The over-arching goal of this in-country intensive course is to provide students with an exposure to the business environment of the selected country through site visits to corporations, NGOs and government agencies. It will also provide an opportunity to understand the cultural and historical dimensions that shape business practice. This course will also emphasise personal and professional development in key areas such as leadership, management, marketing, entrepreneurship and international business. The course will typically involve a visit of up to 10 days in the selected country. Students will be selected to enrol in the course following a competitive application process.

Specific details for each in-country program will be published on the College of Business and Economics website.

Students will only be permitted to travel upon completion of ANU required documentation including, where required, the travel to a high risk destination form, and the approval of all documentation by the relevant delegate. 

Disclaimer: Applicants are advised that due to circumstances beyond the University's control (for example, specific international security concerns and international health crises) it may not be possible for students to commence or complete this course as advertised.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Conduct independent academic research to successfully support and present their own perspectives of key business and cultural issues
2. Conduct comprehensive analyses of international environments
3. Recognise important key challenges affecting international business decisions
4. Enhance effective verbal communication within teams as well as with business leaders and other stakeholders in a cross-cultural context
5. Identify personal leadership qualities necessary for success in international environments
6. Successfully navigate a new and unfamiliar business, cultural, political, economic and social environment
   

Research-Led Teaching

This course comprises two main components. The first is completed locally and involves two pre-departure seminars and students conducting research about the business environment in South Korea before the in-country visit. This research is to gain a preliminary understanding of either a target organisation, individual, concept or policy or the general business context prior to tour. This is to foster a community of co-learners within the tour group. This background research will be incorporated into the assessments during and after the in-country visit.

The second component involves experiential learning based on observation and first-hand encounters with the business environment and organisations in South Korea. This environment is institutionally, culturally, and economically distant from the experiences of entrepreneurs and managers working in Australia.

Field Trips

The central activity during the course is the ten-day overseas study tour to South Korea. Participation on this trip is mandatory. The country visit will be held on 31 March to 13 April 2024 and a full program will be posted on Wattle.

Additional Course Costs

Enrolled students are expected to pay for the costs associated with the in-country visit in addition to the course fee. These costs include a participation fee AU$5,134 to cover in-country costs including such as fees for lectures, visits, ground transportation, hotel rooms, as well as food and program activities as indicated in the program.

Examination Material or equipment

Not applicable.

Recommended Resources

Links to helpful resources for completing the assessments will be posted on Wattle.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	21st of February (tentative): Pre-departure Seminar 1	Pre-departure seminar 1 (time and venue TBD) Networking lunch
2	13th of March (tentative): Pre-departure seminar 2	Pre-departure seminar 2 (time and venue TBD) Group lunch with guest speakers
3	22nd of March: Assessment Task 1 due	Group research project report due by 4pm, submit to Turnitin The ANU College of Business and Economics has mandated the completion of Consent Matters online course for all students travelling abroad as part of their program of study. Link to this online course will be provided.
4	31 March - 13 April 2024: Study tour	Study tour in Seoul, South Korea Detailed program on wattle
5	24th April (tentative): Post-trip seminar	Attendance is optional
6	31st May: Assessment Task 2 due	Individual learning journal and report due by 4pm, submit to Turnitin

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Pre-departure group project	30 %	22/03/2024	29/03/2024	1,2,3,4
Participation	10 %	12/04/2024	19/04/2024	1,2,3,4
Learning Journal	20 %	31/05/2024	27/06/2024	1,2,5,6
Learning Report	40 %	31/05/2024	27/06/2024	1,2,5,6

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Students are required to actively participate in the pre-departure seminars and during the study tour. (see assessment task 2)

Examination(s)

Not applicable.

Assessment Task 1

Pre-departure group project

Due date

4pm, 22nd of March

Weighting

30%

Word limit

4000 words, excluding references and appendices.

Instructions

Q: What makes Korean BGs internationally competitive? Will their competitive advantages persist in the mid-term (5-10 years) and long-term (beyond 10 years) future?

