CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Students will examine empirically the current global position of the South Korean economy in historical perspective. This will include the structure and evolution of exports (disaggregated by (1) industry, (2) value, and (3) destination). Students will also examine the structure and evolution of imports. Finally, students will do the same with global capital flows. Here, the focus is on disaggregating the kinds of inflows and outflows (short and long-term, direct and portfolio investments, state and private, bank and non-bank) and likewise their global pattern (origins and destinations by region and nation). Special attention will be devoted to the concrete South Korean economic interactions with the United States, European Union, Japan, and China, respectively. Finally, we will seek to combine theory and the empirical record. Here the goal will be to enable each student to reach some general conclusions about the current condition and prospects for the South Korean position in the world economy

This course is an introduction to a number of important issues that both challenge and provide opportunities for international business today and tomorrow. In doing so, we will consider the technological, legal, and political environments in which international business is situated in the period of globalization. Such issues include the rise of offshoring and reshoring work and production, the gig economy, Artificial Intelligence, and rival platform systems in the commercial environment. By completing the course, students will be able to identify key contemporary international business issues, develop a sense of the various economic, managerial, and technical challenges these present, and gain opportunities to think critically about business change and business opportunity in this dynamic environment.

Punctuality and active participation required An Intermediate level of English proficiency is a must.