BUSN 427 Global Issues in Business Complete Class Week 1

3. Question : (TCO 3) India’s caste system has been around for many years. Explain why its
influence has diminished among educated urban middle class Indians.
4. Question : (TCO 3) In 2006, two Chinese journalists reported that the working conditions at
Hongfujin Precision Industries where Apple’s iPods are produced were substandard. According
to the report, not only were workers at the plant poorly paid, but they were also forced to work
overtime. Apple immediately responded to the allegations and audited the factory in question.
However, managers at the factory filed a defamation lawsuit against the two journalists. Despite
the fact that Apple’s audit did indeed show substandard working conditions at the factory,
Hongfujin did not withdraw the lawsuit. Eventually the Reporters Without Borders group took
up the case for the two reporters and the lawsuit was dropped. The allegations against Hongfujin
Precision Industries were made by two Chinese reporters. Discuss the implications of this for
other Chinese companies.
5. Question : (TCO 3) Exports are largely responsible for China’s recent rapid economic growth.
The country, capitalizing on its cheap labor force, has focused on converting raw materials into
products that are exported to developed countries such as the United States. In 2008, China’s
trade surplus was a record $280 billion, and its holdings of foreign exchange reserves were over
$1.95 trillion. Some critics have suggested that China is following a neomercantilist policy. Are
the claims that China is following a neomercantilist policy valid? Why or why not?
6. Question : (TCO 4) Telefonica is a Spanish telecommunications firm. For decades, Telefonica
had operated as a typical state-owned enterprise, but privatization and deregulation changed that
path in the 1990s. Telefonica began to aggressively pursue expansion opportunities in Latin
America where it quickly became the number one or two player in nearly every country. Later,
Telefonica turned its sights on Europe where its acquisitions helped transform the company into
the second biggest mobile phone operator in the world. What changes in political and economic
environment allowed Telefoncia to start expanding globally? Why did Telefonica initially focus
on Latin America? Why was it slower to expand in Europe even though Spain is a member of the
European Union?
7. Question : (TCO 7) Why did the world shift from a gold standard to fixed exchange rates?
1. Question : (TCO 5) Concerning European Union’s progress toward creating a single financial
market, the quest started in 1999 was to have been completed by 2005, however, progress has
been slowed by various factors related to the tradition of each member country operating
autonomously. By 2007, significant progress had been made. Some 41 measures designed to
create a single market were in place and others were in the pipeline. The current issue facing the
EU revolves around the enforcement of the rules that have been established as law. Some experts
believe that it will be at least another decade before the benefits of the new rules become
apparent. Discussion of this feature can begin with the following questions. What are the benefits
of creating a single financial market in the European Union for companies? Does it make sense
for consumers?
2. Question : (TCO 6) In the 1980s, Caterpillar was negatively affected by a strong dollar and
lost significant market share to Japanese competitor Komatsu. The situation prompted Caterpillar
to revise its global strategy and by the 2000s, the company was in a much better position to deal
with volatile currency values. More recently, a strong dollar has actually helped boost
Caterpillar’s bottom line. In the 1980s, a stronger dollar hurt Caterpillar’s competitive position,
but in 2008 a stronger dollar did not seem to have the same effect. What had changed?
3. Question : (TCO 7) In May 2001, the IMF agreed to lend $8 billion to Turkey to help stabilize
its economy and halt a sharp slide in the value of its currency. Although initially the Turkish