International Business (LUISS)
International Business is concerned with the dynamics of firm and industry competition in
the global economy. The course takes the perspective of firms active internationally, both
as multinationals operating businesses in the region, or as firms growing from anywhere in
the world market. The course is designed to develop the critical conceptual frameworks
needed to make sense of the most important developments, from firm-level competitive
postures, to industry dynamics, country and regional advantages, and the development of
the global economy The conceptual framework of the latecomer effect and its adoption in
Asia-Pacific strategies is central to the course.
Specific objectives are:
1. To acquaint course participants with the competitive dynamics of global industry and the
various theoretical frameworks available for analyzing international industries.
2. To explore the experiences of firms as they internationalize in the context of global
industries, focusing on what makes these experiences different from those encountered in
domestic industries.
3. To give students an in-depth opportunity to explore competitive dynamics, focusing on
the specific cultural, political and competitive issues involved in global competition.
4. To provide course participants with the opportunity to test the ideas discussed in the
course in the settings of real organizations and their competitive strategies.
International Business Methods (AU)
Qualification description
LEARNING OUTCOME: QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCES
The course draws on a wide knowledge base of (micro) economics, strategy and
organization, internationalization theory, industrial economics and possibly other relevant
background, in addition to the international business methods taught in the course and the
course Internationalization of the Firm. Learning objectives include:
Theme: Firm history
Learning objective: Ability to identify a longitudinal perspective in business development
Theme: Strategy
Learning objective: Ability to identify strategic changes in the history of a firm, and how
the changes were instrumented
Theme: Industrial competition
Learning objective: Assess the impact of strategic moves on the industry and the
competitive climate
Theme: Firm heritage (dna)
Learning objective: Identify features that are unique to the firm, how they have been
applied and how and when they were subjected to change
Theme: Documentation
Learning objective: Build the ability to successfully retrieve valid knowledge about firm,
industry and theory relevant to the assignment
Students of International Business Methods will acquire competences that are relevant for
a number of functions in the international firm or organization. They will obtain a deeper
understanding of the longitudinal development in firm competences and strategies, as well
as organizational adaptation. Above all, students will acquire an understanding of company
responses to changes in the business environment, whether political, economic,
technological or social. They will build a better understanding of the interaction of
corporate strategy and internationalization.
Furthermore, the insight into business methods applied by international corporations will
provide the students with a more complete understanding of how the pattern of
international production is shaped by combining comparative and competitive advantages.
Course objective
BACKGROUND AND RELATIONS TO OTHER COURSES
Internationally oriented firms operate in ever changing business environments and under a
generally increasing competitive pressure. Adaptability and flexibility become keywords.
Even so, some essential decisions are by nature recurrent, such as operational form, degree
of product standardization, or the choice of routines versus ad hoc approaches to business
procedures.
The combination of some archetypes of business decisions and the flux in business
environment invites a longitudinal approach when it comes to understanding and assessing
the firms toolbox of international business methods. Over time, the firm will develop its
own traditions and processes and thus build a heritage of strategy and organizational
capabilities. The international market place may be seen as a competition between firms,
or it may be seen as a field where competitive business models fight for success. The
history of the firm, thus, is essential to understand strategy.
MAIN TOPICS
The course aims at integrating the toolbox of international business into the history of the
firm. Firms are driven by a combination of external and internal forces, and the student
will scrutinize how these forces between them have shaped firm behavior in a historical
sequence and assess historical choices of business methods. More specifically, the course
equips the student with an ability to
– Explain the firms process of internationalization
– Relate steps in the process to internal and external forces
– Assess the choice of business methods at crucial moments in history
– Relate business behavior to business performance
– See international business methods in a strategic perspective.
Culture and international business
LEARNING OUTCOME: QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCES
Students of Culture and International business will acquire knowledge and skills, which
are important for the challenges, modern professionals and the businessmen will face as
actors in the modern globally operating business environment.
The student will become equipped with the methods, theories and analytical tools, which
are fundamental in understanding the nature and effect of the cultural structure and shapes
and codify the symbolic environment of the modern business world. The course develops
these elements in a context, where the student is able to apply his analytical awareness in
concrete empirical cases, some of which have a more general historical significance, while
other help to clarify the implications of theoretical analysis. The optimal goal is to
facilitate the students with a sharp analytical capacity to use general tools reasonably in
concrete situations. As a result of the course, the student should be equipped with a
analytical competence within specific areas such as:
* To be able theoretically to identify and discriminate between various cultural phenomena
and to understand the way they operate as symbolic systems and as factors of social norms
and institutions.
* The student will be familiar with some of the major global cultural systems, which
dominate the world, including knowledge of the historical heritage and the geo-societal
