Course BA 4371 International Business

Professors Jane Salk

Term Fall 2009
Time Mondays and Wednesdays: 9:30a.m. – 10:45a.m.
Room: SOM 2.115

Professor’s Contact Information

Office Phone (972) 883-6265
Office Location SOM 4.408
Email Address jane.salk@utdallas.edu
Office Hours Monday 1-3PM or by appointment
Assistant
TBA
Information

About Pr ofessor Salk

Professor Salk is a 2006 winner of the Decade Award, given by the Academy of
International Business for the publication having the most impact on its area within the field of
International Business. She joined UTD in fall of 2002 after serving as a faculty member at
Carnegie Mellon University, The Essec Business School in Paris, and The Fuqua School of
Business, Duke University. Her PhD is from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and she
has been the recipient of Fulbright and Kenan Fellowships.
In addition to an international research reputation, Dr. Salk consults in the areas of
international team and organizational development. Her areas of expertise include joint venture
and acquisition strategy, implementation and integration, executive training in strategy for global
companies and cross-cultural team-building. She has worked in family businesses, MCI
Corporation and has over seven years of full-time experience in industry. She speaks French and
German and has worked in France, Germany and Switzerland as well as in the USA.
Her research topics include international alliances in acquisitions, cross-national
management team integration and organizational learning, and knowledge management. She has
been a guest lecturer at leading institutions including INSEAD, St. Gallen, University of Vienna,
Tilburg, and Tel Aviv Universities. She has over 25 publications that have appeared in leading
journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Human Relations, Comparative Political
Studies and Journal of International Business Studies as well as books from Oxford University
Press and Wiley.

Co ur se Pr e-r equisites, Co-r equisites, and/or Other Restr ictions

(Including required prior knowledge or skills)
Prerequisites: BA 3365, MATH 1326 and MATH 2333. Co-requisite: BA 3341

Cour se Descr iption

The reason BA 4371 is part of the curriculum is to serve as an introduction to the environment of
International Business and Multinational Corporations (MNC). Recent events should make it
evident to all of us that we are touched in many ways by global interdependence, whether we are
trying to finance a car, find a job, etc. Though there are broad “grand-standing” declarations

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such as “Capitalism is dead” and that “the American era is over” it is important to maintain a
critical approach to such blanket pronouncements. At the same time it is clear that no textbook
can tie together the basic conceptual and historical knowledge that is fundamental to these fast
changing events. Hence, we shall supplement and clarify the textbook material via the following
mechanisms: a) Use of documentaries and other recent media material, b) use of cases from the
chapters in discussing and reviewing material; and c) Visitor/ practitioners to share their
knowledge and experience.

Student Lear ning Objectives/Outcomes

The International business and economic environments affect many aspects of businesses and
managerial careers. This course exposes you to fundamental issues and concepts in international
business. In particular, I expect you to leave this course with a firm understanding of how the
context and content of cultures affect International Business, and how to look at ethical behavior
in the IB context (is it a tradeoff with “good business”?). We also cover political, basic
economic, strategic and socio-cultural aspects of the international environment I hope to provide
an introduction to International Business that can serve as a foundation for further study and
potential career development.

Requir ed Textbook:

Hill, C. (2009). Global Business Today: (6th Edition). New Yor k, NY: McGr aw-Hill Higher
Education.

Gr ading:
Level of Per Cent of Final
Responsibility Grade
Group Group Case 25%
Presentation
Individual Class Participation:
a) General 10%
b) Hand ins 25%
H1-H4
(case study
counts for
double the
others)

Individual Midterm and Final 40%

Exams

The section after the schedule provides more information on each of these requirements.

