Academic Handbook Course Descriptors and Programme Specifications

LBUSI5106 International Business Decision Making in Developing Country Environments Course Descriptor subject to approval

Last modified on November 20th, 2024 at 7:23 am

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Discipline Business and Project Management
UK Credit 10
US Credit 2
FHEQ Level 5
Core Attributes WI (not applicable to London UG students)
Prerequisites International Business with Global Responsibility or US equivalent
Corequisites None

Course Overview

This course focuses on business activities in the Global South. It discusses how emerging markets fit into the global economy, and how businesses in emerging markets might identify gaps and opportunities for commerce, including digital commerce.

The course covers a range of topics that may be present in business environments in emerging markets, including institutional development and the challenges of weak institutions, volatile economies, political risks, and poverty. It also discusses opportunities such as reverse innovation, rapid internationalisation, the potential of natural resources, and economic growth potential. Students also consider how trade and foreign exchange policies might affect emerging markets, and which emerging markets to invest in, why, and what market-entry strategies to use. Ultimately, the course emphasizes the business opportunities in serving the Global South.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

K1b Critically analyse using  examples of common traits of business environments in the Global South across a range of conditions and circumstances.

Subject Specific Skills

S1b Using secondary sources, measure and critically interpret the effects of economic, cultural, financial, political, and social factors on international management decisions in the Global South, acknowledging potential trade-offs.
S2b Critically evaluate firms’ location choices and modes of market entry, and apply theories and research findings to real-life cases.

Transferable and Professional Skills

T1b Communicate ideas effectively in a style and form appropriate to International Business, with coherently organised ideas and appropriate academic references.
T2b Demonstrate a sound technical proficiency in written English and skill in selecting vocabulary so as to communicate effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, discussion boards) to orientate and engage students in their studies.

Teaching and learning strategies for this course will include:

20 scheduled hours – typically including induction, consolidation or revision, and assessment activity hours.

Faculty hold regular ‘office hours’, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups.

Students are to attend and participate in all the scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and independent study.

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 100.

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessment are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within interactive teaching sessions, office hours, and/or the VLE.

Summative

AE Assessment Activity Weighting (%) Duration Length
1 Presentation 40% 10 minutes N/A
2 Written Assignment 60% N/A 1000 words

Assessments will evaluate your knowledge of how emerging markets fit into the global economy specifically, and how businesses in the Global South might identify gaps and opportunities for commerce, including digital commerce. Further information can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments, through email or the VLE) or oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours). 

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is used as part of the approval/modification process only.

Books

A general textbook students may use for supporting the course is as follows:

  • Ravenhill, J. (2020) Global Political Economy. 6th edition. Oxford University Press.

Journals

  • Bach, D. and Allen, D. (2010) “What Every CEO Needs to Know About Nonmarket Strategy”. MIT Sloan Management Review, Vol. 51, Issue 3, pp. 41-48.
  • Gereffi, G. (2015) “Global Value Chains, development, and emerging economies.” Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development Working Paper Series WP 18 | 2015. UNIDO. Pp. 125-150.
  • Guillén, M. and García-Canal, E. (2009) “The American Model of the Multinational Firm and the “New” Multinationals From Emerging Economies”. Academy of Management Perspectives, May, pp. 23-35.
  • Emmanuel, J.A., Rammal, H.G. and Khakhar, P.P. (2024), “Partnering for impact: unveiling the dynamics of collaboration between social enterprises and impact investors in emerging economies”, Critical Perspectives on International Business, Vol. 23 No. 1.
  • Khanna & Palepu (2006): “Emerging Giants. Building World-Class Companies in Developing Countries”, Harvard Business Review, October, pp. 60-69.
  • Paine, L.S. (2023) “What does Stakeholder capitalism mean to you?” Harvard Business Review, Sept/Oct 2023.
  • Porter, Michael “The Competitive Advantage of Nations,” Harvard Business Review (March-April 1990), vol. 68, no. 2, pp. 73-93.

Electronic Resources

  • Financial Times website
  • The Economist website
  • International Business Today podcast (hosted at Northeastern University)
  • Academy of International Business Teaching and Learning World Databases

Indicative Topics

Students will study the following topics:

  • Global competitiveness: opportunities and challenges
  • Internationalisation: methods, routes, and choices
  • The role of sustainability in company success
  • Corporate governance in emerging-market contexts
  • Global Value Chains and product carbon footprints
  • State-owned enterprises

Version History

Title: LBUSI5106 International Business Decision Making in Developing Country Environments Course Descriptor

Approved by: Academic Board

Location: academic-handbook/programme-specifications-and-handbooks/
Version Number Date Approved Date Published Owner Proposed Next Review Date Modification (As per AQF4) & Category Number
1.0 October 2024 November 2024 Dr Sanjay Bhowmick October 2029