The course develops a better understanding of the MNE and its challenges and opportunities in a globalized world. Given the complexities of managerial decisions of MNEs, there is no “silver bullet”. However, the course provides students with a better understanding of a firm’s external and internal factors that need to be taken into account. The course is less structured than the courses you have been taking during your studies in Maastricht so far, in order to get accustomed to the unruly reality we live in. You are provided the possibility to work in a team, to define the right problem statement, to apply knowledge to a real life companies, to orient yourself to the labor market and to discuss social responsibility. The specific objectives are:
1. to understand a number of crucial theoretical, empirical and managerial issues in international business strategy;
2. to develop the ability to apply theory to real world companies and to find possible solutions;
3. to develop skills to understand and analyze information from real life companies from their annual reports and economics press, and combine it with the theoretical insights obtained;
4. to develop the ability to critically assess the usefulness of competing or complementary theories and to decide yourself what is important;
5. to develop a helicopter view on study material;
6. to develop skills working in international teams;
7. to manage time;
8. to employ academic writing skills.

In this course, we will explore the opportunities and challenges that multinational companies encounter in a rapidly globalizing world. The course starts out with providing a comprehensive overview of the international context in which modern multinational enterprises (MNE) operate. In addressing the overall question: “What determines the success and failure of MNE firms around the globe?” the course applies two major frameworks: an institution-based view and a resource-based view. More specifically, we will look at the following issues, on which the firm’s managers take decisions:
* how to explore new national markets and defend existing ones
* how and when to enter foreign markets
* how to capture and react to cultural differences in customer needs
* how to globally develop and produce innovations
* how to adapt the firm structure and culture
* how to adopt and maintain corporate social responsibility practices

Before getting into an in-depth discussion of such strategic, organizational and marketing issues of MNEs, the first part of the course depicts the international context MNEs operate in by presenting topics such as formal and informal institutions, exchange rates and European and global integration. In the second part of the course, we take a closer look at strategic, and organizational issues of MNEs. Foreign entry strategies, human resources, consumer and supplier relations, all within international context.

* Textbook: Peng, M. & Meyer, K. (2022). International Business (fourth edition), Cengage Learning
* Business cases

To supplement and illustrate material from the chapters, we will also use several cases. These cases are part of the required readings.

Basic understanding of the development and implementation of firms’ strategies.