Take My Liberty BUSI 360 Class

BUSI 360 examines fast-moving global developments that could reshape international business, and teaches how to research them, project likely outcomes and plan responses as a corporation or an entrepreneur.

The readings come in units of short articles from Maidment's edited collection, with a unit overview in weeks one, three, five and seven and a review week after each.

The units range across the forces reshaping global business: trade and politics, emerging markets, technology and the digital economy, supply chains, culture and ethics, and the strategies companies use to compete abroad.

Forum threads, worth 60 points, fall in the odd weeks, each offering prompt A or B; replies, also worth 60, fall in the even weeks.

The research paper begins with topic approval in week two, takes shape in a 150-point outline in week four and ends with a 220-point paper in week eight. A 150-point PowerPoint presentation falls in week six.

There are no quizzes or exams in the published guide.

Forums carry 480 points and the research sequence and presentation 520.

BUSI 360 is taken as a research project with weekly discussion around it, so the paper's topic is shaped in the first week and sent to you for approval by your professor in week two.

Strong topics are specific and current, such as nearshoring of manufacturing from Asia to Mexico, the effect of export controls on semiconductor firms, or how mobile payments changed retail in Africa.

Forum threads take whichever prompt, A or B, fits best and analyze the week's articles with a clear position, supported by the readings and current data from bodies such as the WTO, IMF and World Bank.

Replies follow in the next week once classmates post, extending their arguments with another country's experience or a likely consequence they had not considered.

The outline sets the thesis, the issue's background, the evidence, the projected outcomes and the strategic responses, with sources for each section. The presentation condenses the research into slides with speaking notes, and the final paper develops the outline into a full analysis with recommendations.

Where narration is required, the notes become a script for you to record.

Every piece reaches you early enough to read before submitting.

Each scenario names its likely outcomes and the strategic responses to them.

A BUSI 360 writer has studied international business or economics and worked in global trade, international strategy, consulting or a multinational company.

That background shows in the analysis: an issue such as a new tariff is traced through suppliers, prices and competitors, not just described.

Writers follow international business news closely, which matters in a course built on current developments.

They are comfortable projecting outcomes with scenarios, a technique the catalog emphasizes, and stating the assumptions behind each scenario.

A second reviewer checks every claim, figure and citation.

The coordinator holds your identity; writers never see your name or account.

Forum prompts that ask for a biblical view of global business ethics go to writers who can address them thoughtfully.

The volume of writing is the first surprise. Without exams, every one of the 1,010 points depends on writing, and something is due in every week.

The second is choosing a research topic that is current, narrow enough to research in a few weeks and rich enough for a 220-point paper.

The third is the step the catalog stresses: extrapolating probable outcomes. Students often describe an issue well but stop short of projecting where it leads and what firms should do.

The fourth is the presentation in week six, which must distill research still in progress into a clear deck.

The fifth is keeping current. Articles in the reader may be a few years old, and faculty expect students to update them with recent developments.

The two-week forum rhythm means replies fall in the same weeks as the outline, the presentation and the final paper.

Writing for both corporate and entrepreneurial perspectives, as the catalog asks, takes practice.

Handed over before the start, the course opens with the Forum 1 thread ready and two or three paper topics proposed for you to choose from.

Opening posts land ahead of their weeks, and responses wait for classmates.

Each research piece lands with days to spare before its deadline.

Every forum item and research piece is costed on its own line. Nothing tested appears because the course has no tests.

Late starters are quoted for what remains, after a look at the approved topic and graded outline.

The research sequence carries more than half the grade, so it is the part most worth planning early.

Students who like discussion sometimes keep the forums and hand over the research.