The course addresses the key issues facing companies operating in foreign countries. The two broad themes are risks created by currency exchange rates and the sources, costs and risks of obtaining financing in the foreign capital markets. Other topics include changes in government policies, economic and political risks and the role of international banks. Prerequisite: BUS 0305.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
International Financial Management by TOTAL ESTIMATED COURSE COST: $2.02 - $187.60
Encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries and other reference books can be a great place to start your research. They will:
The Changing Wealth of Nations: Building a Sustainable Future by
"The Changing Wealth of Nations 2018: Building a Sustainable Future covers national wealth for 141 countries over 20 years (1995-2014) as the sum of produced capital, 19 types of natural capital, net foreign assets, and human capital overall as well as by gender and type of employment."
The Little Green Data Book 2017 by
"Defining, gathering, and disseminating international statistics is a collective effort of many people and organizations. The indicators presented in World Development Indicators are the fruit of decades of work at many levels, from the field workers who administer censuses and household surveys to the committees and working parties of the national and international statistical agencies that develop the nomenclature, classifications, and standards fundamental to the international statistical system."
The AMA Dictionary of Business and Management by 
Terms of Trade: Glossary Of International Economics (2nd Edition) by
"This useful reference book offers a glossary of terms in both international trade and international finance, with emphasis on economic issues. It is intended for students getting their first exposure to international economics, although advanced students will also find it useful for some of the more obscure terms that they have forgotten or never encountered.Besides an extensive glossary of terms that has been expanded about 50% from the first edition, there is a picture gallery of diagrams used to explain key concepts such as the Edgeworth Production Box and the Offer Curve Diagram in international economics. This section is followed by over 30 lists of terms that occur a lot in international economics, grouped by subject to help users find terms that they cannot recall.Prior to an enlarged bibliography is an expanded section on the origins of terms in international economics, which records what the author has been able to learn about the origins of some of the terms used in international economics. This is a must-have portable glossary in international trade and international economics!"
Encyclopedia of World Trade: From Ancient Times to the Present by
"This exhaustive four-volume set is the definitive reference on the history of trade in all time periods. It traces the historical and contemporary interaction of trade, commerce, and culture in fascinating detail."
Historical Dictionary of the International Monetary Fund by
"In its more than 65 years of existence, the International Monetary Fund has evolved from a small, obscure international agency, with new and uncertain responsibilities, into a powerful institution that today has assumed center stage in the international monetary system. It is a remarkable story of how an institution has developed and adapted itself to an evolving world and a changing membership in ways that perhaps no other international agency has been forced or able to do.The third edition of the Historical Dictionary of the International Monetary Fund provides a comprehensive overview of the fund, including a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, a bibliography, and over 300 cross-referenced dictionary entries on the organizations, significant leaders, founders, and members. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the International Monetary Fund."
Historical Dictionary of the World Bank by
"When it was founded back in 1944 no one could possibly have foreseen how the World Bank – known more formally as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) – would flourish. Today, with 188 members, it is by far the largest lender for projects in agriculture, health, infrastructure and many other fields in developing countries around the world, with a budget of billions of dollars and a staff of more than 9,000, and its advice is usually heeded by both the developing countries which borrow from it and the advanced ones which contribute. This second edition of the Historical Dictionary of the World Bank shows the substantial progress the Bank has made, this mainly through the dictionary section with concise entries on its component institutions, related organizations, its achievements in various fields, some of the major projects and member countries, and its various presidents. The introduction explains how the Bank works while the chronology traces the major events over nearly 70 years. Meanwhile, the list of acronyms reminds us just who the main players are. And the bibliography directs readers to useful internal documentation and outside studies."
Key Concepts in International Relations by
This book guides students through the complexities of over 40 central concepts and core theories, relating them at all times to contemporary issues and debates.
The Oxford Companion to International Relations by
The Oxford Companion to International Relations examines the international relations and political dynamics of countries, peoples, and organizations and allows politics to be viewed from a wider foundation and interconnected relationships.
