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Learning Objectives
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After having followed the course the students should be able to:
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Explain how and why there are differences in national or regional business environments.
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Present a thorough review of the economics and politics of the international trade and investment environment.
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Analyse the strategies and structures of international businesses.
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Assess the functions of an international business.
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Highlight the adjustments needed in the transition from domestic to international business, and the adjustments needed to operate successfully in specific foreign markets.
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Synthesize the above into a detailed and comprehensive analysis of internationalization at the firm level.
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Examination
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International Business Environment:
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Assessment
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Home Assignment
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Marking Scale
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7-step scale
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Censorship
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External examiners
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Exam Period
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October and December/January, the regular exam takes place in October. The make-up and re-examination takes place in January.
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Aids
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Please, see the detailed regulations below
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Duration
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48 Hours
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48 hour individual home assignment of 10 pages.
The aim of the home assignment is to assess the knowledge students have accumulated during the course. The assignment requires students to analyze an actual company’s overall entry strategy and operations in a foreign market. This can either be a case where the company of the student’s choice has already entered a host market or a case where the analysis focuses on a market that the company has not entered yet. The take-home project should integrate and synthesise all the main blocks of the curriculum (as presented below), to demonstrate the students’ skills in the practical application of theory to the chosen case.
No restrictions regarding literature and other aids. However, assignments should include proper references to background literature and information sources.
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Examination
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The Make-up and Re-examination takes place according to the same rules as the regular exam.
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Course Content
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The aim of the course is to provide an integrated understanding of the complexity of the international business environment and the challenges it poses for firms engaged in cross-border activities. Emphasis is put on highlighting the differences among countries in terms of their national business environments, and how these differences are linked to the various strategic choices firms adopt in order to compete internationally. By the end of the course students should have developed their ability to explain, interpret, and synthesize international business practices in a multidisciplinary discourse. Both theory and empirical cases are included in the curriculum; much of the empirical material will be drawn from the current research work of the course coordinator and guest lecturers, to strengthen the role of research-based teaching.
The main blocks of the curriculum are: - Selected cross-country differences with a potential impact on business operations, including historical, institutional, geographical, cultural, and political structures
- Global trade and foreign direct investment, including the regulatory systems for international trade, investment, and monetary transactions
- Strategy and International Business
- Business Operations
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Teaching Methods
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The course is based on a lecture series covering 42 lecture hours. The time will be used to cover the textbook materials through traditional lectures and discussions in class, but will also include some in-depth treatment of chosen topics (guest lectures).
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Literature
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Charles W.L. Hill (latest edition), “International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace”, McGraw Hill International Edition.
Additional reading material to be distributed during the course. |
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