International Business Environment and Global Strategy

The course will be three weeks long. The different weeks will focus on the following:
 
Week 1

• In-depth analysis of Japan’s social, political, economic and institutional environment
• The contextual underpinning of the economic bubble and how it burst and led to Japan’s Lost Decade of the nineties
• Aspects of the historical context, such as Japan’s relations with China, and how that defines contemporary relations between the two countries
• The role of charismatic leaders, such as former Prime Minister Koizumi, in changing institutions
• The role played by diverse stakeholders, including the mafia
• Challenges faced by contemporary Japan, such as the ageing population, redefining the role of women, stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship, and meeting skill shortages, possibly through immigration
• Prime Minister Abe’s strategy to put Japan on a path of sustainable growth with the three arrows of “Abenomics”

 
Week 2

• Framework for country analysis
• Brief review at the South Korean environment after the Second World War and the crisis during the late nineties
• Brief glimpses of the environments of Singapore, Chile and Turkey
• The strategy of a successful global company, McDonald’s, for addressing challenges when entering a turbulent and unfamiliar environment, that of the former Soviet Union

 
Week 3

• Company strategies for addressing opportunities and challenges in complex environments
• Case of ITC in rural India
• Case of pricing of AIDS drugs in South Africa
• The role of the WTO and important stakeholders, like NGOs, in shaping the global rules of the game and affecting company strategies and human welfare
• Wrap up