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2014/2015  BA-BINBO1319U  Capitalism and Entrepreneurship in Global-Historic Setting

English Title
Capitalism and Entrepreneurship in Global-Historic Setting

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Quarter
Course period First Quarter, Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BSc in International Business
Course coordinator
  • Christina Lubinski - MPP
Main academic disciplines
  • Globalization, International Business, markets and studies
Last updated on 23-05-2014
Learning objectives
After having completed the course the students should be able to:
  • synthesize the development of different capitalist societies and identify differences and commonalities based on the required reading
  • explain and compare different theories of entrepreneurship
  • discuss the organizational theories introduced during the course and relate them to empirical information
  • discuss the organizational theories introduced during the course and relate them to empirical information
  • compare different ways how businesses and entrepreneurs interact with their political and cultural context
  • apply theories and frameworks (based on the required reading) to a given situation and develop arguments based on those lines of thinking
  • evaluate dilemma situations of entrepreneurs, hypothesize about different courses of action and their outcome
  • analyze case studies by breaking up the sum of information into constituent parts, identify relevant aspects of the situation and study the relationship of the parts to the whole; formulate questions applying relevant theory
Examination
Capitalism and Entrepreneurship in Global-Historic Setting:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Written sit-in exam
Individual or group exam Individual
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration 4 hours
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period October and December/January, the regular exam takes place in October. The make-up and re-examination takes place in January.
Aids allowed to bring to the exam Closed Book: no aids
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
If the number of registered candidates for the make-up examination/re-take examination warrants that it may most appropriately be held as an oral examination, the programme office will inform the students that the make-up examination/re-take examination will be held as an oral examination instead.
The Make-up and Re-examination takes place according to the same rules as the regular exam.
Description of the exam procedure
No aids allowed other than basic language dictionaries (e.g. from mother tongue to English and vice versa and English/English).
Course content and structure

The course gives a framework for understanding the role of entrepreneurs in shaping global capitalism over the last two centuries. Through a combination of lectures and case study discussions the students will be introduced to the history of entrepreneurs and firms from different countries and industries. Placing business in a broad political, economic and cultural context, the course explores the challenging decisions and ethical dilemmas entrepreneurs have faced in different historical settings.
Students will learn about the characteristics of different ”varieties of capitalism” and the challenges and opportunities related to them. They will probe analytical tools to identify and make sense of relevant context factors and will consider the changing roles of regulators and different groups of stakeholders.

Four major themes will be discussed in the course: (i) the growth of business and the different paths available to entrepreneurs; (ii) varieties of ownership structures; (iii) the role of entrepreneurs in various political regimes; (iv) waves of international integration/disintegration and the challenges of global business in different regional and local settings.
 
Theory: The course will introduce theories of entrepreneurship (Schumpeter, Knight, Casson, Ruef) as well as organizational theories (Chandler, new institutional economics). It discusses the merits and limitations of analytical frameworks, such as Porter’s five forces.
 
Research-Based Teaching: The course includes discussions of German, US and Indian varieties of capitalism based on the lecturer’s recent research. It is planned to include a guest lecture by an expert.

Teaching methods
The course is based on a combination of lectures, case-based discussions in smaller groups and student presentations.
Student workload
Lecture hours 20 hours
Workshop/exercises 22 hours
Preparation Lectures (3 hours/hour teaching): 54 hours
Preparation Case-Study Exercises (5 hours/hour teaching) 90 hours
Examination 4 hours
Expected literature
Compulsory reading:

Compendium
Harvard Business School cases, which will be included in the compendium or made available for download
 
Recommended further reading:

Jones, Geoffrey. Multinationals and Global Capitalism: From the Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Century. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

McCraw, Thomas K. Creating Modern Capitalism: How Entrepreneurs, Companies, and Countries Triumphed in Three Industrial Revolutions. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1997.

Fellman, Susanna, Martin Iversen, Hans Sjögren, and Lars Thue, eds. Creating Nordic Capitalism: The Business History of a Competitive Periphery. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
Last updated on 23-05-2014