Darkness by Design by 
Efficiency, Finance, and Varieties of Industrial Policy: Guiding Resources, Learning, and Technology for Sustained Growth by
"Industrial policy, once relegated to resource allocation, technological improvements, and the modernization of industries, should be treated as a serious component of sustainability and developmental economics. A rich set of complimentary institutions, shared behavioral norms, and public policies have sustained economic growth from Britain's industrial revolution onwards. This volume revisits the role of industrial policy in the success of these strategies and what it can offer developed and developing economies today. Featuring essays from experts invested in the expansion of industrial policies, topics discussed include the most effective use of industrial policies in learning economies, development finance, and promoting investment in regional and global contexts. Also included are in-depth case studies of Japan and India's experience with industrial policy in the banking and private sector. One essay revisits the theoretical and conceptual foundations of industrial policy from a structural economics perspective and another describes the models, packages, and transformation cycles that constitute a variety of approaches to implementation. The collection concludes with industrial strategies for facilitating quality growth, realizing more sustainable manufacturing development, and encouraging countries to industrialize around their natural resources."
Inclusive Development In AfrIca: Transformation of Global Relations by
"This book addresses a fundamental developmental challenge for Africa: given all that we know about pertinent issues, what should be done to ensure effective development in Africa? The changing imperatives of international development, the reform of international finance institutions and the growth-development nexus debates as well as varied implications for Africa emanating from global economic crises are critical if Africa's development is to be better understood. Undoubtedly, revisiting the origins, contexts, complexities and contradictions of the lopsided global order and their effects on development and implications for Africa's development is necessary. Contributions emphasise the need to radically transform global relations and to accelerate the pursuit of our quest for inclusive development in Africa; acknowledging that we must further problematise Africa's development in the context of the obtaining global power dynamics and systematically examine the implications of the global economic crises for women as well as for land and agrarian reforms. The book is a timely contribution to our understanding of the global realities confronting Africa, with specific suggestions on how to improve development."
Multinational Enterprises and Sustainable Development by
"Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are believed to contribute towards economic development of host countries through foreign direct investment (FDI), which results in poverty alleviation and human empowerment through linkages and spillovers with local stakeholders. However, earlier research demonstrates that the positive impact of FDI is often inconclusive. There is thus a gap in understanding the link between the activities of MNEs in developing countries and their impact on socio-economic development. This volume reports the results of a large international ‘MNEmerge'research project, financed by the European Commission, and provides an understanding of the impact of MNEs on United Nations Millennium Development Goals and successive Sustainable Development Goals in developing countries."
International Business in the Information and Digital Age by
"This volume is dedicated to Lorraine Eden for her lifetime contributions to IB scholarship. Her research, spanning several decades, has addressed many interdisciplinary and societal themes at the heart of the IB field. The story of her intellectual journey -- strongly influenced by the coming of age of the fourth industrial revolution -- is shared in the opening chapter of this volume. This thirteenth volume in the PIBR series covers an increasingly important area of research for International Business (IB) scholars: the role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the digital and information age. A limited number of MNEs now dominate the landscape of the digital age, but almost all internationally operating firms are being affected by prevailing trends. How to take stock of these trends? How to develop resilient international business models? How to regulate? The digital age presents new opportunities but also major challenges for established and emerging MNEs alike. This volume brings together papers from leading IB scholars and from academics in adjacent disciplines such as economic geography, international relations and political science, strategic management, and technology studies. Four dimensions of the information and digital age are analyzed using an IB angle: Trends and theories in the information age Entrepreneurial strategies in the information age Functional strategies in the information age Industry 4.0"
Internationalization of Firms: The Role of Institutional Distance on Location and Entry Mode by
"Parietti addresses one of the most important topic scrutinized by the scholars of International Business. Distance between two countries is a multidimensional concept, including not only a geographical dimension but also other dimensions related to the culture, the administrative, political and economic aspects as shown by Ghemawat (2001) and its “CAGE” framework, as well as by Berry et al. (2010) and their nine dimensions of cross-national distance. In the last decade, van Tulder (2010) notes that the research tends to be oriented towards the institutional and governance distance between countries. Many scholars have emphasized the role of institutions in the internationalization process of firms (Cantwell et al., 2010; Dunning and Lundan, 2008; Van Hoorn and Maseland, 2016). Institutional distance has been used primarily to explain the location and entry mode choices based on the concept of “liability of foreignness” introduced by Zaheer (1995). Nevertheless, previous studies show contradictory results due to differences in terms of conceptualization and measurement of institutional distance."
