APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/2014

GRA 6337 Foreign Operation Methods

Responsible for the course
Gabriel R G Benito

Department
Department of Strategy and Logistics

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
6

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
Foreign operation methods – their choice, use, management and change – represent a critical component of international business activity. Once described as a ”frontier issue” in international business, researchers as well as practitioners now regard it as fundamental to any discussions about international business strategies and the performance by companies in the international arena.

Learning outcome
This course aims to enhance:

(i) acquired knowledge, i.e.develop students' knowledge about of core parts of the research-based literature on foreign operation methods;

(ii) acquired skills, i.e. develop students' competence in analyzing various forms of operating in foreign markets, selecting and changing appropriate modes of entry and expansion in such markets, and managing modes of operation (including combination of modes);

(iii) reflection, i.e. deepen students’ understanding of the challenges involved in formulating and implementing strategies for entering foreign markets and the subsequent development of operations therein.

Prerequisites
A bachelors degree qualifying for admission to the MSc Programme.

Compulsory reading
Books:
Welch, Lawrence S., Gabriel R.G. Benito, Bent Petersen. 2007. Foreign operation methods : theory, analysis, strategy. Edward Elgar

Other:
During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant for the course and the examination.
Selection of articles


Recommended reading

Course outline
- Theories about choice and change of foreign operation methods:
- Economic
- Behavioral
- Institutional
- The anatomies of foreign operation methods:
- Exports
- Franchising
- Licensing
- International subcontracting
- Project operations
- Management contracts
- Alliances
- Foreign subsidiaries
- Mode switches and change strategies
- Combinations of foreign operation methods
- Foreign operation methods and international strategies

Computer-based tools
It's learning

Learning process and workload
A course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours.

The course will be a combination of lectures, student presentations and class discussions. On a regular basis, small cases will be handed out or posted on It's learning and used as the starting point for discussions in class.

Active student participation is expected. Students should read all required literature before sessions and come well prepared to class.

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, 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 final grade is composed of a 25 per cent in-class component, and a term paper that counts for 75 per cent.
The term paper should empirically analyze a foreign operation method decision made by a company. The paper, which should preferably be written by groups of two or three students (maximum three students per group), will present, discuss and assess the company case chosen by the students. In their papers, students should demonstrate knowledge of relevant theories and frameworks and show their applicability to the analysis of foreign operation method decisions. Students’ choice, use and discussion of research methods will also be emphasized when grading the paper.

Specific information regarding student evaluation beyond the information given in the course description will be provided in class. This information may be relevant for requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several elements of the overall evaluation.

This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam elements) and one final exam code. Each exam element will be graded using points on a scale (e.g. 0-100). The elements will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the course. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades on the course site in It’s learning.

Examination code(s)
GRA63371 continuous assessment accounts for 100 % of the final grade in the course GRA 6337.

Examination support materials
Exam aids at written examiniations are explained under exam information in the student portal @bi. Please note use of calculator and dictionary in the section on examaids

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.
Where this is not the case, all of the assessed components of the course must be retaken.
All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee.

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.