MANA / INTB 7397 - Global Leadership - Summer 08

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The primary purpose of this course is to provide students with a multifaceted view of what it takes to become a global leader. We will discuss the roles of global leaders, the competencies they need to develop, and the challenges they face.

REQUIRED READINGS

As part of this course, students receive a reading list, which is included in the “Course Schedule” section at the end of this syllabus. All articles are available through the electronic libraries of the University of Houston.

In addition to the reading list, the course material includes two case studies, which are available for sale at Harvard Business School Publishing (www.hbsp.harvard.edu):

• LG Group: Developing Tomorrow’s Global Leaders. By: Stewart Black, Allen J. Morrison, and Young Chul Chang. Product#: 98G009. Source: Ivey Business School.
• Philipp Justus at eBay Germany (A). By: Maria T. Farkas. Product#: 9-402-007. Source: Harvard Business School.

WEBCT

WebCT will be used in this class as a course management tool.  Specific options for this class are described below.  To access WebCT, please obtain a WebCT ID and login at: http://www.uh.edu/webct.  If you have questions about WebCT or need technical assistance, you can click on the “get help” link on the WebCT website, call the help-line at 713-743-1411 (M-F 8am-8pm), or visit the IT Support Center in room 56 of the library (M-F 8am-8pm).  Contact me for any course-related questions.

• Discussion Board: The discussion board tool will be used for weekly discussions on readings and group case presentations.
• E-Mail: Use the e-mail option to e-mail me or your classmates within WebCT. Outside e-mail addresses are not needed.  Simply select your recipient(s) using the “Browse” function.
• Term Paper Drop Box: A list of topics for the individual term paper can be found in the Term Paper drop box.  Please pay close attention to instructions and due dates/times.  Term papers must be submitted through this drop box in Microsoft Word format.  Late papers will not be accepted.
• Grades: Use this tool to access your grades for this class including group case presentations, the term paper, and the final course grade.
• Group Presentations: This tool will be used by groups to share files and create PowerPoint presentations.  The group case presentations will serve as the basis for discussions for Topic 3 and Topic 5 (see course plan) and will be available under this icon for viewing by the class.

COURSE EVALUATION

Assignment	Points
Contribution on Web Discussions	25
Group Case Presentations (2)	20  20
Term Papers: -          Becoming a global leader -          Global leader interview	15  20
Total	100 points

Contribution

Web Discussions (25 points)

All class members are expected to participate in the discussion board each week during Summer I. Four groups will be randomly formed on WebCT. For each of the topics covered in the class, different groups will take the lead in the discussion and will submit the instructor four questions for the whole class to talk about.  The only exception will be topic 1, for which the instructor will provide the discussion questions.

In the case of topics 1, 2, 4, the group questions and student discussions will be based on the assigned readings. On the discussion board, please share and discuss your observations, insights, and questions regarding the readings. What did you learn about being a global leader? What did you find interesting? What would you like to know more about?

In the case of topics 3 and 5, the group questions and student discussions will be based on the group case presentations posted by all groups. How are your recommendations similar to or different from those of the other groups? Do you agree or disagree with the other group’s decisions about what to do in the case? Groups’ PowerPoint presentations will be available under the “Group Presentations” icon.

Students’ contribution will be graded based upon the quantity and quality of postings each week. Groups will also be evaluated on their role in leading discussions through discussion board participation and responses to postings by class members.

Group Case Presentations (40 points)

Four groups will be randomly formed on WebCT.  Each group will analyze two case studies. At the end of each case study there is a decision that needs to be made. In addition, specific case study questions will be available in WebCT. Group members need to place themselves into the situation of the case, decide what they would do in the circumstance, respond to the questions posted, and explain their proposed course of action. Groups will prepare 12-15 page PowerPoint presentations describing and justifying their decision. In preparing group presentations, it is not necessary for students to call the company described in the case, go on the internet, or otherwise attempt to find out ‘what happened’ in the case situation.  Naturally, there are multiple reasonable courses of action for a company; the key aspect of the case analysis is the internal consistency of the decision and the action plan. Due dates are indicated in the schedule at the end of the syllabus. An excellent presentation will: 1) follow the above requirements, 2) respond to all questions about the case, 3) clearly describe the reasons behind the decision; 4) provide an action plan; 5) provide consistent argumentation across slides, 6) be free of typos, grammar, and punctuation errors, 7) be well-referenced (sources of the material should be specified in the presentation), and be well-organized (with agenda and summary slides).

Term Papers (35 points)

The term paper consists of two parts:

1. Thought piece on becoming a global leader (3 pages, double space, 1-inch margins)Consider the following scenario. A multinational company offers you a job that includes a 2-year international assignment in a European country. Write a thought piece reflecting on the global leadership capabilities that you already have and those you still need to develop. In addition, what can you do and what can your organization do to help you to become a global leader? What is your action plan for the short and long term in order to be successful in your international assignment? Additional guidelines for this assignment will be provided in WebCT.
2. Global leadership interview (8-10 pages, double space, 1-inch margins):
   
   1. Contact and interview an executive or manager with international experience. An interview protocol will be available in WebCT. The term paper needs to include the manager answers to the questions and a final section with the lessons on global leadership learned by the student by performing this interview.  Please attach an appendix with the manager’s CV and contact information (not included as part of the page limit).

The term papers should be an original piece of work, written by the student for this class. Students are to work individually on the term paper. An excellent paper will:

1. Meet the stated requirements
2. Be relevant to the class content
3. Be well written
4. Be well organized
5. Be free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors
6. Be well referenced when applicable
7. Will satisfactorily cover the topic.

