In this bundle summaries, practice exams, lecture notes and more, are shared for the course Internal Control - part of the Bachelor Bedrijfskunde and International Business at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RUG
In this bundle summaries, exam questions and lecture notes will be shared for the course Foreign Dir. Investment, Trade & Geography, International Business, Year 2 University Groningen.
In this bundle summaries, exam questions and lecture notes will be shared for the course Global Supply Chain management, International Business, Year 2 University Groningen.
For a compleet overview of the summaries and other study help as
In this bundle summaries, exam questions and lecture notes will be shared for the course Information Systems Management, International Business, Year 2 University Groningen.
For a compleet overview of the summaries and other study help as
This bundle contains Summaries, Lecture Notes and Practice Exams for the course Global Political Economy of the International Business, year 2 program at the University of Groningen
For a complete overview of the summaries & study service
Summary with the 3rd edition of Cross-Cultural Management: Essential concepts by Thomas and Peterson“Dramatic shifts in economics, politics and technology shape the role of the international manager. These shifts are often encapsulated in the term ‘globalization’.” (Thomas and Peterson, 2015)
Globalization = A process whereby worldwide interconnections in virtually every sphere of activity are growing. Some of these interconnections lead to integration/unity worldwide; others do not. The increase in interconnections is the result of shifts that have taken place in technological, political, and economic spheres.
Four categories of change that illustrate the process of globalization:
Growing economic interconnectedness; Causes of a greater degree of interconnectedness are:
The establishment of free trade areas. The three largest trade groups are the European Union, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
The World Trade Organization established with the goal of reducing tariffs and liberalizing trade across the board. Therefore, local economic conditions are no longer the result of purely domestic influence.
The gap between regional GDP growth rates of the fastest-growing and least dynamic regions of the world has begun to narrow.
The level of FDI also has a globalizing effect. FDI, as a percentage of the world GDP, doubled between 1985 and 1994. The result of these changes in trade and FDI flows is a shift in the economic center of the world away from North America and Western Europe.
Effects of greater degree of interconnectedness are
Organizational boundaries are not limited by a country’s boundaries. Certain parts of the organization might be located in different countries to capitalize on certain location specific advantages.
This effect is stimulated by the emergence of virtual organizations (Recap: Information Systems Management) in which employees do not meet face to face but are linked by computer technology.
Multinational firms now manufacture and sell globally on an unprecedented
scale, and the expansion of international production continues to gather momentum.
More complex and dynamic work environment; Causes of globalization that affect the stability of the work
BulletPoint summary with the 3rd edition of Cross-Cultural Management: Essential concepts by Thomas and PetersonGlobalization = A process whereby worldwide interconnections in virtually every sphere of activity are growing. Some of these interconnections lead to integration/unity worldwide; others do not. The increase in interconnections is the result of shifts that have taken place in technological, political, and economic spheres.
Four categories of change that illustrate the process of globalization:
Growing economic interconnectedness
More complex and dynamic work environment; Causes of globalization that affect the stability of the work environment within organizations are
Increased use and sophistication of information technology;
More and different players on the global stage
The elements of the global manager’s environment can be divided into four categories: economic, legal, political, and cultural.
Management = Managers have formal authority over their organizational unit and this status divides their activities into interpersonal, informational, and decisional role categories. Mintzberg’s framework identifies ten role categories of managers.
Types of international management research (for a summarizing table for all types of management research, their cultural assumptions and key research questions, refer to Table 1.3 on page 14.):
Domestic research = Studies that are designed and conducted within a single country without regard for the boundary conditions set by the cultural orientation of the country. Constraint in both its ability to advance theory and its practical application.
Replication research = Studies that are conceived and managed by a researcher in one country and then repeated in other countries by the originator or by local collaborators. They assume that the responses in the two cultures can be compared directly.
Indigenous research = Studies that focus on the varied ways in which managers behave and organizations are run in a variety of specific cultural settings. They assume cultural differences and the research is conducted within a single country.
Comparative research = Studies that seek to find both the similarities and the differences that exist across cultures regarding a particular management issue. Important is that researchers
Lecture Notes 2016/2017: Cross-Cultural Management - RUGIt is not so much a managerial functional activity or specialized field (finance, HRM, logistics, marketing...).