Discreet Power: How the World Economic Forum Shapes Market Agendas by
"In Discreet Power, Christina Garsten and Adrienne Sörbom undertake an ethnographic study of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Accessing one of the primary agenda-setting organizations of our day, they draw on interviews and participant observation to examine how the WEF wields its influence. They situate the WEF within an emerging system of'discretionary governance,'in which actors craft ideas and entice formal authorities and top leaders in order to garner significant sway. Yet in spite of its image as a powerful, exclusive brain trust, the WEF has no formal mandate to implement its positions. It must convince others to advance chosen causes and enact suggestions, rendering its position quite fragile. Garsten and Sörbom argue that the WEF must be viewed relationally as a brokering organization that lives between the market and political spheres and that extends its reach through associated individuals and groups.They place the WEF in the context of a broader shift, arguing that while this type of governance opens up novel ways of dealing with urgent global problems, it challenges core democratic values."
The Life of Russian Business: (Re)cognizing, (Re)activating and (Re)configuring Institutions by
"he mainstream perception of Russian business today is framed by images of wild capitalism and a Dutch-diseased resource-dependent economy with poorly functioning rules and institutions. Despite the continued relevance of these issues in the current environment, readers of this book will discover that business in Russia has undergone a remarkable transformation. Important characteristics of the contemporary Russian business climate include the rise of a new generation of Russian business leaders and entrepreneurs, a variety of innovative and adaptive business strategies developed to respond to the increasingly VUCA world, a confident middle class with significant purchasing power, as well as a surprising level of integration in the world economy, including increasingly with China and its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). These evolving developments have received little attention from researchers and practitioners. This book has been written by Russian experts and thought leaders to address this knowledge gap. The five sections provide a diverse but integrated set of opinion pieces, analyses and cases about Russian business covering markets and macro perspectives, strategy and governance, innovation and entrepreneurship, internationalization and leadership. The aim is to overcome preconceptions by illustrating the underreported and multifaceted nature of the life of Russian business and take the reader closer to what is really happening on the ground. The book contains more than 50 contributions from 54 authors representing opinion leaders in Russia and abroad including prominent academics and businessmen. The Life of Russian Business is aimed at practitioners, policy-makers and educators, as well as those generally interested in Russia. By disseminating state-of-the-art insights on Russian decision-makers and institutions, the book ultimately delivers a well informed and balanced guide for those wishing to participate in Russia's economy."
A Matter of Trust: The Practice of Ethics in Finance by
"From the marble trading floors of Wall Street to the dirt floor of a microfinance lender in rural Sumatra, finance touches everybody's lives. From small personal loans to collateralised debt obligations, it promises solutions for a better, more prosperous future. But not much in life is guaranteed, and financial outcomes may not match consumer expectations. When trust between practitioners and their clients is undermined it threatens the very fabric of our financial system. The result can be personal disappointment, but the financial crisis of 2007-08 highlighted how we can all be affected when economies are jeopardised by financial mismanagement.A Matter of Trust explores how the finance sector can stand as a true profession and provides a practical guide to make everyday business decisions in an ethically sound way."
Law and the Wealth of Nations: Finance, Prosperity, and Democracy by
"Economic stagnation, financial crisis, and increasing inequality have provoked worldwide debate about the reshaping of the market economy. But few are willing to risk a reorientation of dominant ideas and a reform of entrenched structures. Right-wing populism has stepped into the void created by a failure to imagine structural alternatives. Tamara Lothian offers a deeper view showing the path to the reconstruction of the economy in the service of both growth and inclusion. She probes the institutional innovations that would reignite economic growth by democratizing the market. Progressives have traditionally focused only on the demand side of the economy, abandoning the supply side to conservatives. Law and the Wealth of Nations offers a progressive approach to the supply side of the economy and proposes innovation in our fundamental economic arrangements.Lothian begins by exploring how finance can serve broad-based economic growth rather than serving only itself. She goes on to show how the reform of finance can lead into the democratization of the economy. How, she asks, can we ensure that the most advanced, knowledge-intensive practices of production spread throughout the economy rather than remaining in the hands of the entrepreneurial and technological elite? How can we anchor greater economic equality and empowerment in the way we organize the economy rather than just trying to diminish inequalities after the fact by progressive taxation and entitlements? How can we revise legal thought and economic theory to develop the intellectual equipment that these tasks require? Law and the Wealth of Nations will appeal to all who are searching for ways to think practically about change in our economic and political institutions."