GRADE DISTRIBUTION

Grades for this class will be determined by the total number of points that you earn during the semester based on the following scale:

POINTS:	GRADE:
93-100	A
90-92	A-
87-89	B+
83-86	B
80-82	B-
77-79	C+
73-76	C
70-72	C-
60-69	D
below 60	F

ACADEMIC HONESTY

The University of Houston Academic Honesty Policy is strictly enforced by the C.T. Bauer College of Business.  No violations of this policy will be tolerated in this course.  A discussion of the policy is included in the University of Houston Student Handbook which can be found at http://www.uh.edu/dos/hdbk/acad/achonpol.html. Students are expected to be familiar with this policy.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

The C.T. Bauer College Business would like to help students who have disabilities achieve their highest potential. To this end, in order to receive academic accommodations, students must register with the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) (telephone 713-743-5400), and present approved accommodation documentation to their instructors in a timely manner.

INSTRUCTOR EVALUATIONS

The Bauer College of Business has a policy that requires all of its instructors to be evaluated by their students.  The results of these evaluations are important to provide feedback to instructors on how their performance can be improved.  In addition, these evaluations are carefully considered in promotion, salary adjustment, and other important decisions.  We openly encourage students to provide feedback to the instructors and to the Bauer College of Business through the evaluation process.

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

Topic 1:  Monday, June 2nd

Readings:

• What Is a Global Manager? By: Bartlett, Christopher A.; Ghoshal, Sumantra. Harvard Business Review, Aug2003, Vol. 81 Issue 8, p101-108.
• Defining the Global Manager. Letters to the Editor. Harvard Business Review, Mar/Apr1993, Vol. 71 Issue 2, p150-156.
• Putting Leaders on the Couch. By: Coutu, Diane L.. Harvard Business Review, Jan2004, Vol. 82 Issue 1, p64-71.
• What Makes a Successful Global Executive? By: Hollenbeck, George P.; McCall, Jr., Morgan W.. Business Strategy Review, Winter2001, Vol. 12 Issue 4, p49, 8p.

** Groups posted **

Questions provided by Instructor

Discussion board on readings opens at 9:00am on June 2nd

Topic 2:  Friday, June 6th

Readings:

• For Global Managers, a World of Difference. By: Dalton, Maxine A.; Deal, Jennifer J.; Ernst, Christopher T.; Leslie, Jean Brittain. Leadership in Action, Sep/Oct2000, Vol. 20 Issue 4, p5-9.
• Identifying Global Leadership Competencies: An Exploratory Study. By: Bueno, Cristina Moro; Tubbs, Stewart L.. Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, Sep2004, Vol. 5 Issue 1/2, p80-87.
• Developing Leaders for the Global Frontier. By: Gregersen, Hal B.; Morrison, Allen J.; Black, J. Stewart. MIT Sloan Management Review, Fall98, Vol. 40 Issue 1, p21-32.
• Global Leadership from A to Z: Creating High Commitment Organizations. By: Kets de Vries, Manfred F.R.; Florent-Treacy, Elizabeth. Organizational Dynamics, Summer2002, Vol. 30 Issue 4, p295-309.
• In Search of Global Leaders. By: Green, Stephen; Hassan, Fred; Immelt, Jeffrey; Marks, Michael; Meiland, Daniel. Harvard Business Review, Aug2003, Vol. 81 Issue 8, p38-44.

Discussion Leaders:

Group 1 (questions to be submitted to instructor by 8:00am on June 6th)

Discussion board on readings opens at 9:00am on June 6th

Topic 3: Thursday, June 12th

Case Study:

• LG Group: Developing Tomorrow’s Global Leaders. By: Stewart Black, Allen J. Morrison, and Young Chul Chang. Product#: 98G009. Source: Ivey Business School. Available at: www.hbsp.harvard.edu

Group Case Presentations due by 8:00am on June 12th

Discussion Leaders:

Group 2 (questions to be submitted to instructor by 8:00am on June 12th)

Discussion board on group case presentations opens at 9:00am on June 12th

Topic 4: Wednesday, June 18th

Readings:

• Global Fatalities. By: Morgan W. McCall Jr. and George P. Hollenbeck. Ivey Business Journal. May/Jun2002, Vol. 66 Issue 5, p74, 5p.
• Local memoirs of a global manager. By: Das, Gurcharan. Harvard Business Review, Mar/Apr93, Vol. 71 Issue 2, p38, 9p.
• The Case of the Floundering Expatriate. By: Adler, Gordon; Ready, Douglas A.; Schneider, Susan; Johansson, Bjørn; Trompenaars, Fons; Borboa, Roman. Harvard Business Review, Jul/Aug95, Vol. 73 Issue 4, p24, 13p.
• Attention HQ. By: Birkinshaw, Julian; Bouquet, Cyril; Ambos, Tina. Business Strategy Review, Fall2006, Vol. 17 Issue 3, p4-9, 6p.
• Managing Executive Attention in the Global Company. By: Birkinshaw, Julian; Bouquet, Cyril; Ambos, Tina C.. MIT Sloan Management Review, Summer2007, Vol. 48 Issue 4, p39-45, 7p.

Discussion Leaders:

Group 3 (questions to be submitted to instructor by 8:00am on June 18th)

Discussion board on readings opens at 9:00am on June 18th

Topic 5: Tuesday, June 24th

Case Study:

• Philipp Justus at eBay Germany (A). By: Maria T. Farkas. Product#: 9-402-007. Source: Harvard Business School. Available at: www.hbsp.harvard.edu

Group Case Presentations due by 8:00am on June 24th

Discussion Leaders:

Group 4 (questions to be submitted to instructor by 8:00am on June 24th)

Discussion board on group case presentations opens at 9:00am CST on June 24th

June 29th

Last day of web discussions.

June 30th

End of Class, Term Papers due by 5:00pm.