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2025/2026  BA-BINBO1144U  Global Strategy, Technology and Innovation

English Title
Global Strategy, Technology and Innovation

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course Fourth Quarter, Summer
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for Global Relations
Course coordinator
  • Maximilian Joachim Von Zedtwitz - Department of International Economics, Goverment and Business (EGB)
Main academic disciplines
  • Globalisation and international business
  • Innovation
  • Strategy
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 19-05-2025

Relevant links

Learning objectives
After having followed the course, the students will be able to evaluate and design strategies, activities and techniques applied by companies pursuing global innovation and technology. Specifically, they should be able to:
  • Identify opportunities and benefits from global R&D, technology, and innovation
  • Identify and mitigate the challenges and risks from engaging in transnational innovation in the context of MNC strategy formulation and implementation
  • Develop global innovation and technology strategies for internationally operating firms
  • Assess effectiveness of high-level operational plans for leading dispersed innovation efforts and projects globally
  • Incorporate general IB and strategy skills into the management of global innovation
Prerequisites for registering for the exam (activities during the teaching period)
Number of compulsory activities which must be approved (see section 13 of the Programme Regulations): 1
Compulsory home assignments
1) Completion of a group assignment, supported by three moderated workshops/exercises, to be submitted before the final class (pass/fail of a PPT presentation of about 10-15 slides).

2) Submission of two (out of five) individual class preparation assignments (3-4 Word.doc pages each, alternatively 6-7 PPT slides, pass/fail).
Examination
Global Strategy, Technology and Innovation:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Written sit-in exam on CBS' computers
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration 4 hours
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Summer and Summer
Aids Limited aids, see the list below:
The student is allowed to bring
  • USB key for uploading of notes, books and compendiums in a non-executable format (no applications, application fragments, IT tools etc.)
  • In Paper format: Books (including translation dictionaries), compendiums and notes
The student will have access to
  • Basic IT application package
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
The number of registered candidates for the make-up examination/re-take examination may warrant that it most appropriately be held as an oral examination. The programme office will inform the students if the make-up examination/re-take examination instead is held as an oral examination including a second examiner or external examiner.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

 

Course Content, Structure and Pedagogical Approach

This course focuses on strategic aspects of managing global innovation, technology and R&D. We will address this from four internal perspectives:

  • Corporate level: How do firms steer global R&D and innovation across the entire organization, in response to global trends in technologies and markets?
  • Business level: How do individual business and R&D units optimize their innovation performance in the context of their parent MNC?
  • Team level: How do teams form, perform, and deliver innovation when geographically dispersed across different time zones, cultures, and organizations?
  • Individual level: How do individual innovation managers, entrepreneurs, and professionals contribute to global innovation and knowledge sharing, while driving and supporting MNC innovation strategy forward?

In addition, we will also address the following MNC-external themes:

  • Open and cooperative innovation: How to reach beyond internal resources and engage with competitors, collaborators, customers, and universities in transnational R&D and innovation.
  • Location decisions: Determining where and why to establish an R&D and innovation presence in certain markets and geographies.
  • Digitalization: How to leverage the full force of information and communication technology for global innovation.
  • Organizational maturity: How to grow small local R&D efforts into globally leading innovation centers.
  • Reverse innovation: How to leverage creativity and entrepreneurship in emerging and developing countries and reverse the flow of technology and innovation.
  • Frugal innovation: Learning from super-efficient innovators in the East to reorganize and reposition how we innovate globally.

We will address these interwoven themes and perspectives through a series of interactive lectures, case discussions, and workshops.

