International Business Concentration (B.Com.) (15 credits)
Offered by: Management (Desautels Faculty of Management)
Degree: Bachelor of Commerce
Program credit weight: 15
Program Description
The objective of the International Business Concentration is to help the student develop conceptual and analytical skills needed to formulate feasible and effective management policies in an international setting. With economic and business activity becoming increasingly internationalized, the program provides useful preparation for careers in a variety of internationally-oriented organizations, including local business firms involved in international trade, licensing, or financial arrangements; headquarters or subsidiaries of multinational companies; banks and other international financial institutions; and various governmental organizations.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please refer to Visual Schedule Builder. A technical issue is causing the "Terms offered" field to incorrectly report "this course is not currently offered" for many courses in the Course Catalogue.
Required Courses (3 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BUSA 356 | Management in Global Context. | 3 |
Management in Global Context. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Contemporary issues in international management illustrating unique challenges faced in IB, including legal and political foundations of international management, cross-cultural awareness, global mindset, global leadership, building effective international workforce and operations. | ||
Complementary Courses (12 credits)
Selected from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BUSA 391 | International Business Law. | 3 |
International Business Law. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the legal aspects of foreign trade and investment transactions. Forms and documentation of types of foreign trade contracts. Conflict avoidance, arbitration, and litigation arising from international transactions. Government regulation of foreign trade. Legal aspects of the international transfer of investments and technology. Conventions and institutions of international economic cooperation (e.g. GATT, ICC, IMF, etc.). | ||
| BUSA 394 | Managing in Asia. | 3 |
Managing in Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Environmental aspects, Eastern value systems and distinct patterns of management in the Asia-Pacific region. Patterns of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and other management philosophies, practices and styles. Interaction between these theories and practices and those of the West and Canada will be contrasted. | ||
| BUSA 395 | Managing in Europe. | 3 |
Managing in Europe. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Current social, economic and trade developments in the rapidly-evolving European arena. Focus on both the expanding EU and integrating with emerging market economies and Central and Eastern Europe. Emphasis on managing in the expanded opportunities and challenges facing international and Canadian managers. | ||
| BUSA 396 | Managing Internationally in Quebec. | 3 |
Managing Internationally in Quebec. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Review of Quebec companies with an international presence and/or that are looking to expand internationally, international organizations expanding into Quebec, as well as Quebec companies that focus primarily on the local market. The government perspective: tools and levers that the government used to promote trade and investment; the organization perspective: start-ups, small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as large multinationals. | ||
| BUSA 401 | Independent Studies in International Business. | 3 |
Independent Studies in International Business. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Independent study in international business. | ||
| BUSA 430 | Business Climate in Developing Countries. | 3 |
Business Climate in Developing Countries. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An in-depth look at the business environment in emerging countries in Africa, South Asia and South-East Asia. Particular attention will be placed on issues confronting Canadian and other corporations - assessing the political risk, tackling corruption and managing cultural differences. | ||
| BUSA 433 | Topics in International Business 1. | 3 |
Topics in International Business 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Current topics in the area of international business. Topics will be selected from important current issues in international business. | ||
| BUSA 435 | Topics in International Business 2 | 3 |
Topics in International Business 2 Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Current topics in the area of international business and management. Topics will be selected from important current issues in international business and management. | ||
| BUSA 481 | Managing in North America. | 3 |
Managing in North America. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Analysis of corporate strategies in the context of Canada-United States-Mexico Free Trade Agreement. Emphasis on public policy's impact on corporate decision-making and implications for management. Examines bilateral experience of major industrial sectors compared with global corporate strategies. Theoretical and empirical literature combined with industrial histories, policy and management case studies. | ||
| FINE 482 | International Finance 1. | 3 |
International Finance 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The international financial environment as it affects the multinational manager. Balance of payments concepts, adjustment process of the external imbalances and the international monetary system. In depth study of the institutional and theoretical aspects of foreign exchange markets; international capital markets, including Eurobonds and eurocredit markets. | ||
| FINE 492 | International Corporate Finance. | 3 |
International Corporate Finance. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Focus on the financial and operational management of multinational enterprises including (but not limited to) financing and capital budgeting decisions, corporate governance and its implications on valuation and control, and recent developments in international capital markets. | ||
| INDR 459 | Comparative Employment Relations. | 3 |
Comparative Employment Relations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Comparison of employment relations in current socio-political and economic context of a variety of nations. Emphasis on historical and recent developments in labour-management relations, labour legislation, institutional structures, collective bargaining, contract coverage, and the role of multi-national corporations. | ||
| MGPO 383 | International Business Policy. | 3 |
International Business Policy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Development and application of conceptual approaches to general management policy and strategy formulation in multinational business involvement (exporting, licensing, contractual arrangements, turnkey projects, joint ventures, consortia); technology transfer, location and ownership strategies: competitive multinational relationships. Emphasis on pragmatic analysis, using case studies. | ||
| MGPO 435 | The Origins of Capitalism. | 3 |
The Origins of Capitalism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course covers the evolution of modern business institutions from their roots in the early middle ages to the modern era. Covering economic issues in the context of arts and culture, it offers a "distant mirror on globalization." | ||
| MGPO 469 | Managing Globalization. | 3 |
Managing Globalization. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course explores economic and social consequences of globalization, focusing on the most pertinent issues at the time. Topics include the existing global imbalances; the opportunities and risks presented by large cross border capital flows; and the role of institutions, and organizational and policy responses in crisis hit countries. | ||
| MGPO 475 | Strategies for Developing Countries. | 3 |
Strategies for Developing Countries. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Strategic management challenges in developing and emerging economies. Focus on strategies that foster both firm competitiveness and economic development, including: technological capabilities, new forms of organization, small and large firms, global production, social impact, global standards and governance. | ||
| MRKT 451 | Marketing Research. | 3 |
Marketing Research. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Theoretical techniques and procedures common in marketing research. Topics include: research design, sampling, questionnaire design, coding, tabulating, data analysis (including statistical techniques). Specialized topics may encompass advertising, motivation and product research; forecasting and location theory. | ||
| MRKT 483 | International Marketing Management. | 3 |
International Marketing Management. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Marketing management considerations of a company seeking to extend beyond its domestic market. Required changes in product, pricing, channel, and communications policies. Attention to international trade and export marketing in the Canadian context. | ||
| ORGB 380 | Cross Cultural Management. | 3 |
Cross Cultural Management. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Addresses dilemmas and opportunities that managers experience in international, multicultural environments. Development of conceptual knowledge and behavioural skills (e.g. bridging skills, communication, tolerance of ambiguity, cognitive complexity) relevant to the interaction of different cultures in business and organizational settings, using several methods including research, case studies and experiential learning. | ||