 028.73006622

Module Tutor: Vo Minh Hieu Module Tutor: Vo Minh Hieu

Location: FGW HCMC Location: FGW HCMC
Email: Hieuvm@fe.edu.vn Email: Hieuvm@fe.edu.vn
Tel: 028.73006622 Tel: 028.73006622

3. Module details and learning outcomes

Host Faculty: Business Faculty

Host School: Economics and International Business
Number of Credits: 15
Term(s) of delivery: Term 1
Site(s) of delivery: Maritime campus
Pre-requisite modules: N/A
Co-requisite modules: BUSI 1694 International Business Functions (Term 2)

Aims:
The ethos of the module can be summarised as “managing in a complex world”.
Accordingly, students will examine how external influences affect the decisions and
operations of today's organisations. These include the role of culture and diversity; the
effect of unpredictable political and economic conditions; and the impact on business
of social factors, technological change and globalisation. The capacity of businesses -
both individually and jointly - to influence their environment will also be discussed,
while a further aim is to develop in students a set of skills that they can take forward
into their second and third years. By the end of this module, students will have a clear
insight into the major external environmental factors governing international
businesses.

Learning Outcomes:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of business 2. Demonstrate an
understanding of the various aspects of a firm’s operating environment and their
impact on firm performance 3. Working in teams 4. Writing an academic report to
university standards

*Glossary:

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A pre-requisite module is one that must have been completed successfully before taking this module.
A co-requisite module is one that must be taken alongside this module.
A learning outcome is a subject-specific statement that defines the learning to be achieved through
completing this module.

4. Enquiry-Based Learning and Research-Led Teaching

Enquiry-Based Learning (EBL)

Defined as ‘an approach based on self-directed enquiry or investigation in which the

student is actively engaged in the process of enquiry facilitated by a teacher. EBL uses
real life scenarios (for example, from case studies, company visits, and project work)
and students investigate topics of relevance that foster the skills of experimental
design, data collection, critical analysis and problem-solving’.
On this module we use EBL through case studies and situational simulations.

Research-Led Teaching (RLT)

An element of Enquiry Based Learning links to RLT, which involves faculty introducing
students to their own research where it is relevant to the curriculum being taught as
well as drawing on their own knowledge of research developments in the field,
introducing them to the work of other researchers. RLT sees students as active
participants in the research process, not just as an audience. This is achieved by
discussing such developments in lectures and classes, and setting reading lists
including recent research publications at the frontier of the field. The definition of a
diverse assessment regime at the programme level (incorporating an expectation of
familiarity with, and use of, such
publications in assignments) and the inclusion of projects at every level of the
programme is also fundamental to achieving these objectives.

In this module RTL will be used through the application of business theories and
research data stemming from external organisations like the World Bank or the
National Office of Statistics.

5. Employability

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During the module you will improve your cognitive skills. You will be exposed to different
sorts of problems, start making reasoned judgements and reflect on these judgements.

You will be involved in group work, which will help you to learn to set goals including
influencing, planning, questioning, listening, persuading, interpersonal sensitivity. You
will also prepare presentations with your peers that will help to improve your managerial
skills. You will improve your organizational awareness, as you will have opportunities in
the module to find out about organizations and structures within relevant sectors.

You can find out more about the Greenwich Employability Passport at: Greenwich
Employability Passport for students

Information about the Career Centre is available at: Career transition and job search

6. Key Dates
2021/22 Term Dates

Please note that dates may differ depending on when you start your programme of
study, and where you are studying. Please refer to
https://docs.gre.ac.uk/rep/sas/term-dates for full details, and details of University
closure dates.
Welcome Week 16th September 2022 20th September 2022
Term 1 23rd September 2022 13th December 2022
Examination Period 06th January 2023 10th January 2023
Term 2 13th January 2023 03rd April 2023
Examination Period 27th April 2023 15th May 2023
Resit Examination Period 20th July 2023 24th July 2023

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 7. Schedule of teaching and learning activities

In addition to the teaching and learning activities within the module, additional study
support can be seen at: Academic Skills

Term One
UniWk Session Title and Description Reading to
complete
Week/date 1.0 Introduction
30 Sept Lecture Introduction to the module Moodle

