International Business

Aim

After completion of the course, the students should be able to:- describe the characteristics of the global business environment in general and national and regional business environments more specifically- search for, obtain, and apply knowledge and understanding of specialized topics- communicate existing research results to a broad audience- handle dynamics that arise as a result of working in international project groups - engage in critical reflection of existing opinions and arguments, develop and communicate their own arguments and opinions- summarize existing knowledge, critically reflect upon research contributions, to develop synthesis skills and use newly gained knowledge to create new interesting insights- undertake an industry or market entry analysis by investigating a company’s entrance into an international market context, in the process establishing the governing market conditions and influences which specifically relate to cross-border exchange- assess the cultural aspects of decision making and to understand the meaning of cultural dimension in terms of strengths and weaknesses of culturally related behaviour and its consequences when applied into a business context

Content

This course intends to provide the students with skills that they can apply within the international business context.The course consists of two parts: 1) teacher led education in the form of lectures and seminars, and 2) students own work; individually and in group1) The first part includes a presentation of a framework on a macro, meso, and micro level for doing business internationally, i.e. the institutional context and economic geography of international business. Focus will be on theories about the nature of international business and why it exists, including aspects of internationalization and the international business environment. The aim is to provide an insight into the traditional and dominating theoretical paradigms, as well as the environment of international business operations. The focus is extended to the process of internationalization, market entry modes, business strategies and organizational aspects. This first part also looks into other analytical issues unique to international business.2) The second part is aimed at the application of theories and knowledge. Focus is on developing skills to read, summarize and reflect upon existing research within the international business field and develop team-working skills. The aim is to deepen the discussion on the course literature perspectives, theories and models by obtaining specialized knowledge and understanding of a topic and communicating this. Further, focus is on application and use of theoretical concepts in an empirical context.