International Trip to Brazil: January 2016
GSM 7261G: Global Management, Emerging Markets, and Brazil
Instructor
Gary Knight, PhD
Professor of Global Management
Atkinson Graduate School of Management
Willamette University
OFFICE: Salem Campus Annex A203 and Portland Center
OFFICE HOURS: Always after class, by appointment, or by phone;
CELL PHONE: 850-321-6875
EMAIL: [email protected]
Required Book
Business in Brazil and Latin America, TO BE DECIDED, by XXX XXX, Publisher, ISBN
XXXXXXXXX (Used copies are widely available at Amazon.com and similar outlets.)
Recommended Reading
The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits, 2009,
by CK Prahalad, Wharton School Publishing, ISBN 0137009275. (Used copies widely
available at Amazon.com and similar outlets.)
Thriving in Emerging Markets, 2011, by Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business
School Press, ISBN 978-1422162637. (Used copies are widely available at
Amazon.com and similar outlets.)
Bloomberg Businessweek(www.businessweek.com), Economist(www.economist.com),
International Business Times (www.ibtimes.com), and Wall Street Journal
(www.wsj.com) are good periodical sources for international business.
Course Description and Rationale
The trip includes visits to numerous companies and other organizations in Sao Paulo
and Rio de Janeiro. In this course we study (i) fundamentals of international business,
(ii) the environments and challenges of Brazil and other Latin American markets, (iii)
strategies and operations for succeeding in such markets, and (iv) specific aspects of
business in Brazil.
Portugal colonized Brazil in the 16th century; the national language is
Portuguese. A mostly rural economy in the 1950s, Brazil has developed rapidly since
the 1990s, partly thanks to the government’s Plano Real, which curtailed high inflation,
initially by pegging Brazil’s currency (the real) to the U.S. dollar. The dominant legal
system is civil law, based on the Napoleonic code. Most of Brazilian law is codified,
although non-codified statutes are also present.
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Brazil is home to more than 200 million people. It is the world’s eighth largest
economy and Latin America’s leading emerging market. Emerging markets are
countries that, in contrast to advanced economies (such as Germany, Brazil, and the
United States), are undergoing rapid industrialization, modernization, and economic
growth. Brazil is an attractive market and low-cost base for manufacturing and global
sourcing. Increasingly, Brazil and other emerging markets (such as China, India, and
Mexico) are giving birth to “new global challengers”, top companies that are becoming
key contenders in world markets, and challenging multinational firms from the advanced
economies. However, Brazil’s business environment entails considerable uncertainty,
with evolving legal, governmental, and commercial systems. Corruption in business
and government is substantial.
Agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and services are key sectors. Brazil’s
presence in international financial and commodities markets is expanding. It is the
world’s fourth largest car market. Major exports include aircraft, electrical equipment,
automobiles, textiles, iron ore, steel, and coffee. In 2015, Per-capita income was
approaching $12,000 per year, which is significant by world standards. The middle class
has greatly expanded in the past decade. While living standards are rising, poverty
remains a big problem. However, Brazilians have reason to be very optimistic about
their future.
Learning Objectives
• Understand essential aspects of international business, especially market entry and
international operations
• Gain familiarity with the institutions, systems, infrastructure, and other environmental
characteristics of emerging market countries
• Begin to acquire a mindset for developing and applying entrepreneurial and innovative
business approaches for success in emerging markets and other developing economies
• Become sensitized to underdevelopment, poverty, and other realities of emerging
markets
• Understand basic managerial requirements for the successful performance of firms in
Brazil and other emerging markets
Course Format:
1. The professor will present course material, which we will discuss in class.
2. You will write an ongoing Journal in which you record your perspectives and insights
regarding the course and the international trip.
3. You will give a Case Presentation, as part of a team.
4. Your learning will be assessed via an Essay Exam on the course textbook.
ASSESSMENT
Class participation
Journal
Company Presentation
Take-Home Essay Exam
Percent
of Final Grade
25%
25
25
25
IMPORTANT NOTE
This class is graded A
through F, a change from
previous versions of this
course.
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Detailed Course Content
Lectures
A packet of the lecture overheads is available on WISE.
Participation
Participation counts for much of the total grade and is an important part of the learning
process. Attending class is mandatory. Learning is a systematic process optimized the
more of your senses you involve. By attending class, listening to the lectures, taking
notes, and participating in class discussions, you will maximize your learning. Proactive
and thoughtful participation enlivens class discussions, stimulates ideas, challenges
ideas, and enhances the learning experience.
If you miss a class, you must attend a make-up class, which consists of attending
one of Gary Knight’s regular classes, which take place as follows:
Fall 2015
• GSM 628 (Global Management), Mondays, 6:00-10:00pm, WU Portland Center.
• GSM 628 (Global Management), Tuesdays, 6:00-10:00pm, WU Salem campus, Ford
Hall, Room 302.
Spring 2016
• GSM 628 (Global Management), Tuesdays, 6:00-10:00pm, WU Portland Center.
• GSM 6011 (International Management), Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30-12 noon, WU
Salem campus, the Atkinson Annex, Room XXX. Note, to make up a missed class,
you must attend two sessions of GSM 6011.
Good participation in GSM 7261 also means adhering to appropriate and
professional behavior during the trip. This includes complying with Willamette
University’s Standards of Conduct (see
http://willamette.edu/offices/conduct/student_rights/standards_conduct.html).
