Course Overview

This course aims at providing students with a general overview of
Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) since Multinational Corporations
(MNCs) are believed to be central and dominant actors in the global
economy. 

This course is entirely taught in English which will enable students
to acquire key concepts and terms relating to the theories of
multinational enterprises and international business. 

The course should also contribute to improve learners’ English
language proficiency; more particularly, oral comprehension
performance and vocabulary acquisition. 

Learning Achievement

Competence

Course prerequisites

- Intermediate English skills (B1/B2) 
- A basic understanding of the principles of Economics and
Management. 

Grading Philosophy

Final examination : Written (2h)

Course schedule

The first part of the course is an introduction to the concept of
globalization and its origin, which is reviewed through its four main
dimensions: economic, political, cultural and ecological. The second
part of the course focuses on the characteristics and functions of
multinational enterprises and aims at debunking a few myths about the
concept of “global” firms. The third part of the course deals with
the world of international business and its environment from a
multidirectional approach. It explores the general frameworks of
international business, as well asthe most common international
business strategies.

The fourth part of the course puts the future of MNEs into perspective
by investigating the most direct threats to international business,
namely changing political environments, global inequality, negative
global flows and processes, and the international strategy of emerging
market firms. The conclusion examines the need for a long-term
approach to business activity andassesses the claim that corporate
sustainability may benefit both international business and the
environment. 

Course type

Lecture course

Online Course Requirement

Instructor

Other information

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

- ADEKOLA, Abel and SERGI, Bruno S. Global Business Management: A
Cross-Cultural Perspective. London and New York: Routledge, 2016. 
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MARREWIJK, Charles. International Economics and Business: Nations and
Firms in the Global Economy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2013. 
- COLLI, Andrea. Dynamics of International Business:
ComparativePerspectives of Firms, Markets and Entrepreneurship. London
and New York: Routledge, 2016. 
- CUERVO-CAZURRA Alvaro and RAMAMURTI, Ravi. Understanding
Multinationals from Emerging Markets. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2014.
- DE LISO, Nicola and LEONCINI, Ricardo. Internationalisation,
Technological change and the Theory of the Firm. London and New York:
Routledge, 2011.
- DIERKS, Rosa G. Introduction to Globalization: Political and
Economic Perspectives for the New Century. Chicago: Burnham
Inc.Publishers, 2001. 
- DUNNING, John H. and LUNDAN, Sarianna M. Multinational Enterprises
and the Global Economy. Northampton (MA): Edward Elgar Publishing,
2008. 
- FREEMAN, Richard B., and SHAW, Kathryn L. International Differences
in the Business Practices and Productivity of Firms. Chicago and
London: The University of Chicago Press, 2009. 
- JACOBS, Michael and MAZZUCATO, Mariana. Rethinking capitalism:
economics and policy for sustainable and inclusive growth. Malden
(Mass.): Wiley-Blackwell, 2016. 
- LOPEZ GONZALEZ, J., P. KOWALSKI and P. ACHARD. “Trade, global
value chains and wage-income inequality”. OECD Trade Policy Papers,
No. 182, OECD Publishing, Paris: 2015. 
- MILANOVIĆ, Branko. Globalization and inequality. Northamton (MA,
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Theory, Evidence and Practice. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.
- MOOSA, Imad A. Foreign Direct Investment: Theory, Evidence and
Practice. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. 
- NEWELL, Peter and PATERSON, Matthew. Climate capitalism. Global
warming and the Transformation of the Global Economy. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2010.- PANIBRATOV, Andrei. International
Strategy of Emerging Market Firms: Absorbing Global Knowledge and
Building Competitive Advantage. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis, 2017. 
- PENROSE, Edith. The Large International Firm in Developing
Countries. The Petroleum Industry. London and New York: Routledge,
2013
- PODRUG, Najla and FILIPOVIC, Davor and KUVEZDIC, Marko.
“Multinational Corporations: The Changing Strategic Orientation in
the Twenty-First Century”. Neostrategic Management: An International
Perspective on Trends and Challenges. Basel: SpringerInternational
Publishing, 2016. 
- RITZER, George. Globalization: The Essentials. Chichester:
Wiley–Blackwell, 2011. 
- ROBÉ, Jean-Philippe and LYON-CAEN, Antoine and VERNAC Stéphane.
Multinationals and the constitutionalization of the worldpower system.
London and New York: Routledge, 2016
- RUGMAN, Alan M. The Oxford Handbook of International Business.
Oxford: OUP, 2009. 
- RUGMAN, Alan M. and COLLINSON, Simon. International Business. 7th
Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2017.
- RUGMAN, Alan M. and OH Chang H. and LIM Dominic S.K. “The
Regional and Global Competitiveness of Multinational Firms”

Discussion Paper Series. John H. Dunning Centre for International
Business. Discussion Paper No. 2011-003 June 2011. 

- STEGER, Manfred B. Globalization: A Very Short Introduction.
4thedition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.  KEY WORDS
:Multinational Firms – Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) –
Multinational Companies (MNCs) - international business –
globalization –internationalization

Duration: 17.5 hours

Language of instruction: English
Mode of delivery: Face-to-face teaching

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