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COURSE SCHEDULE

Schedule of Assignments
Session Wk Day Assignments Due
Number
8/24/2009 1 Monday: Please bring your
Introduction, Icebreaker, Exercise book. Name plate
and questions

8/26/2009 1 Wednesday Please read Chapter

1, plus view and take
Chapter 1 notes on Charlie
Rose interview (see
Charlie Rose Video: the URL link at the
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=- left).(HI1) Your
6443495785760801623&q=Thomas+Freedman+World+Flat 4by6 inch
&hl=en participation and
contact card is due.
8/31/2009 2 Monday: Group sign up today
Chapter 2 National Differences in Political Economy on first come, first
Map knowledge exercise serve basis.
9/2/2009 2 Wednesday: We will go through
2 Cases: the case together to
1) Outsourcing American Health Care (Chapter 1, illustrate
page 8) expectations on case
2) India’s Transformation (Chapter 2, Opening Case): preparation
In addition to answering the questions in the book,
you should use the internet and concepts from
Chapter 2 to explain why India has become a major
center for medical tourism. Do they have country
characteristics that create advantages over its
neighbor China? Would you consider going to
India for dental care? Surgery?
3)
9/7/2009 3 Monday LABOR DAY HOLIDAY NO CLASS
9/09/2009 3 Wednesday * Group Leadership
First Group leadership of case: Chavez’s Venezuela. A of Case discussion
guest in our class will be Joachim Lira, an expert on
international media and advertising and a Venezuelan Prepare the case
businessman currently residing in the USA.

9/14/2009 4 Monday:

1) Differences in Culture, Chapter 3, pp 86-123

2) DMG-Shanghai: Read and be prepared to discuss
9/16/2009 4 Wednesday: * Group Leadership
of Case discussion
Comparing Cultures and Cross Cultural Literacy: Is all skill (Class members
and knowledge culture specific? should review p 133
Table 3 on the
Hofstede
Dimensions plus
pages 118-120).
9/22/2009 5 Monday (HI2)All class

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 members expected to
Ethics, Chapter 4 bring a copy of a
recent new article
that raises ethical
concerns. Be
prepared to hand in
at end of class after
discussion
9/24/2009 5 Wednesday * Group Leadership
Whose moral judgment? Pfizer in Nigeria, p. 140 of Case discussion
9/28/2009 6 Monday: Exam
9/30/2009 6 Wednesday: Exam Feedback Plus in Class Exercise TBA
10/5/2009 7 Monday:
Chapter 5: International Trade Theory
10/8/2009 7 Wednesday: *Group Leadership
Creation of nation-based competitive advantages: The case of Case discussion
of Nokia p186)
10/12/200 8 Monday:
9 Appendix: International Trade and the Balance of Payments
pp.195-199
10/14/200 8 Wednesday
9 Chapter 6: The Political Economy of International Trade
10/19/200 9 Monday: No class (HI3)Prepare
9 individual case
write-up to turn in
on 10/26. Options
and instructions
TBA
10/21/200 9 Case: Agricultural Subsidies, Chapter 6: pp.234-235 *Group Leadership
9 of Case discussion

10/26/200 10 Monday Chapter 7: FDI pp.236-271 (invitation pending for Individual Case
9 guest lecturer) Write- ups due no
later than beginning
of class.
10/28/200 10 TBA
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11/2/2009 11 Monday: *Group Leadership
Case: Cemex, Chapter 7: p. 248 (be sure to address as well of Case discussion
Question 3, page 269 that is related to the Cemex case
11/4/2009 11 Wednesday:
Chapter 9, Foreign Exchange Markets pp 338-371
11/9/2009 12 Monday (HI4) This is a
Prepare as individual work written answers to Critical Mandatory
Thinking questions, Numbers 2, 3, 4, 5. These are found on Individual
page 335 at the end of Chapter 9. You must explain the Assignment with a
logic of your answers and show intermediate assumptions copy due at the
and calculations. Copying from other students forbidden. beginning of class.
Keep a copy of the
assignment to use
for discussion
purposes in class
11/11/200 12 Wednesday:
9 Chapter 10 International Monetary System, pp. 338-366
 Recommended: Commanding Heights PBS Series

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 Video, part 1. Can be found at :
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-
3122039563423208507&hl=en