Journal
You are to keep an electronic journal during the class in which you provide your
reflections on the readings for the class and the international trip. Specifically, you are
to write a minimum of seven single-spaced pages of reflection (about one page per day
of the program) that expresses your comments and insights about the readings,
lectures, and especially the trip itself, particularly material you found helpful or
interesting. A good approach is to take notes at our meetings in the country and
incorporate those into the journal. Emphasize your perceptions and insights on the
material and the trip. Be substantive. It may help to focus on material and experiences
that hold particular meaning to your job or career goals.
There are several benefits to keeping the Journal. It forces you to read the
material and think about it in a substantive way. It helps you develop writing skills and
the ability to formulate and express your thoughts efficiently. It aims to foster learning in
a substantive way. For my part, I will be looking for journal entries that provide evidence
of your reading and learning from the material and the trip. Turn in your completed
Journal to the WISE Drop Box. Type up your Journal in a word processor. In the past,
many have included photos in their Journal. I will grade the Journal at the end of the
term.
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Company Presentation and Executive Summary
As part of a team of two or three people, please develop and make an presentation on
one of the companies we will visit in Brazil. Ideally, choose a company that suits your
career or other interests. The presentations will take place in Brazil, and we may lack
access to a projector. Thus, you should make an oral presentation only (no
PowerPoints required). The presentation should be 15-25 minutes. In addition, please
write a one-page, single-spaced Executive Summary of the company. Email your
Executive Summary to Gary Knight ([email protected]) who will make copies for
distribution to the class prior to visiting each company in Brazil.
Suggested Outline for the Presentation and Executive Summary:
 Industry Background (including state of the industry in Brazil)
 Company Overview
 Products and Operations (including key personnel, competitive advantages, and
strategies)
 Financial Condition (e.g., sales, income, stock performance, other details)
 Company Current Situation (including notable problems and opportunities)
 References
Companies We Will Visit In Brazil:
To be decided
Essay Exam
A take-home essay exam will be given as indicated in the course schedule to evaluate
your performance. The exam will cover material from the text and material in the
lectures not necessarily presented in the text. Complete your exam independently; it is
not a group project. Working on your exam with another student(s) is considered
cheating. Turn in your completed exam to the WISE Drop Box.
Administrative Notes
Honesty and Integrity: Plagiarism is verbatim copying of material from the Internet,
library databases, books, articles, and other such sources, without attribution. The
Atkinson Graduate School of Management requires that students (1) uphold the highest
standards of academic integrity in their own work, (2) refuse to tolerate violations of
academic integrity, and (3) foster a high sense of integrity and social responsibility.
Consistent with this policy, I expect you to conduct yourself in an honest and
professional manner, with integrity. This implies that all work must be yours. Plagiarism
and cheating will be dealt with to the fullest extent possible. I have given ‘F’ grades for
plagiarism in the past.
It is okay to draw on the work of other people or organizations, as long as you
attribute the source of this work (i.e., by providing appropriate citations and associated
references in a bibliography) and use quotation marks for material that is taken
verbatim from a given source. You must develop the habit of attributing any work or
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ideas that are not your own. Careers have been damaged or destroyed due to
plagiarism. Throughout your career, plagiarism can be avoided by appropriately
attributing others’ work. At the same time, while using and attributing others work is
often useful, it is best to acquire the habit of formulating and communicating your own
thoughts and ideas. Thus, I strongly discourage written assignments that are not
essentially your own work.
Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who require accommodation
should notify me of the nature of accommodation you require in the first week of class.
Additional support is available from the Willamette University Disability Services Office
(www.willamette.edu/dept/disability), telephone 503-370-6471.
Attend and participate in all classes. The success of class discussion depends on
advance preparation and eager participation. Discussion and participation constitute a
significant part of your final grade. Your thoughtful contributions, discussion, and active
listening are important. Notify the professor if you are going to be absent.
Teamwork and Team Evaluation. You must participate actively in the assigned team.
A form you can use to assess fellow team members is provided in the Appendix here,
based on their respective contribution to the team project. Complete and email this form
to the professor. It will be treated confidentially.
Course Schedule
Date
Text Chapter / Class Lecture
Class Activity /
Discussion
Saturday, December 12
9:30am to 12 Noon
Mudd 204, Salem
• Essentials of international
management
• Business in Brazil and Latin America
Launch Journal
Assign companies
Monday, January 4,
morning
• Business in Brazil and Latin America
Company presentations
Wednesday, January 6,
morning
• Business in Brazil and Latin America
Company presentations
Distribute Take-Home Exam
Saturday, January 23
9:30am to 11:30am
Mudd 204, Salem
• Business in Brazil and Latin America
Take-Home Exam due
Journal due
Note: Dates and times are tentative
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GROUP PROJECT TEAM MEMBER EVALUATION FORM
Date:
Project:
Your name:
As a result of your team's performance on this project, the company was able to increase profits
substantially this quarter and has decided to award your team a one-time bonus pay of $100,000.
Please use the form below to decide how this $100,000 should be divided among each of the
team members, according, in your opinion, to their respective contribution to the project.
Team Member Names
Portion
of Bonus Pay
Your name:
$
Name:
$
Name:
$
Name:
$
Name:
$
Name:
$
Total
$100,000
(Note: Amounts allotted should add up to $100,000. If you believe everyone's contribution was
equal, then all of the amounts should be equal. This information will be used to calculate the
final grade of your team members).
Please explain below, if desired, why you allotted the above amounts to each team member,
regarding all aspects of the project (e.g., research, analysis, writing, team meeting participation,
presentation preparation, etc.).
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