Business leadership
Teaching language: English, SWS: 2, ECTS: 4 Performance appraisal: written assignments, class participation, and team project.
Examines the tools and processes of leadership in a business setting so students can evaluate themselves and their environment to identify areas of growth and skills development. A practical approach that links real-world business experiences and corporate performance with the scholarship and wisdom of leadership theorists. We build a bridge from leadership concepts (ways of thinking in a classical fashion) to leadership action in a business setting. We will study goal setting in the new economy, risk taking and techniques for accomplishing dramatic change by predicting problems and probable outcomes. Our investigations combine theory and practice which are amplified by the points of view of business practitioners. Class discussions consider the success and failure of applied concepts. Readings will explore the fundamentals of leadership functioning in a customer responsive economy where the old paradigm is giving way to the new reality of people who lead from below and often without formal authority. It is the intention of the course to present tools and skill-sets that are important for understanding these dynamics.
Gloabl Business
A framework is developed for analyzing the competitive structure of industries and for formulating strategy within an international context. Competitive theories, analyses, and strategies relevant to the major national and regional business environments are examined. Organizational and functional issues are discussed, including transnational company structures, the role of marketing, finance, trade, technology transfer and the public-private interface in the formulation of firm strategy.
COURSE OVERVIEW
This course lays a foundation of International Management. It provides an overview of competition theory and analysis, differing national business environments, competitive business strategy in a global context, and organizational structure for the management of international business operations. Business enterprises as well as nations vary in their ability to compete effectively in international markets. Through cultural values and government policies, the two are closely interwoven. This course draws on the growing body of literature which analyzes the factors that contribute to corporate and national competitiveness. Particular emphasis will be given to analysis of the international environment, parallel developments in business and social organizations, strategic approaches needed to remain competitive in the midst of economic and social change, and the role of management leadership and style in maximizing a firm’s competitive advantage. The course also introduces the entering student to the substance of managing globally, and provides a common vocabulary of concepts and terms. Thus, the course provides an overview of strategic issues related to marketing, investment, corporate organization, business culture, the role of the public sector and the legal environment.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of the course, the student should be able to:
1. Apply a common theoretical framework and vocabulary, focusing on global competition, in the analysis of a wide array of problems in international business and commerce.
2. Identify the competitive factors that contribute to the success (or failure) of business enterprises in the global marketplace.
3. Utilize competitive analysis in the formulation of strategy and apply it to specific problems in international business and commerce.
4. Describe how basic cultural differences and inter-cultural issues affect the external and internal environments of transnational business operations.
5. Delineate the overriding issues and problem areas in international trade, finance, marketing, technology transfer and investment as they relate to the formulation of competitive strategy.
6. Describe the structure and function of various basic operating modes of transnational enterprise.
7. Assess the basic ways in which government affects the conduct of international business, whether in the United States or overseas.
REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS
Bartlett, C.A., & Ghoshal, S. Birkinshaw, J. (2004). Transnational management: Text, cases, and readings in cross-border management (4th ed.). New York: Irwin McGraw?-Hill. (Cited as B/G/B.)
Introduction to Tinternational Business
Based on: Charles W. L. Hill: International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace McGraw? Hill, 5th Edition New York 2005 ISBN 0-07-111311-8
Chapter 1, 6, 8, 12 - 18
Web-Page: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072873957/information_center_view0/
Course goals: The aim of this course is to focus on management challenges and opportunities that are either unique to international business or arise in particularly complex or acute forms in business that spans national borders. One of the key objectives is to sensitize students to the interaction between firms, governments and societies. A firm's trans-boarder activities cannot be understood as merely the internationalization of internal functions. Rather, firms find they must adapt to new cultures, regulatory regimes and competitive environments.
Course Description: The course is designed to cover the basic principles of international business with particular emphasis on the role of international markets in shaping management decisions of large and medium size firms. The course requires students to keep abreast of current international events by regular and extensive reading of quality international periodicals, and case studies.
Course Objective: The objective of this course is to familiarize students with the basic principles of how the world economy functions and on how it may impact international business managers. The focus will be on the global environment in which multinational companies operate. Thus, participants should acquire awareness of, and an appreciation for, the diversity and complexity of the international environment. More specifically, the successful completion of this course should enable them to understand and analyze environmental problems which challenge management. While the emphasis of the course is on analysis, students will acquaint themselves with the special terms, concepts, and institutions encountered in international business management. A stimulating aspect of this course is the incorporation of various current topics from the popular business press (Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Business Week, Fortune, New York Times, etc.). In addition to comprehensive coverage of traditional international business theories and concepts, students will gain a better understanding of "how the world economy works" and of "what in the world is going on right now." This course should be of interest to nearly all students of business administration. No matter how small (or large) the business enterprise, the successful manager must take account of international and national environmental dimensions when making decisions. These dimensions are economic, political, and social in nature. Hence, this course is about markets (the economic dimension), power, (the political dimension), and culture (the social dimension) under conditions of global interdependence. The nature of and interrelationships among all these dimensions - international, national, economic, political, and social - are crucial for management decision-making. This seminar style course will emphasize advance preparation for each class period and will involve a high level of class participation. Experiential exercises and simulations will be used to illustrate key management concepts. In addition, specific readings and short video segments will be used to augment the lecture and to stimulate class discussion. Very little lecture time will be devoted to topics that the average student can readily comprehend on the basis of self study. Instead, class discussion will focus on those areas where comprehension is substantially enhanced by additional elaboration or illustration. The instructional approach will emphasize cooperative learning and will tend towards an environment in which students will feel comfortable sharing their interaction with, and learning of the course materials.
