Overview
This course takes your existing background in strategy and focuses on the challenges and risks managers face in setting international business strategy. Thinking globally about strategy happens in large transnational organizations, but also when individuals in smaller organizations establish global networks in an entrepreneurial way. International business and strategizing globally have become a space where each of us is empowered individually to push for distant horizons, and the proactive initiative and innovative thinking we bring to bear when we cross borders. For those who persevere in charting an international course, often in the face of unlikely odds, the personal and professional rewards can be significant. Equally, such bold and adventurous thinking is fraught with risks which need to be understood and managed.
Outline
This course is divided into 10 lessons.
- Lesson 1: What Does It Mean to Strategize Globally?
- Lesson 2: Managerial Toolkit for Global Strategy
- Lesson 3: Entering Foreign Markets: Where, When, and How
- Lesson 4: In-Residence Week
- Lesson 5: International Business Online Simulation
- Lesson 6: Being Entrepreneurial Globally
- Lesson 7: Being Innovative Globally
- Lesson 8: Perspectives on Globalization
- Lesson 9: Deep Context and Our Biases that Affect Global Strategizing
- Lesson 10: Wrap-Up
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to
- articulate the meaning of global strategy, extending previous knowledge of business strategy.
- understand and apply a managerial toolkit for global strategy including CAGE framework AAA triangle, and global business plan template.
- present an argument for a company's global strategy using the managerial toolkit, both as a group and an individual.
- understand the nuances of global strategy in terms of firm size: how is it different for large companies as opposed to entrepreneurial born globals, and how do strategy and organization structure interact?
- understand the context of global strategy in terms of the future of globalization, and historical legacies of post-colonialism and Global North-Global South relations.
Evaluation
Your grade will be based on the successful completion of a group project and an individual assignment, and on your participation in moderated group discussions.
| Activity | Weight |
| Participation in Discussions | 40% |
| Group Project | 35% |
| Individual Assignment | 25% |
| Total | 100% |
To receive a passing grade in this course, you must meet these minimum standards:
- receive a minimum of 60% on the participation component; and
- receive an average grade of 60% over all course components.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Ghemawat, P. (2018). Redefining global strategy: Crossing borders in a world where differences still matter. Harvard Business Press.
Guillén, M. F. (2020). 2030: How today's biggest trends will collide and reshape the future of everything. St. Martin's Press. (Kindle eBook)
Peng, M. W. (2022). Global strategy (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.
All other course materials will be accessed online.