ITB405 ALL 11 WEEK DISCUSSIONS

WEEK 1 DISCUSSION 1

“Skill Sets for Global Trade” Please respond to the following:

• Discuss the necessary skill sets for successful global trade.
• Determine how you can improve your skills in the four general topics that you selected. Point out the areas within each of the skills sets you have named in which you are strong and those in which you could improve.

WEEK 1 DISCUSSION 2

“Freight, Logistics, and Specialized Transportation Issues” Please respond to the following:

• Assume you are an export manager in a major corporation. Create a checklist that could serve as a guideline for evaluating and selecting freight carriers for shipping goods to a country of your choice. Explain your rationale.
• The expected “standards” of export and import managers include due diligence, reasonable care, supervision and control, and engagement. In your own words, explain what is meant by each of these terms, especially in relation to the industry you work in or plan to work in.

WEEK 2 DISCUSSION 1

“Risk Management” Please respond to the following:

• Select a current business event from the international arena and determine which type of political risk coverage would provide the best protection against loss for an American company with a substantial investment in that country.
• As more countries invest in foreign enterprises, the need for risk managers increases. Of all the types of loss arising from governmental or political sources, determine which type of loss could be the most potentially damaging to the company.

WEEK 2 DISCUSSION 2

“Use of a Specialist” Please respond to the following:

• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of hiring a specialist to arrange international risk management protection. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• In accordance with today’s economic and political news, create a scenario in which a specialist in risk management would significantly improve the exporting / importing situation. Provide specific examples to support your response.

WEEK 3 DISCUSSION 1

“Past and Future” Please respond to the following:

• Imagine back in time to pre-Internet days. Describe how you would have established communications for international trade in these time periods: 1935 and 1977.
• Imagine it is now 2050. Predict the ease and speed of international trade communications and how it will occur.

WEEK 3 DISCUSSION 2

“Backtracking from Globalization” Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, illustrate with two examples how the U.S. has restrained trade over the past 60 years and state why you think that happened.
• Some believe these restraints have been deleterious to national economic prosperity. In your estimation, speculate as to how these restraints have affected national economic prosperity.

WEEK 4 DISCUSSION 1

“International Human Resources” Please respond to the following:

• As the newly appointed human resources manager in a multinational production company, you have the responsibility to implement a new relocation plan to encourage employees to take overseas assignments. Create an action plan with a list of at least five tasks, timelines, and deliverables for implementing your plan. Justify your plan.
• With your human resources plan in mind, create a communications plan for letting employees know how attractive this relocation plan will be.

WEEK 4 DISCUSSION 2

 

“International Marketing Planning” Please respond to the following:

• In the role of marketing director for a company that plans to expand into international markets, determine how you would evaluate marketing plans to launch a newly developed environmentally friendly minicar.
• When it comes to developing a marketing plan for an export / import business, assess the two most important factors to consider and state a rationale for your response.

WEEK 5 DISCUSSION 1

“Fact Sheets” Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, determine how the content of the report you selected would most likely impact U.S. businesses seeking to do business in foreign countries. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• Referencing the same report, determine how universities and state and community colleges might use it to effectively plan for expansion in the world trade market.

WEEK 5 DISCUSSION 2

“Homeland Security” Please respond to the following:

• The Homeland Security Act has been the subject of much scrutiny and criticism. From your own experience, suggest two changes that could be made to security procedures to deter terrorism and discuss their potential benefits.
• Speculate the threats to importing and exporting activities that might exist if the changes you describe are not enacted.

WEEK 6 DISCUSSION 1

“Best Practices” Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, determine which of the issues discussed in Chapter 9 would present the greatest challenge to the company you selected. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• For the same company, recommend one best practice not already mentioned in Chapter 9 that would help the company address the challenge you identified. Explain your rationale.

WEEK 6 DISCUSSION 2

“Export Compliance” Please respond to the following:

• The textbook author states in Chapter 10, “Export documents are import documents.” Explain what is meant by this statement and how it applies to the purchasing function.
• Select and analyze two functions of the Bureau of Industry and Security, and discuss how they represent the overall mission of the agency.