11/16/200 13 Monday: *Group Leadership

9 Prepare case on Turkey and the IMF pp. 364-365. of Case discussion
ALSO: Watch Part 3 of Commanding Heights:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=11212937762923
1653&ei=LXfjSfe6BYrw-
wHh2vSvBg&q=commanding+heights+episode+3&hl=en
11/18/200 13 Wednesday:
9 Read Chapter 11, The Strategy of International Business
Pp 372-401. Also be prepared to answer questions about the
opening case (The Evolving Strategy of Coca Cola) and “the
Evolution of Strategy at Procter and Gamble, p. 401.
11/23/200 14 Monday:
9 Read Remainder of Chapter 11. Read and Prepare case JCB
in India pp. 434-435.
11/25/200 14 Wednesday:
9 NO CLASS for THANKSGIVING
11/31/200 15 Monday
9 Chapter 16: Global Human Resource Management, pp 520-
547. It is more or less standard in most European Business
Schools that all students have a MINIMUM of 2 languages
and at least one foreign exchange program and a foreign
apprenticeship. Thorough working fluency in 3 languages is
average. Be prepared to discuss the degree to which this
creates human capital (individual) and corporate strategic
advantages for foreign MNCs vis-à-vis their US
counterparts. Should the US emulate this trend? Why or why
not.

12/2/2009 15 Wednesday:
Review Day
12/7/2009 16 FINAL EXAM

DESCRIPTION OF GRADING CRITERIA AND POLICIES*

A: Gr oup leader ship of case sessions (25% )

ALL class participants MUST read every assigned case and should be prepared to discuss
them in class. Four to six students will be assigned to each case by the professor until all
students are co-responsible for one leadership of a case discussion. If students prefer a different
group, case, it is up to them to take the initiative to find individuals in other groups willing to
exchange with them (discussion postings are a good medium besides fact-to-face for this
purpose. You must submit exchange agreements in writing to the professor at least two weeks
prior to the case day. Approval of these is subject to neither group raising objections to the
exchange. If cases are left over after initial assignment, these might provide an opportunity for
those individuals not happy with their initial group performance to improve that grade.

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 Leading Case Discussions: Your role is to stimulate intelligent participation. To do that you
not only need to read and analyze the case thoroughly as a group, you need to dig deeper (at least
look at the materials cited) and look for ways to link the cases to the concepts and contexts
covered in its chapter. The suggested structure is:
a) Approximately 20 minutes of questions and answers led by one or two members of the group.
b) Approximately 10 minutes of presentation offering an outline for the class of the CRITICAL
ISSUES raised by the case and what the text book suggests in terms of how to view/deal with
these. This can be set out as a debate (if appropriate)
c) Approx 10-15 minutes of AN EXTENSION from the case. For this, the group picks a
particular direction for deliberation beyond what is covered by the text book. My expectation of
your discussion content will be covered in more depth during the first class session and when we
do our initial case.
Cr iter ia for Gr ading the Gr oups:
1) 40%: Evidence of thorough preparation. This is based upon submitted outlines of the
group’s plan and content for KEY ISSUES and EXTENSION SESSIONS. These can be in
outline form. However submitted, they must include a complete bibliography of references
consulted.
2) 30%: Coordination and Division of Labor. The degree to which the group’s materials
and presentation suggest that the group effectively created a clear and well-coordinated plan for a
quality learning experience.
3) 30%: How much do classmates feel they learned from the presentation? Was it
interesting? What was the “value-added”. Questionnaires distributed to a sample of your
classmates will be input for this grade.
B: Par ticipation and Hand Ins (30% )
i. HI3: Case assignment to be handed in on October 26 (10% )
A case should be a maximum of 2 pages, (double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman, at least 1
inch margins). It is due NO LATER than the beginning of the class October 26th. It is ok to
discuss the case, but the actual writing must be your own. Reports should be clear, concise,
structured in a logical fashion and easy to follow (reading and, if called upon, its clarity and
engagement for an audience). It should also look neat and professional.
ii. Str ong points in your case r epo rts
1. Evidence of thorough understanding of Chapter and the case study.
2. Clear articulation of the issue you are addressing.
3. Use of tools and concepts from the text and lectures. (This might occasionally include tools
used in other courses such as ratio analysis or market share analysis.)
4. Alternatives suggested are realistic and follow from the analysis.
5. Evidence of recognizing tradeoffs associated with alternatives.
6. Justification for the recommendation that is consistent with company strategy and resources.

