1. Research Project in International Business Spring 2009
Hwy-Chang Moon
Professor of International Business & Strategy
Graduate School of International Studies
Seoul National University
Office: 614 & 615
Class
Thu 2:30 – 5:30 pm (Room 101/140-1)
Office Hours
Tue & Thu: 1:20 - 2:20 pm or by Appointment

2. COURSE DESCRIPTION
The objective of this course is to guide course participants in the process of writing their thesis. This course is designed for 3rd semester or higher students embarking on thesis writing in the fields of international commerce with a focus on management issues.
The course deals with the issues associated with designing and undertaking a substantial piece of academic research. This course will begin by reviewing a number of basic yardsticks about what constitutes a good research paper. Upon completing the review of basic guidelines of writing an academic paper, the rest of the course will focus on an actual step-by-step construction of each student’s thesis, during which every student will be required to present progress reports.
In the final part of the course, the class will discuss and evaluate each other’s work with an eye to theoretical and methodological dimensions.

3. COURSE MATERIALS GRADING [TOTAL 100%] ASSIGNMENTS
There will be no designated textbook in this class. Students are advised to refer to articles related to their research topics as necessary on their own.
GRADING [TOTAL 100%]
Attendance and participation (25%)
One-page weekly report of progress (25%)
Oral presentation (25%)
Final report (25%)
ASSIGNMENTS
All assignments must be neatly done with MS Word or PowerPoint. No hand-written material will be accepted. All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. Any late assignment, without a valid reason, will be penalized.

4. COURSE SCHEDULE Class 1. (March 5) Introduction
- Overview of the course
- Students’ research interest
Class 2. (March 12) Thesis Guidelines
- Research format
- Thesis structure
Class 3. (March 19) Research Topic
- Area of interest
- Hypotheses formulation
Class 4. (March 26) Literature Review
- Reference list-up
- Key articles

5. Class 5. (April 2) Methodology
- Theoretical/empirical
- Case studies/statistical analysis
Class 6. (April 9) Research Outline
- Table of contents
- Abstract
Classes 7-8. (April 16-23) Thesis Construction
- Thesis proposal
- Presentation and review
Classes (April 30 - May 7) Thesis Write-up
- Drafting and revising
- Critical review

6. Classes 11-12. (May 14 – May 21) Oral Defense
- Thesis presentation
- Comments and discussions
Class 13. (May 28) Interim Report
- Submission of the interim report
- Guidelines for final presentation
Class 14. (June 4) Corrections and Revision
- Comments on the interim report
- Class wrap-up
Class 15. (June 11) Thesis Completion
- Submission of the final version
- Final check-up (grammar, references, tables, format, etc.)

7. One-Page Weekly Report
Date:
Your name:
Your thesis title:
Summary of your progress
Readings
Ideas
Data collection
Empirical tests
Plan for the following week
Questions & problems

8. A Profile of Professor Hwy-Chang Moon
Hwy-Chang Moon received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington and is currently a Professor of International Business and Strategy in the Graduate School of International Studies at Seoul National University.
He has also taught at the University of Washington, University of the Pacific, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Helsinki School of Economics and Business, Kyushu University, Keio University, and Hitotsubashi University. He was also a Visiting Professor to Tokyo University.
Professor Moon has published numerous journal articles and books on topics such as International Business Strategy, Foreign Direct Investment, and Cross-Cultural Management. To the field of International Business, he has contributed particularly by developing several new analytical tools, including the generalized double diamond approach to international competitiveness and the imbalance theory of foreign direct investment.
Dr. Moon is currently the editor-in-chief of Journal of International Business and Economy. He has consulted for many international companies, international organizations (APEC, World Bank, UNCTAD), and governments (Korea, Malaysia and Dubai).