• Explain how firms and their strategies evolve as they become more involved in the global marketplace.
• Discuss the genesis of cultures and traditions around the world and how they affect strategic management decisions at all levels of the value chain.
• Develop an understanding of the complexity of the global economy and business environment.
• Apply concepts, theories, models and frameworks that have been developed for studying international management and marketing.
• Identify, analyze, and use secondary data sources to identify new market opportunities for entry and growth

All business is global – domestic markets are merely segments of an inter-connected global environment.  With the advent of the Internet, many firms are “born global” and from their inception, they serve customers and employ workers beyond their national borders.  Nonetheless, many of the world’s major global players have evolved over time from domestic to multi-domestic (multinational) to global companies.  Global firms differ from others not because of their organizational charts, but rather because they adopt a strategic perspective from which they seek opportunities across the globe along all links of the value chain.  Global managers understand that the boundaries of political maps defined by countries, while convenient, do not capture the complexities of a truly integrated, global economy. 
Today’s generation of college students face challenges and enjoy opportunities on a global scale like no generation before. Within their own short lifetimes, the BRIC countries (Brail, Russia, India and China) as well as other emerging economies such as South Africa and Turkey have come to prominence.  At the same time, the recent global financial crises have presented great challenges to countries within the Euro Zone.  A key objective of this course is to broaden student horizons by providing cases and examples across all of these other regions of the world.
Everything everywhere takes place against the backdrop of culture.  Too often, students and managers throw up their hands and attribute differences and misunderstanding to the mysteries of something called “culture.” One of the main goals I have in teaching this course is to demystify notions of culture.  Often, culture is presented in terms of customs and traditions that are sacred and sometimes exotic.  Indeed, I believe taking the time to understand the genesis of these traditions leads to the conclusion that, within the local context, they make practical sense.  That is, most customs and traditions have their beginnings in solving mundane problems.  
By taking this course, students should become more comfortable asking questions about why cultures develop the way they do and to understand how they make sense in their local contexts. Beyond developing a better understanding of cultures, students should become comfortable using existing theoretical models for analysing comparative and competitive advantages of different countries, regions, and attractiveness for making value-chain-related strategic management and marketing decisions related to market selection, development, diversification, and growth.

Class        Topic

Class 1    The evolution of the global economy from Pax Romana to the Pacific                           Century. This includes a special emphasis on the emerging BRIC                                  economies that will influence the lives and careers of European and                            North American students

Class 2   Corporate Strategy and Market Portfolio Analysis Internationalization                            differences often involve market development, product development or                        growth.  These strategies are framed using Ansoff’s MarketProduct Growth                  Matrix, as well as the Boston Consulting Group model of strategic                                  business units.

Class 3    Understanding the global environment Economic, Political, Technical,                          Legal, and Natural environments

Class 4    Culture – A Practical Approach.This unit examines how national cultures                      arise from and are related to a country’s factor conditions.  Hofstede’s                          model, as well as more recent models of cultural analysis will be                                    introduced.

Class 5    Strategic Planning – Discuss the importance of international markets to a                    firm’s overall mission and vision and Defining the firm’s                                                     core competencies for success in global markets. 

Class 6    The Comparative Advantage of Nations – the Porter Diamond Model                            Value Chain Analysis – Explores how global firms decide which activities                     to internalize and which to outsource.  Competitive Strategy – Cost                               Leadership, Differentiation, or Playing the Spread – 

Class 7    Competitive Rivalry and Dynamics and International Marketing Research

                   Explores the role of competitive market intelligence in learning about and                    from competitors.

Class 8    Market Entry Modes – Explores the risks and benefits of licensing,                                  franchising, contract manufacturing, wholly owned business subsidiaries,                    and global alliances. 
Class 9    Adapting Marketing Strategies to Local Market conditions. Focuses on                         adapting product and pricing strategies to local market conditions

Class 10   Adapting Marketing Strategies to Local Market conditions. Focuses on                         adapting supply chain, distribution an marketing communications                                 strategies to local market conditions.

Class 11   Comprehensive Review

Preliminary Assignment: To help students get maximum value from ISUP courses, instructors provide a reading or a small number of readings or video clips to be read or viewed before the start of classes with a related task scheduled for class 1 in order to 'jump-start' the learning process.

Feedback Activity: A feedback activitity defined by the course instructor will take place app. half-way through the course. 
 

The timetable is available on  http://www.cbs.dk/files/cbs.dk/isup_timetable_2016_updated.pdf

PRIMARY LITERATURE (MUST-HAVE BOOKS):

Hitt, Michael: Strategic Management: Competitiveness and globalization

ISBN-13: 978-1285425177

Cengage, 11th edition.