Within these functions, increased cross-border variety redefines existing managerial activities and introduces new managerial issues. For instance:
Who will be in charge of subsidiary X in country Y?
Where do we build a new factory?
How to manage multicultural teams (costs/benefits)?
How do I handle my boss who comes from another country?
Developing global managers: cultural skills and competences or even cultural intelligence?
Where do you find cross-cultural interactions in the managerial world? Where takes the encounter place?
Manager – manager / employee - employee
Manager – employee
Board member - manager
Shareholder – board member
Client – employee
Manager – consultants
Expat family – local living conditions
Impats – ....
Over time the relevance/likelyhood of these encounters changes.
A variety of options with different problems, dynamics and consequences.
History of “culture” concept:
Long history in philosophy and social sciences (anthropology, sociology, psychology, economics).
Basic issue: distinction between nature and society.
Culture is `... that which distinguishes men from animals ...’( Ostwald 1907).
... `While human nature is biologically innate and universal, culture is learned and may vary from one society to another’ ... (Inglehart 1990).
The more people start crossing borders, the more they are confronted with cultural differences between groups of people
Issue with a very long history
Roman empire, crusades, Catholic church, Dzjengis Khan, colonial empires (VOC!), WW1, interbellum globalization, WW 2, .... and nowadays, multinational companies and global institutions as the United Nations.
The forces of culture run deep and far in a society: further than you think. For instance: `individualism’?
'The quality of being an individual; individuality“ related to possessing 'An individual characteristic; a quirk.“ Individualism is thus also associated with artistic and bohemian interests and lifestyles where there is a tendency towards self-creation and experimentation as opposed to tradition or popular mass opinions and behaviours ....”
Differences between The Netherlands and other countries in how they value “individualism”? The Netherlands scores quite high on ‘Individualism/Collectivism’ dimensions.
However, the Exactitude project shows that we are still very much the same.
Conclusion
So what is left of ‘individualism’ here ?
People adapt to the “images” they have in their
Practice Exam 2015/2016: Cross-Cultural Management - RUGThis is the text of a lecture Renan gave in 1882 in Leiden, The Netherlands. It was a time when the nation state was developing quickly which finally led to World War I. It is not an easy text, but it is famous ever since. And for good reasons. Most importantly, Renan discusses some essential ideas people had and (still) have related to the genesis and nature of `nations’. More in particular, Renan is rather specific on the limits of teleological and deterministic views on nation building processes. His arguments leads him to conclusions with far reaching consequences (and predictions).(He foresaw the establishment of the European Union!).
In the Cross-Cultural Management course, we mainly focused on cultural differences. These cultural differences, however, are often related directly to differences between nations. Think for instance about dimensions of Hofstede and the GLOBE project which ascribe cultural characteristics to national identities.
To guide you through the complexities and many details, we formulate three questions about the text of Renan. The questions are given below. You can try to answer these when you are reading the text, so before the examination. One or two of these questions will be used in the examination. So discuss with your friends and remember your answers well!
If Renan was confronted with the 6 cultural dimensions of Geert Hofstede, how do you think he would respond? Would he see these dimensions as an important building block for nation building processes? Or would he be skeptical about their validity? Why do you think this is the case?
According to Renan, what is a nation? And what are, according to Renan, not sufficient arguments to explain the establishment of modern nationalities?
Looking at the Dutch national anthem, would Renan see its text as a further proof/reflection of the points he wanted to raise in his lecture? Or would he oppose this text and argue that it is based on the arguments/ assumptions he opposes against? Please argue why.
Hofstede has Power Distance, Masc.-Fem., Ind.-Col., Uncertainty av., Short/Long term orientation, indulgence - Self-restraint.
Depending on how you phrase it, you can go both ways. Here is an option:
Renan would be skeptical because he believes that the nation is a spiritual principle formed through past experiences and the present. He would say that even if people differ, that such experiences would bring them together. As such, the cultural distance by Hofstede only explains how nations differ in 6 dimensions and not what made them as a nation, nor what forms them as a nation. the 6 dimensions thus cannot be seen as building blocks,
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Summaries and study services for International Business Bachelor 2 at the University of Groningen Summaries and study services for International Business Bachelor 2 at the University of Groningen Samenvattingen en studiehulp voor Bedrijfskunde Bachelor 2 aan de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Lecture notes Finance and Risk Management for IBContains lecture notes based on the lectures on 2014-2015.