2.0 Environmental context

7 Oct Moodle
Tutorial 1.0 Introduction to assignment Moodle
12 Oct Lecture Business and its context Moodle
Tutorial Moodle
14 Oct Lecture 2.2 Globalization Moodle
Tutorial 2.1 Tesco and the changing retail environment Moodle
19 Oct Lecture 2.3 MNCs and market entry Moodle
Tutorial 2.2 Impact of Covid-19 on globalization Moodle
Lecture 2.4 Economic environment
21 Oct Tutorial 2.3 Diebold Inc.
Lecture Presentation Moodle
26 Oct Tutorial Presentation Moodle
Lecture 2.5 The state and the political environment Moodle
28 Oct Tutorial 2.4 Global power shift G7 vs E7 Moodle
Lecture 2.6 Technology and labour Moodle
02 Nov Tutorial 2.5 UK’s EU membership and Brexit Moodle
Lecture 2.7 Cultural environment Moodle
09 Nov Tutorial 2.6 Autonomous Vehicles Moodle
Lecture 2.8 Demographic and social environment Moodle
11 Nov Tutorial 2.7 Culture clash in the boardroom Moodle
Lecture 3.0 Revision lecture Moodle
16 Nov Tutorial Report revision Moodle
18 Nov Lecture Presentation Moodle
23 Nov Lecture Presentation Moodle
Lecture Assignment Q&A Moodle
25 Nov
Lecture 4.0 Guest Lecture Moodle
26 Nov

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 8. Assessment

The assessment comprises:

1. A presentation, delivered in a group, but graded individually. This is a formative

assessment with a final mark of PASS or FAIL. Presentations will take place during
the first term, in tutorials, and be on one of the case studies. The presentation is
delivered in class and will not be graded by the tutor in class, but will receive an
indicative grade. Students have to upload the presentation on Moodle together
with their Report in the submission point for the REPORT by 23.30 pm on the 15
December 2021.

2. Report. This will account for 100% of the final mark. The Report is a 1,500-word
report, in which students explain how the case study that they had presented in
class is or may be linked to theory/business context that we discussed at the
lecture. The Report is an individual work and should be written individually, NOT
in a group. It should be uploaded on Moodle. The last date for uploading the
Report is 23.30 pm on the 1 December 2022. The Report should be uploaded
together with the Presentation and will be graded together on Moodle. Group
presentation and Report together count for 100 % and are graded together in
one document.

The overall pass mark for this module is 40%.

First sit Deadline or Weighting Maximum Marking Learning

assessments exam period out of length type outcomes
100%* mapped to
this
assessment.
Presentation Weekly Formative 20 mins Pass/fail 1, 2, 3, 4
presentation
10 mins
Q&A
Report 1 December 100% 1500 words Numerical 1, 2, 3, 4
2022
graded

*The weighting refers to the proportion of the overall module result that each
assessment task accounts for.

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Your assessment Details:

(i) Formative assessment - Group Presentation

Choice of group members and topics The tutors will select the presenters at random
for the following week’s presentation. In this way all presenters have one week in
which to prepare. The topic of the presentation will be the same as the tutorial topic
for the week of the presentation. In other words, when a student is selected to give a
presentation they will need to read about the next week’s case study and answer the
related presentation questions given at the bottom of the case study.
Nature of the presentation Each group will deliver a presentation on a case study for
no more than twenty minutes. There will then be up to ten minutes of questions from
your peers and the tutor, which you will be expected to answer.

Delivery should be accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation or other materials. The

first screen should contain the case title and your names and the final screen a
bibliography.

Assessment criteria Your presentation will be evaluated on:

Marking Criteria Marks

allocated
to
criteria:
Workshare – the students should distribute this 10% amongst 10%
themselves. (individual)
Content and research. (group) 40%
Quality of the PowerPoint presentation or Overhead Projector slides (eg. 10%
overall design, use of fonts and bullet points, grammatical and accurately
spelt contents) (group)
Delivery (e.g. confidence, posture, eye contact with the audience, clear 20%
speech, minimum use of notes, professionalism, smooth speaker
handovers) (individual)
Answers to audience and tutor questions (individual) 20%

Feedback Each student will receive verbal feedback immediately after the delivery of
the presentation.

(ii) Report

The Report is a 1,500 (max 1,750)-word report, in which students explain how the case
study that they had presented in class is / or may be linked to theory/business context
that we discussed at the lecture. The Report is an individual work and should be written

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 individually, NOT in a group. It should be uploaded on Moodle. The last date for
uploading the Report is 23.30 pm 1 December 2022. The Report should be uploaded
together with the Presentation and will be graded together on Moodle. Group
presentation and Report together count for 100% and are graded together in one
document.

Assessment criteria Your review will be marked on:

Marking Criteria Marks

allocated
to
criteria:
Focus 40%
Does the report discuss the theory or theories that are linked to the
presented case study?
Comprehension and synthesis 40%
Does the report reflect a comprehensive and effective understanding of
the topic area?

Style 20%
Is the essay well presented, clearly written, spell checked, free from
typographical errors, correctly referenced, and written in grammatically
correct English? Does the referencing follow the Harvard-style?

Please note that ALL module works will be put through the Turn-it-in plagiarism
software programme and that plagiarism at this University is dealt with extremely
severely. It is therefore very important that you write your answers in your own words,
and that you do not use the words of other authors or copy the work of any other
student on the module. In addition, your work should be new and not recycled from
another one of your submissions. If you wish to quote an article, place the quote in
quotation marks (“”) and reference it (eg. Brown 1992).

