| Learning objectives |
- • Critically analyse a range of contemporary issues and debates
in International Business from practical, theoretical, and
methodological perspectives
- • Assess the immediate and broader implications of these issues
and debates in International Business – including connections
between them – for research, organizations, and society
- • Propose alternative courses of action across the domains of
research, business practice and/or policy making that reflect
socially responsible and ethical practices
- • Demonstrate the reflective and collaborative capabilities
that are essential to support one’s own and other’s life-long
learning, especially in the context of the ambiguity typically
inherent in international business and professional
life
|
| Examination |
|
Contemporary
Issues in International Business:
|
| Exam
ECTS |
7,5 |
| Examination form |
Oral exam based on written product
In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product
must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The
grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and
the individual oral performance, see also the rules about
examination forms in the programme regulations. |
| Individual or group exam |
Individual oral exam based on written group
product |
| Number of people in the group |
2-4 |
| Size of written product |
Max. 15 pages |
| Assignment type |
Project |
| Release of assignment |
An assigned subject is released in
class |
| Duration |
Written product to be submitted on specified date and
time.
20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade,
and informing plus explaining the grade |
| Grading scale |
7-point grading scale |
| Examiner(s) |
Internal examiner and second internal
examiner |
| Exam period |
Spring |
| Make-up exam/re-exam |
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Re-examination when the regular
examination is failed is a 20 minutes individual oral exam based
upon the same group project with a 2 pages supplement.
Make-up examination when ill at the oral exam is a 20 minutes
individual oral exam based upon the same group project.
Make-up examination when ill during the writing of the project is a
20 minutes individual oral exam based on the new written project to
be handed in at a specified time and date.( if you are alone, the
max number of pages should be
10)
|
|
| Course content, structure and pedagogical
approach |
|
The aim of the course is to explore and develop nuanced
understandings of a range of contemporary issues and debates in
International Business, and further develop the skills that will
enable lifelong learning. To this end, emphasis is placed on
‘problematizing’ current understandings of contemporary issues in
international business by placing them in their historical context,
tracing the evolution of knowledge, and questioning
taken-for-granted assumptions that inform current theory and
business practice. Sources of contemporary issues include
debates in the academic literature alongside current events in
business and society. A focus on contemporary issues means that
specific topics covered will vary over time. Nonetheless,
indicative issues include: How do crises – such as global pandemics
or financial crises – shape the location decisions of multinational
enterprises and re-shape core IB theory? What are the implications
of using English as a ‘lingua franca’ for relationships of power
and the management of diversity within MNEs? How can innovative
small firms shape international institutions for competitive
advantage, or is this solely the domain of government and large
MNEs? How do MNEs foster – and destroy – subsidiary initiatives and
local entrepreneurship? In what ways do MNEs advance or detract
from the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, such as
‘reduce inequality’ and ‘economic growth’? The exploration of these
and similar questions will draw on the latest academic literature
and case studies of international businesses. Students will
be expected to make connections across contemporary issues and
revisit prior learning with new understanding
|
| Description of the teaching methods |
The course is based on eight 3-hour lectures,
amounting to a total of 24 lecture hours, and six 2-hour
(small-group) tutorials, amounting to 12 tutorial hours. The
lectures are designed to introduce students to contemporary issues
and surrounding debates relating to both industry practices and
research in international business. Emphasis is placed on
problematizing what is taken-for-granted in both theory and
practice, with the implications of alternative ways of
understanding and acting being explored. Connections across the
contemporary issues covered in each lecture are explored.
Collaborative learning communities are fostered through small-group
tutorials, with active engagement and preparation in advance
expected. The tutorials are designed to extend students
understanding of the contemporary issues and related readings
covered in lectures through: (1) application of the issues and
debates raised in lectures to business case studies , reports on
current events and the design of future research; and (2) the
sharing of reflections on how this new learning may impact prior
learning in this course or earlier, and students’ own professional
practice – possibly leading to reinforcement of what is already
known, greater recognition of the contingent nature of knowledge,
or entirely new understandings. The skill development through
tutorials thus fosters the reflective and collaborative
capabilities that underpin one’s own and support others’ life-long
learning. |
| Feedback during the teaching period |
| The students should actively seek feedback from
the lecturers during lectures, tutorials and scheduled office
hours. Tutorials provide a structured forum for peer feedback as
students develop skills in the giving and receiving of constructive
feedback as they share, discuss and critique insights with each
other. |
| Student workload |
| class |
36 hours |
| class preparation |
116 hours |
| exam preparation |
48 hours |
|
| Expected literature |
|
This course will include selected readings from academic
literature that address contemporary issues and debates in
international business, augmented by case studies, contemporary
news items, policy and industry reports, videos and
blogs.
|
Permalink