Course 2024-2025 a.y.

Part 1. Introductory concepts

- Measuring globalization

- International business and globalization

Part 2. Geopolitics and strategy

- What's geopolitics and how it impacts business strategies

- The new spaces of geopolitical confrontation (entrepreneurship and the geopolitics of renewables; geopolitics and business in the Arctic Region; geopolitics and new techno-nationalism; doing business in wartime; the geopolitcs of space)

Part 3. Geopolitics and business in practice

Part 4. The contemporary geography of doing business

- Doing business in the World (emerging markets, Arabian peninsula, China, India, Japan, Africa, Australia, Brazil, United States)

• Recognize the current main economic and geopolitical dynamics at a global level in order to comprehend how they contribute to shaping the present international business environment
• Recognize the peculiarities of the business environment in the “Old World”, as well as in the emerging markets and in some emerging industries, in order to be able to master the complex process of strategizing and decision-making in different contexts

•    Identify the “macro” phenomena (globalization, economic growth and development, geopolitical tensions, and so on) and analyze how they influence the “micro” environment (companies’ strategies, organizational forms, and so on).
•    Identify and analyze the main risks coming from the current economic and geopolitical environment in different geographical areas at the global level and suggest practical solutions for international companies.

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Practical Exercises
• Individual works / Assignments
• Collaborative Works / Assignments
• Interaction/Gamification

This course is structured in a blended learning format. Times and modes of learning integrate the systematic use of face-to-face and online resources and tools. 
Online resources include recordings of video interviews to give students interesting insights from experts from the field in different parts of the world.

In-class lessons, on the other hand, are done mostly through the discussion of case studies and role-playing games.
 

The final grade is the sum of the following partial grades:
a) Exam: up to 15 points, divided as follows: 2 T/F questions (with motivation) up to 4 points; 3 multiple-choice questions up to 3 points; 1 open question up to 4 points; 1 article/table/graph to comment on up to 4 points
b) In-class/online continuous assessment: up to 2 points
c) Teamwork 1 (Geopolitical risk): up to 6 points
d) Teamwork 2 (Learning from failure): up to 8 points

The final exam aims to test students' knowledge, understanding, and analytical skills as a whole.

The purpose of the continuous assessment is to test students' in-progress knowledge and ability to understand the relationships between “macro” and “micro” phenomena, thanks to an analysis of some of the proposed cases.

Teamwork intends to encourage students to apply what they learn to a specific business case and geographical region.
 

For non-attending students, the final grade is the sum of the following partial grades:
a) Exam: up to 15 points, divided as follows: 2 T/F questions (with motivation) up to 4 points; 3 multiple-choice questions up to 3 points; 1 open question up to 4 points; 1 article/table/graph to comment on up to 4 points
b) Individual assignment on the topic “Geopolitical risk”: up to 7 points
c) 20-page paper on the topic “Learning from failure”: up to 9 points

The final exam aims to test students' knowledge, understanding, and analytical skills as a whole.

The individual assignments intend to encourage students to apply what they learn to a specific business case and geographical region.
 

Class material available on Blackboard, including articles, case studies, readings, role playing games, slides, and video interviews (see the column “Material” in the Course Program).