Course 2024-2025 a.y.

20949 - GLOBAL SCENARIOS - MODULE 2 (GEOPOLITICS AND BUSINESS)

Department of Social and Political Sciences

Course taught in English

Student consultation hours
Class timetable
Exam timetable
Go to class group/s: 6
IM (6 credits - II sem. - OB  |  SECS-P/12)
Course Director:
VERONICA BINDA

Classes: 6 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 6: VERONICA BINDA


Suggested background knowledge

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Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

The ability to act successfully in international environments is increasingly linked to the achievement of global visions and to a deep understanding of complexity. Geopolitical events shape the environment in which companies operate, and in recent years the world has looked like an increasingly uncertain place in the eyes of international managers. This course aims to provide the necessary skills in this respect through a critical analysis of the role and behavior of corporations and governments in the global market. The first and second parts of the course lay the foundations for understanding the main dynamics with regard to geopolitics and international business behavior, and how they interact. After a theoretical introduction, the course addresses a wide range of geopolitical and international business issues and trains students through the consideration of a vast array of case studies and role-playing games taken from different institutional and geographical contexts, within the frameworks of globalization and de-globalization. The third and fourth parts of the course takes advantage of interviews with entrepreneurs and managers, guest speaker talks, and team assignments, to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with doing business in emerging industries and in different parts of the world today.

CONTENT SUMMARY

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)


Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • 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

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

•    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.


Teaching methods

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

DETAILS

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.
 


Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
    x
  • Individual Works/ Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
x    
  • Collaborative Works / Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
x    

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) 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.
 


NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

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.
 


Teaching materials


ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

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).

Last change 20/05/2024 18:26