Participants are required to possess the basic knowledge of foreign direct investment, multinational strategy, & foreign business environments. They should also have a solid understanding of various relevant theoretical perspectives, such as institutional theory, resource-based view of the firm, & agency theory.
On completion of the course, students should be able to:
-Gain knowledge of general theories of multinational corporations (MNCs).
-Strengthen critical thinking and analytical skills regarding internal and external factors that influence the organization structure of MNCs in the global context.
-Identify possible challenges that harm MNCs’ competitive superiority.
-Analyze the international business environment and evaluate strategic options for multinational enterprises.
-Participate in the debate on real international economic relations.
-Clarify different stages of regional integration & politico-economic determinants of integration & discuss how MNCs design, execute & implement their business strategies in the European integration process.
This advanced course includes many sessions. Each session focuses exclusively on the key topic of global business. The sessions rest on a dialogue-based approach and an intensive seminar design while the instructor will act as a facilitator, coach, & mentor to cultivate participants’ critical thinking and contextual understanding by highlighting major points in theory and analytical insights in practice. Therefore, participation in class-discussion is highly expected. For each session, participants will discuss several key articles in order to thoroughly grasp the core arguments from global strategic contexts. This advanced course enables participants to communicate ideas and solutions on international business issues in both oral and written formats to different types of audiences.
The course consists of three lectures per week taught in the Spring Term. Each lecture lasts 2 hours on the Caniana campus in Weeks 1 to 12. Each lecture adopts active learning methods designed to encourage students to participate in class discussions. All the lectures will be taught by Professor Dr. Norifumi Kawai. Attendance & participation are highly recommended at all the lectures.
Students will be assessed by two specific assessment methods:
Class participation & proactive engagement in discussions count for 30% of the overall mark for the course. Depending on weeks, students are required to read two or three articles per session prior to the lecture & essentially responsible for being well-prepared to discuss the core content of the article. This preparation significantly important in enabling students capture the main arguments in the literature. Students will receive approximately 5-7 questions per article & it is highly recommendable to take notes of key information beforehand. I expect students to pay attention to every assigned article’s theoretical & managerial relevance with care. Participants’ regular engagement in class discussions is carefully checked & monitored by the instructor. Each student is required to make a 2-3 minute presentation based on a topic that interests her or him from a reliable information source (without PowerPoint slides). Moreover, students might be asked to submit a summary report either every week or every other week via Moodle (Any late submission is NOT acceptable.). Small quizzes are given to participants on an irregular basis.
A final examination that counts for 70% of the overall mark for the course. The final exam will take place in the end of year assessment.
Mandatory Textbook(s) & Readings:
Hubbard, N. (2013). Conquering Global Markets: Secrets from the World’s Most Successful Multinationals. Springer.
Bartlett, C. A., & Beamish, P. W. (2018). Transnational Management: Text & Cases in Cross-Border Management. Cambridge University Press.
Hasegawa, H., & Noronha, C. (2009). Asian Business & Management: Theory, Practice & Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan.
Furthermore, several scholarly articles are also assigned frequently.