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2012/2013  KAN-IBS_IB55  The International Business Environment: Strategy, Policy, and Organisation

English Title
The International Business Environment: Strategy, Policy, and Organisation

Course information
Language English
Exam ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Course period Autumn
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Study board
Study Board for MSc in Economics and Business Administration
Course coordinator
  • Can Seng Ooi - Department of International Economics and Management
Main Category of the Course
  • Economics, macro economics and managerial economics
Last updated on 09-07-2012
Learning objectives
The aim of the course is to provide students with an understanding of international business and trade, providing students with the necessary background theories and concepts that they will need during the concentration. It will focus on providing a ‘toolkit’ to students of frameworks, theories and concepts that will facilitate the understanding of the complex environment within which the multinational corporation operates. This includes international business and trade theories, political economy, government policies and regulations, cross-cultural differences as well as supra-national institutions such as the World Trade Organization.
  • Familiar with various theories related to international business
  • Able to relate these theories to each other
  • Abel to use them to understand and analyse the international business enviromentC
Examination
The International Business Environment: Strategy, Policy, and Organisation:
Type of test Term Paper
Marking scale 7-step scale
Second examiner External examiner
Exam period Autumn Term and December/January
Aids Please, see the detailed regulations below
Duration Please, see the detailed regulations below
Individual exam; each student will submit a scientific paper of 15 (fifteen) pages. The exam question will be issued one week before the submission deadline. Students are expected to address many issues covered in the course. The scientific paper will be assessed by examiner and external censor. The regular exam will take place in November. Make-up/ re-exam takes place in January. If a student is ill during the regular exam, he/she will be able to re-use the scientific paper at the make-up/re-exam. If the student did not pass the regular exam a new or revised scientific paper, confer advice from the examiner at the regular exam, must be handed in to a new deadline specified by the programme secretariat
Course content

The course sheds light on what managers of internationally active firms do to remain competitive in diverse business environments. The course presents conceptual frameworks that make sense of the linkages between national economic and developmental policies, and domestic and foreign firm strategies. Finally, it addresses whether contemporary capitalism is characterized by inexorable trends toward a truly global market or by resilient national differences. The course is divided into three distinct components. The first component provides a basic set of ‘tools’ and theories from international trade, international business, economics, and management that will empower the student throughout the concentration. The second component presents elements of the ‘macro’ external environment that the multinational firm faces, combining concepts from technology policy, economic geography and political economy.
The third component examines the particular challenges managers face within their organizations. This component discusses the various options available to managers in responding to organizational, managerial, and technical complexities that the forces of rapid globalization and intense cross-border competition present.
Teaching methods
The course relates theoretical concepts and management frameworks to cases. It is based on a mix of lectures and case discussions. Student participation is highly desirable; student teams are actively involved in the presentation and discussion of cases.
Expected literature

Cantwell, J. and Narula, R. (2001) The Eclectic Paradigm in the Global Economy, International Journal of the Economics of Business, Vol 8, pp 155-172
Cavusgil, S.T.; Knight, G. and Riesenberger, J.R. (2008) International Business: Strategy, Management and the New Realities. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Frost, Tony S. & Birkinshaw, Julian M. & Ensign, Prescott C. (2002) Centres of Excellence in Multinational Corporations. Strategic Management Journal. 23(11), 997-1018.
Hall, P. and Soskice, D. (2001). Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hofstede, G. and Bond, M.H. (2001). The Confucius connection: From cultural roots to economic growth. In Gannon, M.J. (ed) Cultural Metaphors: Readings, Research Translations and Commentary. London: SAGE. 31-53
Krugman, P. (1997) What Should Trade Negotiators Negotiate About?, Journal of Economic Literature 35, 113-120
Krugman, P. and Obstfeld, M. (2000) ‘The Political Economy of Trade Policy’, International Economics: Theory and Policy. Reading Massachusetts: Addison Wesley.
Ooi, C.S. (2007) "Un-packing packaged cultures: Chinese-ness in International Business", East Asia: An International Quarterly, 24(2): 111-128.
Last updated on 09-07-2012