INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT

The course is one of the core educational activities of the degree programme in Business Administration and Management that allow students to gain knowledge of and understand the nature of management activities from a strategy perspective.
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 analyze 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.

Active participation to the course’s three educational components (lectures, discussion of case studies, guest lectures by practitioners) coupled with systematic individual study will allow students to achieve the following intended learning outcomes:
1. Knowledge and understanding
1.1 Knowledge and understanding of the different theoretical approaches to the study of the international competitive context
1.2 Knowledge and understanding of tools and models for the interpretation of the opportunities and challenges facing contemporary firms that operate in international markets
1.3 Knowledge and understanding of the different strategic options available to firms willing to enter international markets and expand their international presence
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
2.1 Ability to apply the different theoretical approaches to the analysis of the international competitive context
2.2 Ability to apply models and tools to interpret the relevance of challenges and opportunities that firms face when operating in international markets
3. Judgement
3.1 Ability to determine which theoretical approaches, tools and models are more appropriate to effectively evaluate the opportunities and challenges facing contemporary firms that operate in international markets, in relation to the economic, social, institutional, and technological specificities of the different foreign markets in which they operate
3.2 Ability to critically evaluate the most suitable strategic paths to internationalization, given the economic, social, institutional, and technological specificities of the different foreign markets in which they operate

Propaedeutic subjects: Principles of Management and International Accounting

The course will cover the following topics:

- Globalization of markets
- The analysis of the international competitive environment
- Global competition and its implications
- Principles of international strategy
- Foreign country choice
- Foreign entry modes
- The internationalization process
- The management of the multinational firm
- International entrepreneurship

Hill C. and Hult G.T. International Business Competing in the Global Marketplace - ISE, international student edition, 13th edition

Capitoli/Chapters
1 - Globalization
2 - National differences in political economic and legal systems
4 - Differences in culture
6 - International trade theory
13 - The strategy of international business
14 - the organization of international business
15 - entering developed and developing markets
16 - exporting, importing and countertrade
17 - global production and supply chain management
18 - global marketing and business analytics
Additional teaching material will be uploaded on the Moodle page of the course

The course’s final grade will depend on how every student will perform on two distinct areas
• Written exam (to verify the acquisitions of knowledge and notions related to the course´s topics) - 15 Multiple choice questions, 1 mini-essay
• Evaluation of a team project (for attending students 0 to 4 points).

The course combines lecture, case analysis and guest lectures by practitioners.
The analysis of case studies is designed to help students a) reflect on real-world cases relating to the foundational topics of the course, b) solve strategic and managerial issues, and c) debate possible solutions in the classroom. The goal is to experience more pragmatically how models, tools and theoretical approaches apply to real-world business cases. The discussion of the cases in class is aimed to foster the students’ abilities to constructively criticize, to develop and present compelling arguments and to critically evaluate solutions and scenarios.
The guest lectures held by invited practitioners allow to put the tools and theoretical models into context thanks to the speakers' direct experience in the management of international businesses.

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