Learning Outcomes
Upon graduation from Dickinson, International Business and Management majors will be able to:
- describe the basic concepts and analytical methods from the core areas of international business and management -- economics, accounting, finance, marketing, organization and management, ethics, and business strategy;
- analyze business cases of companies in a global context, including gathering and interpreting data, identifying companies’ strategic issues, evaluating alternative solutions, and providing actionable recommendations;
- work effectively in a management team, applying business concepts, analytical methods, and teamwork skills to running a virtual company ethically and profitably in a simulated, competitive global market;
- demonstrate and describe cross-cultural contexts that are essential to doing business in international or global contexts.
Major
15 courses and a noncredit internship
CORE ECONOMICS COURSES (2)
ECON 111: Introduction to Microeconomics
ECON 112: Introduction to Macroeconomics
CORE BUSINESS COURSES (8)
100: Fundamentals of Business
110: Fundamentals of Accounting
220: Managerial Decision Making
230: International Organizational Behavior
240: Marketing in a Global Context
250: Finance
290: International Business: Theory and Context
400: Seminar in International Business Policy & Strategy
FOREIGN LANGUAGE ELECTIVE COURSES (2)
Two courses beyond the intermediate level in one foreign language. (American Sign Language cannot be used to fulfill the foreign language requirement for the International Business & Management curriculum.)
International students who have fulfilled the language requirement in their native language and who do not pursue a second language as part of their program at Dickinson must take two courses with U.S. content in the social sciences or humanities.
ELECTIVE COURSES (3)
Three INBM 300 electives; or
Two INBM electives plus a third course beyond the intermediate level in one foreign language; or
Two INBM 300 electives plus, after consultation with the student’s INBM advisor and completion of appropriate prerequisites, a business-relevant course above the introductory level selected from another department or program
AN INTERNSHIP WITH TRANSCRIPT NOTATION (The internship does not carry course credit.)
NOTES:
1) Students are eligible to declare the INBM major after successful completion of, or current enrollment in, at least three of the following four courses: ECON 111, ECON 112, INBM 100 and INBM 110.
2) The INBM major requires core competence in mathematics. If a student has not scored 600 on the Math SATs or at least a 15 on the Math placement test administered by the Math Department, the student will need to strengthen their math skills in order to thrive in the major. The department suggests a student prepare by following a course of self-study that includes algebra and geometry, or by taking MATH 121 or 151.
Suggested curricular flow through the major
First Year
Progress in completing ECON 111, 112
INBM 100, 110
Foreign language courses
Sophomore Year
Progress in completing 220, 230, 240, 250, and 290 (Plan to complete at least 3 of 5 prior to studying abroad. Note that we strongly encourage INBM majors to complete INBM 220 during their sophomore year and to complete it before enrolling in INBM 250.)
Continued foreign language study
Junior Year
Majors are encouraged, but not required to study abroad for a semester or full year.
Students may continue taking foreign language courses
Courses in the core (when appropriate)
Electives at the 300-level
Senior Year
Completion of the INBM 300-level electives (if still needed)
INBM 400
INTERNSHIP
The INBM major also requires that students complete an internship. We recommend that students fulfill this requirement prior to their senior year.
INBM Recommended Course Progression .
INBM Major Requirements Checklist.
Of course, students not following these guidelines may still be able to complete the major but may not be able to spend a full year abroad and may be limited in pursuing other academic designations (minor, major, certificate).
For more information on the suggested guidelines, please feel free to contact an INBM faculty member for clarification.
Honors
Candidates for honors in the INBM major must obtain at least a 3.6 overall GPA, be in the top 10% of the senior class majors by major GPA and earn, or be on track to earn, an A or A- in INBM 400. After meeting these criteria, candidates will be invited to produce an individual analysis of a business case study that will be presented formally to the INBM faculty. The faculty will award honors to those presentations judged to have honors quality.
Courses
100 Fundamentals of Business
This course features an introductory focus on a wide range of business subjects including the following: business in a global environment; forms of business ownership including small businesses, partnerships, multinational and domestic corporations, joint ventures, and franchises; management decision making; ethics; marketing; accounting; management information systems; human resources; finance; business law; taxation; uses of the internet in business; and how all of the above are integrated into running a successful business. You will learn how a company gets ideas, develops products, raises money, makes its products, sells them and accounts for the money earned and spent.
This course will not fulfill a distribution requirement.
Attributes: Appropriate for First-Year, LAWP Policy Elective, Sustainability Connections
110 Fundamentals of Accounting
This is a core course designed to provide students with a fundamental knowledge of the "language of business" and its applications for decision-making purposes. The course is organized into three sections. In the first section students learn about the accounting cycle- essentially the analysis and recording of financial transactions and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The second section of the course focuses on the analysis and interpretation of financial statements. This section emphasizes the use of financial information by external stakeholders for decision making. The third section of the course concentrates on the fundamentals of management accounting. This section centers on the use of accounting information for operational performance evaluation as well as operational and capital decision making. By the end of the course, students will understand the basic principles and concepts of accounting, the business and economic activities that generate accounting information, how accounting information is used by internal and external stakeholders for economic decision making, and how accounting affects society and individuals.
