University of Southern Mississippi
College of Business Administration
GulfPark Campus
Summer 2012 SYLLABUS
IB 692 Special Problems in International Business
Section G001 Room: BC H Class Number 1934
Wednesdays6:00PM - 10:10PM
THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
AND REVISION DURING THE SEMESTER
Course Prerequisites: Consult the college catalog/bulletin or check with your advisor.
Course Description:3 hrs. International business
Faculty:Dr. John Lambert
Office – Gulf Park:BC 103 (Gulf Park Campus)
Cellular: (504) 338-7631
Long Beach, MS area: (228) 284-4970
New Orleans, LA area: (504)613-0799
University E-mail:
Personal E-Mail:
Website:
Skype: jlambertdba
Office Hours:Monday……..2:50 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Wednesday….2:50 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Additional office hrs by appointment and via Skype
REQUIRED TEXT: NO TEXTBOOK WILL BE USED IN THIS CLASS.
REQUIRED READINGS:
2010 BP Oil Spill and the Systemic Construct of the Gulf
Coast Shrimp Supply Chain
ConsumerEthnocentrism: Construction and Validation of the CETSCALE.
ConsumerEthnocentrism: CETSCALEValidation and Measurement of Extent
ConsumerDisidentification and Its Effects on Domestic Product Purchases: An Empirical Investigation in the Netherlands.
IMPORTED PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE WHEN NATIONAL ORIGIN IS NOT AN ISSUE: THE INFLUENCE OF PERSONAL CHOICE IN A LOW CETSCALE ENVIRONMENT.
TheRoleofConsumerEthnocentrism in FoodProductEvaluation.
REGIONAL INFLUENCES UPON THE SELECTION OF IMPORTED VERSUS DOMESTIC SEAFOOD.
TEACHING STRATEGY AND SKEPTICISM: A CAPSTONE APPROACH
Bringing Action Reflection Learning into action learning
About this IB 692 Class
This class focuses upon the study of an area of international business that continues to evolve, and that was significantly impacted by the BP oil spill. This class also addresses criticisms mentioned in the news these days as shortfalls in higher education.
- CONSUMER ETHNOCENTRISM. The 2010 BP oil spill’s total impact is not yet known. Ongoing research at the University of Southern Mississippi has tracked the impact upon consumer willingness to buy local Gulf shrimp, and their willingness to buy imported shrimp. Fully 90% of the shrimp consumed in the USA are imported. The coastal culture is heavily invested in the seafood industry, and the impact of the BP oil spill to it was quite devastating. You will survey 30 people of different age groups and genders, and will report on the findings in a paper. The survey will be provided to you. You will be notified via email when it is ready to download from
- CRITICAL THINKING. Talk show hosts, their guests, and other media pundits frequently make the case that students today are not learning critical thinking. In addition to the survey, you are to take a tangential approach to the content of the survey, and show what issues that future surveys might study, as well as what issues need to be considered when examining the impact of the BP oil spill upon consumer willingness to buy Gulf Shrimp.
Critical thinking links to consider:
(several videos here about critical thinking)
- FORMAL BUSINESS WRITING. Another area of expertise about which too many US graduates show deficiency is in the area of professional writing.
You will write a 15 page paper in which you will report on the survey data that you collect (and how it compares to that of your peers in the class), as well as the additional information that you discover using the critical thinking/action learning approach. The specifications for the paper will appear on Papers will be graded according the content specified in the assignment, attention to detail, and the quality of your writing.
- Seventy-five percent (75%) of your grade in this class will be from the paper identified above. Twenty-five percent (25%) of your grade will come from class participation.
Additional Information: You will be directed to refer to
Please refer to USM schedules for drop dateand holiday schedules and exam days and times.
IB692 calendar:
Wednesday May 30: First night of class. Please download and begin reading the articles linked above. Discussion of class objectives and expectations.
Monday, June 4: Launch Survey.