Understanding Islamic Financial Services: Theory and Practice by
"Understanding Islamic Financial Services offers fresh insights on the Islamic financial system. The importance of this system cannot be underestimated. Experts expect that it is likely to sustain double digit growth globally over the next few years, and demand for professionals in the area has never been higher, both in the UK and around the world. While other texts on the subject look at the basic concepts, principles, contracts and financial products used in Islamic banking and finance, Understanding Islamic Financial Services goes one step further and provides a new context, identifying four levels on which the Islamic Financial system operates: product level, institution level, market level and inter-market level. It considers Islamic banking and finance as a multi-level service system, an approach which will enable students and professionals of Islamic finance to gain a more in-depth, holistic understanding of how the system functions. Understanding Islamic Financial Services covers contemporary developments in service science (e.g. service theories, service visualization tools and service co-creation concepts) and implications for the development and sustainability of Islamic financial services. Examples from practice enliven the text and allow the reader to relate the theories and principles discussed to current practice."
Major Issues and Policies in China's Financial Reform by
"'Pants with close crotch,' 'polyandry,' and 'a tiger in a cage' — these enigmatic terms are frequently used by Chinese economists and policy-makers to figuratively describe certain significant financial events in the history of New China. Major Issues and Policies in China's Financial Reform is a 4-volume guide to these kinds of events. With the economic transformation of late 1980s as a turning point, this series provides an in-depth examination of 28 key financial policies and issues in China over a 60-year timespan. The series combines vivid stories and theoretical analysis to explain the historical background of these financial reforms, including such concepts as replacing the fiscal appropriation of investment funds by bank loans, the replacement of profit delivery by taxes, and debt for equity swaps. The series also offers evaluations of the subsequent impacts of these policies on China's economic development. Major Issues and Policies in China's Financial Reform uses a review of history to provide a basis for policy recommendations, innovations, and future fiscal and financial reforms In China."
Contemporary Issues in Bank Financial Management by
"Contemporary Issues in Financial Services special edition includes studies by the University of Malta, MSc Banking and Finance graduates and the respective lecturers, on financial services within particular countries or regions and studies of particular themes such as credit risk management, fund management and evaluation, forex hedging using derivatives and sovereign fixed income portfolios."
Can Finance Save the World?: Regaining Power Over Money to Serve the Common Good by
"Just as Thomas Piketty offered a sweeping critique and progressive reassessment of capitalism, former World Bank Group chief financial officer Bertrand Badré looks at the destructive role finance played in the global economic crisis of 2007–2008 and offers a bold prescription for making it a force for good. Badré says that finance is inherently neither good nor bad. It's just a tool—the most powerful tool on earth. Used correctly, it can be at the heart of the way we address many of the world's biggest problems, ranging from climate change to the eradication of poverty to building much-needed infrastructure. He describes innovations in financial tools and approaches that are already happening around the world and looks at the role regulation can play in channeling the power of finance in a positive direction. He details options for strengthening international cooperation for financial stability and prosperity and overcoming the blinkered nationalism currently on the rise. And he tells what is working and what needs to change in financing the sustainable development of the world. This book is rich with practical examples, some developed by Badré himself. For instance, he describes how at the World Bank he devised an innovative way to use insurance, a financial tool rarely considered in international development, to buttress fragile emerging economies against natural disasters and pandemics. Initiatives like these show that, as Badré writes, 'when controlled and used intelligently, with benevolence and inventiveness, finance can accomplish great things.'"
