Course 2017-2018 a.y.

Classes: 31 (I sem.)

Instructors:
Class 31: ELISABETTA MARAFIOTI

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 and managing activities across 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, technologies 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.

After a brief introduction to basic international business concepts and theories examining how, and why, firms decide to expand their operations in foreign countries adopting an evolutionary perspective, 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.
The focus of the course is on

• Emerging countries and emerging markets multinationals (EMCs), a comparative analysis: how, and why, firms decide to expand their operations in emerging countries (Brics and over)? How the rise of emerging multinationals from these countries is affecting global industry dynamics? How different are EMCs from multinationals coming from developed ones, and do they require a different approach? What competitive advantages do they leverage as they internationalize? What role for entrepreneurship in emerging markets? What role do acquisitions have?
• Creating and Leveraging Knowledge (The Worldwide Learning Challenge: innovation and agility in multinationals): how the global economy is being transformed through the operation of global production/innovation networks involving transnational corporations, states, interest groups and technology? How to take advantage of multiple and global knowledge sourcing points to be innovative and agile?
• Managing the complexities of today's workforce and contexts: how can national identity perspective be included to understand global work? How can concepts like job satisfaction, diversity and fairness be declined in multinationals? What are global work arrangements in the digitally transformed and virtual enterprise? What are the influences on career choices of multicultural millennials?
• Exit and re-entry strategies: why do 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?
• Competitive advantage and multinational companies’ strategy sustainability: how powerful are transnational corporations and how are they affecting the social worlds? Why are they held responsible for threatening the rights of workers, consumers and citizens across the world? How can multinationals responsibly respond to such increasing accusations and redesign their strategy?

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.

For attending students
Attending students are evaluated on components:

• Individual participation.
• Group projects on assigned cases/topics.
• Peer to peer evaluation (referred to group presentation)
• Final written exam.

For non attending students

• Are evaluated on a final written exam based on additional readings.

Details regarding reading materials and assessment methods are given at the beginning of the course and are specified in the extended syllabus available in Prof. Marafioti's Personal Page (Teaching section) on the Bocconi website.

• Selected readings and cases.
• The course exposes students to different kinds 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).

Basic Management Knowledge and Rulings of International Business Management.