INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

The course applies management and business theories to the management of transnational firms (both large and small). The course draws upon the theory of multinational corporations and some significant case studies - in order to analyse firms’ international strategies, management structures and processes. It also analyses the international environment in which management activity takes place. On completion of the course, students should be able to: • Understand the various theories of firm international investments. • Identify the key determinants of entry mode, location choice, and other key strategic issues faced by multinational enterprises. • Evaluate alternative ways of organizing and managing the multinational enterprise. • Comprehend the reasons why firms may choose to vertically integrate across national borders, and also why they may choose to outsource and/or offshore activities. • Understand the special problems involved in conducting international business compare to domestic business.

The course of International Business and Management is an advanced course of management applied to the international business context. No specific knowledge is required to successfully follow the course and to be able to pass the exam but basic knowledge (undergraduate level) of business principles and management fundamentals is required. The following readings are suggested in order to have a better and more precise idea of the main course topics.: What Is a Global Manager? Christopher A. Bartlett, Sumantra Ghoshal, Harvard Business Review, August 2003. AliBaba and the future of Business. Lessons from China’s digital Giants, by Ming Zeng; Harvard Business Review, September-October, 2018.

Knowledge and understanding: This course is intended to provide students both with knowledge and understanding of IB theories as well as the capability to use this knowledge in actual decision-making related to international managerial problems. The course is structured to develop know-how and skills that allow students to elaborate and employ original ideas in complex contexts of analysis. Knowledge and understanding acquired by students will be evaluated through teamwork mid-term assignments and an individual final written exam. Applying knowledge and understanding: Classes involve a combination of traditional lectures, presentations and discussion of teaching case studies in the IB domain. The course is highly interactive and aims at challenging students with theaching cases and hands-on exercices based on real managerial problems. Theaching cases are critical to the completion of the course as they give students the opportunity to apply the IB theoretical notions in actual contexts. To demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge and understanding students should engage in active class discussion of the assigned teaching cases and develop mid-term teamwork assignments. Last but not least, the above mentioned ability will be evaluated thorugh the final exam. Making judgements: The multidisplinary approach of this course aims at providing students with the ability to deal with complex IB managerial problems autonomously. Thus, students sucessfully completing this course will be able to manage challenging situation when in the workplace, demonstrating know-how and problem solving skills also in case of limited information available. Moreover, students will show an awareness of ethical and social issues related to international managerial decisions. Communication skills: Communication skills will be fostered through continuous and direct interaction between student and teacher. To this end, students are expected to make several presentations during classes both individually and in team (e.g. presentation and analysis of teaching cases, data, documents provided by international institutions). The goal is to stimulate students’ ability to communicate in front of an audience and boost their familiarity with communication techniques and tools. Learning skills: Given that international markets are characterized by highly dynamic phenomena, a critical goal of this course is to stimulate learning skills that enable the understanding of these phenomena. Students are asked both to apply notions previously discussed during classes and to investigate autonomously key IB phenomena before classes to improve subsequent in-class discussion. This mixed learning approach aims at promoting a self-learning process that will enable students to keep updating their knowledge more easily once the course is completed. These skills will be evaluated both by in-class exercises and final exam.

The main aim of the course is to explore the international business environment in the global economy; to highlight the roles, strategies and impacts of multinational enterprises; to introduce key contemporary developments such as the role of outsourcing and the increasing importance of emerging markets. The main topic developed are the following: 1. Introduction to international management and multinational corporations (MNCs) 2. The determinant of the firm international activities 3. SMEs International strategies: theory and case studies: background teorici e case studies 4. Market selection criteria and entry mode strategies. 5. Export and strategies and international alliances 6. Foreign direct investments: FDIs 7. The international strategies options 8. Localization choices: drivers and pull factors 9. The organizational issues of MNCs 10. Key aspects of international marketing

Gestione delle Imprese internazionali – McGraw Hill Education – IV edition.

Lectures will follow and expand the main topics presented in the book. The book will be integrated by the slides that will be available to students. Every lecture will present a mix of theory and business cases. The cases will illustrate real case examples of the theoretical concepts discussed in the class. The theoretical classes will allow students to improve their knowledge and understanding of the international business environment and of the main tools that managers can use to implement international strategies. The discussions of the assignments will allow students to apply this knowledge working autonomously and developing their skill to make judgments and to take decisions. Finally every students, working in small groups, will present in class at least once an assignment in order to develop their communication abilities.

During the course students will be asked to prepare a project work. Details about the project work will be released during the third week of the course. Students are asked to submit the project work three weeks before the end of the course. The project work and the assignments count for 50% of the overall valuation. The written exam for the remaining 50%. The project work is compulsory for all students.

A genuine interest in the topics discussed in the course; As a consequence, 27 is the least grade to be accepted for the thesis.

Sustainable management in international companie Unilever teaching case