IB 340 - Business Strategies in Latin America

To be able to do business effectively either with or in Latin America, international managers must understand the key factors, both uncontrollable and controllable, internal and external, that will affect their firm’s performance. This course will address the challenge of doing business in different cultures, as well as the impact of history and geography, on the various functions of a firm, including marketing, finance and accounting, operations and human resources. It also examines the challenges in trying to implement sustainable practices and how to deal with differing concepts of ethics and the issue of corruption. Students will learn international business analysis tools, including models and frameworks to help them diagnose organizational issues and make recommendations to improve or sustain performance. The objective of the course is to equip students with real-world skills that can be applied in an organizational setting, and to provide them with an appreciation for the complexity of doing business abroad, but specifically in Latin America. On a more general level, the course aims to improve students’ critical thinking skills and ability to tackle tough organizational problems in a variety of settings.