July 1, 2013 - AOS Guidelines: Business, Management and Economics

For the concentration in international business, an awareness of the different sociocultural, political and legal environments in international business and the resultant consequences on international business planning and decision-making processes adopted by managers operating in that context is crucial.

Because international business concentrations may offer many diverse career opportunities, the career exploration in the research phase of degree program planning is particularly important. Many career opportunities exist in private industry, global commerce, international organizations, government, or banking, among others. In some careers, specialized knowledge specific to employers’ needs may be desirable for employment (for example, banking or government work). However, for the majority of industry careers, specialized knowledge may not be required. Instead, a basic program in international business and then on-the-job experience in the industry and/or any international experience inside or outside of the home country is helpful to career progression. Students should carefully consider their employment options and expectations in the design of their degree programs. These experiences often can be complemented or enhanced through individualized learning contracts, which allow students to pursue topics relevant to their employment situations or goals.

The guidelines that follow provide guidance to a basic program in International Business. These should be augmented with additional knowledge in areas personally relevant. Students pursuing an International Business concentration should meet the General AOS Guidelines for Business, Management and Economics, and demonstrate fundamental knowledge in each of the following areas:

• Economics.
• Management.
• Accounting.
• Marketing.
• Finance.

Students should demonstrate a broad-based understanding of the International Business domain through study or college-level equivalent experience in the following areas:

• International business.
• International economics.
• International marketing.
• International finance.
• International business law.

Additionally, knowledge in the following optional areas would enrich the degree plan:

• International cross-cultural management.
• Economic geography.
• Emerging markets.
• Ethics in a cross-cultural perspective.
• Global strategy.
• Global business history.
• International accounting.
• Comparative political economy.
• Business and the state.
• International organizations.
• International negotiations.
• International financial institutions.
• International human resource management.
• International relations.
• Comparative management.
• Sustainable development.
• Outsourcing.
• Globalization.

In addition, students can pursue studies with specific geographic focus or studies in international or comparative development.

A focus of the general education requirements might consider areas that could provide a foundation for and enrich the concentration. Appropriate choices include American history, world history, Western and other world civilizations, political science (world governments and U.S. government), comparative literature or world literature, art history, statistics or algebra, world philosophies and religions and a language other than English (with at least an intermediate level of competence). Depending on the world region on which the student wants to focus in his/her career, theme-based or geographic area knowledge related to that area would be valuable. Students should be sensitive to the impression that their concentration titles may have on prospective employers or graduate school admission committees. Programs may be quite traditional (e.g., Business Administration) or much more individualized (e.g., Organizational Studies or Non-Profit Management), and the titles should reflect those.

SUNY Empire State College offers the opportunity to complete a number of different concentrations related to international business. There are also a number of international affairs-related concentration titles that a student may design. These may include some knowledge of international business, but an “International Business” concentration should reflect the guidelines provided here. In addition to international business, BME concentrations with an international emphasis might include international marketing, international finance, international economics, international human resource management, or international management.