BUS 270 | The Global Business Environment

This course provides students with a basic understanding of the global environment in which organizations operate. The course also aims to equip students with the research and analytical tools needed to scan and assess the global environment. The growing interconnectedness of countries, organizations and individuals present organizations with innumerable opportunities and challenges; and thus, it has become essential for students in business and other fields to have a basic understanding of the global environment and its impact on organizational activities. The course is guided by two themes: First, the course focuses on the differences and similarities of operating in developed versus developing or emerging economies. This requires an understanding of the context of countries from multiple perspectives (i.e., geographic, historical, political, economic, and sociocultural). Second, the course approaches issues from the perspective of a socially and environmentally responsible organization, challenging established views of the roles businesses play in the economic and social development of countries, and grounding the course on a multiple stakeholder perspective. The course is relevant to students interested in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, as its focus is on exploring the complexity and multidimensionality of the global environment to improve decision
making.