Course 2011-2012 a.y.

Go to class group/s: 31

CLMG (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - M (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - IM (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - MM (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - AFC (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - CLAPI (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - CLEFIN-FINANCE (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - CLELI (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - ACME (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - DES-ESS (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - EMIT (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07)

Course Director:
FABRIZIO PERRETTI

Course Objectives

Companies today confront an increasing array of choices of foreign markets, of international locations for value adding activities, and of different modes of crossing borders. This course aims to offer a comprehensive and up-to-date explanation of economic globalization, examining the role of transnational corporations, states, labour, consumers, and organizations in civil society and the exchange and power relations between them. The central objective of this course is to deconstruct globalization and to understand the strategic management of transnational firms and the strategic issues and tradeoffs these companies face in a global context. In an increasingly complex world economy and society, the goal of this course is to provide a framework for formulating and evaluating these strategies by focusing students’ attention on some advanced topics in international business.

This course is not only pertinent for students who intend to pursue general management careers in multinational companies, but also to those interested in management consulting, investment banking, venture capital, and other careers in a global context where accurate and concise strategic assessments are crucial.

Course Content Summary

After a brief introduction to basic international business concepts and theories examining how, and why, firms decide to expand their operations in foreign countries, the course is built around some specific themes and issues in the international strategies realm, chosen according to their economic importance, their future relevance, and their academic interest.

For the 2011/12 academic year, the focus of the course will be on: 

• Emerging countries: What are the features of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries? How firms based in these emerging markets have developed strategies to compete in their home markets and, increasingly, in regional and global markets beyond their boundaries?
• Global value chains: How the global economy is being transformed through the operation of global production networks involving transnational corporations, states, interest groups and technology.
• Exit strategies: Why multinationals companies decide to exit from specific countries? What are the factors affecting their decisions? How difficult is the process? What are the consequences? What happens if they decide to re-enter in the future?
• Power and responsibility: How powerful are transnational corporations and how they are affecting the social worlds? Why they are held responsible for increasing social violence and for threatening the rights of workers, consumers, and citizens across the world? How multinationals can responsibly respond to such increasing accusations and boycott actions?

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

The philosophy of this course is to take full advantage of the diverse background and experiences of the students enrolled through active participation and class discussion.

Attending students

Attending students are evaluated on three components: 

• individual participation
• group presentation of assigned cases and/or group projects 
• final written exam

Non-attending students

Non-attending students are evaluated on a final written exam based on additional readings. Details regarding reading materials and assessment methods will be given at the beginning of the course and are specified in the extended syllabus available in the Personal Page (Teaching section) of Prof. Perretti on the Bocconi website.

Textbooks

Selected readings and cases.

The course exposes students to different kind of materials: academic papers published in major scientific journals, official reports from international institutions, journalist articles from economics and business magazines, documentaries and television reports, etc.

The list of materials and the course pack are available at the beginning of the course.

Exam textbooks & Online Articles (check availability at the Library)

Last change 24/06/2011 09:28