Bachelor
2025/2026
International Business
Type:
Compulsory course (Business Administration)
Delivered by:
Department of Strategic and International Management
When:
3 year, 3 module
Open to:
students of one campus
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
3
Contact hours:
30
Course Syllabus
Abstract
Why do some companies thrive abroad while others fail spectacularly? This course on International Business explores how firms navigate the opportunities and risks of globalization by understanding countries, institutions, and strategy rather than just geography and distance.
We start by unpacking what globalization really means for firms today: shifting value chains, digital platforms, and rising geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty. We then zoom in on formal institutions (laws, regulations, trade and investment regimes) and informal institutions (culture, norms, values) to see how they shape what firms can and should do abroad. Building on this, we examine how companies design international strategies and organizational forms, choose modes of entry (export, alliance, joint venture, subsidiary), and configure their core functions—R&D, marketing, HR, and operations—across borders.
Throughout the course, we work with case-based projects. In seminars, small teams analyze institutional environments, cultural challenges, and entry mode decisions for specific companies. The course culminates in a foreign market entry strategy project, where teams design and justify a concrete entry plan for a firm into a new country, integrating institutional analysis, strategic choice, and functional implications.