“Chapter 1, 2 and 3” > Fundamentals of Corporate Finance
Finance = The art and science of managing wealth;
Making decisions about what assets to buy and when
Take into account: Time and Uncertainty
Financial Management = Those activities that create or preserve the economic value of the assets of an individual, small business, or corporation.
The areas focused on in Finance are; Corporate finance (focus), investments, financial institutions and markets and international finance.
What is corporate finance?
Investment = What long-term investments will you make?
Timing: cash outflow today can create cash inflow in the future
Financing = Where will you get long-term financing for long-term projects (investments)?
Timing: cash inflow today and cash outflow in the future to meet obligations
Liquidity = How to manage everyday activities
Timing: Balance of cash inflows and outflows in the short term.
> Uncertainty for all cases = Risk involved. Key question; What is a sufficient return? Riskier investments mostly mean a higher return.
Responsibilities of the financial manager are investment decisions, financing decisions, short-term financial planning, oversee accounting and audit function in firm and ensuring the financial welfare of the firm.
Refer to the organizational chart in Slide 7 of the Lecture Slides to be found on Nestor; On top there is the Chief Financial Officer, with a Treasurer and a Controller under him, splitting up the Financial Management Decisions, which are;
Capital budgeting; Planning and managing long-term investments. Take Apple taking over Beatz for example. All done to increase the economic value and wealth of the firm
Capital structure; The mixture of a long-term debt and equity maintained by a firm. How much to borrow is a question to ask, but also what are the least expensive sources of funds for the firm?
Working capital management; The management of a firm’s short-term assets and liabilities. How much cash and inventory should be kept? And should we sell on credit?
Corporate structure
Sole proprietorship = Eenmanszaak for the Dutch.
Advantages;
Simplest and easiest form of business
Least amount of legal documentation
Least regulated
Owner keeps all profits
Disadvantages;
Personal tax rate on profits
Obligations of the business are the sole responsibility of the owner, and personal assets may be necessary to pay obligations (personal and business assets are commingled)
Business entity limited to life of owner
Can have
Finance and risk management - international business - exams
Six international business exams (last years) for the course Finance and risk management at University of Groningen
Summaries and study services for International Business Bachelor 2 at the University of Groningen Lecture notes Information Systems Management - IB2 - RUGLecture notes for lecture 1, 2, 4 and 5. Notes for lecture 3 and 6 are missing.
In this course the following subjects will be discussed:
Key ICT’s
Company strategy and information systems strategy
Changing business processes
IT Project Management
IT Security and Ethics
IT governance
Management and Leadership
Successful firms have an overriding business strategy driving both their organizational strategy and their information strategy. The firms organizational strategy and decisions regarding the information strategy are all driven by the firm’s business objectives, strategies and tactics. Therefore, the strategy a frim adopts determines the information system strategy they use, which in turn leads to a certain choice in information systems.
An information system consists of four components:
people,
the organizational structure,
processes and,
technology
In this lecture the aim is to understand how IT has changed the nature of work and learn the key concepts involved.
Best Buy is a leading U.S. retailer in electronics who completely transformed it’s view of the ordinary workday. Before employees made long hours, with a directive boss checking their every move. When one day two employees came up with an idea, using technology to let employees perform their work from a variety of places. The new approach is called ROWE and allows for limitless flexibility when it comes to work hours. Employees can choose where and when they want to do their work as long as project goals are satisfied. As a result productivity soared and their voluntary turnover decreased significantly. Other firms, such as IBM and AT&T, started to adopt similar strategies.
A way to evaluate the effect of IT on the work done in a firm is to use the framework for work design, which asks the following questions:
What work will be performed? Including an assessment of specific desired outcomes, inputs and the transportation needed to turn inputs into outputs.
Who is going to be doing the work? Is it possible to automate the tasks
Information Systems Management - RUG - practice exam (2014) for IB
These are eleven practice questions (Multiple-choice) with answers presented similarly to the exam. The exam itself will consist of around fifty questions like this. The answers contain references to the pages of the book that more lavishly explain and eloborate on the answer.
This is the term used to describe ethical dilemmas that arise with the development and
application of IT.
