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A typical international business (IB) course is multi-disciplinary in nature, covering various topics, including international strategy, international trade, foreign direct investment, foreign exchange and global capital markets, global and regional cooperation and international human resources. Although the “dark side” of IB has been covered in textbooks and cases for decades, we argue that a more structured effort to educate students on both the benefits and drawbacks of IB is warranted. We contend that such dark side activities (DSA) should be positioned as a more central component of IB coursework so students can understand the legitimacy and performance consequences of such phenomena. Digitalization of commercial activity, coupled with the rapid pace of globalization, have accelerated this effect, with increased awareness of DSA and their negative effects on various stakeholders. Indeed, some may argue that the dark side of IB and its manifestations is a major reason why globalization itself is under attack. Therefore, our objective is to provide faculty with examples of teaching materials and a framework that can be applied in the classroom to expose students to the dark side of IB.

In order to allow IB educators to identify and categorize dark side activities, we turn to Batra (2007), who identified six types of DSA with which MNEs may be directly or indirectly involved and that are immoral, unethical, or cause irreversible harm to communities and the planet. They are:(1) environmental degradation,(2) questionable marketing practices,(3) accounting or financial fraud,(4) corruption,(5) labor abuses, and (6) cultural imperialism. Victims of dark …