2005 Course Syllabus


International Marketing Study Tour 2005


MIM 5085 - China& ASEAN Tour: The Emergence of China as an economic Economic Superpower and the Shifting Role of ASEAN


TOUR DATES:

March 3 -March 17 to Singapore; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Bangkok, Thailand and Hong Kong, China. While in Hong Kong, we will also visit SEZ, Shenzhen, China.


Objectives

To participate in a study tour of Asian emerging markets - China (Shenzhen), Malaysia, Thailand and NIC (newly industrialized countries) markets - Hong Kong, Singapore. Key learning objectives are:

• Understand the role and power of trading and economic alliances such as ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations)
• Compare and contrast geopolitical issues against the dynamic of economic development-the southern tri-river dam in China, its international impact, economic stranglehold and strategic significance to the Mekong River communities in Thailand
• Globalization of very high-end technology and services - Singapore - the third Silicon Valley and now competing against the US as a Biotech leader
• Leveraging natural resources-the role of OPEC and the awakening of Malaysia
• The growing economic hegemony of China as a manufacturing and financial powerhouse; the significance of MNCs reallocating their resources from HK/Singapore to Shanghai.

Course Description

Students will conduct intra-country studies through visits with embassies, local companies and local affiliates of MNCs. Students will also conduct inter-country comparisons of ASEAN versus non-ASEAN countries and understand the impact of politics, regional alliances and historical colonization on 21 st century development.

The course will focus on business and marketing practices, political and regulatory issues which impact trade, capital markets, consumer markets and business-to-business markets. The real learning on the tour is a close-up, personal experience with how individual culture and history has molded each country's economic response to 21 st century forces and opportunities. The growing influence of China and its ripple effect to Sino versus non-Sino sub-cultures (Singapore versus Malaysia) will also be discussed.

Visits to corporate and institutions will be included as first-hand "case studies", with an emphasis on the learning objectives stated above. Capital markets (banking-ABM, Citicorp), Business-to-business (Boeing), Consumer markets (targeting, positioning, communication, distribution, retail-Novartis, Ogilvy & Mather), are the key areas that will be covered.

Additional excursions such as cultural tours and entertainment will complement the academic experience. Students are strongly encouraged to use free time appropriately-explore retail outlets, cultural sites (e.g. museums, cultural dance performances, etc.) and if possible, trade and art/craft exhibitions. While local foods certainly add flair to the tour, students will be urged to exercise caution when experimenting with the local fare.


Course Requirement

For full academic credit each student must satisfactorily complete the following:

• Academic sessions: Attend the three planned pre-departure meetings to address logistical detail, academic assignments and attain a pre-tour theoretical grasp of the scope of the cultural, economic and political landscape of the target cities.
• These will include a January and two February pre-departure meetings, readings, research and a pre-tour assignment (designed to review the company we will be visiting). Missed pre-departure meetings incur a substitute assignment. Several mandatory on-tour academic sessions will be held in each country.
• Business and cultural sessions: Attendance of all planned institutional and cultural visits and maintenance of a daily journal and subsequent course overview
• Case Study: Analyze and present an assigned case. Preliminarily, there may be an opportunity to present the case with Nanyang Polytechnic students in Singapore, or NUS (National University of Singapore)
• Final paper: Completion of a 10 page research paper comparing visited markets vis a vis a specific industry or market-type of your choice (e.g. business-to-business market, issues related to WTO and international trade in an OPEC and ASEAN country such as Malaysia versus China, etc.)
  
  
  

Submission Deadlines

Pre-assignment: Feb 15 by electronic submission via Digital Drop Box in MSWord format.
Journal & Overview: Tuesday, March 29
Post-assignment: Tuesday, April 12


Grading Criteria:

Pre-Assignment & Meeting Attendance: 20%
Tour Attendance, Journal & Overview: 50%
Post-Assignment: 30%
Late materials and missed sessions will obviously negatively impact grades.


Addendum

Follow-up attachments specifying the Pre-assignment, Tour Assignment, Post-assignment and preliminary tour itinerary will be added and finalized in January 2005.