Weak Points in your case r epo rts

1. Unorganized, unclear texts and presentations.

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2. Failure to proofread ANY written material (in written or oral presentation) and obvious
misspellings, errors, and sloppy grammar.
3. Mere repetition of case facts without analysis (i.e. rehashing of the facts of the case does not
add value).
4. Failure to identify outside sources.
5. Failure to ANALYZE. Don’t just give facts, do ANALYSIS!
6. Lack of consideration of non-economic issues (i.e. culture, values, ethics, etc.) if they are
relevant.
7. Failure to support opinions by evidence or logical explanation.

iii: Gener al Class Par ticipation (10% )

Class participation is critical in class. Quality of class contributions will be weighted more
heavily than quantity. Frequent and valuable participants are those who attend all of the lectures,
participate thoughtfully and regularly. To help me learn each student’s name and grade
“participation and contribution” as fairly as possible, you must prepare and bring a “nameplate”
to each class. There will be “cold calls” and absences and lack of preparation will be noted.

Here are some guidelines in participation grades. The instructor has sole authority in assigning
participation grades. Here is a rough guide of how this is evaluated:

Excellent class participation is characterized by a student consistently attending class, and

making an insightful contribution to discussions, being well-prepared by having prepared
notes and demonstrating a superior understanding of the material.

Good class participation is characterized by students consistently attending class and

contributing to discussions as well as being reasonably prepared with notes from the
reading, while only occasionally demonstrating a superior understanding of the material.

Poor class participation is characterized by a student inconsistently attending class rarely

contributing to class discussion (or contributing with banter), and having no notes
prepared for the readings.

D) Exams: One mid-term and one final exam will be given at designated points in the semester.
Although exams are non-comprehensive, the course material builds and integrates on previous
topics. Exams are based on the assigned readings (textbook and other articles), plus all of the
case presentations, videos and guest lectures, if any. Exam might be in any of the following
formats: multiple choice, short answer, and/or short essay. Expect at least one essay question for
the final exam.

Requests for rescheduling an exam will be considered only with timely notification to the
instructor and appropriate documentation such as a written medical excuse or a note from the
academic dean. It is your responsibility to inform the instructor of such an eventuality in
advance of the exam. Approval for rescheduling is at the discretion of the instructor and is only
done in the case of a documented, legitimate emergency that made the absence unavoidable (see
general policy below.

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E): Policy on late work: As just said, the exams can not be made up or rescheduled without the
advanced approval of the professor. Failure to be present and contribute to your groups’ work
can result in a zero. Case write-ups turned in after the beginning of the class on the due date will
be penalized 15% for the first 24 hours, 30% for up to 48 hours late and will not be accepted for
grading after that point.

F): Extr a Assignments and Guest Lectur es

I may periodically assign additional assignments not listed on the syllabus. We may have guest
lecturers throughout the course with associative assignments. You are expected to complete
these assignments on time.

Gr ading SCALE
A standard grading scale is as follows:
Grading Scale:
98-100 A+
94-97 A
90-93 A-
87-89 B+
84-86 B
80-83 B-
77-79 C+
74-76 C
70-73 C-
67-69 D+
64-66 D
60-63 D-
Below 60 F

G: Cour se & Instr uctor Policies

Class communication:
WebCT: Class notes, the syllabus, and other relevant course-related materials will be posted on
WEBCT. You may download this material from the website. In addition, you are advised to
check your messages on WEBCT prior to each class session. This will be the main way of
disseminating any messages or instructions relating to the course.