Wednesday June 6: DETAILED discussion of CONSUMER ETHNOCENTRISM. Have articles printed and in class. Find and print at least TWO additional articles that are relevant to CONSUMER ETHNOCENTRISM. Be ready to discuss. Send links to the articles that you find no later than Monday, June 4 to me via email so that the links can be posted on
Wednesday June 13: DETAILED discussion of CRITICAL THINKING. Find and print at least THREE peer-reviewed or news articles that are relevant to CRITICAL THINKING. Be ready to discuss. Send links to the articles that you find no later than Monday, June 11 to me via email so that the links can be posted on
Saturday, June 16, MIDNIGHT. ALL SURVEY DATA MUST BE ENTERED. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Wednesday June 20. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, GULF COAST SHRIMP AND THE BP OIL SPILL. Find at least four news articles regarding shrimp and the BP oil spill. Send the links to the articles to me no later than Monday, June 18, so that the links can be posted on (Skype class!)
Wednesday June 27. WRITING A FORMAL BUSINESS PAPER. Expectations, considerations…HOW TO MAKE AN A! (Skype class!)
Wednesday July 4. Discussion of emerging facts (Skype class!)
Wednesday July 11. PAPER REVIEWS, 1 on 1. (Gulf Park Campus)
Saturday, July PAPER REVIEWS, 1 on 1. (Gulf Park Campus)
Wednesday July 18 FINAL PAPERS SUBMITTED FOR GRADE. LAST DAY OF CLASS. DISCUSSION. (Gulf Park Campus)
USM SEMESTER CALENDAR:
For the full USM Summer semester calendar, see:
The survey:
Each student will conduct the survey. The survey forms will be downloadable from After each student collects the data, students will load the data into a link provided on Students will have access to their own data as well as data collected by their peers. Each student must have a minimum of thirty (30) surveys completed. FEWER THAN 30 COMPLETED SURVEYS GETS AN AUTOMATIC GRADE OF ZERO.
Phase 2 The Research Paper:
RESEARCH QUESTION: What are theManagement implications to the issues emerging fromthe recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Has it made consumers and businesses more likely to consider imported shrimp vs. fresh gulf shrimp?
An examination of trends in southern Mississippi regarding the selection of shrimp by consumers and businesses.
The research paper must examine academic literature on the topic of consumer ethnocentrism, marketing and management.
The research paper must examine the results of the 20 surveys taken by the students, and compare those results to the data gathered by the entire class.
The research paper must have the following sections; these sections shall have these headings:
Section 1: Introduction
Section 2: Literature Review
Section 3. Methodology
Section 4: Analysis
Section 5 Conclusion
The paper must then have a list of works cited.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Paper: white 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches
MINIMUM LENGTH: 15 full pages, excluding charts, illustrations, tables, and graphs.
MARGINS: 1" all sides
FONT: Times/Times Roman, 12 pt.
PARAGRAPHS: Double-spaced, one "tab" indent to start a new paragraph
CITATION STYLE: APA
WRITING STYLE: FORMAL BUSINESS TECHNICAL WRITING
Minimum number of quotes: Minimum of TEN (10) - from at leastFive (5) peer-reviewed sources.
BINDING: STAPLED, upper left hand corner of paper .
COVER SHEET: Title page, with title of paper and author centered
REFERENCES PAGE: APA Style
RUNNING HEAD: Not required
TOTAL MINIMUM NUMBER OF PAGES:17: 1 cover page, 15 text pages, 1 reference page.
PAPERS NOT STAPLED GET AN AUTOMATIC GRADE OF ZERO.
Be sure to use the APA resources on
Grading: The WRITTEN COMMUNICATION RUBRIC will be used, and the following totals will indicate your grade for the assignment:
Rubric Grade Letter
Score Points Grade
22-24 90-100 A
18-21 80-89 B
15-17 70-79 C
12-14 60-69D
11 and below 0-60F
College of Business ADA Statement
If a student has a disability that qualifies under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information on appropriate policies and procedures. Disabilities covered by ADA may include learning, psychiatric, physical disabilities, or chronic health disorders. Students can contact ODA if they are not certain whether a medical condition/disability qualifies. Address: The University of Southern Mississippi, Office for Disability Accommodations, 118 College Dr. #8586, Hattiesburg, MS 3940-0001; Voice Telephone: (601)266-5024 or (228)214-3232; Fax: (601)266-6035; Individuals with hearing impairments can contact ODA using the Mississippi Relay Service at 1-800-582-2233 (TTY); or email Suzy Hebert at .
Please read the remaining COB policy statements on the COB website at the following address:
You are responsible for knowing the content of the statements – ignorance of the policies is not a valid excuse.
1 / Revised Monday, May 28, 2012