The students in this course will (1) develop an appreciation for the vast heterogeneity among emerging market countries, (2) understand the importance of this heterogeneity for business-level innovation, (3) get introduced to a rapidly expanding literature on innovation in emerging market multinationals, and (4) learn to apply innovation theory to real world cases by working in small teams.

The course will study business innovation and business transformation in emerging market countries. It is organized around four forces that are shaping the transition from imitation to innovation: (1) the building of technological capabilities within firms located in emerging economies, (2) globally distributed networks and value chains in which these firms actively take part, (3) the role of government and politics in this context, and (4) multinational enterprises. This course will address the question of how these forces interact in shaping the innovation landscape in emerging economies. One of the aims of this course is to develop an understanding of the vast heterogeneity among the types of firms that are actors in the emerging locations of innovative activity – in which emerging market countries, and in what sectors innovating firms of different types have emerged in the past and probably will emerge in the future. The students will get introduced to a rapidly expanding literature on innovation in emerging market firms and multinationals, including their forward and backwards linkages and their impact on the host and home countries and regions.

textbooks on emerging markets and academic articles

Completed all first year courses in either International Business or Economics and Business Economics.