OVERVIEW

The course aims to introduce students to international business and management. Major topics of the course are the global manager’s environment, global strategies, multicultural management, cross-cultural negotiation and decision making.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to explore the globalization processes of the contemporary economy and some advanced international management issues. In particular, it focuses on inter-cultural organization and management, intercultural negotiation, international contracts, the choice of foreign markets entry modes, the most relevant management issues in foreign countries. Furthermore, students are taught how to write the business plan of a firm's internationalization project.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The objectives of the course are:
- gaining knowledge of concepts and theories of international management
- understanding tools and models that allow to interpret and critically analyse the opportunities and challenges arising from operating across a firm's national borders
- developing the ability to apply such knowledge, tools and models to the analysis and resolution of concrete problems in the field of international management.

Students should learn how to analyse the globalization trends of firms and markets, and to understand the main steps in the internationalization of firms, in marketing strategies, in management of products, understanding the opportunities offered by emerging markets.

PREREQUISITES

 Students are expected to be familiar with concepts such as:

• business management
• competitive advantage and competitive strategies
• international marketing

TEACHING METHODS

Traditional lectures in Italian.

Attendance: Attendance is not compulsory; students can choose to study the syllabus for attending or not attending students (see italian syllabus).

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The global manager’s environment

The cultural context of global management

Understanding the role of culture

Communicating across cultures

Cross-cultural negotiations and decision making

Formulating and implementing strategy for international and global operations

Formulating strategy

Implementing strategy: strategic alliances; small business; emerging economy firms

Organization structure and control systems

Attention: the course is taught in Italian.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

If foreign students choose to study the ordinary syllabus in Italian, they can refer to the above sections in this document (italian syllabus).

Otherwise, an English syllabus is available, based on the following textbook:

Deresky H., International management. Management across borders and cultures, 8th Edition, Pearson, 2014. Part 1, 2 and 3.

Textbooks are available in the library of the Department of Economics

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

CLARA BENEVOLO (President)

SILVIA BRUZZI

RICCARDO SPINELLI

LESSONS

LESSONS START

First semester

Class schedule

INTERNATIONAL INTERCULTURAL MANAGEMENT

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Written exam with open-ended questions.

Due to the covid-19 emergency, the written exam may be replaced by an oral interview or a mixed exam (test+interview).

In case of exam failure, students cannot take the exam on the following call (appello) and need to skip a date. The can take the exam on the following call if that call belongs to another exam session.

If students do not accept a positive grade (18 or more), they can retry the exam on the following call.

Incoming mobility students do not have to skip a call in case of failure.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Questions will explore both theoretical and applied aspects of the subject. The student is expected not only to know the core concepts of the discipline, but also to be able to apply them to real situations, making reference to cases explored during classes or to original examples.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Due to the Covid-19 sanitary emergency, lessons will be taught online, with the Teams platform. More information will be provided in the Aulaweb page of the course.