This course focuses on the management of multinational corporations (MNCs) and consists of five interrelated modules.  M1 discusses the context in which MNCs conduct business abroad including cultural, economic, political, and institutional conditions in different countries, and their impact on MNC management.  M2 focuses on the strategy and organization of the MNC for successful strategy execution.  It includes topics like global strategy formulation, international alliances, organizational structures, and coordination and control mechanisms.  M3 covers topics at the group and individual levels of analysis, which are critical for successful MNC management including managing cross-cultural teams, global leadership, and decision-making in a multinational context.  M4 focuses on best practices in knowledge management and organizational transformation.  M5 discusses unique challenges and opportunities for business in emerging markets and emerging market MNCs.

Upon completion of the course, students will develop an understanding and acquire critical knowledge for successful careers in international business including:

• Current trends, benefits, and risks in international business

• Conducting political risk and comparative economic and institutional analysis

• Basic cultural frameworks and impact of culture on business

• Different strategies used by MNCs in global operations and their pros and cons

• Organizational structures and control mechanisms in MNCs

• Basic approaches to motivation and how they apply across cultures

• Cognitive biases and how to avoid them for better decision-making

• Types of innovation driving MNC competitiveness and managing innovation

• Best practices in managing organizational change

• Best global leadership principles and practices

• Main challenges and opportunities in doing business in emerging markets

To pass the course students are not allowed to miss more than two hours of class time.

This is a highly interactive class. It employs a combination of case analysis, discussions, and mini lectures. Students are required to study the assigned readings, and especially the cases, prior to each class sessions (see schedule below) and be ready to actively contribute to class discussion.

The course grade will be determined as follows:

Class participation       20%

Final exam                   40%

Group Project              40%

• Class participation will be evaluated based on the quantity and quality of individuals’ contribution.  On occasion, without notice, students will be called upon to make the opening statement describing the facts of a case or to address a specific issue during class discussion.  Unexcused absences from any part of the class sessions will affect the participation grade, as will non-class related use of Internet during class sessions.
• The final exam will be given on the afternoon of Friday, May 31 and will consist of 2-3 short essay questions based on the material covered in class.  Students who regularly attend and actively engage in class sessions should have no problem performing well on the exam.  
• The group project “Managing a foreign operation of an MNC” will require researching an existing operation of an MNC in a foreign country and analyzing (a) the host country conditions for business, (b) the strategy, organization, and culture of the MNC and its subsidiary in that country, and (c) the potential challenges and solutions in managing that foreign operation.  Groups will have up to 10 days after the completion of the course to submit their reports.  Additional guidelines for the project will be provided in class.

This course is exclusively offered for students of CEMS/MIM.

The teaching cases for the class are compiled into a Custom Casebook “6086 Multinational Enterprise Management” on Harvard Online https://hbsp.harvard.edu/import/602857. It will be available for purchase by students after April 1, 2019. In addition, I have included a few Harvard Business Review (HBR) articles in the Syllabus, which are optional and also available for free through the WU library system. 

After classes or by appointment

Kostova@sc.edu