Attributes: Appropriate for First-Year, Quantitative Reasoning
220 Managerial Decision Making
Applies the principles and methods of economics to analyze problems faced by managers in a business or other type of organization. This course emphasizes how managers can (and should) use economic tools to further the objectives of the organization. Emphasis is on application of theory to actual business decisions. Many applications will require students to build economic models using spreadsheets, just as they will be required to do in a business setting.
Prerequisite: ECON 111 and INBM 110.
230 International Organizational Behavior
This course looks at how human systems function within the structure of the organization and how individual and group behaviors affect collective organizational culture and organizational effectiveness. Students study individual, interpersonal, and group processes; the relationship between attitudes and behavior; ethical decision-making; and the management of organizational conflict and change. Approaches for developing leadership, managing conflict, communicating effectively, enhancing efficiency, and encouraging organizational adaption to changing environments are explored. Examples taken from domestic and international organizations are used throughout the course.
Prerequisite: 100 or permission of the instructor.
Attributes: LAWP Policy Elective
240 Marketing in a Global Context
The primary objective of this course is to identify how companies identify and satisfy their customers' needs. Not only are the "4p's of marketing" covered (product, price, promotional programs like advertising and public relations, and place or distribution), but working with a specific semester-long case, you will learn how to manage an integrated marketing program. We will also examine other important aspects of marketing: market research, new product development, consumer behavior, ethics, competitive analysis and strategic planning, and marketing internationally and on the Internet. Field trips and videos are used to reinforce the ideas presented in the classroom.
Prerequisite: 100 or permission of the instructor. 110 is recommended but not required.
Attributes: LAWP Policy Elective
250 Finance
Knowledge of finance will allow students to adopt the perspective of financial officers in both for-profit as well as not-for-profit organizations. This knowledge is needed to evaluate the health of an organization using key performance indicators and making ethical decisions that involve both short-run and long-run planning horizons. In the short run, this knowledge helps to effectively carry out business functions such as managing cash flow, borrowing money for short periods of time, and keeping control over inventory. In the long run, it helps to choose among competing investment projects and alternative, efficient methods of raising capital. Also, as individuals, knowledge of basic finance will help students to make better-informed decisions concerning their personal financial situations. Apart from covering the fundamentals of financial markets, instruments and institutions, this course will emphasize critical thinking based on quantitative reasoning and decision-making skills. This will include the use of elementary statistical and algebraic methods to investigate fundamental principles of theoretical finance such as the relationship between risk and reward and the pricing of capital assets. Apart from basic theory, knowledge of the hands-on aspects of financial modeling will be imparted via use of spreadsheet software packages such as Microsoft EXCEL; whereby students will be encouraged to create and analyze computational models to test and demonstrate some of the theoretical concepts taught.
Prerequisites: ECON 111 and INBM 110.
290 Global Business: Theory and Context
This course explores the 鈥渕acro-contextual鈥� factors that confront managers of a business organization, the possible implications of those factors for organizational performance, and the choices managers make within that context. The macro-context for any firm consists of a combination of political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors. In the current era, awareness of context is increasingly important for students and practitioners alike. Topics in the course include climate change; the revolution in information technology; global population dynamics; regional and global economic integration; international trade and investment; exchange rate dynamics; and collaboration among businesses and other organizations. In keeping with Dickinson鈥檚 evolving educational priorities, the course also includes conversation about the ethical, social, and ecological responsibilities of a global enterprise. The course builds on the knowledge gained in other 200-level INBM courses and provides a bridge between those courses and the INBM Senior Seminar.
Prerequisites: ECON 111, 112; INBM 100; and three of the following courses: INBM 220, 230, 240 and 250.
300 Issues in International Management
A topics course examining important issues in international management. Examples of course possibilities include issues in cross-cultural communication and ethics, issues in international marketing, issues in international dimensions of financial reporting, issues in government regulation of business, and issues in financial decision-making.
Prerequisite dependent upon topic/topic area.
400 Seminar in International Business Policy and Strategy
This capstone course focuses on the challenges associated with formulating strategy in multinational organizations. The course will examine multinational business decisions from the perspective of top managers who must develop strategies, deploy resources, and guide organizations that compete in a global environment. Major topics include foreign market entry strategies, motivation and challenges of internationalization, the analysis of international industries, building competitive advantage in global industries, and the role of the country manager. Case studies will be used to increase the student's understanding of the complexities of managing international business operations.
Prerequisite: Completion of INBM 290 and at least three of the four 200-level courses (220, 230, 240, 250).