Foundations of International Business Strategy


Aims

The purpose of this PhD/Research Master course is to provide you with a broad understanding of the academic field of International Business Strategy. We will discuss key topics in this flourishing research area, including its historical roots, contemporary issues, and flavors of the future. A combination of seminal and recent academic publications on international business strategy will be discussed to give you the tools to do excellent research in this area. The course requires substantial preparation and cognitive effort, but this investment should pay off, as you work toward crafting your own contribution to the area.

Information

TENTATIVE
This course is offered jointly by RSM Erasmus University and the Faculty of Economics & Business, KU Leuven. By bundling the expertise of several international business scholars with different yet related research interests, the course offers deep insight into a broad range of topics in the area of International Business Strategy.
During eight sessions spread over four days and two locations (Leuven and Rotterdam), we will discuss key research topics and questions in the field of international business strategy. A few weeks later there will be a closing session where students present their own research paper or proposal at their home university.
Sessions 1-4 will take place at the KU Leuven. The first session will start with a brief general introduction, followed by an extensive discussion of the main theories explaining the existence of internationally active firms. During session 2, we will discuss research on the internationalization of corporate and divisional headquarters. Sessions 3 and 4 will focus on the level of foreign operating units by exploring various strategic decisions for such units, such as location and entry mode choices.
Sessions 5-8 will be organized at RSM. Session 5 will discuss diverse consequences of cultural differences in international business strategy, whereas session 6 will focus on the cross-border acquisition process. Session 7 will focus on research on emerging markets and emerging market multinationals, whereas session 8 will focus on the development of innovative research topics. During the latter session participants will think about and discuss their own research topics and will receive feedback on how to further improve them.
After these four days of sessions, students will focus on writing their own papers or research proposals, which they will present at their home university about three weeks later. During the presentation session, students will receive feedback on their research idea from the faculty (face-to-face and through Skype). After the presentation session, students have another two weeks to finalize their reports.

Assessment

In-class presentations and participation: 40%
Presentation of own paper/proposal: 20%
Final paper/proposal: 40%

Materials

Each lecture will have four or five academic articles or book chapters as required readings.

Additional info

To make the class a success, substantive course preparation in the weeks prior to the two parts of the course, and active class participation during each session, is required. To be able to have fruitful discussions, a minimum of five participants is required.

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Timetable can be found here.

ERIM PhD candidates and Research Master students can register for this course via SIN Online.

External (non-ERIM/KU Leuven) participants are welcome to this course. To register, please fill in the registration form and e-mail it to miizuka@rsm.nl by four weeks prior to the start of the course. Please note that the number of places for this course is limited. For external participants, the course fee is 260 euro per ECTS credit.