WEEK 7 DISCUSSION 1

“Future Import Issues” Please respond to the following:

• Analyze the future import issues discussed in Chapter 11 to determine which issue creates (or will create) the greatest challenges for importers in general. For example, a decision to self-audit could require a substantial reorganization of the company. Explain your rationale.
• Based on the same analysis, discuss additional issues you see as likely to arise in the next 10 years. For example, it is expected that C-TPAT compliance requirements will expand and become more stringent. Provide specific examples to support your response.

WEEK 7 DISCUSSION 2

“Reasonable Care” Please respond to the following:

• You are responsible for developing the reasonable care standard within your organization that will govern how customs requirements will be addressed. Discuss how you would create an organizational policy that takes into account the guidelines that will meet current customs regulations.
• Imagine that your organization’s shipments are regularly turned back as a result of customs’ inspections. Explain how you would develop a troubleshooting plan that would identify and address the problem.

WEEK 8 DISCUSSION 1

“The Right Way” Please respond to the following:

• At times, purchasing agents of all kinds have to make difficult decisions. From the case study, determine why you think Bullock Studios arrived at the decision to properly enter the cameras and camera cases.
• Review the Compliance Management Structure found in Chapter 13 and discuss how you would apply it to the Bullock Studios case study

 

WEEK 8 DISCUSSION 2

“Compliance Management” Please respond to the following:

• To ensure that compliance management is effectively implemented, senior management endorsement, education and training, and ownership are necessary. Describe how you would manage all of these elements in order to become the “go to” person in your company.
• Evaluate how the audit process monitors the compliance management structure to ensure its purpose is intact.

WEEK 9 DISCUSSION 1

“U.S. Customs” Please respond to the following:

• Imagine you own a small computer hardware company. From the e-Activity, design an overall strategy to set up an import function in your company. Determine the two essential elements your plan must have and why you selected these two.
• Few regulations exist that govern the import or export of computer software across the Internet. Speculate how you think regulations could be put in place for importing and exporting computer software.

WEEK 9 DISCUSSION 2

“The CBP” Please respond to the following:

• Discuss how the CBP Account Management initiative changes how business and the U.S. CBP interact and why you feel these changes were necessary.
• As a member of senior management, assess how you would coordinate the risk management policies of the corporation with the CBP to manage import supply chain activities.

WEEK 10 DISCUSSION 1

“Regulatory Challenges” Please respond to the following:

• Analyze the import challenges listed in Chapter 15. Select one challenge and offer suggestions for improving the list of recommended actions. For example, your suggestion for improvement might add a recommended action or delete one of the existing recommended actions. In either case, defend your position.
• Analyze the export challenges listed in Chapter 15. Select one challenge and offer suggestions for improving the list of recommended actions. For example, your suggestion for improvement might add a recommended action or delete one of the existing recommended actions. In either case, defend your position.

WEEK 10 DISCUSSION 2

“IPSCMI Certificate Programs” Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, review the list of available certificates on the home page of the International Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Institute. Select one of the certificates and state why you would pursue this certificate to improve your understanding of the export / import profession.
• Form the same review; recommend another certificate program that should be added (one that does not currently exist). Explain your rationale.

WEEK 11 DISCUSSION 1

“Looking Back” Please respond to the following:

• Focusing on the course content and assignments, discuss the single most surprising or interesting thing you learned during this course. Explain what made it so and why you were surprised or interested.
• In the context of security and regulatory compliance, summarize what you have learned during this course in 50 words or less (about six sentences).

WEEK 11 DISCUSSION 2

“Looking Ahead” Please respond to the following:

• As international regulations and restrictions have increased significantly since 9/11, speculate how the import / export activities in the U.S. will either increase or decrease over the next 10 years. Explain your rationale.
• Identify any gaps you have observed in international trade policies during this course. Explain what U.S. government agency you would contact to address the gap and what recommendation you would make.