Please ensure that your written work contains your registration number, name and the
name of your tutor.

Important note: Coursework is marked on the understanding that it is the student’s own
work on the module and that it has not, in whole or part, been presented elsewhere for
assessment. Where material has been used from other sources, this must be properly
acknowledged in accordance with the University’s Regulations regarding Academic
Misconduct.

Marking, feedback and next steps

To pass this module, students must achieve an overall mark of 40.

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For coursework, the marks and feedback will normally be provided to students within
fifteen working days of the submission deadline. In exceptional circumstances, where
there is a delay in providing feedback, you will be informed by the module leader.

If you do not pass a module at the first attempt, you may be eligible for a resit
opportunity on the failed assessments. This will be confirmed after the Progression and
Award Board (PAB). Note that marks on resit assessments are capped at 40% unless
extenuation has been applied for and granted.

For further details on resit assessments, please see section 7 below.

The assessment and feedback policy can be accessed at Assessment and Feedback
Policy

Extenuating circumstances and student support

The University recognises there are times when serious and unexpected matters which
are beyond a student’s control (such as serious illness or injury, death in family) impact on
their academic performance and ability to complete assessments by the deadline.
Guidance on claiming extenuation can be found at: Extenuating circumstances

9. Resit assessments

The Progression and Award Board (PAB) will determine whether students who have
failed items of coursework or exams will be permitted to complete re-sits. These
normally take place in July/August. If your results letter advises you that you have been
given a re-sit opportunity you will need to check the portal for details of the assessment
element(s) that you will need to complete and for the timings of re-sit examinations.

For non-exam re-sits (e.g. coursework, essay, presentation, group work assessments),
please consult the relevant Module’s moodle page for instructions on what is required of
your re-sit assessment.

Your coursework and exam results will be reviewed by a Subject Assessment Panel
(which looks at the module) and a Progression and Award Board (which reviews your
progress) and the deliberations of these two committees will determine whether you
have failed any coursework or exams and whether you will be offered the chance to
complete resits. Please note that there is no automatic right to resits; whether these are
offered depends on your overall progress and engagement.

If you have been notified that you have to complete coursework resits, check on your
module’s Moodle site where the details of the assessment task, submission dates and
methods will be explained.

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The Group Presentation and Report will be replaced by an individual written Report,
linking the theoretical topic to the corresponding case study. The students must NOT
choose the same case on which they previously delivered a presentation. The cases can
be found on the module moodle site. The essay should be 1,500 words (+/- 10 per cent).
The marking criteria is below:

Marking Criteria Marks

allocated
to
criteria:
Focus 40%
Does the report discuss the theory or theories that are linked to the
presented case study?
Comprehension and synthesis 40%
Does the report reflect a comprehensive and effective understanding of
the topic area?

Style 20%
Is the essay well presented, clearly written, spell checked, free from
typographical errors, correctly referenced, and written in grammatically
correct English? Does the referencing follow the Harvard-style?

10 Reading recommendations

The following are suggested readings for the module. Additional, more detailed reading
recommendations will be provided for the module topics.

Author Title Publisher ISBN eBook Core

available textbook
online via
UoG library
Needle Business in London: ISBN: Yes Yes
D. Context 6. Cengage 9781408095218
edition Learning
Palmer The Business McGraw 10: 0077109902 No No
A. and Environment. Hill
Hartley
R.

11. Additional module information

N/A

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 12. Changes to the module

At the University of Greenwich, we value feedback from students as well as External

Examiners and other stakeholders and we use this information to help us improve our
provision.

Important note: The University of Greenwich will do all that it reasonably can to deliver
the module and support your learning as specified in our handbooks and other
information provided. However, under some circumstances, changes may have to be
made. This may include modifications to the:

 content and syllabus of modules, including in relation to placements

 timetable, location and number of classes
 content or method of delivery of your module
 timing and method of assessments.

This might be because of, for example:

 academic changes within subject areas

 the unanticipated departure or absence of members of university staff
 where the numbers expected on a module are so low that it is not possible to de-
liver an appropriate quality of education for students enrolled on it.
 industrial action by university staff or third parties
 the acts of any government or local authority
 acts of terrorism.

In these circumstances, the University will take all reasonable steps to minimise
disruption by making reasonable modifications. However, to the full extent that it is
possible under the general law, the University excludes liability for any loss and/or
damage suffered by any applicant or student due to these circumstances.

13.Other Details

The majority of information relevant to you while you study at the University has been
brought together into your programme handbook. Please refer to your programme
handbook for any further information you might require including:

 Deadlines and extenuating circumstances,

 Plagiarism and referencing,

 Who to go to for advice or if you are concerned,

 How to provide us with feedback,

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  Key administrative procedures.

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