Course 2026-2027 a.y.

• The meanings of globalization.
• The imperatives that drive firms to invest abroad as they seek market access, knowledge and inputs.
• The liability of foreignness and the costs of doing business abroad.
• Adaptation vs standardization.
• How firms build global presence (e.g. market selection, entry modes).
• Analysis of market attractiveness (e.g. PRISM, CAGE, etc.).
• Data sources for conducting foreign market analysis.
• Concentration vs spreading.
• How internationalization choices influence firm's performance.
• Arbitrage, offshoring, and reshoring.
• Regional strategies.
• Strategies of emerging market multinationals.

• Understand the economic fundamentals of globalization.
• Describe the factors driving the internationalization processes of firms.
• Identify the ways in which firms organize their global value chains.
• Explain how firms deal with the challenges of managing their activities across borders.

• Analyze attractiveness of foreign markets.
• Examine decisions regarding offhsoring/reshoring of value chain activities.
• Discuss decisions regarding adaptation to local market factors.
• Evaluate the performance of the internationalization processes.

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

Lectures are very interactive and supplemented with classroom exercises, a simulation on market selection, discussion of articles and recent academic papers, a rich set of business cases, and guest speakers from multinational companies. A number of sessions is dedicated to analysis of market data for deciding which markets to enter.

With the purpose of measuring the acquisition of the above-mentioned learning outcomes, students’ assessment is based on two components:

Individual/Group Assignment (60% of the final grade)

Students will be required to complete a market selection exercise based on a real international business challenge. The assignment will involve the application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), including the identification of relevant market selection criteria, pairwise comparison techniques, weighting procedures, and the evaluation of alternative countries or regions.

Students will be expected to justify and discuss their choices by integrating quantitative results with managerial judgment, industry dynamics, competitive conditions, and business model considerations. The exercise is designed to assess students’ ability to apply analytical tools to real internationalization decisions, structure complex decision-making processes, interpret data, and formulate coherent strategic recommendations. The assignment will also evaluate communication, presentation, and problem-solving skills.

Written Exam (40% of the final grade)

The written exam will consist of multiple-choice questions and open-ended questions covering concepts, frameworks, cases, and analytical tools discussed during the course.

The exam is aimed at assessing students’ understanding of international business theories and frameworks, their ability to interpret international market dynamics, evaluate alternative internationalization strategies, and apply the concepts developed throughout the course to managerial situations and business cases.

Non-Attending Students

The assessment method for non-attending students is based entirely on a written final exam (100% of the final grade).

The exam will consist of multiple-choice questions and open-ended questions based on the textbook, cases, articles, videos, and all materials included in the syllabus.

Multiple-choice questions are primarily intended to assess students’ understanding of key concepts, frameworks, and analytical tools presented in the course materials. Open-ended questions are aimed at evaluating students’ ability to articulate managerial reasoning, critically discuss international business challenges, apply theoretical frameworks to practical situations, and formulate well-supported recommendations regarding international market selection, internationalization strategies, and global business development decisions.

• P. GHEMAWAT, Redefining Global Strategy: Crossing Borders in a World Where Differences Still Matter, HBS Press, 2007 (chapters 1-2-4-5-6).
• Slides, cases and readings discussed in class and not included in the above mentioned book are accessible on Course Reserve or saved on the Bboard Platform.

• VINOD K. JAIN, Global Strategy. Competing in the Connected Economy, Routledge, 2017.
• P. GHEMAWAT, Redefining Global Strategy: Crossing Borders in a World Where Differences Still Matter, HBS Press, 2007 (chapters 1,2,3,4,5,6).
• K. MAHBUBANI, Has the West Lost It?: A Provocation, Allen Lane, 2018.
• Slides, cases and readings discussed in class and not included in the above mentioned book are accessible on Course Reserve or saved on the Bboard Platform.