Innovation and Technology in International Business

2026/2027

Учебный год

ENG

Обучение ведется на английском языке

3

Кредиты

Кто читает:

Департамент стратегического и международного менеджмента

Статус:

Курс по выбору

Когда читается:

4-й курс, 3 модуль

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course examines how innovation and emerging technologies are transforming international business, global competition, and the strategies of multinational enterprises (MNEs). Rather than treating technology as an isolated technical phenomenon, the course approaches innovation from an international business perspective and explores how technological change affects firms’ internationalization, competitive advantage, global value chains, market entry, organizational structures, and relationships with governments and international partners. Students examine how artificial intelligence, digital platforms, automation, advanced manufacturing, data technologies, and other emerging technologies are changing where firms locate activities, how they coordinate operations across borders, and how they create and capture value internationally. Particular attention is given to differences between national and regional innovation systems and to the growing influence of geopolitics, technological sovereignty, regulation, sustainability, and competition for critical technologies. Through international cases and comparative analysis, students explore innovation strategies of multinational enterprises. The course develops students’ ability to evaluate technological change not simply in terms of technological novelty, but in terms of its strategic implications for firms operating across national borders.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the role of innovation and emerging technologies in international business and explain how technological change influences global competition and the strategies of multinational enterprises.
• Analyze national and international innovation environments and assess how institutional, economic, technological, and regulatory differences across countries affect firms’ innovation strategies.
• Evaluate the impact of emerging technologies on international business models and operations, including global value chains, international production, R&D, and market expansion.
• Assess strategic opportunities and risks associated with technological change in international markets, including geopolitical risks, intellectual property protection, regulation, and technological fragmentation.
• Develop evidence-based international business strategies in response to technological disruption, integrating technology, location, organizational capabilities, and cross-border competitive dynamics.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Develop strategic responses to emerging technological trends and evaluate their implications for the future of multinational enterprises and global competition.
• Assess how geopolitical tensions, technology regulation, export controls, and technological sovereignty affect international business strategies.
• Evaluate alternative mechanisms of international technology transfer, knowledge protection, and cross-border innovation collaboration.
• Analyze how Industry 4.0 and automation influence the configuration, location, and resilience of global value chains.
• Assess how artificial intelligence transforms international business operations, decision-making, and competitive advantage across national markets.
• Evaluate how digital platforms and technologies transform firms’ internationalization strategies, market entry, and cross-border value creation.
• Analyze how multinational enterprises organize global R&D, knowledge transfer, and innovation activities across countries and subsidiaries.
• Compare national innovation systems and assess how institutional and technological environments shape the geography of global innovation.
• Explain how innovation and technological change influence international competition, firms’ internationalization, and the competitive advantages of multinational enterprises.

Course Contents

• Innovation and Technological Change in International Business
• National Innovation Systems and the Geography of Global Innovation
• Innovation Strategy of Multinational Enterprises
• Artificial Intelligence and the Transformation of International Business
• Industry 4.0, Automation and the Future of Global Value Chains
• Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property and Open Innovation
• Technology, Geopolitics and the Fragmentation of the Global Economy
• The Future of Innovation and International Business
• Digital Platforms and New Models of Internationalization

Assessment Elements

• Attendance
  Students are expected to attend classes regularly. Attendance is recorded at each lecture. Students arriving 15 minutes or more after the scheduled start of the lecture are considered absent, and the lecture will not be counted toward their attendance.
• Quiz
  Students complete an individual in-class quiz designed to assess their understanding of the key concepts, theories, and analytical frameworks covered in the course. The quiz may include multiple-choice questions and short analytical questions covering topics such as innovation and technological change, national innovation systems, multinational enterprise innovation strategies, digital platforms, AI, Industry 4.0, technology transfer, and technology geopolitics.
• Seminar Participation and In-Class Assignments
  Students participate in six seminars based on international business cases, analytical exercises, and team-based problem-solving activities related to innovation and emerging technologies. Seminar activities may include analysis of national innovation systems, international R&D location decisions, digital internationalization, AI adoption by multinational enterprises, global value chain redesign, and global technology strategy.
• Final Exam
  The final exam is a blocking assessment component. Students must obtain at least 40% of the maximum possible exam score to pass the course. If a student receives less than 40% of the maximum possible score on the final exam, the course is considered failed regardless of the grades received for other assessment components.

Interim Assessment

• 2026/2027 3rd module
  0.1 * Attendance + 0.15 * Quiz + 0.5 * Final Exam + 0.25 * Seminar Participation and In-Class Assignments

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• International business: competing in the global market place, Hill, Ch. W. L., 2022

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Global business : management, Willcocks, L. P., 2021

Authors

• Korobochkina Alena Valerevna
• Shaposhnikov Sergei Viacheslavovich