This project requires students to work in teams (4 students per team) to prepare a report that includes the following contents: 

1. A literature review of business groups, with focus on the source of their competitive advantages and the boundary conditions of those advantages. Some suggested references are provided on wattle, but you are expected to expand your literature research to cover 15-20 relevant key articles. The references you consult can be about BGs in general and/or Korean BGs specifically. The goal of the review is to understand what scholars have theoretically argued and empirically examined about BG competitive advantage, and what issues remain unresolved (e.g., contradictory arguments, inconsistent empirical evidence, any other knowledge gap).
2. Conduct case analyses of one (single case) or more (multiple cases) Korean BGs to illustrate their history of formation, growth and international expansion and how they have dealt with changing environmental constraints and opportunities. You are expected to use secondary data for the case study, such as published and publicly available written, audio, and video information about your chosen case BGs. The goal of the case study is to obtain some level of empirical understanding of how Korean BGs have operated and competed, which hopefully will complement the theoretical understanding you have gained from the literature review.
3. Synthesizing the theoretical and empirical insights gained from the above two components and formally provide your answer to the research questions. The second part of the question requires you to analyse and anticipate the changing global business landscape, including political and institutional changes, technological advancement, social and demographic changes etc. These factors may or may not influence the extent to which existing BG advantages can persist over time. You may also propose what strategic and operational changes Korean BGs may need to consider if they are to maintain or even improve their global competitive positions.

More details will be posted on Wattle.

Marking criteria

Detailed marking criteria will be posted on Wattle.

In most instances, group members are expected to contribute equally to the project, and the group mark will subsequently be uniformly applied to each individual. However, if there is unequal contribution within a group, all members must collaboratively sign a joint statement detailing their individual contributions in percentage terms (e.g., member 1 contributed 20%, member 2 contributed 25%, ...). This breakdown will be utilised to adjust the group mark to individual marks accordingly.

Submission details

Each group should have 1 dedicated correspondence author who is responsible for submitting the group project report to Turnitin on Wattle. Other co-authors in the same group do not need to submit.

Return of Assessment

One week after submission

Assessment Task 2

Participation

Due date

12th of April

Weighting

10%

Instructions

Active participation is essential for your learning experience in this course. Your participation may be in the forms of in-class discussion, Q&A, and other activities you undertake for the benefit of your own learning and maybe that of the others. Your participation will be noted and assessed by the lecturers.

Assessment Task 3

Learning Journal

Due date

4pm, 31st of May

Weighting

20%

Word limit

no limit on the learning journal.

Instructions

Each student is required to keep a learning journal that documents their daily observations, insights, interactions and key learnings during the country visit as they relate to business practices and environment in South Korea. A detailed task specification will be posted on Wattle.

Marking criteria

Will be posted on Wattle.

Submission details

To be submitted via Turnitin on Wattle.

Return of Assessment

Results from Semester 1 will be published on 27th of June, 2024.

Assessment Task 4

Learning Report

Due date

4pm, 31st of May

Weighting

40%

Word limit

2500 words (excluding references, quotations, and appendices).

Instructions

Students are to choose:

EITHER, one of the businesses visited during the country visit and write a report that analyses its key opportunities and challenges, its contribution to the development of sustainable business, markets or policy.

OR, write a report that reflects their experience of the entire trip, which will give students an opportunity to take stock of what they have learned from the course, in particular, to understand their own strengths and weaknesses and develop a skill, resource network and capabilities plan. It helps students to focus on their own development of individual management competencies.

A detailed task specification will be posted on Wattle. 

Please also refer to the instructions of report writing in the link below:

http://www.anu.edu.au/students/learning-development/writing-assessment/report-writing

Marking criteria

Will be posted on Wattle.

Submission details

To be submitted via Turnitin on Wattle.

Return of Assessment

Results from Semester 1 will be published on 27th of June, 2024.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded. All assessment extension requests must be submitted via the CBE Assessment Extension Request Form.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Every effort will be made to return assignments (via Wattle) by the return of assignment date specified in the Assignment Tasks section above.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Re-submission of assignments after the due date is not permitted.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students