TOPICS IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT - 2021/2

Module Overview

As the Issues in International Business Management module focuses on ‘issues’ and their relevance, the content reflects contemporary themes and priorities. It is likely to include contributions from staff and/or invited speakers that are based on relevant special interests informed by research and/or professional engagement.

There is a coherent theme of taking into account multiple stakeholders and differences across countries and of how to manage international businesses to deal with these challenges. The module emphasises critical consideration of the practical implications of recent studies.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

WORSDELL Filipe (SBS)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative topics (actual topics offered will be a selection from these topics, and/or others, according to contemporary relevance and the availability of staff expertise)

 

• Theories of the multinational firm


• Theories of internationalisation (including International New Ventures and Born Globals)


• Headquarter-subsidiary relations in multinational corporations


• Micro-politics in multinational corporations


• Knowledge transfer and organisational learning in multinational corporations


• International innovation strategies


• Management of inter-organisational relations in an international context


• Global stakeholder strategy


• Corporate social responsibility in comparative perspective


• Issues in Global Supply Chains


• Institutional voids in emerging markets


• Corporate strategies of international expansion


• Environmental challenges and multinational corporations

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

Summative assessment

1. 
   40 multiple choice questions, 1.5 hours, close book in the week before Easter.
   

This summative assessment will enable us to evaluate student learning for the first seven weeks of the semester, which will inform us to guide our efforts and activities in subsequent weeks to enhance student learning. We also aim to improve student attendance rate by having this middle term in-class test to promote student engagement.

2. Assignment to be submitted at the end of the semester

The assignment is designed to develop and evaluate student analytical ability to comprehend complex business decisions in a multiple stakeholder perspective.

 

Formative assessment and feedback:

We will provide students with feedback in weekly tutorials, where a variety of exercises, such as case study, multiple choice and essay questions, and discussing past assignments will be covered. Collectively, these exercises will prepare students for their in-class test as well as the assignment by the end of the semester.

We will also provide students with feedback on their in-class tests.

Module aims

• The first aim of this module is to engage students with modes of international business (IB), conducted by multi-national corporations (MNC), and observe those activities through the lens of key IB theory.
• The aim of the module is also to allow students to test the robustness of established theory against actual (contemporary) events, in order to better understand the performative role of that business theory.
• Lastly, the aim is to encourage students to appreciate the complexity and interrelationship between a range of influencing factors within IB.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The teaching and learning strategy is designed to develop the students’ awareness of contemporary issues in international business management, drawing upon theory, empirical research and practice. The strong emphasis on connections between research and practice is reflected in discussion of the practical implications of research findings; analysis of case studies; and critical evaluation of relevant academic research.

 

The teaching and learning methods include:

• 
  Lectures and tutorials,
  


• 
  Part 1 consists of a formal lecture aimed at providing students with the knowledge of relevant theories
  


• 
  Part 2 consists of a tutorial aimed to be practical and interactive. Students will be encouraged to put their knowledge to practice by analysing cases related to international business. The tutorials involve active learning exercises and case studies, through which students explore connections between research and practice. SurreyLearn is used to host resources and provide a medium for further discussion.
  

 

The module involves a 2 hour lecture per week (11 weeks) and a 1 hour tutorial (11 weeks).

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN2142

Other information

In order to achieve the threshold standard for the award of credits for this module, the student must meet the following criteria related to the learning outcomes.

• Show evidence of a critical understanding of theory and practice in the field of contemporary international business management

• Demonstrate the ability to identify and discuss practical implications of research studies

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.