Financial Management: Methods, Outcomes and Challenges by
"Financial knowledge is crucial to helping individuals make better financial decisions as well as the financial markets to function well. What is neglected in these popular analyses is that the observed USD metrics are also impacted by changes in exchange rates. Thus, this book examines the extent to which exchange rate changes have potentially impacted perceptions of the rate of change in the global financial influence of the United States and Europe. Event study methodology has been extensively used in the finance literature to capture how stock markets react to certain information events such as mergers and acquisitions, financial crises, terrorist activities, changes to financial and environmental regulations, natural catastrophes, and many other events. Also, exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) have become one of the most innovative and popular financial instruments, with their diversification benefits at the core of their success. Nonetheless, the inherent link between ETFs and their underlying securities has cast doubts on their usage. Most people approach their later years without financial preparation. This book will look at a study which was carried out to determine older people financial distress, financial management behavior and financial satisfaction on their satisfaction with life."
The Venture Capital State: The Silicon Valley Model in East Asia by
"Silicon Valley has become shorthand for a globally acclaimed way to unleash the creative potential of venture capital, supporting innovation and creating jobs. In The Venture Capital State Robyn Klingler-Vidra traces how and why different states have adopted distinct versions of the Silicon Valley model.Venture capital seeks high rewards but is enveloped in high risk. The author's deep investigations of venture capital policymaking in East Asian states (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore) show that success does not reflect policymakers'ability to replicate the Silicon Valley model. Instead, she argues, performance reflects their skill in adapting a highly lauded model to their local context. Policymakers are'contextually rational'in their learning; their context-rooted norms shape their preferences. The normative context for learning about policy—how elites see themselves and what they deem as locally appropriate—informs how they design their efforts.The Venture Capital State offers a novel conceptualization of rationality, bridging diametrically opposed versions of bounded and conventional rationality. This new understanding of rationality is simultaneously fully informed and context based, and it provides a framework by which analysts can bring domestic factors to the very heart of international diffusion of policy. Klingler-Vidra concludes that states have a visible hand in constituting even quintessentially neoliberal markets."
Reforming China's Capital Market - The Future Development Path by
"In Reforming China's Capital Market, Wu Xiaoqiu, forefather of China's securities theory, examines the most critical issues with this volatile but booming market. This book also offers studies of prominent cases of trading irregularities in China over the past 20 years, as well as suggestions of the regulatory system and the policy orientation for future reforms such as the creation of market watchdogs in order to deter unfair trading practices."
Cultural Intelligence: Surviving and Thriving in the Global Village by
"In today's global economy, the ability to interact effectively across cultures is a fundamental job requirement for just about everyone. But it's impossible to learn the customs and traits of every single culture. David Thomas and Kerr Inkson present a universal set of techniques and people skills that will allow you to adapt quickly to, and thrive in, any cultural environment. You'll learn to discard your own culturally based assumptions and pay careful attention, in a mindful and creative way, to cues in cross-cultural situations. The authors show how to apply cultural intelligence in a series of specific situations: making decisions; communicating, negotiating, and resolving conflicts; leading and motivating others; and designing, managing, and contributing to multicultural groups and teams. This extensively revised third edition has been updated with new stories showing cultural intelligence in action. Thomas and Inkson have broadened the focus beyond business to include organizations of all kinds—nonprofits, governments, educational institutions, and more. And they include a reliable and valid measure of cultural intelligence based on a decade of research by an international team of scholars."
Contemporary Issues in Bank Financial Management by 
Advances in Pacific Basin Business, Economics and Finance by
"Advances in Pacific Basin Business, Economics, and Finance is an annual publication designed to focus on interdisciplinary research in finance, economics, and management among Pacific Rim countries. All articles published are reviewed and recommended by at least two members of editorial board. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:1.Policy and management on financial markets and financial institutions 2.Options, futures and other derivatives markets 3.Corporate finance and investment decisions 4.Insurance and risk management 5.Accounting, auditing and taxation 6.Marketing, management, and business policies of the Pacific Rim countries 7.Interdisciplinary issues on supply chain, finance, and marketing 8.Monetary and foreign exchange policy 9.Income, employment and other economic policies among the Pacific Rim countries"
