| Learning objectives |
After having followed the course the students
should be able to:
- Explain the differences in national or regional business
environments and assess why they exist and how they impact
international business operations.
- Present a thorough review of the economics and politics of the
international trade and investment environment.
- Assess the important role played by multinational economic and
social aid organizations such as the UN, EU, IMF and World Bank in
facilitating international trade and business
- Analyze the strategies and structures of international
businesses
- Assess the functions of an international business.
- Highlight the adjustments needed in the transition from
domestic to international business, and the adjustments needed to
operate successfully in specific foreign markets
- Assess business operations and relationships in complex
international business environments.
|
| Examination |
|
International
Business Environment:
|
| Exam
ECTS |
7,5 |
| Examination form |
Oral exam |
| Individual or group exam |
Individual exam |
| Duration |
20 min. per student, including examiners'
discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the
grade |
| Preparation time |
No preparation |
| Grading scale |
7-point grading scale |
| Examiner(s) |
Internal examiner and second internal
examiner |
| Exam period |
Autumn and Winter |
| Make-up exam/re-exam |
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
|
Description of the exam
procedure
Individual 20-minute exam. The exam will test the course’s
learning objectives as well as the students’ abilities in
organizing, structuring and communicating academic arguments in a
coherent way. The exam will take the form of a dialogue between the
student and the examiners. At the beginning, the student will have
the opportunity to use about 2-3 minutes to introduce some thoughts
on a chosen topic. Consequently, the examiners will pose questions
covering the entire course
syllabus.
|
|
| Course content, structure and pedagogical
approach |
|
|
|
Course Content
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
and/or regions in terms of their national/sub-national business
environments, and how these differences are linked to the various
strategic choices that 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 cases are included in the curriculum, with much of
the empirical material will be drawn from recent examples of
developments in the field of international business.
|
|
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 structure.
- Global trade, foreign direct investment and global value
chains, including the regulatory systems for international trade,
investment, and monetary transactions.
- Strategy and International
Business.
|
|
|
|
|
| Description of the teaching methods |
| The course is based on 12 3-hour lectures,
amounting to a total of 36 lecture hours per student, and 3 3-hour
tutorials, amounting to 9 tutorial hours per student. The lectures,
which will be delivered remotely, will consist of a mix of short
videos prepared by the instructors, PP slide decks, other assigned
readings and discussion questions posted on Canvas that will help
students to think critically about the topics covered in respective
lectures. Further, lecture times will also include activities
involving the use of technology and online tools, designed to
specifically test the students understanding of individual topics.
Tutorials will be devoted to discussion of cases used to highlight
and exercise the key concepts and frameworks in the
course. |
| Feedback during the teaching period |
| The students should actively seek feedback from
the lecturers during class time and especially scheduled office
hours. |
| Student workload |
| Exam, oral exam 20 min |
37 hours |
| Classes |
36 hours |
| Preparation |
200 hours |
| tutorials |
9 hours |
|
| Expected literature |
|
Hill, Charles W.L. and Hult, C. Thomas
M.: International Business; Competing in the Global
Marketplace, 12th Edition, 2018. McGraw-Hill.
Additional reading material to be distributed during the
course.
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