APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2015/2016

GRA 6342 International Business Environment

Responsible for the course
Heidi Wiig Aslesen

Department
Department of Innovation and Economic Organisation

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
6

Language of instruction
English

Introduction


Learning outcome
The purpose of this course is to give a balanced and empirical perspective on the topic of globalization focusing on the longer-term underlying processes of global economic change in which currents events can be better understood. One aim of the course is to demonstrate the fundamentally relational nature of globalization processes by focusing explicitly on global production networks (GPN) and global innovation networks (GIN) and to emphasize the power-laden dynamics of the interactions between companies, political systems, consumers, labour and civil society organizations – and their geography – highlighting both the institutional and spatial context of globalization. Another aim is to give insights into new empirical developments and to incorporate new ideas on the shaping and reshaping of production, distribution and consumption in the global economy. The third aim is to provide arguments about the impacts of globalization processes on people, places and the environment and the more ethical aspects of globalization processes. In general this course will provide students with dynamic perspectives on how the global economy works and what its effect are. There will be a special focus on emerging economies, especially China.

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
Books:
Dicken, Peter. 2015. Global shift : mapping the changing contours of the world economy. 7th ed. Sage. 550

Other:
SELECTED ARTICLES


Recommended reading

Course outline
The course covers 4 main topics; 1) The shifting countours of the global economy 2) How the actors, institutions and processes that make the global economy interact to produce global production networks 3) Case studies of different sectors to illustrate ways in which these processes actually operate 4) Winning and losing in the global economy and how nations and regions are able to capture value in global networks.

During the course there will be an intensive one-week study trip to Shanghai with lectures at Fudan University and company visits in the area. Students must be aware that cost for and connected with the trip to China is not covered by BI Norwegian Business School and students are expected to cover this cost themselves.

Computer-based tools
Not applicable

Learning process and workload
A course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours.
Lectures, cases, group work and discussions.

A central learning element of the course is the term paper project which will be conducted in small groups. The term paper should preferably be conducted by groups of three students, but we also allow individual assignments.

Please note that it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/It's learning or text book.


Examination
The course grade will be based on the following activities and weights:
1) 30% - Class participation (participation, presentations, contributions to class discussions)
2) 70% - Term paper (individually or in groups of up to three students)