Contacting the Instr uctor: PLEASE USE MY UTD REGULAR EMAIL ACCOUNT
(jane.salk@utdallas.edu). Faculty has been requested to state in their syllabi that a new
university policy to protect student privacy has been established. This policy states that faculty
is not required to answer student emails unless they come from a UTD email account. Therefore,
you ar e advised to contact me via my UTD email account fr om your own UTD account.
Note that although I do check WebCT a few times during the week, you should use my regular
email if you want a timely response.

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Common Cour tesy
You are expected to be courteous during class time. Please respect your fellow students by
turning off cell phones and beepers before class, refraining from talking with others when
someone is speaking, and arriving punctually to class. Also, note that laptop usage during class
is prohibited, as this is distracting to fellow students.

Scholastic Dishonesty
Any student who commits an act of scholastic dishonesty is subject to discipline. Scholastic
dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, colluding, submitting for credit
any work or materials that are attributable in part or fully to another party, taking an exam for
another person, and engaging in or attempting to engage in any act designed to give unfair
advantage to a student. The University of Texas at Dallas has several procedures to deal with
students who commit acts of scholastic dishonesty, ranging from flunking the course to being
expelled from the university. Visit http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/TitleV.html for further
information on this topic. Also, please be aware that UTD subscribes to turnitin.com, which I
may use at my discretion to spot check for plagiarism on group case write-ups.

Libr ar y Resear ch
Take advantage of the paid search engines in the library homepage. It contains the following
search engines. Should you have further questions, contact liaison librarians in the library
(Loreen Phillips, Lor een.Phillips@utdallas.edu or visit
http://www.utdallas.edu/library/reference/somliaison.html.
• Business and Company Resour ce Center

• Business Sour ce Pr emier

• Business & Management Pr actices

• CCH Inter net Tax Resear ch Networ k (tax ser vice)

• Wall Str eet J our nal (1984-cur r ent)

• Academic Univer se Lexis Nexis (then under Business)

• Disclosur e Data fr om Academic Univer se Click on Business, then Company

Financial (company financial info)

• Mer gent Online (former ly Moody's FIS Online) (company financial information)

• National Tr ade Data Bank (NTDB)

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 • EconLit (economics)

• ECONbase

• PAIS (public affair s)

• Business Dateline (index to regional business publications)

• Business Or ganizations

• Regional Business News (fr om TexShar e)

• EDGAR Financial Repor ts (company financial information)

• Social Sciences Abstr acts

• Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science/Web of Knowledge)

• Essay & Gener al Liter atur e Index

• Web of Science (Web of Knowledge) (citation indexes)

• WorldCat (OCLC)

• Gener al Databases (multidisciplinar y)

• For psychology in the workplace: Psychology and Human Development Databases

Off-campus Instr uction and Cour se Activities

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and
University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information
regarding these rules and regulations may be found at the website address
http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm. Additional information is
available from the office of the school dean. Below is a description of any travel and/or risk-
related activity associated with this course.

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and
regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each
student and each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which
govern student conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is

10
contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each
academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and
Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3,
and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of
Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the
Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in
interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship.
He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules,
university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating
the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or
criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integr ity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty.
Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done
by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of
individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or
material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the
following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students
suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any
other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism
(see general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which
searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Email Use
The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication
between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some
issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The
university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T.
Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it
originates from a UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of
confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted
information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in all

11
communication with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T.
Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdr awal fr om Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level
courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration
procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements
from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper
paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to
attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Gr ievance Pr ocedur es

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities,
of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other

fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious
effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with
whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members
retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be
resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy
of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided
by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance
is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean
of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic
Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the
academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations.

Incomplete Gr ade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at
the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete
grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester.
If the required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted
by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Ser vices

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities
equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the

12
Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments
necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be
necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog
guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted
(for example, a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired).
Classes that have enrolled students with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in
accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special services such as
registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members
to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring
special accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for
the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are
exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.
The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible
regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be
allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence:
a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who
notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for
the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed
period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.
If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of
observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has
been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the
student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution,
or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the
legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of
the chief executive officer or designee.
*These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

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