6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 3 with catalog number 8020388GNR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (G) Postgraduate - preliminary level.

Semester
2nd semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool
Department
ES Academische eenheid
Educational team
Alain Verbeke (course titular)
Activities and contact hours
39 contact hours Lecture
26 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
Course Content

The structure of the course is as follows: in the first part, the main building blocks of a unifying framework are introduced. This framework should allow students to grasp the essence, in strategy terms, of what happens in a complex international business setting. The framework also suggests the way forward, so as to improve a multinational's performance in terms of value creation and satisfying stakeholder goals across borders.


In the second part, we revisit the best international business articles published in prestigious publications such as the Harvard Business Review, the Sloan Management Review and California Management Review since the 1980’s. During the lectures in the second part, up to 30 case studies are discussed to confront students with practical applications. Also, findings from the relevant academic literature are introduced to ensure that students are exposed to a broad spectrum of strategic management insights, from the highly theoretical to the highly practical.

Course material
Handbook (Required) : International Business Strategy, Rethinking the Foundations of Global Corporate Success, Alain Verbeke - Lee, 3de, Cambridge University Press, 9781108738378, 2021
Additional info

Mandatory study material

Alain Verbeke, International Business Strategy, Cambridge University Press, Second edition

Complementary study material

Interested students seeking additional information might be interested in the following, non-compulsory materials:

  • Alan M. Rugman and Alain Verbeke, Analysis of Multinational Strategic Management, Cheltenham: E.Elgar, 2005
  • Chris Bartlett and Sumantra Ghoshal, Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution, Harvard Business School Press, 1989 (Provides a good description of various MNE types and their historical development path over time.)
  • John Dunning and Sarianna Lundan, Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy, Edward Elgar, Second edition, 2008 (This book provides an impressive overview of the entire economics and economic policy-based literature on the MNE, including its wide variety of impacts on home and host country stakeholders.)
  • Julian Birkinshaw, Entrepreneurship in the Global Firm, Sage, 2000 (Provides a superb subsidiary perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing managers in the international environment.)
  • Geoffrey Jones, Multinationals and Global Capitalism, Oxford University Press, 2005 (Provides a rich, historical perspective on the evolution of the multinational enterprise.)
     
  • Business Model Generation, Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Wiley, 2010, ISBN-13 978-0470876411
    Value Proposition Design: How to Create Products and Services Customers Want, Alexander Osterwalder, Wiley, 2014, ISBN-13, 978-1118968055
  • Fields of connection, Jan-Jacob Stam, 2016, ISBN-13 978-9492331090
  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Lencioni, Jossey-Bass, 2002, SBN-13, 978-0787960759
  • The Culture Map: Decoding How People Think, Lead, and Get Things Done Across Cultures, Erin Meyer, Hachette Book US, 2016, ISBN-13 978-1610392761
  • Holacracy: The Revolutionary Management System that Abolishes Hierarchy, Brian J Robertson, Penguin Books Ltd (UK), 2016, SBN-13 978-0241205860
Learning Outcomes

Algemene competenties

The purpose of this course is not to add an incremental ‘international dimension’ to the discussion of a set of conventional strategy problems.  Rather, the goal is to explain what is at the heart of a successful international business strategy, thereby outlining the foundations of global corporate success.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 50% of the final mark.
Practical Exam determines 50% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Written Exam with a relative weight of 50 which comprises 50% of the final mark.

    Note: The written exam consists of multiple choice questions as well as open, essay type questions.

Within the Practical Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Participation and Assignments with a relative weight of 50 which comprises 50% of the final mark.

    Note: Group and individual assignments + active class participation

Additional info regarding evaluation

The actual class sessions aim to provide a conceptual synthesis of the course materials, with presentations by the instructor and his teaching associates, followed by class discussions and group presentations. The instructor and his teaching associates will go systematically beyond the required readings and present materials criticizing or augmenting the substance of the required readings.

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:

  • Written Exam determines 50% of the final mark.
  • Practical Exam: course participation and assignments determines 50% of the final mark.
Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Postgraduate Certificate International Trade and Investment: Standaard traject
Postgraduate Certificate Flagship Programme in Economic Diplomacy and International Business: Standaard traject