This specialization is ideal for anyone interested in the scale, scope, and specifics of doing business abroad.
International Business Specialization
Become a Global Business Manager! . Master international business strategies and methods for global success.
Offered By
What you will learn
Comprehend and critique the context of global business including trade theories, globalization, political and economic systems, ethics, and international trade law.
Apply models of national culture to international marketing and human resource management.
Understand methods of organizing international logistics and supply chains and explain foreign currency exchange and its risks.
Analyze and evaluate the many modes and methods that businesses can participate in international markets.
About this Specialization
Applied Learning Project
By successfully completing this specialization, learners will be fully prepared to engage in discussions and management issues regarding contemporary international and domestic business. Learners will gain a broad understanding of the context of international business; HRM and marketing; SCM, logistics, finance, and accounting; and operating abroad.
This specialization is ideal for anyone interested in the scale, scope, and specifics of doing business abroad.
There are 4 Courses in this Specialization
International Business Context
This course on the context of international business provides an overview of the environments in which international business has existed in the past and how it operates in the present. First, the theory and history of international trade and the place of business in global trade are summarized. Next, the parallel topic of globalization and its impact on international business is reviewed. Then, the varied political, economic, and ethical environments in which international business must operate are discussed. Finally, current international trade agreements and national trade laws and regulations are presented. Without understanding the context of international business, international managers and leaders will indeed find success difficult.
International Business and Culture
In this course, learners develop a solid understanding of how national cultures shape international human resource management, international marketing, and international business generally. The course provides an overview of international culture, human resource management (HRM), and marketing. This may seem like a peculiar grouping of topics, but successful international HR management and marketing are highly dependent on national culture. Without understanding a people’s culture, managing and selling to those people is fraught. In the first module, the many determinants of national culture are explored as well as the dimensions or characteristics of a nation’s culture. In the next module, we review the various organizational structures appropriate for international business before turning to the HR challenges of managing a diverse population of international employees. In the final two modules, we explore the many challenges of international marketing across nations and across cultures.
International Business Operations
This course provides learners with a solid foundation in international supply, logistics, and foreign currency exchange. Foreign exchange is included in this course since it plays such an important role in planning and executing international operations. The first half of the course reviews critical roles that supply chain management, sourcing, logistics, and transportation play in contemporary global business. In the second half, the focus shifts to foreign currency exchange risks and methods for mitigating those risks, both financial and non-financial.
International Business Venturing Abroad
This course reviews and evaluates the many ways that businesses can engage in international commerce. First presented are the three decisions that any business needs to make to go global, including a model for country selection. Next, modes of exporting and importing are discussed, followed by a review of contract modes of entry such as licensing and franchising, and then foreign direct investment strategies such as joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions. The course concludes with a personal look at going global, including deciding to go, preparing to go, working and living abroad, and the challenges of coming home.
Offered by

University of Colorado Boulder
CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.
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