Normative theories
PAPA principles
Information ethics
Stockholder theory
Suppose H&M has a linked supply chain with Cotton Town, a fabric supplier. H&M and Cotton Town use IT to seamlessly exchange data, communicating requirements as well as delivery
expectations. The relationship between H&M and Cotton Town is best described as:
Strategic alliance
Co-opetition
Collaboration
Dependence
A general manager should:
Rely on IS personnel to make IS decisions
Ignore how IS are used and managed
Have a deep technical knowledge of IS
Understand the use and consequences of technologies relevant to the business
Not be expected to ask or understand technology related questions
Which one of the following enterprise systems is social IT increasingly integrating with?
ERP
CRM
PLM
SCM
To help with organization and complexity, a project manager will break a project up into:
Variables
Infrastructure
Subprojects
Business processes
This type of organizational structure is based upon the concepts of division of labor,
specialization, and unity of command. Key decisions are made at the top and filter down
through the organization.
Hierarchical
Flat
Networked
Matrix
Intel has implemented a social network analysis tool that maps the _________ and the
connections of Intel employees, supporting innovation by allowing employees to find
others in the company with particular skills, interests or expertise.
friendships
departments
knowledge
IS
Valero (an oil company) has implemented an organizational architecture that would enable the company to create applications from components. Because of this flexibility it can realize gains.
How is this type of architecture called?
Internet-based
Decentralized
Service-oriented
Centralized
All of the following are mechanisms that can be created to ensure good IT governance
except for one. Which
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Lecture notes Foreign Direct Investment, Trade & Geography - lecture notes - IB - B2 RUGLecture notes Foreign Direct Investment, Trade & Geography - lecture notes - IB - B2 RUG
Foreign Direct Investment, Trade & Geography - International Business - Practice ExamWhich of the following statements regarding multinational activity is correct?
Multinational firms are more likely to choose franchising as an entry mode if the risk of dissemination is high.
Firms are more likely to export than engage in horizontal multinational activity if transport costs are high.
Multinational firms are more likely to engage in vertical multinational activity if transport costs are low.
Multinational firms are more likely to choose full acquisitions over joint ventures if the desire for a high degree of control is low.
Which of the following statements regarding Porter’s Diamond Model and Dunning’s OLI model is true?
Porter’s model describes the sources of firm-specific advantages and Dunning’s model the role of firm-specific advantages for the success of multinationals.
Porter emphasizes the importance of firm-specific factors for the success of multinationals and Dunning the role of governmental subsidies.
Dunning emphasizes the importance of resources available in the home country and Porter emphasizes the importance of resources available in the host country.
Porter emphasizes the role of supporting industries and Dunning emphasizes the importance of how firms organize the foreign activity.
Table 1: Information on Balance of Payments in country X
Exports of goods and services | 1500 |
Imports of goods and services | 1800 |
Net change in assets owned abroad | 1000 |
Net change in foreign owned assets at home | 1400 |
Unilateral transfers received | 250 |
Unilateral transfers paid | 250 |
Investment income paid to foreigners | 500 |
Investment income received from foreigners | 400 |
Based on table 1, the current account balance is:
+400
+300
-300
‐400
Based on table 1, the financial (or capital) account balance is:
+400
+300
-300
‐400
Which of the following statements regarding Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) statistics is
correct?
FDI flow data show the level of multinational activity.
All multinational activity is reflected in FDI data.
Vertical multinational activity is not recorded in FDI statistics.
Funds that multinationals raise in the host country do not show up in FDI data.
If a
.....read more Summaries and study services for International Business Bachelor 2 at the University of Groningen Summaries and study services for International Business Bachelor 1 at the University of Groningen Summaries and study services for International Business Bachelor 2 at the University of Groningen Summary with the 8th edition of of Statistics for Business and Economics by NewboldIn the attachments you can find a summary to be used with each chapter of the Statistics for Business and Economics by Newbold.
It contains the following chapters:
Practice exams Statistics II for International Business
This bundle brings together the WorldSupporter exam materials for Statistics 2 (International Business - Groningen)
Summaries and study services for International Business Bachelor 2 at the University of Groningen Lectures of International Business Law (2014-2015)
International law = The body of legal rules and norms that regulates activities carried on beyond the legal boundaries of a single state.
