Frontier Topics in International Business and Management

BMAN74121 Frontier Topics in International Business and Management 15 Semester 1 Postgraduate Taught Level 7 Xia Han Unit coordinator 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Masters/Integrated Masters P4 ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 7.5 This course unit is a topics-based unit that introduces students to current and frontier topics in international business (IB) research. An important focus is the application of IB theories and frameworks to understand important new developments in the global economy, such as the growth of global value chains, the internationalisation of emerging market firms, and the impacts of technological developments including digitalisation. The specific topics covered will vary from year to year.   The first part of the unit provides a review of key theories and frameworks in IB,  including the internalisation and transaction cost theories of the multinational enterprise (MNE), the Uppsala process model of internationalisation, and the Ownership-Location-Internalisation (OLI) framework. It also goes into more depth on theories that have been covered in other units in the programme. In the second part of the unit, IB theories and frameworks are confronted with current IB real world phenomena. Strengths and limitations of existing theories are discussed, as well as the scope for expanding current theories or applying alternative theories, with the ultimate aim of ensuring IB theories remain relevant and useful to understand the current global economy. A key aspect of the course unit is students’ own application of existing and new frameworks and theories to understand current managerial challenges in IB, through the group-based report on a specific IB topic. This course unit is a topics-based unit that introduces students to current and frontier topics in international business (IB) research. An important focus is the application of IB theories and frameworks to understand important new developments in the global economy, such as the growth of global value chains, the internationalisation of emerging market firms, and the impacts of technological developments including digitalisation. The specific topics covered will vary from year to year.  The first part of the unit provides a review of key theories and frameworks in IB,  including the internalisation and transaction cost theories of the multinational enterprise (MNE), the Uppsala process model of internationalisation, and the Ownership-Location-Internalisation (OLI) framework. It also goes into more depth on theories that have been covered in other units in the programme. In the second part of the unit, IB theories and frameworks are confronted with current IB real world phenomena. Strengths and limitations of existing theories are discussed, as well as the scope for expanding current theories or applying alternative theories, with the ultimate aim of ensuring IB theories remain relevant and useful to understand the current global economy. A key aspect of the course unit is students’ own application of existing and new frameworks and theories to understand current managerial challenges in IB, through the group-based report on a specific IB topic. To introduce students to urgent but under-researched issues and questions in IB research and practice. To give students an appreciation of a wider range of theories, frameworks, and methodologies originating from related disciplines to complement mainstream IB thinking and to challenge students to adopt a critical approach to IB theory and practice. To develop student’s ability to translate academic theories and frameworks into practical tools to inform the delineation, analysis and solving of managerial problems. To develop students’ ability to identify and utilise multiple (academic and non-academic) sources. To give students an appreciation of the interconnectedness of organisations with their direct and indirect stakeholders. More specifically, the course aims to highlight the societal and environmental impact of organisations in both their domestic and host environments. On successful completion of the course, students are expected to have gained: 1. Knowledge and understanding: Demonstrate understanding of academic explanations and their limitations in the field of International Business studies. Have a critical appreciation of conceptual frameworks for international businesses, management, and entrepreneurship and apply them to real business activities. Have an understanding of how the individual business model components fit together to form a whole and what this means for business resilience, competitiveness, and sustainability. 2. Intellectual skills: Demonstrate the ability to draw on knowledge obtained from this and other course units in the programme and apply this knowledge to a practical situation. Demonstrate the ability to carry out research independently and identify and read relevant literature above and beyond the provided reading list. 3. Practical skills: Identify, define, and frame business problems; and design and implement an appropriate research strategy to analyse the problem; to derive alternative solutions; and make sound and well-justified recommendations. 4. Transferrable skills and personal qualities: See the importance of societal issues related to international business and management and work and demonstrate the ability to reflect on self, society, and the status quo of current business practices. Work with others constructively in a group context. 0 Other 100% Group project 40% Group presentation on group project 10% Individual essay 50%Peer Assessment for Group Work  Please note we will use a formal peer assessment process for the group work assessment. Where deemed appropriate by the course unit leader(s), the peer assessment will be summative.   Informal advice and discussion during a lecture, seminar, workshop or lab. Responses to student emails and questions from a member of staff including feedback provided to a group via an online discussion forum. Written and/or verbal comments on assessed or non-assessed coursework. Written and/or verbal comments after students have given a group or individual presentation. N A comprehensive reading list including recent journal articles will be provided with the full course outline. Students will need to read more widely beyond the syllabus for their group project and individual reflective report. Core readings: Buckley, P. J. & Casson, M. (2003). The future of the multinational enterprise in retrospect and in prospect. Journal of International Business Studies, 34(2): 219-22. Buckley, P. J., Doh, J. P., & Benischke, M. H. (2017). Towards a renaissance in international business research? Big questions, grand challenges, and the future of IB scholarship. Journal of International Business Studies, 48(9): 1045–64, https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-017-0102-z. Dicken, Peter (2015), Global Shift - Mapping the Changing Contours of the    World Economy (7th ed.). London: Sage Publications. Forsgren, Mats (2018). Theories of the Multinational Firm: A Multidimensional       Creature in the Global Economy (3rd ed.). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Johanson, Jan and Jan-Erik Vahlne (1977). "The internationalization process of the firm - a model of knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, 8 (1), 23-32. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490676 Johanson, Jan and Jan-Erik Vahlne (2009). "The Uppsala internationalization process model revisited: From liability of foreignness to liability of outsidership," Journal of International Business Studies, 40 (9), 1411–1431. https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2009.24 Narula, R., Asmussen, C. G., Chi, T., & Kundu, S. K. (2019). Applying and advancing internalization theory: The multinational enterprise in the twenty-first century. Journal of International Business Studies, 50(8): 1231–52, https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-019-00260-6. Example readings for specific topics: Coviello, N., Kano, L., & Liesch, P. W. (2017). Adapting the Uppsala model to a modern world: Macro-context and microfoundations. Journal of International Business Studies, 48(9): 1151-64. Cuervo-Cazurra, A. (2012). Extending theory by analyzing developing country multinational companies: Solving the Goldilocks debate. Global Strategy Journal, 2(3): 153-67, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-5805.2012.01039.x. Gereffi, G. and Fernandez-Stark, K. (2016). Global Value Chain Analysis: A Primer, 2nd edition. Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC). Duke University, North Carolina, USA. Strange, R. & Humphrey, J. (2019). What lies between market and hierarchy? Insights from internalization theory and global value chain theory. Journal of International Business Studies, 50(8): 1401–13, https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-018-0186-0. Sinkovics, N., & Sinkovics, R. R. (2019). “International Business and Global Value Chains,” in Research Handbook on Global Value Chains, Ponte, Stefano, Gereffi, Gary, and Gale Raj-Reichert (eds.), Edward Elgar. Stallkamp, M. & Schotter, A. P. (2019). Platforms without borders? The international strategies of digital platform firms. Global Strategy Journal, https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1336.   Lectures 16 Seminars 8 0 120