GRA 6341 Developing and Implementing International Marketing Strategies
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APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2015/2016 |
GRA 6341 Developing and Implementing International Marketing Strategies
Responsible for the course
Jon Bingen Sande
Department
Department of Marketing
Term
According to study plan
ECTS Credits
6
Language of instruction
English
Introduction
Globalisation of markets and industries forces firms to take an active stance to international markets. This course addresses the process that firms undergo in their international marketing endeavour and treats critical issues in developing and implementing marketing strategies in international markets.
Learning outcome
At the end of this course students will through cases and theoretical discussions have a thorough understanding of strategic challenges facing firms in international markets. They will also through lectures and negotiation games be able to identify relevant problem areas in international contracts and relate them both to the strategic alternatives open to the firm and to their legal consequences.
Prerequisites
All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have spesific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.
Compulsory reading
Collection of articles:
A collection of scientific articles and readings. Examples of journals: European Business Journal, Management Research News, Journal of International Marketing. A list of compulsory readings will be provided on It's learning or in class.
Other:
During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant for the course and the examination.
Recommended reading
Course outline
1. Introduction. (Week 1)
- Presentation
- Course format and course overview
- Assignments, cases, group formation etc
- Decisions in international marketing, market information and learning.
2. Development of international marketing strategy (Week 2-6)
- Globalisation and marketing
- Strategic thrust of international marketing
- Entry modes in international marketing – an overview
- Standardisation and adaptation in international markets
- Monitoring international marketing / relations with network partners
3. Implementing international marketing / commercial agreements (Week 7-12)
- Introduction to negotiations
- Contracts and contract law
- Jurisdiction/choice of law
- International conventions
- Contract theory
- Contract stages and clauses – general overview
- Guest lectures from industry
4. Negotiation seminar (Week 13)
Computer-based tools
Learning process and workload
A course of 6 ECTS corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours
The course will be carried out through lectures and seminars covering the above issues. The course is based on extensive case work, which entails active class participation throughout the term. Three cases will be followed up in section 3 of the course (commercial agreements) and will constitute the background for the negotiation seminars (section 4).
Examination
The course grade will be based on the following activities and weights:
1. Class participation where active contribution in the case discussion is expected (20%),
2. Term paper (max. 15 pages, 30%).
Students are asked to analyse market prospects in one foreign market for a product/service of a firm of their choice. The term paper may be written in groups of no more than three students. Individual hand-ins are accepted.
3. Negotiation seminar (30%).
Students will form negotiation teams and represent “their” firm in (re)negotiating contracts with their partner in foreign markets. The negotiation seminar is based on some of the cases dealt with in the course prior to the seminar. Number of students per team (3-4) will depend on the size of the class.
4. A 3-hour written examination (20%).
| Form of assessment | Weight | Group size |
| Class participation | 20% | |
| Term paper | 30% | Optional (individual or group of max 3 students) |
| Negotiation seminar | 30% | |
| Written examination 3 hours | 20% | Individual |
Specific information regarding student assessment will be provided in class. This information may be relevant to requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several components of the overall assessment. This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded using points on a scale from 0-100. The final grade for the course is based on the aggregated mark of the course components. Each component is weighted as detailed in the course description. Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam components will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the points system and the mapping scale in the student portal @bi.
Examination code(s)
GRA 63411 continuous assessment accounts for 100% of the final grade in the course GRA 6341.
Examination support materials
Bilingual dictionary
Permitted examination support materials for written examinations are detailed under examination information in the student portal @bi. The section on support materials and the use of calculators and dictionaries should be paid special attention to.
Re-sit examination
It is only possible to retake an examination when the course is next taught. The assessment in some courses is based on more than one exam code. Where this is the case, you may retake only the assessed components of one of these exam codes. All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee. Please note that you need to retake the latest version of the course with updated course literature and assessment. Please make sure that you have familiarised yourself with the latest course description.
Additional information
Honor Code
Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and represent values that are encouraged and promoted by the honor code system. This is a most significant university tradition. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the ideals of the honor code system, to which the faculty are also deeply committed.
Any violation of the honor code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for cheating. These issues are a serious matter to everyone associated with the programs at BI and are at the heart of the honor code and academic integrity. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honor code, please ask.