International law deals with 3 kinds of relationships:
Public international law = The division of international law that deals primarily with the rights and duties of states and intergovernmental organizations as between themselves.
Private international law = The part of international law that deals primarily with the rights and duties of individuals and nongovernmental organizations in their international affairs.
(at least) 3 ways to look at international law:
Comity = The practice or courtesy existing between states of treating each other with goodwill and civility.
Comity is an informal principle that nations will extend certain courtesies to other nations, particularly by recognizing the validity and effect of their executive. Under the doctrine known as comity, a court should decline to exercise jurisdiction under certain circumstances in deference to the laws and interest of another country.
State’s territorial basis for taking jurisdiction: if a business incorporated in one state operates a manufacturing facility in another state and violates the law of the other state, the other state will have the well-recognized power under customary international law to hear and decide a case against the foreign defendant.
Nationality jurisdiction: e.g. U.S. companies do certain acts in other states, they may still be held accountable in U.S. courts.
Different states in the international community function in the roles of both lobbyists and legislators. Under Positivist principles, international law comes into effect only when states consent to it. The general consent of the international community can be found in state practice.
State practice = the conduct and practices of states in their dealings with each other.
Statements or evidence of general consent can be found in the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in resolutions passed by the General Assembly of the UN, in lawmaking multilateral treaties and in the conclusions of international conferences.
The sources.....read more
Summaries and study services for International Business Bachelor 2 at the University of Groningen Ethics and International Business - Lecture Notes 2014-2015The lecture started with the trolley problem: A trolley is approaching and can go two ways, left or right. In both cases, at least someone will die. It’s up to you to choose if the trolley should go left and kill 5 workers, or if the trolley should go right and kill 1 worker. The answer you give can be based on the following:
Utilitarianism = A matter of counting; “Five is more than one”. Utilitarianism is comparable to a cost/benefit analysis. The benefits should at any time outweigh the costs. [Mill]
Deontology = No sacrifices should be made and human life should be respected at any time. Anyone should decide over their own lives and faith. [Kant]
Ethical decision making can be very easily depicted as a process:
Recognition > Judgement > Intention > Behavior
This is not a linear process, where you start with recognition and then follow the steps and end up at behavior. Instead, it is possible for people to have a certain intention, and then fail to behave accordingly. Smokers for example, who have the intention to quit smoking, but don’t quit. Or people can fail to judge a situation properly and therefore their intentions and behaviors are affected and perceived wrong.
Ethical theories are the rules and principles that determine right and wrong for any given situation
Normative ethics = Prescribes morally correct way of acting
Descriptive ethics = Describes how ethical decisions are actually made in business
>> Ethical absolutism = Claims there are eternal, universally applicable moral principles
>> Ethical relativism = Claims morality is context-dependent and subjective
What follows is a discussion on ethical relativism. Ethical relativism may seem the perfect way to go about ethics, but if ethical relativism were true, criticizing others for their moral beliefs would be the same as criticizing them for their tastes. Or, if ethical relativism were true, one could find out what is right or wrong by observing what people in a certain culture believe about right and wrong. Finally, if ethical relativism were true, it would not make sense to speak about moral progress, namely, then there would never be a situation where something is perceived completely wrong and therefore banned by for example law.
How about cross-cultural differences and ethics? According to Integrative Social Contracts Theory, there are two kinds of moral standards
Hyper norms = Moral standards that should be applied to people in all societies
Micro social norms =
.....read more Summaries and study services for International Business Bachelor 2 at the University of Groningen Summary Global Political Economy by O'Brian & William (4th Edition)Three interpretations of the Asian financial crisis of 1997:
| Liberal | State power | Critical |
Causes | Crony capitalism, lack of transparency | Overrapid liberalisation, reduced state capacity to regulate | Predatory liberalism, power of financial interests, systematic flaws |
Key issues | Corruption, lack of liberal economic practices | Clash of Angl-American versus Asian models | Human suffering caused by financial collapse |
Lesson | Increase transparency and good practice in developing countries | Limit financial speculation through state policies | Reform international financial system, defend national system |
The central point of this book is that three contending perspectives have been utilised to explain developments in the global political economy. And although analysts distinguish between these three approaches, there is a wide variety of thought within each approach. In order to make sense of the world and to enable us to take
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