Allmänt

The course is only available to students within contract education on master level. The course syllabus was approved by the board of the Department of Business Studies on delegation from the Faculty of Social Sciences and takes effects as of 2012-01-16.

Behörighetskrav

Behörig att registreras är den som följt både A- och B-nivåerna och som vid registreringstillfället har 30 hp avklarade från A-nivån och 15 hp avklarade från B-nivån.

Mål

The key objective of this course is to present a comprehensive overview of challenges facing a firm/organisation in a global context, in terms of marketing and organising as well as international strategy and expansion. We present and analyse theories and academic research in these fields, including ongoing research at the Department of Business Studies in Uppsala.

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

- understand, communicate and discuss concepts and perspectives related to marketing, organisation and international business theory

- use the interdisciplinary insights from marketing, organisation and international business theory, and critically reflect on these, to analyse firms/organisations in a global context

- identify and formulate the importance of different stakeholders for the global firm/organisation

- understand the implications of different national and transnational systems and cultures on, and relate these to, the behaviours, structures and strategies of firms/organisations in a global market

- use acquired skills when conceiving and implementing marketing research and marketing strategies and tactics

- discuss ethical dilemmas of firms/organisations acting on a global market

- identify and define a problem and collect and analyse relevant data in order to solve the problem.

Innehåll

Most firms and organisations today are affected by globalisation, the process leading toward increasingly interdependent markets, networks and flows of information and people worldwide. A good understanding of how the complexities of this context affect today's firms and organisations is vital for those working in and studying them.

In the first part of the course, students will analyse the concepts of "market" and "product" and will develop a market plan for a product in a specific firm/organisation. They will then analyse aspects related to the internationalisation of the product/firm. The impact of different cultures will be discussed, followed by a section about organising in a global context, where knowledge development and transfer and human resource management are among important issues. In the last part of the course, organisational responses to pressures in the global environment will be analysed. The impact of contemporary global ideas such as corporate social responsibility and transparency will be discussed and students will perform a stakeholder analysis of a given organisation.

Undervisning

The course takes a problem-based learning approach and it builds on central concepts and issues identified by the students, within the framework of the assignments given. Based on their input, a combination of lectures/guest lectures, seminars/web seminars with student-based activities as well as problem-based assignments and written reports will be used to further develop the students' insights. Students will work in study groups, and active participation is required in all course elements. The course language is English.

Examination

Course examination includes written and oral assignments as well as a written exam. Examination includes both individual and team work elements. The course consists of obligatory parts. The final grade of the course is determined after taking into consideration the different parts of the examination. Grading criteria are presented in the study guide provided at the start of the course.

Grades will be given in accordance with the Swedish grading system. The following grades will be used: VG (pass with distinction), G (pass), and U (fail).

Assignments and exams handed in late will not be graded except in special circumstances.

Required supplemental work, if any, must be completed and handed in within two weeks after the end of the course, otherwise the entire course (all assignments included) must be redone the following semester, provided there is space in the course.

Uppsala University does not accept cheating and plagiarism. Suspected incidents of cheating or plagiarism are reported to the Disciplinary Committee of the University, which may issue a formal warning to the student or expel the student from the university for six months.

NOTE: Only completed courses can be recognised in your degree.

Övergångsbestämmelser

The course substitutes/overlaps among others Management of International business 2FE551, 2FE796, International Business 2FE404, Management Consulting 2FE406, Service Relationship Management 2FE405, 2FE602, Marketing of Services 2FE755, Market Strategy 2FE769, Management and Organisation 2FE958.