Module Content

This module will analyse the nature of strategic and structural developments in international business, bringing together a wide array of theoretical and empirical material that has been produced over the last decade. It will address decision-making in risky environments, which is of particular importance to industry in the current global environment. Key issues will include:

• An overview of the ‘Global Economy’
• Foreign direct investment trends and implications
• Trade theories, trade barriers and trade blocs
• Host country effects of international firms, the anti-globalization critique
• Competitive strategy, strategic groups and market segmentation
• International strategy
• ESG and Sustainability Strategy
• ESG Investing
• Sustainability in the Business Context (The Responsible Business)
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN
• Mergers acquisitions and alliances
• Cultural and political issues within The Multinational Firm
• Ethical Issues in International Business
• Global Risk Management
• Crisis Management and Leadership

Detailed case-studies will be employed to test out the various theoretical perspectives, offering students the opportunity to gain genuine insights into the operation of international business.

Teaching Methods

The module tutor/s will deliver the lecture material through asynchronous online lectures (recorded in MS Teams and accessible via Blackboard) followed by interactive activities and directions for further reading and research.
Students will have the opportunity to with a variety of activities across sessions, such as simulations, scenarios, expert talks, and reflection activities, and post their responses/views/ideas asynchronously on discussion boards. Students will also be provided with self-assessment quizzes, so that they can reflect on their progress. They will also be guided to use synchronous peer-to-peer discussions via MS Teams for specific activities, thus promoting and enabling the exchange of ideas and experiences. Students will also be asked to deliver responses on issues or questions via recorded messages on Teams, instead of written responses in the forum.
Following these interactive activities, students will receive feedback in various forms. For online quizzes, students will get real-time automatic feedback. For addressing other questions (e.g., relevant to a scenario or case study), rubrics are utilised so that students can self-evaluate their performance, thus promoting self-assessment. For sharing their ideas/views/valuations on the discussion forum, students will receive feedback from their tutors as well as their peers. Therefore, tutors will provide feedback by direct responses as well the other forms explained above. Where appropriate, students will be also provided with relevant further reading, web links and resources for independent study.
The purpose of incorporating such a large variety of activities is based on the importance of students’ development of a diversity of transferable skills, along with providing an interesting and engaging environment for learning. Speakers from leading organizations or experts will be invited, where possible, to deliver live and recorded talks to further enhance the students’ experience.
Students will also be provided with relevant further reading, weblinks and resources for independent study. Through independent study, students will be able to further enhance their knowledge in specific aspects discussed in the lecture which may be of interest to them. Different means of communication will be utilized by the tutor to offer support to the students based on the reported issue, e.g., MS Teams, Blackboard, and email. If the need arises, the module tutor will schedule live sessions to provide further feedback to the students’ experience.

Assessment Methods

This module is assessed through one Portfolio Report and one Examination.