Turun yliopiston Moodle

Objectives

The aim of the course is to develop students' knowledge and understanding of international business core theories related to planning, implementing and controlling international business operations from a management perspective. The students' readiness to apply this knowledge in real-life situations is developed through case work.

After completing the course the students are able to: (1) illustrate the challenges imposed on business decision makers operating in an international context, (2) compare and contrast different courses of action regarding internationalisation, market selection and entry, and the organisation and management of international business operations, (3) analyse the available strategic choices in given situations, (4) apply this knowledge to real-life situations in solving case studies, and (5) create professional, convincing presentations of their findings and recommendations.

Objectives

After the course the students are familiar with the business environment, operations, strategic choices and behaviour of internationalizing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). During the course a commissioned group assignment, a real-life internationalization plan, will be prepared to a case company. Each year the case will focus on a different SME. The assignment consists of information searching, problem solving and making of justified strategic and operational suggestions to the case company following its internationalization aims.

Objectives

After the completion of the course, students should be able to
1) describe the basic theories explaining FDI and understand MNCs' various motives for FDI;
2) understand factors influencing the location choice of FDI;
3) compare the different entry and establishment modes of FDI and understand various factors affecting companies' choices on them;
4) understand the impact of FDI on global economy and host countries; and
5) describe and analyze trends in global and/or regional FDI flows.
The course will also develop students' written communication, and analytical skills.

In today’s world, society's expectations are gradually shifting in regards to businesses engaged in global commerce and their role as ethical actors. Global enterprises are expected to be, at a minimum, passively ethical – by complying with laws and regulations, treating their all their stakeholders in a just and equitable way, and not actively harming the environments and societies they operate in – regardless of the geographic context. However, as embodied within the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, there is a growing expectation that global firms should move beyond this passive stance to create meaningful ethical contributions and drive positive change.

Ethical skills are essential for anyone who wishes to responsibly engage in contemporary global business. Ethical skills can be developed through by learning the philosophical foundations of ethics and its modern-day developments, and applying this knowledge to developing an understanding of extant and emerging global business issues. The objective of this course is to develop:

·       A broad understanding of new and emerging opportunities and challenges for future global ethics.

·       The ability to contribute to the moral discussion.

·       The ability to deal with the tensions of universalizable and relativistic ethics.

·       An understanding of learning modes of moral reasoning in the global community between businesses and stakeholders.

·       The capability to solve moral problems in different branches of industry, e.g., artificial intelligence and genetic engineering.

·       An understanding of the basics of ethical leadership and the implementation of global values.

·       An understanding of the mechanisms of continuous behavioural change.

Ethical business leaders of the future will be expected to guide innovation and economic growth in a trajectory that helps to address the pressing challenges and wicked problems currently that currently beset the global community today. This also requires being cognisant of emerging threats or challenges that may emerge from technological development and societal change induced by business activity. Overall, this course aims to encourage students to think deeply about the complex issues underlying contemporary business ethics problems and to develop potential well-informed, actionable solutions.