S1108 International Management: Managing Global Value Chains
In the last fifteen years, economic integration has been moving faster and farther throughout the world and there has been much discussion about \"globalization\" and its consequences. Particular attention has been devoted to the themes of regional competitiveness and development as well as to the managerial implications of globalization. The course aims at framing the debate on globalization highlighting the impacts of the international integration of markets for goods, labor and technologies on companies, territories and local production systems.\r\n
Objectives
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the strategic options available to firms competing
globally and with the challenges associated with implementing chosen global strategies. Towards this goal, the course will expose students to current concepts, frameworks and theories relevant to the management of internationalizing firms. The global value chain approach will be used as an analytic and interpretive instrument in order to understand the paths to economic development for local production systems.
Students will be encouraged to undertake interdisciplinary team research projects on global industries.
Course organization and requirements
The course is organized around different thematic areas, each developed through classes, guest lectures and study trips. There is a great deal of material relevant to the subject matter of this course, and students will be expected to do the required readings and to attend class on a regular basis. Attendance in compulsory for all students. Required readings will be designated on a weekly basis according to the themes listed in the course outline.
A field trip for members of the class will be arranged. In addition to the 40 hours of in-class tuition, Globalization Program students must accumulate a minimum of 40 hours in seminars, field trips and VIULECTURES. Participation in the seminars, field trips and guest lectures is highly recommended to Semester Program students, but is not compulsory.
Teams will develop an international strategy for a company entering a foreign market of their choice. The
paper will be divided into two parts. Part I will provide a brief description of the country economic and
competitive environment; Part II will focus on the company strategy. Additional information regarding the project requirements will be provided in class. The paper is due on May 20.\r\n
ARTICLE PRESENTATION
During the course each student will be required to present one article relevant to the topics of the day. The article will be chosen by the student, who will send me via email a one page summary of the article at least one day before presentation.
Evaluation