Research-based teaching
CBS’ programmes and teaching are research-based. The following types of research-based knowledge and research-like activities are included in this course:
Research-based knowledge
  • Classic and basic theory
  • New theory
  • Teacher’s own research
  • Models
Research-like activities
  • Data collection
  • Analysis
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
  • Students conduct independent research-like activities under supervision
Description of the teaching methods
The teaching is based on a combination of lectures, groupwork and exercises. The lectures focus on the introduction of relevant terminology, concepts, case studies and theory. They will offer overviews, examples, clarifications and elaborations of selected areas, as well as an opportunity to address student questions. On-the-spot exercises provide the opportunity to deepen the understanding of new conceptual knowledge. Students actively work in groups on specific assignments, which will help develop competences to link theory with empirical observations, apply analytical rigor and confidently engage in the discourse about global strategy and innovation. The tutorials prepare the students for their examination.
The course will also make significant use of online elements: external videos, online teaching (as necessary), Internet research, and online team interaction. In particular, we will make use of the online platform Peergrade for peer-to-peer feedback
Feedback during the teaching period
Students receive feedback during the exercises and their groupwork on their assignments by the teachers. In addition, we practice feedback from peers through direct responses to other students’ work either during the exercises or by using the online platform Peergrade. Teachers offer further feedback in response to questions by groups of students or individual students. Please take advantage of the ‘office hours’ offered by the course coordinator, although these are not intended to be a substitute for participation in lectures and classes.
Student workload
Class 33 hours
Workshop 9 hours
Exam 72 hours
Preparation 130 hours
Expected literature
  • Boutellier, R.; Gassmann, O.; von Zedtwitz, M. (2008): Managing Global Innovation - Uncovering the Secrets of Future Competitiveness. 3rd fully revised edition. Springer: Heidelberg. 807 pages.
  • Ghemawat, P. (2001). Distance Still Matters. The Hard Reality of Global Expansion. Harvard Business Review 79(8): 137-147.
  • Weyrauch & Herstatt (2016). What is frugal innovation? Three defining criteria. Journal of Frugal Innovation 2, 1: 1-17.
  • Hadengue, M.; de Marcellis-Warin., N.; von Zedtwitz, M.; Warin, T. (2017): Avoiding the Pitfalls of Reverse Innovation. Research-Technology Management 60, 3, 40-47.
  • Lee, K.; Song, J.; & Kwak, J. (2015): An Exploratory Study on the Transition from OEM to OBM: Case Studies of SMEs in Korea. Industry and Innovation, 22, 5, 423-442.
  • Demirbag, M., Glaister, K. (2010). Factors Determining Offshore Location Choice for R&D Projects: A Comparative Study of Developed and Emerging Regions. Journal of Management Studies 47, 8, 1534-1560.
  • Kuemmerle, W. (1997). Building Effective R&D Capabilities Abroad. Harvard Business Review 75, 2: 61-70.
  • Gassmann, O., von Zedtwitz, M. (2003). Trends and Determinants of Managing Virtual R&D Teams. R&D Management, 33, 3, 243-262.
  • Schleimer, S.; Riege A. (2009) Knowledge transfer between globally dispersed units at BMW. Journal of Knowledge Management 13, 1, 27-41.
  • Hansen, M.; Chesbrough, H.; Nohria, N.; Sull, D. (2000): Networked Incubators: Hothouses of the New Economy. Harvard Business Review, Sep-Oct 2000, 75-83.
  • Marion, T.; Fixson, S.K. (2021): The Transformation of the Innovation Process: How Digital Tools are Changing Work, Collaboration, and Organizations in New Product Development. Journal of Product Innovation Management 38, 1, 192-215.
  • Vanhaverbeke, W.; Du, J.; von Zedtwitz, M. (2013). Managing Open Innovation in Multinational Enterprises: Combining Open Innovation and R&D Globalization Literature. In: Tidd, J. (ed): Open Innovation Research, Management and Practice. London: Imperial College Press, 213-233.
  • Saridakis, G.; Idris, B.; Hansen, J.M.; Dana, L.P. (2019): SMEs’ internationalization: When does innovation matter? Journal of Business Research 96 250-263.
  • Oberholzer-Gee, F. & Fisher, W. (2004). Strategic Management of Intellectual Property. An Integrated Approach. California Management Review 55(4): 157-184.
  • Papanastassiou, M., Pearce, R., Zanfei, A., 2020. Changing perspectives on the internationalization of R&D and innovation by multinational enterprises: A review of the literature. Journal of International Business Studies 51, 623–664.

Please note: these reading materials are only tentative and changes may occur. Final literature lists will be uploaded on Canvas before the begining of the course.

 

 

Last updated on 19-05-2025