Bachelor 2020/2021

International Business

Type: Compulsory course (Business Administration)

Area of studies: Management

Delivered by: Department of Strategic and International Management

Where: Graduate School of Business

When: 3 year, 3, 4 module

Mode of studies: offline

Instructors: Anja Tekic

Language: English

ECTS credits: 4

Contact hours: 40

Course Syllabus

Abstract

Despite the globalization, international business is followed by the challenges of economic, institutional and cultural heterogeneity. Thus, to be able to perform internationally, managers are required to act in response to complexities of the global environment, both at strategic and operational levels. The course International Business offers a comprehensive overview of the issues related to managing businesses beyond and across national borders. Built on an effective balance between the managerial insights and theory, the course examines international business matters from the perspective of both established companies and new ventures.

Learning Objectives

• The aims and objectives of the International Business course are to provide students with: (1) a comprehensive overview of globalization trends, institutional and cultural diversity, as well as economic, legal and political issues that shape the international business environment; (2) a holistic perspective on international business strategy development and organization design in response to the advantages and challenges of a global business context; (3) an integrative understanding of the functional issues associated with global R&D management, global production and supply chain management, as well as global marketing and HR management.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to assess the business advantages and challenges that companies face in a global context, and suggest how companies should develop their international business strategies, taking into account economic, institutional and cultural factors
• Students will have a holistic understanding the issues of international business at both strategic and operational levels in large multinational companies, SMEs, as well as in new and growing ventures
• Students will learn how to become the team players and pursue effective exchange of relevant ideas and experiences within the teams, as their members or leaders, while being ready to acquire knowledge and skills independently, creating the basis for the self-directed and autonomous life-long learning
• Students will improve their skills of clearly presenting and unambiguously communicating the main issues of international business to both specialist and non-specialist audiences, in English, both orally and in writing
• Students will have a comprehensive set of knowledge and skills that will enable them to explain and critically discuss the key theoretical concepts related to international business

Course Contents

• International business and globalization
  International business – definition, opportunities and challenges; Globalization – drivers and trends; Globalization debate – support and criticism; Business in the global marketplace.
• International business and formal institutions
  National differences in economic, legal and political systems; National differences in economic development; Global trade and investment environment; International monetary system; International cooperation and multilateral organizations; Regional economic integration.
• International business and informal institutions
  National culture – concept and dimensions; Cultural distance – national and supra-national perspective; Ethics and corporate social responsibility; Impact of informal institutions on international business.
• International business strategy and organization
  Strategy and value creation; Strategic alternatives; International business strategy – components and development; Global organization structure; Issues in global organization design; Fit between strategy and structure.
• Foreign market entry
  Making a decision to enter foreign markets; Analyzing foreign markets; Overview of different modes of foreign market entry – exporting, international licensing, international franchising, foreign direct investment strategies, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances.
• International business functions
  Building global R&D capabilities; Global production and supply chain management; Global service operations management; Global marketing – configuring marketing mix for international business; HR management in international business.

Assessment Elements

• Exam (combination of multiple choice and open-ended questions)
  June 18 - offline on campus; June 28 - online with proctoring
• Homework assignments (oral presentations during seminars; team work)
  Note: - The homework MUST be presented at seminars. Homework that is not presented will not be graded. - Individual contribution to homework assignments is going to be peer-evaluated at the end of the course. - A student can be a member only of one team during the course. Changing a team is not allowed.
• Final project (written assignment; team work)
  Note: Individual contribution to the final project is going to be peer-evaluated at the end of the course.

Interim Assessment

• Interim assessment (4 module)
  0.4 * Exam (combination of multiple choice and open-ended questions) + 0.2 * Final project (written assignment; team work) + 0.4 * Homework assignments (oral presentations during seminars; team work)

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Griffin, R. W., Pustay, M. W. (2019). International Business: a Managerial Perspective. Global Edition, Pearson Education Limited.

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Andrew Inkpen, & Kannan Ramaswamy. (2006). Global Strategy : Creating and Sustaining Advantage Across Borders. Oxford University Press.
• International business, Peng, M., 2019