Description:

The course looks at various cases encountered in international business to give participants examples of real-life situations, help them understand what they may be confronted with and train them to find appropriate solutions. The aim of the course is to develop the participants' analytical ability in front of complex combinations of factors which may threaten the success of international projects, linked both to technical or interpersonal problems.

Contents:

OUTLINE AND SYLLABUS

1. Theoretical context
The global environment: geopolitics, globalisation, multinationals, forms of partnerships
The fundamentals of intercultural management
2. International business in situation
Companies'internationalisation: preparation and entry modes
Strategic alliances
Headquarters and subsidiaries
Interpersonal relations
Managing multicultural teams
Negotiation
Expatriation
3. Typology of business behaviours
Business versus relations
Direct versus indirect
Formal versus informal
Polychronic versus monochronic
Emotional versus reserved
4. Defining the typology of best practices when oking internationally

Seminar contents:

OUTLINE AND SYLLABUS OF THE EXERCISES

The course is based on the use of press articles, case stories and role plays, most of them conceived by the instructor.
Students will use a self-test conceived by the instructor, used to facilitate a discussion on the various
phases of the internationalization process.

A special focus will be cast on the following topics:
- Analysis of situation and identification of hypotheses
- Misunderstanding created by geopolitical and cultural differences
- Identification of micro-political issues

Recommended literature:

SOURCE MATERIAL
- Flint, C. (2006). Introduction to Geopolitics. Paperback
- Gesterland, R. R. (2012). Cross-cultural business behaviors. Copenhagen Business School Press.
- Knight G., Riesenberger, J. S., Tamer Cavusgil, S. (2017). International Business. The New Realities. Pearson.

Abbreviations used:

Semester:

• W ... winter semester (usually October - February)
• S ... spring semester (usually March - June)
• W,S ... both semesters

Mode of completion of the course:

• A ... Assessment (no grade is given to this course but credits are awarded. You will receive only P (Passed) of F (Failed) and number of credits)
• GA ... Graded Assessment (a grade is awarded for this course)
• EX ... Examination (a grade is awarded for this course)
• A, EX ... Examination (the award of Assessment is a precondition for taking the Examination in the given subject, a grade is awarded for this course)

Weekly load (hours per week):

• P ... lecture
• C ... seminar
• L ... laboratory
• R ... proseminar
• S ... seminar